Event

“I've got itchy fingers, for inky fingers...” /  by Shaun Armstrong

Taking my fingers, hands and the rest to a screen-printing workshop at the Inky Fingers studio in the depths of Hackney Wick.

Firstly, creds for the post title to band Yard Act, taken from my favourite non-album track Human Sacrifice. All links open in new windows.

As part of my ongoing artistic and personal development and plans to create unique prints from my photography, I took myself along to a day screen-printing workshop at the Inky Fingers gallery and studio, run by the dynamic due of Ricky Byrne (aka Mesh&Blade) and internationally renowned sweary dog-snogger and JaffaCake eater artist Dave Buonaguidi (aka Real Hackney Dave).

I travel up to London quite regularly, but the combination of the closed mainline railway meant the journey to Hackney Wick incorporated an unusual and new combination of car, parking, train and underground journeys plus an unexpected but enjoyable walk from Stratford. That and a double espresso meant I was well and truly unfrozen and alive for new ideas and experiences before I started.

I’d not screen-printed before but Ricky and Dave were engaging, informative, honest, relaxed-but-professional and supportive and made the whole day a memorable joy; from the lemon-drizzle cake welcome, to the careful packing up of our small edition of beautiful A2 prints on 400gsm paper stock and the help and banter in between. Despite being on the back of the draining culmination of the Voting Schmoting show launch, a day or so before.

The 2-layer prints we produced are quality items, not just souvenirs and I chose my ‘Rodeo Drive’ image which I thought would work well with a single image layer on a colour block. After a few dab tests I went with an orange background with purple image, which can be seen in the photos below. I have a couple of AP’s, one for home and a unique limited edition of 5 signed and numbered prints which will be for sale at some point (follow on socials or just get in touch!)

I’m not going to detail out the whole day, you can get the gist from the selection of images I took below, but the combination of straight-talking, technical nous from Ricky and honest art-business-life advice from Dave, was SO valuable. Thanks guys.

The ‘Rodeo Drive’ image appears in my book ‘USA: Black & White’ available to buy here.

SHADOWPLAY /  by Shaun Armstrong

A different perspective of fluidity…

Visits to art galleries can work on many levels.

We visit to see what’s there, what’s the new display; what someone has to say through what they’ve created and brought into a white space to inform, educate, entertain and challenge you. You know. The usual stuff.

In addition, I lapse into finding ways of observing the unexpected interaction between the exhibits and the visitors; the fixed and the constantly variable. 2 + 2 = 5.

Trickster Figures: Sculpture and the Body is the new exhibition (until 7th May 23) at MK Gallery bringing together 11 British artists breaking boundaries with sculptures that invite interplay and exploration and ask questions about our world and how there is growing fluidity in all things; from the natural environment to technology, to our own bodies.

However, an unexpectedly quiet day, with few humans, challenged me to explore the exhibition on a different level than the one I had expected or was expected of me. Perhaps the idea that interaction here was expected was counter to my normal desire to observe interactions that weren’t expected…

What drew my attention this time was the shadows. The counterpoint to the installations had a life and unseen display of its own, from angular to more fluid. Depending on your perspective…

“The historic or mythological “trickster” is often defined as a character who disobeys the rules and defies categories and conventions. The academic and philosopher Donna Haraway refers to tricksters as “wildcards that reconfigure possible worlds” I see the artists in this exhibition doing just that”

Jes Fernie, Curator Trickster Figures.

Artists: Saelia Aparicio, Alice Channer, Jesse Darling, Nicolas Deshayes, Kira Freije, Siobhán Hapaska, Nnena Kalu, Joe Namy, Harold Offeh, Ro Robertson, Vanessa da Silva

All photos ©ShaunArmstrong2023

MK Gallery (until 7 May 2023)

(see more At The Gallery)

Vivian Maier "...I see, I see, I see" - MK Gallery /  by Shaun Armstrong

Reflections of Vivian Maier: Anthology - photography exhibition at MK Gallery.

All photographs ©ShaunArmstrong2022

As a documentary photographer, I’ve admired the work of Vivian Maier since she was ‘discovered’ in 2007, along with a fascination in her story, both before and after her work was revealed. From John Maloof’s award-winning documentary Finding Vivian Maier to attending an exhibit and talk by her biographer Ann Marks at PhotoLondon2019, along with reading Ann’s book Vivian Maier Developed upon its recent publication.

So the arrival of the first UK show of a comprehensive Vivian Maier Anthology at my local contemporary gallery, MK Gallery, gave me an opportunity to view much more of her photography up close in a dedicated setting, along with other supporting artefacts and media. This included some taped recordings of her speaking, which ironically, was a highlight for me albeit it was not visual. More of that later.

All photos in this post are unstaged reportage from my first visit (I didn’t get the memo to wear orange but I’m glad some folk did) - if you want to see Vivian Maier's actual photos do buy a book or better still visit MK Gallery www.mkgallery.org - until 25th September 2022.

