Monday 23 June 2008

New exhibition on the Thames Estuary


Just came across this on the Guardian website - an exhibition called Soundings from the Estuary about the Thames Estuary off course. From what I can see off the pics on the site it focuses on the landscape. Guardian wrote:
'Artists have set out to capture the archaic sights and sounds of the Thames Estuary before its transformation from marshland to new town as the Thames Gateway Development. Soundings from the Estuary is an ongoing project inspired by the estuary's industrial, architectural, and maritime traces as well as the threat from construction and rising sea levels. Frank Watson’s photographs’s will feature with artists Germander Speedwell and Dave Lawrence at the Contemporary Urban Centre in south London, from June 20-July 20 2008.' The radar tower at Tilbury and the Tilbury power station which I have photographed as well is among the images featured on the website. There will be a talk at Tate Modern about the exhibition on 11th of July but I will be in Sweden then - really frustrating. I have to go and see this exhibition now, I am just so curious and in all honesty a bit gutted. It's hard not to get upset when you realise someone has already done a piece of work on the same topic as you. It is different though but nevertheless...
Good news though is my camera is not broken, took the role I had in the camera in for processing and it came out fine. My local lab said it sounded like the chemistry had been off on my mystery roles, anyway best thing is I can carry on shooting.
Trying to focus and write intro to my project, I find it difficult to get the tone right, what fits with images... Also struggling with a title. Some thoughts: estuary tide, out of tide, tidal time, tide & time, esturial........

3 comments:

Richard Schofield said...

Hey Anna I saw your pictures on drr. Great stuff. What if any post production did you do?

Mia said...

Hi Sco,

Thanks. Just scanning and retouching. I have also made an book layout in indesign. I will try and see if it is possible to post it on the blog.

Michael Barrientos: said...

Anna, I wouldn't be too worried about the fact that someone else has done on Thames Estuary work. Everything has been done-it's something I found time and time again over the years. At the NYT we would often gripe about reporters redoing stories (and us subsequently re-shooting it) time and time again.) But as far as projects, subjects or ideas, realize that you have a unique eye and an original perspective on it, and most likely a strong personal vision that you will bring to your project that no one else will.

I'm a music fan and can't tell you how many versions of jazz, blues, rock and roll or country standards that I have and appreciate all of the different takes on them (I just bought the Smithereens album of early Beatles covers-good stuff– and have been watching the American documentary "Jazz" but Ken Burns). Paul's book that he showed us was wonderful and original, and I'm sure he's aware of all of the other projects and books to come out on his subject matter. The same could be said about Tim's work, Homer's or Ed Kashi's-but they all brought a unique perspective.

With my project, an amateur photographers here in Maputo did a project on the local beaches along the Marginal, self-published a book, made posters and post cards, and held a couple of exhibitions at galleries, but it didn't phase me because I came to terms long ago since it was often a mantra in photo staffs that I worked on that 'everything's been done' as people would often say when there was worry of duplication. In the end, my perspective was much different and in-depth with a different angle (not to mention simply better pictures) and I didn't hesitate to continue.

I like what you've done and hope you continue. Good work!