SHADOWPLAY / February 28, 2023 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)

Book : Luton Hat District: A Creative Cluster In The Making. / February 1, 2023 by Shaun Armstrong

A beautiful and informative book containing over 120 of my original images has just been published following the practical completion of the first phase of Luton’s regeneration of its former ‘Hat District’.

I was commissioned by The Culture Trust, Luton from 2017 to 2022 to document the 5-year refurbishment, regeneration and transformation of a number of run-down former hat-making factories into vibrant creative workspaces, whilst retaining their important industrial heritage.

Visiting periodically, in liaison with the project team as various stages took place across the 3 main sites, I was allowed unfettered access to the buildings, both inside and outside as scaffolding allowed.

As I explored the spaces, alongside the more formal recording content of certain fixed perspectives, I was given a free rein to express the content, detail and nature of each space as I wished and the work taking place. This enabled me to observe not only the buildings in their widest space and location, but down to the finer details in the build and materials as they were and as they became, with all the stages of transition in between.

This body of work is now part of the permanent heritage archive to show how the built environment was cared for and reused.

The more abstract interpretations were curated into a series of prints by expert Matthew Shaul to form an exhibition known as ‘These Walls Tell Stories’ which enabled the public to visit and see the work. A series of limited-edition prints are available here alongside a signed copy of the book with a limited-edition print here.

This latest book has been written by The Culture Trust Luton’s Chief Executive and driving force behind the project, Marie Kirbyshaw, along with Heritage Officer Elise Naish, to tell both the heritage story of these hat factories and also the journey of the spaces and their future worth to the local creative community and beyond.

To see my work illustrate this story so extensively and lavishly is a real pleasure.

(All Images on pages below ©ShaunArmstrong)

Buy a limited-edition copy of the book signed by me with an exclusive signed NEW A4 print here (only 5 available) here

Buy a limited-edition signed A3 print from my ‘These Walls Tell Stories’ Hat District photography exhibition.

Cleethorpes in Winter / April 20, 2022 by Shaun Armstrong

Photography from Cleethorpes on the North Lincolnshire coast.

I’ve never been to the North Lincolnshire coast before, but with my daughter having moved there for work and the threat of super-fresh fish and chips on the cards, well why not.

Despite it being bitterly cold, I really enjoyed the quiet, off-season, lots of things closed, slightly faded air in Cleethorpes that comes with so many seaside towns in the UK. And as I live as far as you can get from the sea in Britain, it’s refreshing in other ways.

And whilst I quite like fish and chips in paper outside with a view of the sea (it’s the law normally), this was not that sort of day. So without the need for a better excuse, it was time to introduce my daughter to the joys of “sit-down indoor fish and chips”.

We ventured into Steels CornerHouse restaurant which despite its less-than-ideal “Sports Direct” banner branding outside, revealed a step back in time inside. Lovely old signs, little booths and tables, waitresses with grey hair, pots of tea in ‘70’s metal teapots and a plate of bread and butter to accompany the best haddock and chips I can remember.

No shots of food to see here though. I made a few photographs that I hoped captured the look and feel of the day. And a lone airman.

I liked Cleethorpes and will return.

USA - Tourists / March 14, 2019 by Shaun Armstrong

Observing and photographing the visitors to popular attractions in the USA.

I’ve talked in a previous post about my inability to attend an art gallery or museum without being drawn into photographing my fellow visitors. They are always interesting and, more often than not, dressed with more panache that I can manage. Not always the same with tourists outside in hot weather.

Carrying my observing-the-observers burden on a road-trip to Western USA yet again the folk around drew my attention despite the grandeur and iconic settings…

Sunset in Monument Valley. Folk positioning themselves ready for the unfolding rich splendour. These massive, but also small in context, buttes warm up into all sorts of rich reds, oranges and browns as the sun sets. Helped by some aesthetic clouds it is a wonder to behold.

I just loved the way everyone was having their own moment, even from behind, and there’s a natural balance in positioning that draws you in I think.

Viewpoint Golden Gate bridge, San Fransisco. Hundreds of people pile into this car park / visitors rest / viewpoint to get an identikit we-went-here shot. And fair enough if you’re passing through, rather than having walked from Fishermans Wharf (well worth the effort) it’s safer than the bridge itself.

