Fiona Crisp - Subterrania

One of the exhibitions I did see at the Baltic Centre for Contemporary Art was the Subterrania photography exhibition by Fiona Crisp. Crisp is an artist who has become known for creating installations of large-scale photographs that question the ontological presence of the photographic image. Her current exhibition shows photographs which, at first glance, do not really seem linked, but they unite in the fact that they are all of sites of some historical importance or interest, but are now open as tourist sites.

The Subterrania series of photographs all create a strong sense of three dimensional space, and when one looks at the pictures we are overcome by the intensity of the interiors; the pictures almost suck you in and make you feel like you are there. There is also a forceful sense of direction in the photographs; we are made to look forward, almost through the pictures as if seeing the route by which we can escape, if the intensity becomes too strong.

Crisp has exhibited her work both nationally and internationally, and is represented by Matt's Gallery, London and is held in the collections of The Tate Gallery, The Government Art Collection, The Arts Council Collection, Worcester City Art Gallery and private collections.

The Impossible Project - Saved Polaroid

This post proves that signing up to high-street shop email updates does not always cause a waste of inbox space! I received an urban outfitters newsletter email today that featured an advert for a project they are working on: Saved Polaroid. They have teamed up with The Impossible Project 'in a worldwide effort to restart and reinvent instant photography.' I'm sure most of us are familiar with polaroids, if not from when we were kids then more recently due to the popularity of retro trends. Let's face it though, they were pretty cool. Before the ease and convenience of the modern day digital camera, the polaroid was the key to a photograph you could look at pretty much as soon as you'd taken it - the birth of instant photography. But as soon as digital cameras came onto the market with better quality pictures, memory cards allowing many more photos to be taken and no need for film, plus their much smaller size and lightness, polaroids were quickly ditched for their newer, shinier, modern opponents. But now, it seems, we want them back! Production of analog instant film stopped in 2008, closing the factories in Mexico and the Netherlands. Impossible b.v. has been founded with the concrete aim to re-invent and re-start production of analog INTEGRAL FILM for vintage Polaroid cameras (www.the-impossible-project.com). The Impossible Project clearly states that their aim is not to rebuild Polaroid Integral Film however, but to re-invent it under a name brand name, developing a new product with new characteristics and optimised components. For all us arty types, this is something to look forward to! And in the meantime appreciate some of the really interesting polaroid artists around, including Jennifer Rumbach, and a whole range of artists found at Polanoir.

The People In My Home

Inspired by "You looking at me?" - the Faces in Places post on Glog, I decided to snap a few objects from in and around my home that I always see as 'people'.

The car face, with the headlights as the eyes and number plate for mouth, is something that I have noticed and enjoyed from a very young age; I always used to look out my window at all the different car faces on long journeys with my family, and loved comparing the expressions of all the different vehicles. I came to the conclusion that most look quite angry!

I often notice door handles in other peoples' homes and in public places, and I rarely don't see them as having faces now. But the corkscrew is one of my favourites, I always see it as a little man!