07.11.2005
The ubiquity of mobile phone and video cameras now means that everyone can potentially be a photojournalist. Mobile phone images of the London bombings and tourist videos of the Tsunami have been further proof, if any was needed, that the traditional perception of documentary photography and photojournalism has shifted significantly.
On 15 November 2005, award winning Professor of Photography at the University of Brighton, Mark Power, will look at this phenomenon and discuss what these developments mean for photographers. The event entitled 'Between something and nothing' will be held at the Sallis Benney Theatre at 6:30pm.
Mark commented: "We live in times of photographic democracy, where seemingly everyone has a camera and is aware of its currency."
"This, in my opinion, is to be celebrated, since it encourages photographers like myself to find another space in which to work. More than ever before photography is about ideas, about what you use your camera for."
Mark a graduate from the University of Brighton will discuss his own work within the context of contemporary trends in documentary photography, including the often misunderstood relationship between self generated and commissioned work and how to retain control of the latter.
By trying to make sense of a myriad of influences, revelations, successes and failures he will trace a chronological path from his first photograph to his last. By documenting his work, Mark hopes that somewhere along the way he discovers what really drives him to be a photographer.
Mark's award winning work includes an exhibition of photos entitled and inspired by the maritime weather reports called the 'The Shipping Forecast', which was seen at over 20 galleries throughout Europe and was hailed by critics. Between 1997 and 2000 Power documented the construction of the Millennium Dome in London and he is currently working on a commission from Airbus, to document the development of the A380, the largest passenger plane ever built.
An exhibition of Mark Power's latest series of photographs is on display in the Sallis Benney Gallery from 8 October - 17 November. In 'A System of Edges - Landscapes at the Limits of the London A-Z', Power explores the edges of London as defined by the A-Z Atlas, photographing indistinct places when the city falls away into nothingness.
About Mark Power:
After studying illustration at the University of Brighton (then Brighton Polytechnic) where he specialised in painting from the figure and the landscape, Mark Power travelled extensively and accidentally fell in love with photography. Then followed many years of freelancing for several British magazines, newspapers and charities, alongside a number of more personal projects, until he began teaching in 1992.
His exhibition of photos entitled and inspired by the maritime weather reports the 'The Shipping Forecast', was seen at over 20 galleries throughout Europe and the accompanying book was reprinted twice. Hailed by critics, it won several prestigious awards: the Yann Geffroy International Documentary Prize, the Mosaique European Photography Award, and the special jury prize in the Oskar Barnack Award.
Between 1997 and 2000 Power documented the construction of the Millennium Dome in London. This project also became a major touring exhibition and a book 'Superstructure' accompanied the project. In addition, it marked a significant shift in his work as he began to use colour and a large format plate camera, which he continues to use today. Another construction piece followed, as he documented the restoration of a nineteenth-century historical monument, the HM Treasury Building, again in London. 'The Treasury Project', published in 2002, essentially consists of details and fragments compiled in chronological order: starting with demolition, the space is progressively restructured, cleaned and lit, until the stage is complete.
In 2000 and 2001 Power worked on several public commissions abroad. Projects in Japan, Holland and Portugal all became touring exhibitions with accompanying catalogues. This was followed by a personal project rooted deeply back in England, using as inspiration the 'London A-Z', the most popular atlas of any kind in the UK. This work, titled 'A System of Edges', looks at those landscapes unlucky enough to fall just off the edge of the map which in many ways defines the boundaries of the capital.
Power became a nominee of Magnum Photos in 2002 and an Associate in 2005. He is currently working on a commission from Airbus, to document the development of the A380, the largest passenger plane ever built. He is also spending much of his time in Poland, perusing a project of discovery he likens to the activities of the 19th Century photographers of the American West, or the travel photographers of Victorian England.
Alongside his activities as a photographer, he is also Professor of photography at the University of Brighton, where he continues to teach.
Contact: Marketing and Communications, University of Brighton,
01273 643022
