Photographing the Unseen
Each of these projects have their own merits, from the atmosphere of the “Ring Road” to the Narrative of Peter Mansell’s work and the fond reminiscence of Memories of Childhood.
At first look I thought I would gravitate towards Peter Mansell’s work “Check Up” Having had two lots of back surgery myself, I found myself empathising with Mansell and his struggles. My mind wandering to “what if questions”, his brave, personal introspective set of images were a good example of the relay method with the narrative and the images, amounting to more than the sum of the photographs themselves. Peter’s skill at articulating reality shines through.
In the end it was Jodie Taylor’s project “Memories of Childhood” that really resonated with me. This reminiscent stroll into her past childhood haunts, is, to me, what I look for in photography. Anything that has the aim to stir genuine emotion and succeed, is a triumph.
What Taylor manages to do in this set, is to light the spark of nostalgia that sends you tumbling down memory lane. The framework of the images gives us the opportunity to examine and discuss these memories, good or bad. Our childhood memories still shape us and still make you feel something. Maybe it’s the longing for “simpler times” or a “look how far we’ve come” or even thoughts to the future on how our kids will act or behave.
I enjoyed the austere authenticity of the presentation of the images. The 6 x 4 prints in a cheap photo album, that people of a certain age will remember also chimes another set of memories, these albums were one of the only formats our own memories were presented to us. I think we all have an album like this lurking in a cupboard at home.
Anything that can conjure this kind of wistful sentiment makes us think, that is why this set resonates more with me than the others. The fact you can project so much emotional content on to these kinds of images, negative or positive, is testament to the strength of them. I do not see this as a loss of authorial control but an extension to the authorial power of the images.
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