Telling Tales #4 Johanna Ward

Brittain Bright, Lottie Davies, me & Johanna Ward 

at L A Noble Gallery 

Taken from a letter written by Johanna Ward's father to her mother in the 1970's the series I shall say goodbye with my strengthening love for you, forever and ever depicts the passing of time in her families life - which like any great love story cottons all the classic ingredients of, romance, mystery,attraction, consequences, demise & reflection. 

©Johanna Ward

Untitled 

Courtesy of L A Noble Gallery

Told through one persons eyes (& more than one lens) from the perspective of her mother & sister the series focuses on the meeting, courtship, marriage, childhood, divorce & separation. By environmentally mirroring the tale with landscape images, Ward reflects the growth, erosion, renewal & familial bonds which strengthen as time passes. 

©Johanna Ward

Untitled 

Courtesy of L A Noble Gallery

I shall say goodbye… is a fractured cyclical narrative that works like memories do without formal punctuation - there are no full stops, only commas & a stream of consciousness displayed through a lyrical curation of images which rise & fall in differing tempos, played at varying volumes & sizes. Clarity is not the aim here, but suggestions for the viewer. Her awareness of the many facets of the story deliver the space for an audience to imagine beyond the literal. 

©Johanna Ward

Click here to see a full video of the 

Limited Edition of 7 - boxed set 

When I first saw this work in book form I was astounded at the dexterity of her visual parlance. In placing emphasis & intimacy - using scale & mixing her photographs of the landscape & still life shots of pertinent objects with vernacular snapshots of Ward's family - there is an familiarity that provides a universal narrative within which we can all connect to. 

These touching photographs exude warmth, love, friendship & familial life alongside visceral landscapes of forests, a frozen waterfall & a baron snow covered hilltop combined with nights capes, fire, skinned deer carcasses create a cacophony of dreamlike emotion. this is the stuff of myth & fairytales as seen through the eyes of a child now grown & aware of the ironies & cruelties of reality. As with all fairytales there must be darkness as well as light, literally & metaphorically. 

The multiplicity of interpretation of each picture & the series as a whole enrich the work - just as in life - elevate it beyond the sum of its parts long beyond the lives of the protagonists it refers to…

©Johanna Ward

Click here to see a full video of the 

Limited Edition of 7 - boxed set 

In this, the last week of Capturing The Narrative: A visual exploration of fact & fiction on Wed 2 July 18.30 - 20.00 Johanna Ward will be doing an artist talk followed by 3 spoken word pieces by Nick Burbridge, Charlotte Barrow & Winnie M Li. To attend please see the website for details. Places are limited & doors close at 18.15. The evening is being recorded, so no further admittance will be allowed once the talk & performances are underway. Johanna Ward night: £5 per person.

Venue: Maybe A Vole, 51 King Henry's Walk, London, N1 4NH 

Transport: Dalston Kingsland Overground

To see last week's performance by actor Samuel J Weir directed by Lottie Davies please see here.  

  

Lottie Speaks! So far so good...more stars come out to play...

©Laura Noble

Well, it was another wonderful event at L A Noble Gallery Thursday night with Lottie Davies giving a lively talk to an enthralled audience. Rather than a sit down affair we opted for a walk around the space so that each photograph could be looked at & discussed in detail. 

©Laura Noble

It was in fact so popular we are going to do it again! Thursday May 2nd same time 6.30pm - £5 - so if you missed it please do email hello@lauraannnoble.com to book a place as we will run out of them fast!

 ©Laura Noble

Here is a panoramic picture of part of the very large gallery space - taken with my phone - so you get the gist.

I know the work very well, yet - as is always the case with great works of art - they don't reveal themselves all at once. Looking at the work & living with it is great. 

