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Appropriate to an exhibition on York’s campus, the Langwith Photography Exhibition begins with the soothing colours of a swan and a duckling.
Grouped by photographer rather than subject, the exhibition juxtaposes unusual moods of photography so that the next two photographs, by George Lowther, are quite different. In black and white, with angular shapes, the stillness and symmetry of the racecar contrasts with the speeding motorcycle, its rider curving to the ground for perfect angles between course, body and bike.
Further on, a striking photograph by James Shaw looks upwards to a vivid green canopy of leaves. Rachael Carr brings the gaze downwards using black and white to create movement in her landscape photographs. In one, we see trees reflected in a puddle, but the reflections are the right way up and the black branches are clear against a cloudy sky, while the muddy surrounds are turned upside down, giving a sense of falling from the trees.
Among a number of evocative portraits, Simon Watkins’ photograph of a violinist on a tightrope encapsulates at once the stillness within each note of music and the momentariness of life and music, as the change of each note creates the phrase. The railings behind the man seem to be a mockery of safety while he balances his life on a rope but the steeple misted in the background levels his head.
The campus wildlife has inspired a number of photographers, but Sebastien Owen should be particularly commended for a beautiful moment of a bird personified, with outstretched wings like arms. The picture is carefully framed by tree branches, while ripples on the water suggest the far-reaching effects of the bird’s seeming display of love.
These are just a few of the photographs on display at the student photography exhibition, which opened this week in Langwith's Norman Rea Art Gallery. It is well worth a visit, as the wide range of subjects and styles is bound to provide an interest for each visitor, and, with no titles to the photographs, they are quite open to interpretation.
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