PHOTOGRAPHY
I’ve recently returned from a few days in Venice. It was the period of Carnevale, the Venetian Carnival, which culminates on Shrove Tuesday, Mardi Gras. The first contemporary Venetian Carnival took place in 1979. I studied History of Art at Venice’s Ca’Foscari University in the academic year 1979-1980 so was able to immerse myself in the … Read more
This time last year I wrote a Valentine’s Day themed piece on Seeing hearts everywhere illustrated with a variety of images that either contain or suggest the heart motif. This post is about graffiti and exclamations and expressions of love, and features a selection of digital photographs I’ve taken from 2005 to the present. Back in 2004 … Read more
Here are a few pictures I took at yesterday’s Women’s March on London, one of a series of international marches in solidarity with those marching in Washington D.C. for human rights and equality, on the day following Donald Trump’s inauguration as US President. As I set out for the march on my local bus, this mother … Read more
A few weeks ago I visited Rome after a gap of many years. I had wanted to revisit for a while, especially after seeing contemporary films set in Rome by several of my favourite Italian directors: Nanni Moretti, Gianni di Grigorio and Paolo Sorrentino. I was immediately struck by the architecture and monumentality of Rome, but … Read more
A few days ago I printed and framed an image I’d taken this summer on a hot day in London. Here it is: When my husband saw it he asked me whether it was a painting. I realised I was pleased that the image had this ambiguity; that it could be perceived of as a … Read more
A few days ago I posted a photograph of an illusion – a found face I’d seen in a building facade in the process of demolition – on my Instagram feed, which is comprised exclusively of images taken with my mobile phone. I also took several versions of the found face with a camera – … Read more
I had never come across the late American photographer Saul Leiter until recently, just ahead of the current retrospective of his work at The Photographers’ Gallery in London. It’s unusual for me – I consider myself quite literate when it comes to artists and photographers and have separate degrees in both history of art and … Read more
I was in West Hampstead the other night when I came across what looked the the silhouette of a resting camel; it was in fact a peeling concrete wall … The picture below was taken last week In Leather Lane near Hatton Garden And I was drawn to photograph this crushed can the other night … Read more
Over the years I’ve photographed representations of hands in graffiti. I often associate the icon of a hand with the hamsa – the middle eastern symbol of protection, usually represented as an open palm with and expended middle finger, with the thumb and little finger sometimes curving outwards, Both Judaism and Islam uses this icon … Read more
I took this image the other day; I like the way the raindrops add texture to the graffiti stencil And here’s Che – the raindrops make him look as if he’s shedding a tear …