at reinforcing the reputation of the artist; it is invariably a book, or print, that the trade aspect of Paris Photo ultimately aims to represent. As an example, Anna Fox’s Resort 1 exhibition from earlier this year featured; a book looking at the history of Butlin’s in their 75th year is the ultimate destination for this social commentary.
As such, to study each work in isolation is meaningless. As a photographer, what matters is the significance of an event like Paris Photo and how to fit in. What struck me was the sheer banality of a lot of the work on display – albeit banality with a consistent theme. Do something different and even if it’s not that different, if you do it enough, to the right subject, it’s art (apparently). Few events make me wander back to the hotel, and grab a bottle of wine; fewer still make me then set the camera for a long exposure and trace said bottle of wine with an LED pen. We’ve all done it when playing, so seeing it on a wall in such a prestigious event is both baffling and frustrating! Similarly, in amongst the classic, and terrifyingly ex- pensive (not just in isolation, but by comparison with the wider marketplace) books, self publishing is building up steam. One title, Red Car, grabbed my attention not for the quality, but to question the value (€200 for a limited edition) of a book of snapshots of a Nissan GT-R in some fairly mundane settings. Not well lit, not particularly clever technically (and subjec- tively, a fairly soul-less modern mass produced car). I know that many MPA members have both the vision and the skills to leap into this market, and it may be that if studios are faced with reduced orders the answer is
Top: studying photo books, the natural companion to gallery exhibits. Centre: Anna Frost's 'Resort 1' project behind show visitors. Very large prints are normal for top level gallery art. Bottom: book covers displayed using acrylic frames with a neon-glow effect edge lighting. Surely there’s something here which could be used for social photography products too!
MASTER PHOTOGRAPHY 11
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