JoAnn Kneedler - 'Portraits'

Kneedler was born in Stockholm, Sweden, but grew up in Denmark from the age of eight. She has also lived in Germany and the UK. Her project featured here is from the first year of her study at Brighton. The subjects depicted are foreign students who are pictured with the objects and decorations that they have brought from home. These people are very interesting but the relationship with the photographer is my concern. The project was done at a period when she herself was adjusting to living in the UK and coping with the alienation and barriers of language. There is a profound strength in the background of this work and Kneedler is careful to portray her subjects with defined dignity and a deep intimacy with their surroundings and their reflection on the idea of ‘home’.

Phil Bedford


kneedler@gmail.com

Jamie Orlando Smith - 'RGB'

Smith is originally from Herefordshire; his progression through the editorial course has led him to a certain archaeological influence in his photography. Smith doesn’t necessarily look for ‘traces’ but more finds the objects and signs of an institutions structure. The images in ‘RGB’ are taken from a photo lab and his recent project on the Fabrica gallery demonstrates that the backbone of a space is made up of the chairs, tables, lights, offices and desks that help an organisation function. Smith presents us with a banality that is photographed rather beautifully but draws our attention to the details that we ignore in our everyday lives. These details become not only visually exciting and intriguing when presented to the camera but also remind us of that which we take for granted.

Phil Bedford

jamieosmith.photography@googlemail.com

Kristina Sälgvik - 'Conversation Piece'

There is something incredibly beautiful about the way that Sälgvik documents her friend’s bipolar manic depression. The work describes the habits of a troubled man, a personal side of himself that is presented to the photographer. Bipolar manic depression alters your eating and sleeping patterns and makes your emotions run abnormally in mood swings and strong depression. Sälgvik’s title may refer to using the camera to communicate with her friend, understanding his difficulties visually rather than verbally or analytically.
Through these softly aesthetic images, we as viewers gather a sense of empathy that is slightly disturbed from the way Sälgvik photographs. The proximity of the camera to the subject is awkward; shot from the floor or obscured by a plant. We only have a glimpse of this person’s life, a fleeting glance into his unknown world, his left behind porridge bowl or his belongings spread across the living room floor. The subjects that Sälgvik documents become metaphoric, we connect with these almost banal household objects as the emotional traces that are left behind.

Phil Bedford


kristina.salgvik@gmail.com