Myth, Manners and Memory: Photographers of the American South
October 7, 2010
Photoworks and DeLa Warr Pavillion have curated a fascinating exhibition that is currently showing in Bexhill. Myth, Manners and Memory: Photographers of the American South embraces the concept of the American South, its legacy, its treatment by photographers and myth makers. The South has a culture of an oral history, Southerners love to talk, and to talk up and embellish but this exhibition is a chance to view its rich visual dialogue from early Walker Evans to the further myth building of Alec Soth in 2002. Kevin went down to the exhibition yesterday and has blogged about it, but as his blog isn’t always SFW we have included it here as well.
I have been entranced by the enigma of the South for as long as I can remember- from the intensely stereotyped, exploitative Hollywood portrayals, to the music, the mystery and of course the photography. It seems to be a constantly evolving visual language that feeds off itself as much as it looks at the people who are its subject.
Having travelled a fair bit through the South I’m aware it really is different- and that difference permeates every aspect of conversation, food, music and life in general. Its hard to know whether the current generations react as much to their actual heritage as they do the perceived notions of the Myth of the South.
Photoworks and DeLa Warr Pavillion have put on an exhibition that asks some of these questions and answers none of them- but instead of leaving you empty it makes you want to explore even further. Almost every print in this exhibition carries layers of extra weight and indeed myth. Eggleston’s work is probably the most familiar and rightly so as few of the other photographers that came after have been able to shake of his influence. To see his dye transfer prints is something I’d urge every photographer- no matter how many times you’ve seen the Red Ceiling reproduced in a book you’ll still be shocked by the depth of the print here.
Susan Lipper
Susan Lipper’s work from one of the Hollows - the Grapevine Series- seems to engage her subjects into a process of role play that trades as much in Hollywood and myth as it does observation- but its a knowing response and asks a lot of the viewer.
Alec Soth
Alec Soth goes as far as shooting the master of this language Eggleston in his music room, (image above) and the cycle is continued in the portraits and ‘Jimmies Apartment’ and the ‘Bible Study’ image could almost be lifted from Eggleston but present themselves to his camera 30 years later. Is the South changing, clearly it has, but this referencing history is a much a part of the prevalent culture as it is the photographers that constantly return to it.
William Christenberry
The only aspect I found disappointing is the exhibition has no flow, Walker Evans images appear to just be put up where there is free wall space, Egglestons prints change from white frames to pine frames halfway down the same wall- its distracting and bizarre. Even so go and see this fascinating exhibition. Kevin.
Myth, Manners and Memory:
Photographers of the American South
1 October 2010 – 3 January 2011