So, brief background; Vivian Maier came from dysfunctional French heritage to live and work as a nanny in New York and Chicago in the 1950’s to 1970’s. She was also a prolific, gifted, but essentially amateur, despite commercial aspirations, street photographer, who captured all manner of the quotidian with insight and aesthetic.

Her core story is that her work was never really discovered as such until after her death at age 83 in 2009, and even then a considerable volume was never even developed from the original film. And therefore all unseen, even by her. It was only the chance purchase of boxes of ‘unknown’ negatives, film etc. at an auction by a young artist (John Maloof) in 2007 that really got the awareness started, although she had passed before the connection was made and any opportunity to involve her had passed also. More info on the story on Wikipedia. or in Ann Mark’s book - link above.

Why my interest?

Viv and I. Gonna need a bigger hat…

Besides the photography and the romance and intrigue behind her enigmatic story, before and after discovery, what really draws me is what photography meant to her. I think because I see parallels in my own personal relationship with photography. Of how, when you’re in a state of flow visually, you see images everywhere, almost instinctively and you get a hunger for it. In an instant the intersection of subject, line, colour, contrast, shape, texture, expression, movement, light, emotion, reality. But you do it for you; for the split-second satisfaction of both seeing that image and recording it ‘to keep’. And then it’s gone. But it hasn’t. It’s more journey than destination.

This is what I feel is overlooked in the Vivian Maier story. Her keeping the work to herself was not due to her being inheritantly shy, or that she didn’t have funds to develop the film, but that it was just part of her way of moving through life and the satisfaction it gave her of itself, to the point that she didn’t even need to develop the film to see the fruits of her ‘moments’ or risk having to self-critique which is The Photographers Curse. She knew. And that was enough.

What about her photography?

Paper.

It’s good. Some of it (that we see) is very good. An element is exceptional. But with an estimated 140,000 images shot of which the majority weren’t developed and only 3000 or so were ever printed, there is either a considerable amount of good stuff left or possibly, with just some time, technical skill, an exceptional eye, and a decent camera you’re going to get some keepers at that sort of shot-rate.

Also, the other mainstay of the ballooning interest in her photography is the content; the sheer volume of day-to-day life around the cities of mid-century New York and Chicago which wasn’t really documented with the same vigour, diversity and comprehensiveness she brought. They are images of a golden, highly visual, time and this adds to the broad interest, quite distinctly from her actual capability and personal story.

What makes her work extra special, in my opinion, is that she does have ‘the gift’ which I believe defines any good photographer; the creative-sight as I described earlier - a sixth sense to see or anticipate a moment as it unfolds and capture it with panache and instinct in equal measure. Her ability to do this with a film camera and retain the quality that she did underpins her technical skills, but she did mix with professional photographers at stages throughout her life and had aspirations to make and sell postcards, so she had chops. But I’d be super interested to see the other 137,000 images.

Creative-sight. The ability to see, anticipate and capture a moment without staging.

Vivian Maier the person?

Quite a lot has been written about how she was private, lonely, shy and/or poor and these were the driving forces behind her story and photography. I’m not so sure. I agree private, but by choice with whom she wanted to interact with - the other aspects not so much. She approached strangers in the street for certain portraits, found ways to access buildings for images and was not shy to enter crime scenes, celebrity gatherings alongside press stringers and areas of the city that may be considered ‘risky’. She also had a proactive, engaged and valued relationship with her young charges. These are the skills of a confident and self-aware person, not a shy one.

She was also a hoarder, particularly newspapers and magazines which built up significantly as she aged and I suspect the main reason for her moving from jobs with regularity. Parents don’t like weird folk around their children and whilst not enough to give her a bad reference, I suspect this was a driver to ‘help her onward’. She had around 8 tonnes of material in storage when it was auctioned off due to fees not being paid; not because she didn’t have the money necessarily (via Ann Marks) but probably because it slipped her mind or she frankly wasn’t that bothered in the final analysis. If she wasn’t bothered to develop her film, for the reasons I’ve suggested, it was no great shakes to lose them - her enjoyment was at, and in the moment of, taking the images for personal challenge and enjoyment.

Portraits.

Other Multimedia

This anthology is also really interesting as it presents other media and artefacts in addition to the photography. I think, like many photographers, she liked a bit of tech, experimenting with new kit in still and moving image, and audio.

Her Super8 cine footage is blurry and grainy and a little stream-of-conscious but, like her photographs, documents daily life from a time past and this brings charm and interest now, that would not have been the case necessarily at the time. I think Vivian generally had a voyeuristic approach to people and, with her creative-sight and a new toy, was visually fascinated by different ages, peoples’ shapes and clothes and with film, their movement. This is what I see in her films; it’s almost surveillance-like.

