MANCHESTER ART GALLERY

MANCHESTER ART GALLERY

Yesterday I went to the Manchester art gallery for inspiration as my artist research is becoming difficult, and I find that walking around a gallery is relaxing, as I can just look and not think. Its rare that I get a whole day to myself because of work and university, so I decided to make the most of it. I found a few interesting exhibitions that I was interested in.

Adrian Gatie

Gatie’s work involved a series of black and white photographs that showed people in the street. The natural poses of these people indicate that these photographs may be candid shots. One image ‘Market Street’ (1985) caught my eye and related to my project. A man sat alone on a bench with his head in his hands shows the viewer that the man may be in some sort of distress. There are people walking past, making no eye contact to the man which indicates his personal isolation. Is it the ignorance of other people that is causing his sadness, or is there something deeper? It is hard to tell, but the image is very powerful, contributed by the black and white, it creates a tension of Isoloneliness. This is the perfect starting place to kick of a new project.

Image taken with permission of the Manchester Art Gallery

I researched Gatie further to see if I can find any other images similar to ‘Market Street’. I came across this image of a man sat down on a chair reading a newspaper. The image, also black and white does not show any indications of loneliness, unlike ‘Market Street’. Although he his alone, but with people in the background paying no attention to him, the atmosphere is completely clam. This could be caused by the comical factor of the image, but also the peaceful facial expression the man is giving.



http://news.bbc.co.uk/media/images/50169000/jpg/_50169209_161chorltoncumhardy1985.jpg

I like the concept of a bench and Isoloneliness. It is an object that we can sit on and reflect on our thoughts, yet when we are sat down in a public place, we are often ignored. Someone may sit next to us, but not engage in interaction. With this inspiration, I want to take a few pictures in the style of Gatie and see where it leads me.