Last week I went to Entente Cordial - Images from France and England an exhibition by Nick Turpin and Nils Jorgensen which is part of the London Street Photography festival.
The exhibition was held in part of the main concourse of St Pancras International Station, the station being the gateway to France and Europe. It was a very apt place to hold it.
Nick Turpin although based in France has very much a love/hate relationship with the country. As founder member of In-Public - the street photographers' group, Turpin is a highly acclaimed street photographer. The focus of this body of work explores the contrasts of modern France, a country which is balanced precariously between tradition and Americanisation.
The work also challenges the French privacy laws which prohibit the publication in France of street photographs taken in France.
Whilst the images explore some of the traditional aspects of French society, for example the image of a boy waving the French flag outside a building and scenery shots from aerial angle, they tend to have a quirky side to them. In Lyon there is a car at an intersection which looks pretty normal until you notice that there are feet haging out of the boot. Likewise there is the image of an escaped cow in the middle of Lyon bringing the traditional country into the modern city.
Nils Jorgensen is also a member of In-Public. His work in this exhibition focuses on English street photography encapsulating the eccentricities of the English themselves. He has adopted a gentle humourous approach to his work that is laced with witty observations.
My favourite was an image of a balding man viewing a painting in a gallery, the painting being a landscape with a tree. The leaves on the tree provide the man with the perfect toupe and cover up his bald patch.
The is also the image of an autumnal tree with a man walking behind it. His legs are all that is visible and they in essence give legs to the tree making it look like it is walking.
I found this work really enlightening as I have lately being discovering how to enhance my street images by including people and humour. I also found it useful because I am studying the aspects of design and could see many implied triangles and lines in their work. This something I wouldn't have looked for without studying design.
I also found that the contrasts of the two countries made for an interesting exhibition.
The exhibition layout was interesting too. It was made up of 6 large free standing devices and one side was dedicated to France and the other to England. This further enhanced the contrasts between the photographers style, the subject matter and the cultures of two neighbouring countries.
More information:
London Street Photography Festival 2011
Nick Turpin
Nils Jorgensen
In-Public
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