It was very odd to find out that some of my
fellow OCA students had put together a photography exhibition at the Nuffield
Orthopaedic Hospital in Oxford, whilst my husband was still there recuperating
from several major surgeries. It was certainly quite comforting during what was
a horrible time for us, to see the names of my friends John and Penny, to see
all the great images and to have some moments of deep contemplation in art for
a while, in such clinical surroundings.
Living in East London and feeling far away
from home in Oxford, physically and emotionally, I loved seeing Keith’s work.
His lighting was perfect, giving some of the shots a truly filmic quality,
particularly the one of the market stalls on Petticoat Lane. This gives some info about his
submission: http://photo-graph.org/2015/04/27/memory-exhibition-oxford/
Even thought they looked simple and sparse
at first glance, I found myself being very deeply moved by John’s photographs.
These are intimate moments using soft light and shadows with text, which
enhances but does not explain. We feel the sense of loneliness, the
disconnects, the tension, the loss but we are left feel contemplative rather
than unsettled.
Penny’s Eudosia images are delightful. Beautiful dreamy captures of children in
nature. Looking at these children made me hopeful for the future of the world.
More info here, kindly posted by Catherine
Banks: https://catherinebankscn.files.wordpress.com/2015/06/z-final-exhibition-brochure-27-april.pdf
And the original post on the OCA site: http://weareoca.com/photography/memory-exhibition/
All the work was thoughtfully created and
well curated. I was very impressed and slightly jealous that I was not part of
this.
Unfortunately there were complaints about
some of the work – particularly that of Sue Jones which tackled how she feels
having developed ME. Some of the hospital visitors felt it appeared to depict
suicide and so the images were removed. https://www.flickr.com/photos/reverendjones/sets/72157646731725503
Speaking as someone who regularly visited
that hospital in a state of distress, I can see both sides of this argument but
I think it is terribly sad that the people who complained felt that was the
only solution to their feelings. Did they take the time to read Sue’s notes and
really think about what she was saying and what she is going through? Ironically, there are some large vintage
photos along the corridor towards Ward B, which I found to be very disturbing
every time I walked past them.
I gather that there were also concerns
about Penny’s images and whether the children were naked which just makes me
despair. The hysteria of tabloid-reading
mental sloths!
More importantly than any of that, I personally
found the exhibition to be inspiring and thought-provoking. It has made me ponder what I would have
submitted for a show about ‘memory’…
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