Photomonth 2009

by Mark Lockett

The free photography festival Photomonth has been in full swing since the beginning of October and, despite the name, will run until the end of November.

The exhibition is centred around Brick Lane and Shorditch but, there are also different events going on throughout London.  

At face value this appears to be a festival on a massive scale.

Using various venues, from galleries to restaurants, there are over 100 exhibitions, each dedicated to a different style of photography. 

Though in some cases the word 'exhibition' is over playing it somewhat; there may only be one or two pieces on display. As a result it is probably worth researching what you going to see before you set out. 

Another technical gripe I have is the misleading title, Photomonth. Some of the exhibitions are running through, and beyond November however others finished at the beginning of the month.

The varying scale, quality and run times make you wonder what exactly links the different exhibitions apart from the website. 

Londinium

On the second floor of the Barbican centre, in the library lobby, is one of the smaller exhibitions. Londinium, running until November 28, is a collection of photos dealing largely with people in London.

Though the title hints at history these are all very contemporary images. The majority of them seem to have been taken during the G20 protests earlier this year.

This has the unfortunate effect of making what would ordinarily be quite interesting images seem very familiar and out of date. Surely the G20 has been done to death by now?

Aside from the hippies with socialist placards and rows of police officers, there are some clever views of London’s architecture and what I would term ‘urban furniture’.

To make your visit more worthwhile I recommend taking a look at the Bunker installation on the ground floor of the Barbican.

Personally I found it more interesting than Londinium and it too is free. 

The Winding Path

Located just off Brick Lane is one exhibition they could not possibly charge for - mainly because you could probably look at it in Google Streetview.

Outside Princelet Street is what looks like a darkened window display. Having received instructions from the visibly irritated resident, after knocking to ask for the four light boxes to be turned on, the Eleven Spitafields gallery obliged.

What exactly I got to see after this effort I am not exactly sure.

Four light boxes displayed different black and white images of seemingly ordinary situations. It is difficult to judge the quality as the method of display hardly lends itself to close inspection.

Cleverer artistic minds than mine can no doubt provide reasons as to the obscure nature of the display but as an excerise in photography, The Winding Path is largely redundant. 

Points Of View

The exhibition of 19th and early 20th century photography at The British Library is on an all together different level in terms of location, intellect, scale and quality.

Running until March 2010, Points Of View documents the birth and development of photography, both as a process and art form.

Early portrait studies show how early photographers explored the medium to create art and fought to avoid the 'failed painter' tag, which was applied to many by the art establishment of the time.

The development and acceptance of photography as an art form was key factor in moving art away from the established methods and into an era where any expression of creativity can be seen as a legitimate art form.

The photographs themselves are fascinating and give a rare insight into the world a hundred or so years ago.

This really is an important and interesting exhibition, for anyone with an interest in art and its evolution and, especially as it is for free, I would high recommend it to anyone.