edgescape exhibition notes

At the edge: where land meets the ocean, there is also air –
foam, spray, the smash of waves, the clatter of pebbles, the domain of gulls, quiet breeze and roaring gale, rock pools and dunes, docks, sailing boats, workplace, playground, sunbathing, castles in the sand, a catch of fish, the ozone, the briny, the seaside..............

Coast – where we go on holiday. Stoke - about as far from the sea as you can get in the UK.

But nowhere is that far from the sea – British life is island life. Head off in the right direction and you will, within an hour or so, get there.

When we were asked to exhibit at Burslem School of Art we considered showing informal portraits, documentary images and urban landscapes, but realised that many of our favourite images were those of the sea and coast.

We are fascinated by the interaction between the waves, weather and land as well as the relationship all living things, including people, have with this landscape.

Photography is often thought of as representing the singular, unique vision of an individual. That view, however, ignores the complex social context in which each individual act of photography exists. In this exhibition, many images explicitly represent the outcome of collaboration between Pen and Tone – a collaboration of companionable dialogue that happens at all stages of the photographic process – from spotting subjects, to mounting prints. None-the-less the individual photographs remain substantially the work of the named photographer and the proportion of prints shown in the exhibition is representative of the extent of our active involvement in photography.

Tony Jones

I was brought up by the sea, have been taking photographs since the age of twelve and my earliest photographs were of the seashore. Since leaving my hometown I have lived in some of the places in the UK, like Stoke, that are most distant from the coast. During my exile from the coast, any return to the sea has been the occasion of almost obsessive photo-making.

My pictures emphasise contrast and form as a way of conveying the atmosphere of the coast, and I often accentuate perspective by using wide-angle lenses.

I have had images published in UK and US magazines, produced CD artwork for major UK musicians and won a number of competition prizes in the last two years. I work as a community artist and documentary photographer, and am studying for an MA in Community & Participatory Arts at Staffs University.

Penny Vincent

My Dad is a keen photographer and my childhood memories abound with recollections of posing for photos whilst he tried out new lenses and filters. He bought me my first proper camera, a Kodak Retinette 2 B, when I was about 11.

Since we started exploring digital photography together, Tone has supported me to develop my skills and confidence much further. I am drawn to textures, patterns, details, shadows. My approach to photography is an instinctive search for pleasing shapes and scenes. The seaside is a perfect place to find all of these features in endless variety, with their attendant technical challenges.

I teach and practice community work freelance, and at Staffs University’s Creative Communities Unit.

Technical notes

The images in the exhibition were taken on a variety of digital cameras including both simple compacts and SLRs. We use Nikon and Sigma lenses ranging from 12mm to 300mm.

All the images were tone corrected using Adobe Lightroom 2, and have not been altered significantly from the original capture.

Prints were made using an Epson Pro 5000 printer on Epson Semi-Gloss or Luster paper at Staffordshire University.

edgescape exhibition notes....