My photographic style...

Leading on from Dr Ed's comments about the description of my work on my website, the text reads:

a photographer who explores the ways in which people interact with and make sense of the the landscape around them. Identity is key to his work - personal identity through our actions, national identity through our landscape and monuments, and a generic identity built up from everything that is around us.


It is quite interestigly accurate given that Dave wrote it when making the site, I shall expand on it based on my views and what I try to achieve in my work, particularly as its developed into a more coherant beast over the last year!


I am interested in landscape of all genres, whether it be a classic picturesque view of the countryside or an urban environment gleaming with modernity. Firstly, there is an initial interest in the landscape and what it stands for. Our land has been shaped for thousands of years, initially (and still today I guess) through natural events, but increasingly through human interaction with it. We build on the land, reclaim it, landscape it to make it look natural etc etc etc. To study the landscape therefore must inherantly reveal something about our national culture and heritage and perhaps allows us to draw conclusions about life by the way it is used and abused.

For me, what is more interesting is people's relationship with the landscape. I enjoy being a photographer and hope I make intersting work because I am interested in really looking at things. Not a fleeting look or walking around staring at the ground, but trying to engage with whatever environment I am in. By presenting different views or unexpected shots of my surroundings, it enables the viewer to maybe see something in a new light or at least consider it in a way they have not done before. Perhaps this is because we are so used to our surroundings we take it for granted? If you go abroad for example, everything becomes interesting whether its a tree you don't see in the UK, a postbox of a different design than you are used to or the way people use the land in their own country. applying these principals to a landscape you are really familiar with is difficult, but provides so much reward when achieved. Because we are so used to our surroundings, if we can detatch from them and step outside what our brain expects to see, the small details come out. I think it is within these small details, those things commonly taken for granted, that we can reveal a huge wealth of learning about ourselves.

It then follows that to view other people viewing their landscape is just as interesting and reveals just as much about how the collective conciousness looks at the landscape and what conclusions can be drawn about peoples similarities in this approach. With this project, I realised that making work about people viewing the landscape was very difficult. Where do you begin to look and what do you choose to shoot. I was reading a lot about tourism at the time and the tourist experience, the manufactured heritage industry and such like. It struck me that to visit well established and well visited landmarks would give me a platform to do just that. I could go to a place that was pre-designated as a sight of interest and where peoples sole activity was looking.

The manner in which people go through the tourist experience like sheep suggests a lot, as does the way a landmark is set up to accomidate this. We are ushered this way and that, given indications as to where to look and take photographs and therefore we are being pre-loaded with information about where we are. Why are we encouraged to look at certain things for example and why do people stick to this?

You can go to a landmark and predict where people will take a picture. You can also bet if someone stands somewhere and take a picture, others will follow suit, assuming it must be the best view. Leading on from that, people's shot selection is rather drab to me as it is the same image seen time and again. Usually people try to represent a place as though it was still in the time it was famous for. For example, if photographing the stone henge, people will try to show the stones and the field its in, but cut out any other tourists, the road, the car park, the signs, the staff, the shop...the list goes on. For me, to make images that show all these extrenuous things is far more interesting, often far more beautiful and certainly far more revealing about the place and how it sits in the modern age.

All these things reflect on identity and I guess that is my key interest and theme at the moment. Part of someones identity is perhaps revealed by how they interact with the landscape. Our national identity is reflected in everything around us and becomes particularly obvious when we look at places that are designated as being part of our identity (for example landmarks) and a generic identity is apparant in all things. Revealing this generic identity is perhaps most interesting to me and I find by looking at the over looked, the obvious or simply what our brains usually make us ignore...i.e that which is taken for granted, gets under the skin of identity and tells me things that I didn't know before.

Something like that anyway! That is just my thoughts from the top of my head...but I shall think on as I have never quite pinned down what I am interested in visually and doubt I ever will!

John House...the artist!

Following on from my show post...

Its really hard to stay positive during a group show and not get too dismayed with things.

Some people get a lot of attention for their work, get loads of great feedback, win prizes, sell work etc etc etc.

If you don't get that sort of feedback immediately, then its hard to stay positive about your work and you naturally start to doubt yoruself and the body of work you have made.

I got a few nice responses in the Private View, but mostly from people I know. Thats all great, but you know they are a bit biased!

However, today, just before leaving the house to come to work, something happened that has made me 1) feel like a real artist, 2) be completely content with the show and my work no matter what else happens and 3) just gives me a real confidence boost.

A chap emailed me this afternoon saying that he had seen my series 'Landmark' (which is my final major project) in the exhibition and wanted to tell me how much he loved the images and the body of work as a whole. He said he wasn't a photographer and so didn't know lots about it, but he really liked my work (I did some research and he runs a kind of arty choir thing that do modern voice productions or something!). He then asked if I sold my work and if so how much it would cost him to buy a piece although he did add a caviat was that he didn't have much money!

But for me, that has just made it all worth while. A random ordinary Joe has seen my work amongst all the other great work in the show, took the time to find my postcard so he would have my contact details and then made the effort to send me an email asking if he can buy some!