It’s actually not that great a view, photographically, but amazing how people don’t invest a little time walking to get a better photo or just a better view . The cheery people on the left will no doubt be delighted when they see their image of them, a foggy bit of the bridge and three strange ladies in their shot.

Holy heck it was hot. The Neon Museum or Boneyard, Las Vegas Nevada. Tucked away at the north end of the city sits a collection of bits and bobs of signage from over the years and it’s splendid. The stories of the old casinos, days of the Rat Pack and how lights and design evolved is captivating. I had the pleasure of a large, extended family of Mexicans on my tour and even they clamoured to get into the shade at any opportunity…

Horseshoe Bend, Paige AZ. A walk of about 1/2 mile across an area of sandy pathway/wilderness brings you from a small car park to what is probably one of the best and most spectacular views; even better than the Grand Canyon in my opinion as you can see from the ridge to the bottom. Not that you can see it in this shot…

When I first did this walk in 1997 we were there with about six other people and didn’t see that many more in the small dust “car park” where we parked with one or two other vehicles. Back then it was “off the grid”. Now (2017) the car park is paved, massive, busy and there were perhaps a few hundred people filing / shuffling to and from the ridge edge in 100+ degree heat.

And when I say edge I mean edge; the drop from this rocky outcrop is straight down hundreds of metres. That’s a one way trip. You can’t photograph that in any meaningful way, nor the view really, but everyone tries to. I believe the plan is now to manage people and put up rails. It’s a shame, as you will feel you are looking at a view rather than being part of it as it used to be…

Hollywood Boulevard Walk Of Fame. Just your usual street characters and only one looking at a screen…

Death Valley, California.

Not dissimilar to Monument Valley : the car park, the wall, the view, the shot. These wild spaces are so beautiful and worthy of off-piste exploration and contemplation but when that’s not possible at least the viewpoints provide extra layers of interest to the street photographer.

See a larger gallery of Tourists USA images.

Orford Ness, Suffolk - Hidden History / November 29, 2018 by Shaun Armstrong

Secret atomic testing base still has secrets to tell…

Sleepy Orford Ness. In the background the multi£m US cold-war listening complex - Cobra Mist

I recently spent a day exploring the large area of essentially shingle and marsh off the coast of Suffolk, known as Orford Ness. A natural spit of land created as oblique waves slowly moved the beach into the sea and now a nature reserve under the control of the National Trust. But in between it was the site of cutting-edge military research and testing.

Boarding a small boat from the quaint seaside village of Orford, with its castle, agreeable restaurants and specialist food emporiums, the (literally) three minute water crossing takes you to another world.

Despite its quiet and desolate beauty, many of the part-destroyed buildings remain still largely intact but spread across acres of flat, but eerily wavy, shingle; an attraction for my interest in documenting shapes, details and textures.

All images shot with Fuji X-Pro2 and 23mm 1.2.

These Walls Tell Stories: Photography Exhibition and limited edition prints. / November 20, 2018 by Shaun Armstrong

These Walls Tell Stories was a professionally curated exhibition of photography drawn from my 5-year documentary commission of the Hat District heritage regeneration project for The Culture Trust, Luton.

Luton in Bedfordshire was for many years since the 17th Century the centre of the UK’s hat-making industry. As trends, production techniques and global trade evolved, the industry eventually compacted.

Whilst Luton still has some specialised hat suppliers and manufacturers, many beautiful buildings were left in disrepair or under-utilised.

The Culture Trust Luton had the vision to continue this process of adaptation and reinvention with a focus on generating an eco-system of spaces to attract and support creative industries.

A programme of restorations and refurbishment, to be known as The Hat District, incorporated spaces to be known as Hat Factory, Hat House, Hat Works and in due course a new-build, Hat Studios.

My 5-year commission covered documenting the spaces before, during and after, alongside the process of specialised work and industries.

This exhibition, incorporating a mixture of framed images and wall-prints, presented in a Wolfgang Tillmans style, focuses on capturing details and abstract elements pre-restoration. The patterns created by the diverse materials and building layout as it starts to change

These Walls Tell Stories in collaboration with The Culture Trust and presented by Matthew Shaul of Departure Lounge, took place at The Storefront in Luton (an old hat factory showroom) between 30 Nov and 21 December 2018.