Rita Soromenho

Source Magazine 

Issue 62 

Page 25

Peripatetic (2007) - Rita Soromenho 

The series of images by Soromenho titled Peripatetic is a series of images that looks at collections and bouquets of flowers. Flowers were used through out history, in the west they were used purely for their decorative appearance. In the 17th century flowers were soon painted, this soon became a genre. During the  Victorian  era botanical life grew and the Victorians almost became the known 'Cult of flowers' Flowers were soon used as a way to brighten up the home, the home being a place of the feminine touches. Flowers began to appear on pillows, furniture, walls, carpets and clothes. At this very same time photography was being developed by Henry Fox-Talbot in the form of photogrmas, this then changed the way that flowers were represented.  

Anna Atkin was another at this time that was making images of flowers with out the use of a camera, her work was based around cyanotypes. This again gave the flowers a new face.  

Soromenho is tiring to understand the complex meaning behind flowers through out culture. Her series is about a journey as well as being inspired by early photographic works on flowers. Each of her images in a way, encapsulates the idea of revelations of the urban space. The idea that with in a concreter jungle there can be natural life. This is reflected in the plants that Soromenho collects for her images. These 'flowers' are more often then not classed as weeds. Her work posses no orchids, lilies or roses, the kinds that you would expect to find in a painting. 

http://www.ritasoromenho.co.uk/

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Source Magazine

Source Magazine 
Issue 62 
Page 13 

Robin Friend - Belly of the Whale 

Intaview by Jesse Alexander

Belly of the Whale - was a photography project that was inspired by the idea of getting lost. Friend lived in London original, a concrete jungle. However he had a love and a place in Exeter, in Dartmoor. A place of rugged landscape.  

The work that Friend makes in this series is based on may different books and authors such as The Odyssey, Mobby Dick - The Whale and The Golden Bough. All of these have religious quality's to them as does the the title of this selection of work Belly of the Whale. The clear inspiration for this work was the biblical story of Jonah and the Whale. from the reading Friend tells us that the idea of the title was to think of the belly as being some where that is dark and alien to us, however the whale is something more positive, being that it is alive it is a vessel that get us to where we need to be in the sense that we view this work as we move along it and discover Dartmoor through the work.  

"In out minds eye we always have an idea of what something might look like but this is trivial or at the very least just speculation" Robin Friend.

While on a trip to Iceland Friend was told much about the landscape and had seen many photos and films of the land, although all of this was still not enough to prepare one for what he saw as they were some one else views of Iceland and not seen though his own eyes till he arrived. In this way it teaches us that we have to experience things for our self no matter what or where we go, this is the same for photographic works every ones eyes are different and people will always see collections of work different from one another. 

http://www.robinfriend.co.uk/wp/
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