If feels fantastic! For me, I always wanted to be a photographer for two main reasons 1) to explore the world and the way I view it and make statements or come to conclusions through photography and art. 2) To try and make work that the public would enjoy, respond to and hopefully learn something from or at least think about something in a new or different way.

So to get a member of the public to respond positively enough to enquire about buying a piece is increadible and such a confidence boost. I have no real interest in making art for other artists or photography for other photographers...whats the point? For me the real value of art is the effect it has on the general population and if I can have an impact on even one person, then that makes me an artist. Today, his email gave me that confirmation and hopefully will be the first of many people who will take something positive from my work.

Just got to work out how much I would sell them for now and perhaps the icing on the cake will be making a small amount back on the vast debt I have amassed creating it!

I think the whole exhibition thing has shown me the importance of publically displaying your work, in whatever way you can. There is no point in making it just for yourself (not for me anyway), it only comes alive when others get to see it and respond whether positively or negatively.

Art after all is horrendously subjective and if your work isn't out there, then you are not challenging yourself and for me are not an artist. Whether it goes down well or not, if nobody sees the work then there aint much point to doing it.

Private view

So my private view happened on Friday.

That really was the last significant event of my degree (other than getting my marks and the graduation ceremony I suppose!).

It was a hectic two weeks of setting up the show, but relatively stress and problem free to be honest. We managed to iron out most of the niggles and ignore most of the whingers and produced what I think is an excellent and rather profesional exhibition.

Friday night all the degree shows opened by way of a double ender or private views. 4 till 7pm was press and VIP's and 7 till 10pm was general admitance and friends and family.

I was relatively relaxed about the whole affair. My Mum came down Friday and we had lunch and chatted before heading home where I donned my suit and prepared myself for the show itself. I didn't go for the 4pm opening in all honesty, thought it was too eager and so headed there for a bit after 5. Thats when I started to feel the burn and got quite nervous as I walked the familiar steps to school, my swanky shoes clipping on the pavement behind me. I wasn't sure why I was so nervous, but I was!

The first few hours were really strange and I felt very unsettled! I didn't know any VIP's only my course mates and I am not the best at networking, idle chit chat or being the centre of attention, so it went rather uneventfully to be honest. I SHOULD have stayed by my work and chatted to anyone looking at it. Instead, I drunk lots of Red Stripe and shuffled sheepishly round the exhibiton.

However, 7pm soon arrived and I was really excited about my friends and family getting to see my work. To be truthfull I think thats what I was most nervous about too! Its a strange thing to present the culmination of three years work like that and your nearest and dearest going to see it for the first time. I guess I was aprehensive as to their reaction and if they would like it.

It was also dissapointing to have so few tickets to give to my gang! I wish I had had more so I could have taken everyone. Instead it was Hannah, my family and Phil and Matt as they have given me so much support over the years and I wanted to be able to thank them in this small way for helping.

Once they arrived though I had a great time. Everyone seemed to enjoy my work and were impressed with what I had done and drinking and making merry took place in between having a good gander at my and my colleagues images.

We then went for a slap up Italian meal and drank wine whilst putting the world to rights.

It was lovely and meant a lot to me that eveyone was so enthusiastic about coming down and checking my work out as well as being so full of praise.

I'm not sure where I would have been without my family and friends and most of all Hannah these last three years. There complete faith in me, support and encouragement justified what I was doing and gave me the belief that it was worth it and I could achieve something I would be happy with and most importantly they would like and appreciate.

That sounds cheasy, but I really mean it, I owe a lot to my family and a lot to all my friends who have done nothing but support and encourage me.

Going to Uni felt like a huge step for me 4 years ago. All I had done since doing busniness related A-levels was a variety of office jobs. Whilst I did quite well in these and could have forged a successfull career, it never felt right and I was never satisfied or content. When I moved to Brighton I grew increasingly agitated at where my life was going and what I was (not) achieving. My passion for photography had grown and thats when you lot all started hassling me to go to university! After a year or so of procrastination...I went!

Its been a hard three years in so many ways. I went to Uni not having done art since I was 13 and showed no promise at all. To then do a fine art degree was a shock to the system and opened up a whole world I never really knew existed. It also filled me with self doubt and confusion over whether I was justified in this new world and whether I could achieve or if I had bitten off more than I could chew. However, knowing you have an ever supporting and encouraging partner, family and friends means you can do anything and get through it that bit easier, so thank you all sincerely.

AND IF YOU HAVEN'T SEEN THE SHOW YET...GO HAVE A LOOK:

Its open until Thursday 10am until 8pm, except Thursday when it closes for good at 4pm.

If you want a guided tour, let me know when your going to have a look and I will meet you there.

ALSO, I have a holding page for my website now:

www.johnhouse.co.uk

Kindly put up by Dave, who is working on the full site. There are five images up at the moment, which are the images on display in the exhibition. We also have a website for our whole year:

www.uobphotography.co.uk

Hope you get to check the show out and enjoy it as much as we all enjoyed making it!