Gallery Visits

Design by hand: Forth Studio 1954 - 1989

The Designed by hand: Forth studio exhibition was held at Southampton Solent's Showcase gallery between January 25th and February 24th 2013.

"Design by Hand features the works of a highly successful Edinburgh design studio before the advent of the computer. The exhibition covers Forth Studio's work until the company - formed by Douglas Soder and John Martin in 1954 - was sold in 1989."

This exhibition wouldn't usually be something that I would choose to go to off my own back as my knowledge of the area is very little so at first I was a bit sceptical about what I was going to think. 

After a couple of times going round the exhibition space and trying to take in and work out the necessary information I needed to know about the founders and the company itself to be able to gage what I was trying to be shown. I began to understand more about the company and the way in which it worked and how over time it has grown and expanded in both numbers and processes. 

Drawn together, Drawn apart: The Phillip Schlee collection of drawings 18th Jan - 21st April 2013

We then headed down to Southampton City Art Gallery to see the Phillip Schlee collection of drawings. The collection consists of drawings, paintings and prints from 44 British artists from between 1920 and 2004.

I have never personally been a big fan of drawings and paintings alike, so I wasn't very hopeful for this show either.

Although there were some pieces in the collection I did enjoy. The piece by John Salt for example, but i think this is due to the fact he is a photorealist so therefore his painting relate more to that of photographs.

Quote: www.solent.ac.uk/events/events-articles/2013/design-by-hand-exhibition.aspx

History: Southampton City Art Gallery - www.southampton.gov.uk/s-leisure/artsheritage/sotonartgallery/exhibitions.aspx
Photo: www.facebook.com/SouthamptonCityArtGallery

Book Reviews

Recognition and Reflection book Review

The review I was set to read was Recognition and Reflection by Catherine Grant. This review was based on the work of Rineke Dijkstra, a photographer that I was familiar with, so I thought it would be interesting to see what other critics had said about some of her work.

The review is based around the catalogue that accompanied an exhibition of Dijkstra's work in San Francisco which then moved on to New York. Catherine Grant picked out archived Interviews from the catalogue and essays by curators - Sandra S. Phillips and Jennifer Blessing - which went in to much detail about Dijkstra, her career and influences.
I find it interesting how the catalogue also contains interviews with some of the sitter that Dijkstra has worked with over the past two decades. I think this enables the reader to get an in depth experience of the way Dijkstra works from people who have experienced it first hand that aren't well known in the industry. They experience things in the same way as you and I. 

Nicky, The Krazyhouse, Liverpool, England, January 19, 2009

The interview with van Adrichem talks about the early works of Dijkstra and how a black and white series was once linked to works by Diane Arbus' which lead Dijkstra on to look at her works and in turn take away a lot about the way she works to contribute to the ways of her future works. 

"they struck a chord with me. It had to do with the way she observed people: she didn't pin them down. Their identities keep on changing." 

Hearing this quote from Dijkstra, talking at the early stages of her work really makes me compare it to the way she works and I think the same impact comes across to me in some of her works too.

One of my favourite quote from Dijkstra in this review is:
"I like to photograph people: the camera is a way to connect with people and to find out who they are and to I relate to them. In the end it's all about recognition and reflection." 

Journal SOURCE, Summer 2012, Issue 71