I always miss the work being on the wall when a show is over as it becomes part of my subconcious (as well as my actual daily surroundings) leaving a gap when its not there any more. Call me sentimental, but the bond that grows between a work of art & its owner/gallerist is a very profound thing. This phenomenon is common as many people talk about the work they own as if it were a person, referring to it by slotting its title or pet name/nickname given to it (often due to long titles & quicker to reference). 

©Laura Noble

Hearing an artist speak about their work is often not what one expects. Sometimes the person is not what we pictured or their personality is dramatically different from their work. 

Of course with Lottie I know her & the work, but that does not mean I know everything. Just as I described in an earlier post 'Upon Closer Inspection...' there is a lot more to it than that. Each time Lottie talks about a specific piece I learn more, what joy! This is how it should be. 

 ©Laura Noble

I couldn't decide which pic was best so I thought with/without Lottie, you choose your favourite.

©Laura Noble

For example the behind the scenes bloopers are fascinating & in some cases hilarious. The 'yellow snow' story brings a deeper understanding of the trials of working with babies & fake snow & make you appreciate the achievement seamless image on display just a little bit more. 

Because these works are made from the text people sent to Lottie, they then become something entirely different as she cannot replicate the image in their mind but attempts (& succeeds according to the authors of the texts) to capture the 'feeling' that the person had when they were having the nightmare or at the time of the memory. , but gather other stories of their own along the way that we never even see. Above is the culprit himself. No longer an infant but a very cute little boy called Arlo. 

©Laura Noble

This was in the comments book a few days ago. Now we have many more wonderful messages...thank you everyone. 

Here are a few of them...

©Laura Noble

So the space is large & fits all 12 photographs inside, the whole series for the very first time - importantly on home soil. We should support British photography more in the UK, cherish our talent much more than we do. Lottie Davies is just one of many. Come visit & see why.

©Laura Noble

The discovery of the panoramic feature on my iPhone is somewhat of a revelation (I have only had one a little while) & a very useful feature I must say.

©Laura Noble

Here are another curious pair of observers playing 'spot the Bible'. This has become a regular thing with the word out that it is not easy to find. No-one has yet to do it successfully - you could be the first. Forget where's Wally, where has all the religion gone? 

©Laura Noble

Here is another photo-star, this time Ella now. Then the sleeping girl in 'The Red Devil'. 

So there it is for another post. Do come & see the show & spread the word about it to others. The entrance to the building is around the right hand side if you are facing it. I look forward to seeing you. Portfolio reviews are still being conducted in the gallery as usual, to book one or a place at the talk please email. Till another post....

Threads for thought

How wonderful that the Threads show has been so well received by the press and public alike. The Evening Standard were enamored with the William Klein images of sultry temptresses smoking in stylish hats and through veils. Metro also fell for the charms of Klein. A fellow blogger, Fashion Is My Muse has also posted a delightful review of the exhibition and the gallery itself, so thank you, I hope to meet them soon. Many of the vintage works in the exhibition are the only known vintage prints, so they are as rare as they are truly beautiful. The work is framed in some cases, with visible notes from the photographer to indicate where to crop the image or comments on the image itself. There is a glorious photograph by Norman Parkinson of a model in a rather fetching bikini underwater which is extraordinary. I Photo Central has showcased the exhibition, so do look here for a preview of the show. The truly imaginative devices used by these 6 masters - long before the likes of photoshop came and invaded fashion photography - are displayed here to great effect. Bourdin's delicate use of placement and gesture, the elegance of Steichen's model who appears like a porcelain doll, Blumendfeld's surreal use of mirrors all so different and inventive, yet compliment each other so well. Even if fashion is not your thing, it is worth seeing the exhibition just to see how these masters did it with lights, make-up and a lens. I think that many contemporary photographers' could learn a lot from these images. Parkinson's 'Fan Dress' is an image one can't help being drawn to. To quote the mighty Raymond Chandler, "It was a blonde. A blonde to make a bishop kick a hole in a stained glass window." Farewell, My Lovely (Chapter 13)