F for feck

Regular viewers will know all about my interest in the retail experience that is the pound shop. Here’s a piece that is designed to tell you all you need to know about brands/consumerism/ late stage capitalism and so on and so forth… I like the honesty of rip-offs and p*** takes. You might care to reflect on if the original artifacts or their mechanical reproduction in this ‘ere photograph constitutes the finished work? And for that matter, wonder where and how the muse strikes… (I suppose the muse knows what it all means, even if we don’t. In the words of the devotod one “I know the meaning of life, it doesn’t help me at all”). Or you could always look what’s left in the French Connection Sale or wait for my new, limited edition cnut* T-shirts which will be available here shortly in all sizes and at popular prices. *© zach 2009

In god’s own county

Journeyed with Mrs Dave across t’hills to Bradford to see Don McCullin’s This is England. He and Bill Brandt were the first photographers I really looked at – his work now seems from another time – but he still a serious bloke who’s seen too many things. Judge for yourself in the video interviews.

After the National Media Museum, we crossed the road to The Impressions Gallery to see Trish Morrisey’s exhibition Front, you’ve got until 6 September to see what at first glance look like large scale holiday snaps, until you notice she appears in each of the groups. I liked her last exhibition, this is more of the same with the added bonus for me of a seaside link. Right then – well I’m not one for putting other people’s photos on these pages (get your own website finished Morrisey!) so here’s my record snap of Bradford – stop moaning – you can see two landmarks in the background – whaddaya mean I’m obsessed with cctv????!

Are you?

No – I’ve no idea either.

Return of the native

Regular viewers may remember my School of Life holiday on the Isle of Wight with Martin Parr. Well I’ve just spent another week on the isle (this time without Mr Parr, but it’s just as weird). Stayed in Ventnor in the house frequented by Karl Marx (getting to be a regular thing this fellow traveling lark). To make matters more surreal Mrs Dave and I went to see The Stranglers in Ryde, but (alas) missed Chas and Dave who were on in Bournemouth.

Anyway, added a couple of snaps to my long running seaside saga series and noted the increase in CCTV – I wasn’t the only one – a flickr friend was also stalking the island, but we didn’t quite manage to meet up.

An outing to Dimbola Lodge (home of Victorian photographer Julia Margaret Cameron) was enlivened by the appearance of the Google Street View car – who saw me snapping him, so drove up, so I (and he) could get a better view. There’s a prize to the first person to find me on Street View.

Normal service has been resumed…

Apologies if anyone has emailed me and it’s bounced back. That will teach me to treat emails from Nominet as spam. It all seems to be back working, but I’m afraid I won’t be able to get hold of anything that didn’t get through first time round  – so I’m not such an ignorant git, but you’ll have to send it again. Sorry.

Which side are you on boys?

I don’t often comment on news items on this blog (mainly as I’m never in it init?). But the British Journal of Photography brings us the news that plod may be laying off 100 police photographers. Obviously I’ll be secondary picketing as soon as the thin blue line forms. Presumably the cuts won’t be in the Forward Intelligence Teams who have the important job of hampering journalists collecting evidence. Find out more here at FIT Watch.
The photo was taken on my recent jaunt to London – I’ve no idea what the police were doing in the Elephant and Castle and didn’t think it was worth asking them.