It’s without question that British artists have set benchmarks for modern photography. As curator of the Photographers’ Gallery UK, Brett Rogers reveals that what makes British photography so “distinctive and definitive” actually dates back to when British photographers invented the idea of documentary photography.
“In the 1980s, there was a watershed moment when artists were being interrogated about whether documentaries claiming to reveal the truth of the world could be sustained,” she explains.
“That was when artists like Martin Parr and Anna Fox started to question the nature of documentary with different strategies to explore the difficult issues of society.”
By Martin Parr
The two pioneering photographers are among those taking part in the exhibition. Rogers admits it was not an easy job to finalize the 380 works chosen for Work, Rest & Play, but hopes that audiences will grasp the basic ideas of Britain’s evolution over the last five decades.
“We are interested in tracing how it all happened and how important figures helped shape the idea of Britain and London, especially abroad,” she says.
While influential figures of the 1970s and 1980s like Tony Ray Jones are included, Work, Rest & Play makes sure to properly introduce contemporary journalism and new media techniques from the 21st century.
'Kids at Somerford Grove Adventure Playground, Tottenham' put out the barbeque fire by Mark Neville
As part of the New Century section of the exhibition, Mark Neville is not only an up and coming storyteller but part of the story himself.
In discussing his work, he finds himself confronted with a big question: how do you define yourself as a photographer when everyone has access to good, if not great, cameras?
“It’s a hard question, but quite an important one,” he laughs. “I’m always interested in the social function of photography, which is a different approach than displayed on either TV screens or galleries. My idea for my own practice is to help shape the world into a better place. That’s why I prefer to be called an artist instead of a photographer.”
'Betty at Port Glasgow Town Hall Xmas' by Mark Neville
His first project, Port Glasgow, was completed in 2004 after spending one year observing and documenting local lives in the Scottish town. He got the idea from “glossy hard cover photo books sitting on coffee tables.”
Neville confesses that it was a bit disturbing to him that the classy, elegant lives depicted in his books were being bought up by people who were, in fact, experiencing the recession and economic hardships.
So he decided to do a book for those people [see cover image]. He eventually gave 8,000 free copies to all of the households in that town, with no copies made commercially available. That way he overcame the challenge of how the images were contextualized, framed and delivered.
“The local boys’ football team helped to deliver the books door to door,” he says. “Of all the positive and negative responses, the most extreme one was knowing that all of the Protestant residents had a meeting to dump their copies and set fire to them because there were too many Catholic clubs and pubs in the book.
“I was quite upset and went to check. It turns out that there were nine images taken of Catholic clubs and pubs and seven of Protestant ones. That’s sort of interesting to gauge how art can provoke different reactions.”
'Firing Range' by Mark Neville
The unexpected feedback amuses and assures Neville of his job to keep serving the broader community. His latest project, The Battle Against Stigma, aims to challenge prevailing notions in the military towards mental health problems.
It’s an experience he knows firsthand. After being sent to Helmand, Afghanistan, in 2011 to work as a war-zone photojournalist, Neville returned home shaken and struggling with memories of the battlefield.
“I suffered from PTSD for a long while and it was a hard time both for me and my family,” he admits.
After two years of recovery, he decided to put all his experiences down into words and photos, hoping to help those with the same struggles.
“My grandfather was a victim of PTSD as well and I did not understand why he behaved like that when I was a kid,” he explains. “Now, I get thousands of emails from all over the world, including mothers whose sons are now going through the same thing.”
// Until Aug 23 (Tuesday-Sunday), 10am-6pm. Minsheng Art Museum.
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