John Londei: Shutting Up Shop: The Decline of the Traditional Small Shop

Book's Front Cover

Shutting Up Shop: The Decline of the Traditional Small Shop

This book has links to the theme of cruel and tender with the declining independent shops that are in the high street even this might not have a direct link to the project it has links to the idea that age does not define us.

Book’s Description

Shot over a 15-year period beginning in the early 1970s, this is a tribute to an era that has all but disappeared - the traditional small shops that feature have now almost all gone. In 2004 Londei began the task of updating what had become of the shopkeepers and shops he’d photographed so long ago. (London, 2007,4 )

What Is denoted?

The Book denotes shops that have closed because of the declining footfall in these areas. The book shows the shops as they were closing and what they are today in the location.

What is Connoted?

The book connotes the message of the company is closing and the feeling is doe to be suddenness. With the use of the vignetting to add the negativity feeling in the work. The book uses negative space in the work to show that the shop is beginning to shut down which highlights the problem of what is going on in the retail industry.

What makes this work significant to you (and or your project)?

The work is significant to me work having worked before with small companies in the past to produce a project about small companies. The Work is important to the work as they all link to the end outcome of a book that is cruel and tender.

What ideas will you take forward to think about in your work?

I am planning on taking on the idea of the positioning of the camera to show the information about what is going on. I am planning on taking on the way he has used contact sheets at the end showing what they are now.

Who is the intended audience?

The audience was intended to be viewers at a gallery across the world and people interested in the subject that he has participated in. The work has lived on with many students emulating his work since his death back in 2012.

What context have you seen the work in?

I have seen this work presented in the book that he has published and seeing a MOMA image of how it was presented in the gallery. I think the way of seeing this in the book because the entire book is done in a typology fashion with every image being shot in 2 different ways of it being a landscape or portrait,

Is the work part of a bigger series?

The work was originally done in the 1980s of the main shop fronts but it was shot in the late 2000s with the locations showing what they are today. Explaining what some of the shopkeepers got up to. This is the end of the series as he died in 2012 and it can only be redone with be people doing it in the style of him.

References

Londei, J., 2007. Shutting Up Shop: The Decline of the Traditional Small Shop. [Online]
Available at: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Shutting-Up-Shop-Decline-Traditional/dp/1904587461
[Accessed 1 11 2019].

Londei, J., 2008. Shutting Up Shop: The Decline of the Traditional Small Shop. 2 ed. Stockport: Dewi Lewis Publishing.

Invisible Britain: portraits of hope and resilience

Invisible Britain: portraits of hope and resilience

A key part of the project revolves around the book Invisible Britain: portraits of hope and resilience by Paul Sng as it shows people having come invisibly.

Book’s Description: 

Invisible Britain: Portraits of Hope and Resilience reveals untold stories from people who have been left out of the media narrative and left behind by government policy. Featuring the work of accomplished documentary photographers, the book presents people speaking in their own words to create a narrative showing how an unprecedented world of austerity, de-industrialisation and social upheaval is affecting us all. (Sng, 2019 )

From this description, I am going to take on the message from people feeling like that they must be hidden. The book shows the problem that is going on with life from the government cuts and how we have made people feel like that they have to be isolated in order to get on with life and be themselves.

What Is denoted & Connoted?

The book denotes portraits and text about the lives of people in the UK. The text and images are all done to be true stories to highlight what is going on. The book connotes the feeling of people who have become invisible because of social changes and problems that they have had from life. The book symbols how the photographers have documented them and how they have become invisible. When looking at the book the feeling starts of being sad and makes you pleased that you can understand what they have gone through and they are not alone. On all the pages with portraits, it has got text next to it to make it easier for people to understand what is going on and for people to understand the story.

How am I affected as a viewer?

When looking at the book the first thing that is seen is the cover and the foreword by Michael sheen explaining what the book is all about. The first impression on the book is full of negativity with people having become invisible but this was to change when looking at the images and what they are all about. The book repulses me with the way that they have been treated during their life with racism or being ignored as they are not rich. The book makes a political point that we needed to treat people the same.

What makes this work significant to you (and or your project)?

