FROM THIS POINT ON
photography from Sussex Coast College Hastings

SUE BARNES, ANNETTE BARTON, MEL BREWER, STEVE BOYDELL, SIN BOZKURT, LIN GREGORY,
SIMON HOOKEY, RICK HOUGH, WET MONKEY, LUCY PHILLIPS, KAREN ROONEY, SHEREEN TURNER.

26 MAY - 1 JUNE 2010. HASTINGS ARTS FORUM
Gallery 2. 36 Marina, St.Leonards on Sea, East Sussex TN38 0BU. Open daily, 11am-5pm. www.hastingsartsforum.co.uk.

private view: 6-8pm Friday 28th May 2010.
gallery event: 12-2pm Saturday 29th May 2010.

This is an exhibition that leans forward towards what must come next. The photographs in this show were all made by artists who are gaining distinct voices and becoming seasoned exhibitors. Some are showing excerpts from new bodies of work, some are previewing images from emerging projects that will be exhibited in full later in the year.

The working title of this exhibition was “Sussex Coast College Hastings, NCFE level 3 Certificate in Creative Crafts – photography exhibition” but it didn’t really trip off the tongue. So we put our heads together and a suitable title quickly emerged, one that, like the course itself, indicates a common goal that places individual vision centre stage.

We all came together on a college course, appreciating the structure and sense of community this can enable. Most of us had worked together before; the group was refreshed by new members which saved us from becoming a clique. Very quickly the course became less about photography than about its purposes. Method was displaced by motive, grammar gave way to meaning. The container was displaced by the content which, as can be seen, is individual, idiosyncratic, expressive.

Alex Brattell, tutor.

Thanks to: Sussex Coast College Marketing Department & Fastprint for fast print. Martin Symons & Richard Cobbold from the Department of Art & Design. Sue Barnes for graphic design.

PRESS RELEASE

A talented group of a dozen photographers from Sussex Coast College Hastings are exhibiting at Hastings Arts Forum as the finale to their NCFE certificate evening class.

Work on show will include Karen Rooney’s reportage of Lunsford Farm in Pett, Sin Bozkurt’s images from Burlesque clubs and Simon Hookey’s project documenting the lives of Hastings fishermen. Shereen Turner has turned her lens on Hastings & Bexhill Rugby Football Club whilst Steve Boydell’s work follows the volunteer coastguards based at Rye Harbour.

Rick Hough has taken a wry look at the chocolate industry, Lin Gregory is showing photographs from her book “The Memory of Trees – A Journey into Sacred Space”. Annette Barton and Wet Monkey examine the local wildlife, human or otherwise.

As well as documentary and reportage projects the exhibition also features fine art photography. Mel Brewer’s dreamlike reflections, Sue Barnes’ oblique examination of light and street, and Lucy Phillips’ colour compositions of intensely seen moments complete this fascinating exhibition.

Tutor Alex Brattell said “they have been an exceptional group to work with. It’s been a wonderful mixture of research laboratory and social club. This is a professional exhibition with great impact. It mainly features local subjects but has a definitely cosmopolitan feel to it thanks to the talents of the photographers and the wide range of influences and inspirations that have emerged during the course. Many of these projects will go on be seen elsewhere in expanded form, notably at Hastings’ first photography festival this Autumn, so this is a chance to get a first look at work by artists we will be seeing much more of in the future”.