I first came across the work of
English photographer Andy Hughes towards the beginning of the current course,
when I was looking for a suitable subject / topic for my major project. I had
long thought about carrying out a project on the small strip of land around our
coastline that is under water at high tide and exposed at low tide: a
provisional project title was “between the tides”. During my research I
discovered Hughes’ book “Dominant Wave Theory”, which consists of over 150
photographs of items of consumer waste set within a beach landscape. Having
completed his training at art college Hughes moved to Cornwall in 1993, where
he has photographed and surfed ever since. He was the first “artist in
residence” at the Tate Gallery, St. Ives. Whilst surfing and also walking with
his dogs along the beach he was exposed to human society’s flotsam. Rather than
trying to ignore it he joined an organisation, “Surfers against Sewage” and
also started to systematically photograph items of rubbish that he found on the
beaches of Cornwall and (occasionally) around the world, where they were found,
with sand, sea and sky as a backdrop. This book is the result of his labours.
There are many consistencies
about Hughes’ images of beach rubbish. All are produced in square format, from
ground level, with the rubbish on the (usually sandy) beach in the foreground,
with sky and (sometimes) sea in the background. Occasionally out-of-focus
people and other man-made objects can be seen in the background, but the (often
colourful) rubbish is usually the dominant feature. In some images the subjects
produce a simple geometric pattern; in other examples (as in the image below,
which features a crushed and contorted empty blue bottle) a more complex shape
is produced.
Andy Hughes
Hughes makes good use of dramatic
natural lighting, but also uses artificial lighting to add to the drama and
enhance form, colour and texture. Although photographed where it was found his
rubbish appears to have been carefully arranged within its “micro-landscape” to
produce maximum impact. The conformity of the square format images is
occasionally broken by one of Hughes’ panoramic photographs of beach
landscapes, spread over two pages. Whilst glass bottles (and particularly their
bases) appear to be the most-photographed objects Hughes has found a huge
variety of rubbish, including plant pot saucers and rubber balls, during his
travels.
The photographs are accompanied
by five short essays by different writers that place the work within its
artistic and environmental context. By photographing his rubbish from ground level
Hughes embellishes his objects with a kind of sculptural grandeur that belies
their humble status. By combining the rubbish with attractive beachscapes in
carefully lit situations he manages the seemingly impossible task of producing
aesthetically pleasing images from a load of old junk. However, whilst this was
an undoubtedly important aim for his six year (1999-2005) project the images
are fairly and squarely targeted at raising awareness of the increasing damage
to the earth’s environment that is being caused by man’s wastefulness and
carelessness.
Hughes’ images work, both as a
series of linked images (that would make a great subject for an OCA “major
project”) and as a strong environmental statement. There is much to admire in
the colours, shapes and textures of the subject matter, as well as the often
dramatic landscapes within which they are planted. However, whilst many of the
images are aesthetically pleasing in their own right it is the way they work
together to deliver an environmental message that is most effective.
Learning Points, Future Work and References
The images in this book provide
an excellent example of a portfolio of work which is consistent and
aesthetically pleasing. In addition, the work carries an important message. The
positioning of the subjects, the emphasis on colour, texture and form and the
effective use of both natural and artificial lighting all add to the appeal of
the images, which also work strongly together. All this has been noted as being
of relevance to my major project work.
Andy Hughes web site with more
images from the book: http://www.andyhughes.net/blog/?p=14
Wikipedia entry: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andrew_Hughes_(photographer)
Book details (Amazon) with
customer review: http://www.amazon.com/Dominant-Wave-Theory-Andrew-Hughes/dp/1861542844
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