http://rebels-library.org/files/imagined_communities.pdf – need to read soon in for research about sociological change and communities – Imagined Communities, Benedict Anderson. http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/01973760801892449?journalCode=gvir20 – another theoretical read – The Pivot of the World: Photography and its Nation, Blake Stimpson. Continue reading Project Presentations // Feedback.
Birmingham Irish Heritage Group (BIHG) is a non for profit charity set up by the late Mike Walsh in 1994. The group “seeks to further and preserve Ireland’s rich cultural and historical legacy among the Irish diaspora living in the West Midlands and throughout the United Kingdom”. Members meet every month and guest speakers share their experiences and knowledge on a range of different historical and … Continue reading Birmingham Irish Heritage Group.
All images courtesy of Rineke Dijkstra, Beach Portraits. I came across Rineke Dijkstra’s work last year whilst researching for the studio rotation. I particularly like her deadpan style, and her use of natural and artificial light to create atmosphere. She manages to portray her subjects in an almost alien and isolated way, which makes me feel slightly uneasy. I think she is trying to subtly shock … Continue reading Rineke Dijkstra // ‘Beach Portraits’.
All images courtesy of Amanda Harman, Clubhouse – Club House Amanda showed us this body of work last year during a professional practice lecture in which she explained her motivation behind the series. I think as a standalone project this is really successful and documents the human presence found in different club house environments, but without any people being present in any of the images. She explores … Continue reading Amanda Harman // ‘Clubhouse’.
All images courtesy of Toby Glanville, Portraits – Portraits Toby Glanville’s portraits are very intimate and have a warm feel to them. Even in the photographs where the subject is engaging directly with the camera, there is still a sense of engagement and warmth. This is something that I wanted to portray with though my work, as I wanted to best show the Irish community in a … Continue reading Toby Glanville // Portraits.
All images courtesy of Leonie Hampton, In The Shadow of Things. In The Shadow of Things Although her subject matter is totally different to mine, I think her visual style and portraiture skills are very strong. This series of work focusses on Leonie attempting to clear her mothers house, who was a serial hoarder. The images are close, intimate and portray a mother that needs psychological … Continue reading Leonie Hampton // In the Shadow of Things.
Whilst reading a few articles about the Irish communities in Birmingham, I am across an old Gaelic saying that translates to a hundred thousand welcomes: “céad míle fáilte”. This seemed like an appropriate title for the book, as the hospitality I received from the people I met was amazing. I was welcomed into their community for a short time, and made to feel like I … Continue reading Project Title Ideas // “Céad Míle Fáilte”
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-birmingham-26546193 According to BBC news (2014), the Irish population in Birmingham used to make up 4% of the cities population, but in recent times has begun to decline. Despite this statistic, almost 100,000 people turned out to this years St. Patrick’s Day celebrations, which is believed to be the biggest outside of Ireland after New York and London. The 2001 census counted 22,828 Republic of … Continue reading Are The Irish Still Big in Birmingham?
Images courtesy of Spencer Murphy taken from Urban Dirt Bikers. Following shortly on from when Cian Oba-Smith completed his ‘Bikelife’ series, Spencer Murphy contacted the photographer to inform him that he was going to undertake a similar project about the urban biker scene. Murphy used the same camera and film stock to produce this work, resulting in very similar visual style to Oba-Smith. Consequently, as Murphy was a … Continue reading Spencer Murphy // ‘Urban Dirt Bikers’.
