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Working LatePhotography and Text"Photographs are characteristically open to many readings. Without words a landscape shot can be read on many levels - my home, the beauty of nature, holidays, etc. Because photographs are open to a variety of interpretations they have a desperate need for words which can fix a particular interpretation. Correspondingly, words added to an image can radically shift previous interpretations of an uncaptioned scene." Frank A. Webster 1980. "Art is an interpreter of the inexpressible, and therefore it seems a folly to try to convey its meaning afresh by means of words." Edward Weston 1930.
Walking back in the early evening from an exhibition at the Barbican last November, I found myself in the middle of a deserted metropolis. The mass of pathways and walkways which criss-cross this recently listed complex are confusing and intimidating in the dark. From the vantage point of a long, wide walkway furnished with plants and concrete seating areas (as if anyone would want to pause to admire the view), I looked up at a towering office block; every room lit up against the night and not a blind or a curtain to shield the occupants from view. It seemed like the middle of the night. It was cold, there was no-one walking around outside and yet, inside this huge multi-storey structure I could see figures - tiny people hunched over computers, slouching in chairs or pacing the floor. The more I looked, the more I discovered. To the naked eye (at least with my poor eyesight) it was difficult to spot the figures in the building, but looking through the 450mm end of my lens was a revelation! Exposed to the world, and hence my camera, they seemed to be trapped inside this huge edifice like creatures in a goldfish bowl. I took a series of photographs; some long-shots to get a sense of how vast the office complex was, some close-ups making full use of the wonderful new zoom lens I had on my camera: I began to think about how best to display these images. Does it make a difference if I provide contextual information, as above? Do they need captions? What, for example, would the viewer make of this image if there was no further information? What sort of text would work best alongside these images? I did a spot of Googling to find out what 'Working Late' would throw up; the results included blogs, newspaper articles, advice, the inevitable erotic stories and sex chat invitations, and even a site for business execs. to submit poetry! I used some of these to contextualise my photographs. Click on each thumbnail to see the full size image, click on your back button to return to this page.
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(C) Helen Williams 2005 |
