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Mariah Robertson
One that stood out for me was Mariah Robertsons rolled up
piece (image 88) that had one of the guards stand next to it which was in
gallery 7 first floor. As tempting to unroll this piece even further, I
refrained. Robertson quotes ‘When do the
rules of photography limit creativity?’ She had tried to create something that
breaks almost all conventions in photography in terms of scale, the way in
which had been laid out tempting viewers to come take a closer look and unravel
this oversized roll of film, which seemed a bit harsh. Her influences include ‘alternative
historical processes from photography’s shadowy beginnings with Victorian
chemical hobbyists.’ She welcomes accidents be it Solarizations and photograms
in the man ray mode, irregular chemical reactions, negative collage, games with
filters. The end result that comes from these final pieces that she’s succumbed
to show the viewers are quite abstract. This questions is this body of work
art? Or photography? This body of work has a Kandinsky esque feel to it, be it
intended or not. Quoting what Charles Baudelaire had stated on this idea of
photography bring an art. He attacked the way the ‘modern public’ had mistaken
photography as an art because it accurately recorded ‘nature.’ From this idea
in which he had I can see why he thinks that, but there is an art form to
photography. I’d like to think that the lenses are a type of paint brushe or
different type of pencil to give different types of tonal range. Tableux pieces
for example. Where the images are constructed with models positioned and are
held as if they were posing for a painter. There were also ways back then to
alter the images with a brush whilst they’re still wet as though it were a
canvas. I think in a sense there are certain things in which are quite similar
but not to an extent where they’re both exact.
John Stezaker
David Benjamin Sherry