I have seen this book online with images and descriptions while looking at the book you can get the emotional connection to this work. The context of the work I have seen shows it is almost like a labour political Broadcast with the way it is connoted. While looking it online on news websites you get to read what people looking at the work thinks of this and it gives it more of an understanding. The work is significant to my project because it highlights how people have become Invisible from problems that they have faced. This links to cruel and tender because it shows negativity that they have faced making it cruel while they are all shot in a tender way.

What ideas will you take forward in your work, What Are the Strengths & Weakness?

I am going to change how the layout with mines I am going to take most of the text out and replace it with statistics as I am not going to be interviewing the subjects that I am going to shoot. The strengths of the book are how they have got the text explaining them by the image so people can understand what is going on. I think the weakness though with this book is that it does not have the flare of changing layouts to keep the user in engaged for longer this weakness I will remove in my work.

Who is the intended audience?

The work is done to be contemporary with the way it has been shot to highlight the current problems. The audience is done for people to wake up and understand what is going on now in time.

Is the work part of a bigger series?

The editor of the book has made other works showing the inequality of day to day Britain this has been designed to photographer the problem in the United Kingdom. This book has got some of the biggest collections of celebrates and photographers.

Any other information that you think is relevant? 

Most of the artists are supporters of Jeremy Corbyn and this makes it important to understand the political viewpoint coming from this. The editor is a campaigner for labour as well as the photographer shown in the works he has produced.

What context have you seen the work in?

I have seen this book online with images and descriptions while looking at the book you can get the emotional connection to this work. The context of the work I have seen shows it is almost like a labour political Broadcast with the way it is connoted. While looking it online on news websites you get to read what people looking at the work thinks of this and it gives it more of an understanding.

Charlie Clift

Sue Perkins Comedian and broadcaster

Charlie Clift

Alastair Campbell Political aide and author

Charlie is an editorial photographer who has worked with many companies, for example, Bafta, GQ and the Guardian. He has produced a wide range of portraits and editorial works. The work I have selected to annotate are from his series from, “ ‘LET’S TALK’ SPARKING MILLIONS OF CONVERSATIONS ABOUT MENTAL HEALTH” (Clift, 2018, p. Including all the photos). The series captures people showing the inner emotion which makes it easier to understand what is going on with the problems that they all face.

What is denoted? 

The Image denotes celebrities sitting down in the studio with writing on the heads of them all. The images have all got writing on the face of them all.

What is Connoted?

All these images connate the feeling of hurt and mental illness that people have faced over their faces. The images have been designed to make people understand the problem that people might face. It communicates the feeling of hurt with all the problems written on the faces of the subjects.

Lettering artist: Kate Forreste

How are you affected as a viewer?

Steve Harris Disabled activist

When looking at the images from the series the 1st thing that most people will see is the white writing on the face to highlight the problems that they have got on. The images make people feel sad as it highlights the problems that they are all facing in the time. The image highlights what the stigma about mental health has been all about. With the negtive space shown makes people focus on the subject and what the mental health problems that they have all got.

What makes this work significant to you (and or your project)?

When looking at the photographers I like the way that the subjects have all got writing on the faces of them to make it easier to understand what they are all about. The way that the subjects are lit with soft backlighting with a soft feel on the models to make it easier to understand what they are all about with making it easier to see. This significant in styling in the future about displaying the problems when it comes to mental health for the readers to understand.

Strengths & Weaknesses

My work is going to be street photography of someone at the edge of life who is about to jump and I am going to take forward the writing and add it onto the subject. The visual styles are important as it shows the mental health problems with the writing being the biggest strength from this body of work that has been produced. While the weakness in the way I am going to use this is that they are in the studio.

Who is the intended audience?

The intended audience is for people to look at the work in the newspaper or other places and to talk about people mental health problems. The work is important as it is designed to highlight mental health issues. It was aimed at anyone in order for them to open up and talk about the issues that they are facing.

What context have you seen the work in?

I have seen the work shown in the context of a viewer online and reading what these are all about because this has been key to understanding it. With the message that is being sent out.

References

Clift, C., 2018. Let's Talk. [Online]
Available at: https://www.charliecliftphotography.com/work/lets-talk/
[Accessed 9 10 2019].