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RENCONTRE D'ARLES 2004 PHOTOGRAPHY FESTIVAL |
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Festival 8 -12 July This is a very impressive international photography festival that uses spaces throughout the small provencal town of Arles, from beautiful empty churches to enormous disused railway workshops. There were conferences, talks by the artists, portfolio viewings, film screenings and live music every night, and of course the important social aspect of meeting people in the numerous bars and restaurants.
Francois Hebel (left) and Martin Parr (right) 2004 is the 35th festival and it is a real achievement. Martin Parr, the guest curator, writes in the catalogue 'This year's programme examines photography's relationship with society and celebrates the way in which our best photographers can provoke and stimulate.'
Raphael Dallaporta Parr has created three themes. The largest is Contemporary: here, he identifies conceptual documentary as a strong theme where a careful observation of aspects of life or events brings a greater understanding of the world around us. For example 'Antipersonnel' images of landmines by Raphael Dallaporta photographed individually like the glossiest packshots; and 'Meetings' by Paul Shambroom whose large photographs of small town meetings give them the aura of importance but reveal a dearth of animation.
Paul Shambroom James Mollison's large installation of portraits of orphaned apes goes straight to the heart and Osamu Kanemura's black and white images of Tokyo, 'Urban Landscapes Forgotten by their Inhabitants', show a city where humans are nothing compared to the buildings, wires, poles, lights, and ensnaring clutter of modern Tokyo. |
Hans van der Meer exhibition The Contemporary section also contains some human warmth. Hans van der Meer's photographs of small league football games show a love and respect for the ordinary sportsman. In the whole exhibiton only two spectators of the games can be seen - a girlfriend and a priest - what devotion! A complete cultural contrast is found in 'Privacy' - Dayanita Singh's large black and white portraits of affluent Indian families in their homes. Often three generations together, the younger ones show distinct western influences and the grandparents have the grace and formality we associate with ancient Roman portrait sculpture. Rediscovery shows work by photographers who are important but now less acclaimed than they should be. Particularly influential for Parr is the seminal work by the British documentary photographers Tony Ray-Jones and Chris Killip. And in contrast, Keith Arnatt's colour photographs reveal great pleasure in very ordinary daily objects, such as dog shit and rubbish, giving these unlikely objects the most gorgeous aesthetic and importance. Vernacular is a section where Parr can show his interest in collections and eccentricities, including his own collections of trays and Saddam Hussein watches.
Tray, Martin Parr's collection The most fascinating is the collection of old photographs from Arles - the bull fighters as pin ups, the cyanotypes documenting bridge building in the 1880's and the collection from the Marquis de Baroncelli of gypsies and Sioux Indians (he believed they were related), to mention just a few. Arles is not just Martin Parr Land. There are many other exhibitions including a witty series of photographs 'A Close Acquantance' by Pawel Zak, 'Ports of Africa' a powerful series by African and European photographers, 'Unfinished Works' and a selection from the FNAC Collection. When you need a break from photography visit the Cryptoportiques, the underground arcades that supported the Roman Forum, and when you are tired go to the Hammam Chiffa to get steamed and scrubbed. Susie Medley Fotonet |
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Photographers getting excited about a double rainbow |
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