One of my favourite parts of the exhibition was, via a ceiling-mounted ‘sonic hairdryer,’ a looped piece of audio Vivian recorded on tape with the children she was Nanny to; asking them questions about themselves, their family and their aspirations in her gentle French-tinged American accent - listening to her voice made her come to life and anchored all that I had read about her, her photography and my view of her. I heard nothing but a relaxed, smart, humorous, self-confident and engaged human.

What did strike me though was her reactions to the answers the children gave; she says “I see” almost 30 times and sometimes, “…I see, I see”.

Now I may be making too much of a leap here but in a way this sums Vivian Maier up, there is no complexity or mystery to her situation, photography or motivation. She just ‘sees’. All the time. This was her gift to herself primarily and we’re lucky to be able to see her images at last.

PS

I have a real problem in exhibitions in that I find myself constantly distracted from the works by other visitors and how they interact, move and present themselves. And want to photograph these moments I see, for shall we say, a little ‘Vivian Tingle’.

The images throughout this post follow this theme and there are a few more below. I also have a gallery of such images (MK Gallery is a rich and local hunting ground) which you can view here.

“I see…”

Kusamazing? - Yayoi Kusama at Tate Modern. /  by Shaun Armstrong

Images and thoughts from a recent visit to the Tate Modern to see the Infinity Mirror rooms by Yayoi Kusama.

All photographs ©ShaunArmstrong2022

Yayoi Kusama, Tate Modern - April 2022

I first came across the name Kusama in 2010 as a result of the so-titled 10” EP by The Duke Spirit in 2010 as the Japanese multi-media artist was a muse to lead singer Leila Moss. Whilst I’d seen some of her polka-dot work over the years I thought I’d find out more when Tate Modern opened an exhibition last year.

The Infinity Rooms opened in May 2021, but with Covid impacts and an unprecedented ability for tickets to sell out months in advance, even for Members, a visit had been a while coming. The exhibit is now in its third block of extension and now sold out until September 2022.

Having seen a few images of the main room “Filled with The Brilliance of Life” and it being described as “one of Kusama’s largest installations to date” I was expecting something grand that I could immerse myself in and be transported to otherworldly planes of reflection (none intended) and contemplation…

Filled With The Brilliance of Life. Image ©ShaunArmstrong

You get two (it seems less) ushered-in-and-out minutes in an approx 5m x 5m box, it may be less, with a few other folk. Oh, and mind where you step.

No, really.

Well, to be fair you get two minutes in two 5m x 5m boxes as the exhibit (in one room) also has another mirror space “Chandelier of Grief” worked on a similar basis which I enjoyed (not really) with a young couple and a toddler.

The effect of the lights and mirrors to create the infinite patterns you expect to see is very clever in such a tight space but the, unfortunately necessary experience-management, coupled with my inability to not be inspired to photograph artwork spaces, meant it was all over pretty quickly. I could have spent a long while - this was one installation where a VR headset, some headphones with paired audio and a nice chair would have made all the difference.

The objective and sensibility of what the work aims to communicate and challenge is very much understood and appreciated but neutered through the viewing process, in my opinion.

To be fair you can go around and queue again, as much as you like, not that this is made overly apparent, but I never felt that ability to engage with an immersive artwork or space like I hoped I would. Twice was fine.

In addition to these spaces, there was some film and photography on the long and extraordinary life of Yayoi Kusama which was enlightening. Her ability to stay living (just) close to the edge of mental health whilst producing many ground-breaking works over her 90 years is indeed amazing.

The visit, as always, brought more opportunity to add to my At The Gallery project, observing the interplay between visitor and visited, not only at the Kusama exhibit, but the new and extensive Surrealism Beyond Borders exhibit and around Tate Modern generally.

Goodwood Road Racing Club - 79th Members Meeting 2022 /  by Shaun Armstrong

Photography from the GRRC Members Meeting 2022. All photographs ©ShaunArmstrong

I’ve been going to the Goodwood Festival of Speed since 2002.

2022 was my first Spring visit to the Members’ Meeting as a full member of the Goodwood Road Racing Club.

I love getting up close to the cars, which these events allow you to do. To experience the noise, sounds and smells and see the details of the machinery and liveries; from the classic to the modern to the iconic.

And to see owners and famous drivers, past and present, enjoying the rare opportunity to let loose on the track, regardless of the vehicle’s rarity and value.

And to photograph. Sometimes events are an inspiration for my ArtAutoArt but with the Members’ Meeting, which was as much a social event, to capture the moments of the day; trying to be in the right place at the right time.

Alongside some great wheel-to-wheel racing, static displays and hospitality in the sunshine, this event saw the launch of the T33 by legendary designer Gordon Murray, a display of F1 cars from the V10 era and an amazing collection of Porsche 956 and 962 Group C prototype sports cars.

It was a great day!

All images shot with Fuji x-Pro2 and 23mm lens or iPhone 12Pro and edited in Adobe Lightroom.