This week's guest speaker, Roger taylor, gave us a fulsome account of his photographic research history. His main focus was the extremely influential and very significant - fifteen years in the making! - research into the early British Calotypes that led to a major exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum in New York. this underlined, if we needed it doing so, the importance of serious application in the interests of high level research and Roger's commitment to the cause is something most of us can only admire from a distance...his rigour and tenacity is truly inspirational. He also discussed his research into the photography of Lewis Carroll that was equally fascinating...though I am still personally unconvinced about his argument (supported it must be said by several other sources) around Carroll's interest in children. There's just something about the images thats a wee bit creepy even when seen in context.
This was also the week in which we took our first tentative steps in revealing our own research interests in the cause of our initial assignment. A comparative study of two or more photographers or images in 3000 words is what we have to aim at and this week started the process with half of the group presenting in individual seminars - including myself. I guess its the luck of the draw but it must be a bit comforting to be going in the week coming...at least you know what the 'form' is...though to be fair Mike's fulsome notes contained much good advice on both what we had to do and how to go about it.
It was terrific to start getting a feel for the passions and directions of one another and to get into some real discussion around the medium. The variety of interests is considerable and will doubtless lead us all into a heady brew of discussion and debate over the coming months.
Cake File...Darryl's Chocolate brownies and Sponge.
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