The Decommissioned Landscape

I had never heard of John Davies, but was instantly drawn to his epic landscapes of The British Isles hanging in the cafe at The Photographers' Gallery. Their monumentus presence in style, subject and size, transport you from the tea stirring clatter of the West End to the silent hilltop looking down upon conflicting environments of co-existence. That is not to say these images are casting judgement, but simply presenting a view that can only be seen when captured by the patient and caring; drawing our attention to the world around us and more importantly the bigger picture. No pun intended. Man and the elements have always been in a push-pull relationship and with the ever persistent growth of industry, that dynamic has accelerated.


The images presented are not that of booming economic growth, but rather the downside of industry built on (depleating) natural resources. A typical image shows the cooling towers of a power station, casting shadows over a neighboring field, where a football game is played, with storm clouds looming on the horizon. Somehow these vast landscapes of dirt and grim are intimate and personal, like a love affair with it's ever glooming fate. These images really need to be experienced in the flesh to appreciate their power and beauty. You can fall in love with The British Landscape until 6th April 2008.

There Will Be Blood

It has been a long time since I thought a movie was worthy of the West End experience and the price tag that goes with...but the wait is over. From the opening scene when you first experience that chilling score of a maddening genius, like Amadeus chewing on cotton wool, you know you're in for a movie to remember. The cinematography, art direction, score, script and dare I say it, cast and acting in this film are seemless perfection. We are transported back to the great push west on the hopes of get rich quick philanthropist' and promises of schools and commerce. Daniel Day-Lewis plays our money hungry hero with lunatic paranoia and furrowing brow. Dillon Freasier plays the unfortunate child that Day-Lewis takes as his own, after his real father dies at the success of finding oil in those early days. Freasier is a mere tool in Day-Lewis' grand scheme of oil domination, yet he does feel a fatherly bond, which eats away at him like moonshine on his liver. Not wishing to spoil the experience I will stop there, as words do not do this grand operatic of life in the barren west justice. There Will Be Blood needs to be watched on the big screen with eyes ever expanding until the psyche is no more.

Fish, Dogs & Old Men

Whether taking a portrait of a monkey behind a glass screen at a zoo or a family living on the outskirts of society with no electricity, Esko Männikkö's images show a respect and understanding for the subject with a unique eye. Where you could recognise his inanimate subjects having a somewhat Nordic feel, with their muted colours and quiet sense of always being, his live portaits give us much more. In both Finland and Mexico we experience the hardships of life on the periphery, with scarce resources and shetler, Männikkö's images are approachable without pretention. Iluminating the spirit and life of the people in these limited circustances.


His animal portraits are ever more personal with a strange tranquility and understanding of the subjects projected place within this human hierarchy. Männikkö talks of Zoo's as nothing more than prisons for animals and his images reflect a strong sense of guilt and shame upon the viewer. Ever image has it's own power of seduction and beauty to be experienced, but with 21 images in this years Deutsche Borse Photography Prize, every recycled frame touches the next, giving the montage of multiple years and subject an altogether awe inspiring feel. Catch it at The Photographers' Gallery until 6th April.