Gone Fishing.

Up to the this point the word fisherman has always conjured images of trawlers full of cod, tended by heavily bearded men in Aran knit sweaters. Hardly the stuff to set the pulse racing. Then I came across Iwase Yoshiyuki’s iconic images of Japanese Ama women in the 1950’s harvesting seaweed and diving for turban …

Pitch Perfect Pastorale.

Ever wondered what the sound of gambling lambs, songbirds and hooting owls might be like set to music? No? Well neither had I until I heard a strange curio from the 1970’s. Virginia Astley’s ‘From Gardens where we feel secure’ is perhaps the most pastoral ambient album ever made. Gentle and calming to the point …

Friends of Place Blanche

I went to see a small showing of Christer Stromholm’s work ‘Les Amie de Place Blanche’ at ICP. Located behind the larger, crowd-drawing ‘Weegee: Murder is my business’ exhibition, the Stromholm work is more ‘cult viewing’ by comparison. Both are in some ways dealing with sensationalist material. In Weegee’s case, the aftermath of murder, accident …

Eggleston World

William Eggleston is a genius. It’s just my opinion but I can’t think many other photographers who have been so influential over the last 50 years. Like all great artists his eye was wholly original, clicking the shutter on things that very few at the time would have deemed worthy of shooting. Whether it’s flowers …