Home from Home
While looking outwards allows the photographer to gather information and portray new visual landscapes, there is an opportunity to take these findings and look inwards within one’s own environment. London is one of the world’s most culturally diverse cities and provides a great base for exploring cultures from around the world in a local environment. This is something that is important, as people tend to forget that they are part of a bigger dynamic that extends beyond their own doorstep.
The idea that traditions, characteristics and mood of a place can build a community that is part of something bigger is particularly inspiring, as it demonstrates how we are all connected. By reviewing global imagery that I have shot, I aim to explore how these cultures translate on a local level. I’ll be investigating how colour transcends through place and time and how the importance of being part of a community helps people identify with themselves and other people. In a talk for TEDX, Martin Bond describes the importance of documenting this in his own work and questions themes of unintended collaboration:
“Social integration is as important to our wellbeing, as our diet, whether we exercise, drink or smoke.”
A World City
Curiocity by Henry Eliot, visualises the idea of a ‘world city’ in a spread, demonstrating the diversity that exists within the city of London. Exploring these places physically builds the foundations to visualise diversity in London. By using methods such as psychogeography, I aim to explore cultural hotspots within the city to draw comparisons between cultures and places.
Welcome to Frestonia
Tony sleep explores the idea of identity and the importance of community in his works ‘Welcome to Frestonia’ that visually depicts citizens who had created their own state, independent from the United Kingdom. The images represent the importance of community and tradition that is part of this. The work includes people undertaking everyday activities during the 1970’s and documents this extensively.
The result of this work has since raised questions around the relationship between the subject, photographer and viewer as the images have been heavily plagiarised, questioning authorship and the use of the images. Sadly this has led to the removal of the work online and Tony sleep addresses themes of trust between the photographer and viewer in his statement:
“This particular set of photographs relied on trust. The people who appear in them were open enough to trust me to photograph their lives. Unfortunately, visitors far too often cared nothing for any of of that.”
Putting Places onto the Map
As London is one of the most culturally diverse places on the planet, it provides an excellent location for exploring different cultural values in a visual manner. With the opportunity to explore lesser known places, my aim is to create a body of work that explores themes of integration and cultural celebration.
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