It's hard to identify a specific issue that relates directly to my practice as I feel I am informed visually, thematically and technically by varying sources. Something which I think I am concerned with which has come through slightly in recent projects is the topic of working class towns and British cultures. I am very interested in documentary photography exhibitions and have been fed this through visits to exhibitions at both the National Media Museum and Impressions Gallery. Something which I think photo-documentary work offers is a critique or awareness of social history, unveiling the struggles of past eras. Breaking down exhibitions I have scene and places I have been, I think restricted ways of living are key to these issues, yet also traditional British cultures.
I have always been quite interested in uniforms and how these relate to heritage. This started to come through in my Foundation final major project and was explored further in my Morris dancing picture-book. Something I find drawn to about working-class cultures is the sense of community and belonging brought about by social heritage. Most discernible in my Morris Dancing book was the connection between types of dancing and particular industries. Issues such as mining and mill work have been drawn on by Martin Parr who's work I have been interested by in several exhibitions.
At the moment, I don't feel that my work is fully connected to these interests. I have explored British cultures through the study of Morris dancing and am interested to further this in the next Studio Practice brief in which I am focusing on the writings of Alan Bennett. My practice often focuses on mischievous and playful characters with children's illustrations being an inspiration. It would be a good point of development to explore how I can channel these approaches to image making within my raw and socially critical subjects. Developing my practice, I would like to tailor my responses towards my personal concerns and interests in light of restricted ways of living and social heritage.
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