Clock Opera

Had the great opportunity to photograph three of four Clock Opera boys for Lifo week before last, just before their anticipated gig at Heaven nightclub, Charing Cross, London.

As always see the rest of my work here www.matthewawilliams.co.uk

What Is It About Beards?

New Title.

Prints

Lifting the lid off the box of prints, amounted from the past year was the first step in making new work. Organising, analysing the old prints. Which means I guess I am ready to start creating again. 

Adjusting to the lifestyle back home started off as a setback, because your mind frame is pretty much like this - you want things your way 'now, now, now'. You don't have a studio space, you don't have a large amount of equipment to work with, everything thing you may make from now on in your head will be the worst thing you have ever done.

Transient Works II

Business Boom Bolton Feature

Business Boom Bolton Feature

 “Photography is an excellent medium to do the things you want to do; and with that I find that I can explore my own interests through people (Portraits), space (Still Life) and time (Landscape). What Bloomed For Us was a project that started at the beginning of the year. I wanted to photograph couples and move beyond the barriers that are often placed in around relationships. It incorporated all of those spoken about elements into one and played on something I find evident in all of my photographs. A way of focusing on fleeting moments. Transient Works II is a collection of photographs that is taking these fleeting moments further. 
Taking in life’s experiences is influence enough, but I am forever moved by todays leading contemporary artists. Photography from peers up to big names and iconic photographers of the past keep me thinking of other ways to explore the medium.
Having just completed a BA in Photography at Manchester Metropolitan University I now reside in London, interning for Bloomberg New Contemporaries, working as an artist, and starting up as freelance. 

Back

As I mentioned in the previous posts London is now the base.

Me and the bicycle have made it back here, and I don't think it has ever seen so many consecutive miles. I forget how large London is. 

Continuing life at Starbucks is providing a sustainable amount of £££, which is something I'm not particularly complaining about. I was able to land straight on my feet on returning which some people aren't fortunate enough to do. The commute back and forth from Dulwich to Clapham (5.0 Miles) is doing my fitness (and thighs) wonders - which I am not sure which part of my audience that appeals to?

The Manchester to London exhibition we had in mid-July was excellent, it was quite a feat to be able to showcase the work and represent the university on such a good level of professionalism. I am on my internship now with Bloomberg New Contemporaries and the location of it is an actual stones throw away from the location of the gallery we done for the show, so the Shoreditch area has been seeing  a lot of me weekly, and I am smiling because you know, Shoreditch (trendy central) is filled with so many beautiful people - hot men.

 Back in London I am getting word of the up and coming things that is happening in the art world. I have been so out of the loop with London art culture being in Manchester. Manchester has its own, and its great but I'm blown  away with so many things here. Due to the olympics there have been regenerated areas, and small areas becoming trendy hotspots. One great thing I caught wind of was the South London Art Map. The 'South London Art Map' a user-friendly guide to galleries in South London. The South London Art Map runstours and hosts a late night opening of all galleries in south London on the last Friday of every month. Incred.

These are just the Peckham Maps.

New Contemporaries

New Contemporaries is the leading UK organisation supporting emergent art practice from British Art Schools. Since 1949 New Contemporaries has consistently provided a critical platform for new and recent fine art graduates primarily by means of an annual, nationally touring exhibition. Independent of place and democratic to the core, New Contemporaries is open to all.

One of only two open exhibitions in the UK, participants are selected by a panel comprising influential art figures including curators, writers, and artists often who have themselves previously been a part of the New Contemporaries, and a rigorous process that considers the work within a broad cultural context. The selectors for 2012 are Cullinan Richards, Nairy Baghramian, and Rosalind Nashashibi.

It is great, I was aware of the BNC prior to meeting with the people behind it, by coming across it during the 2010 Liverpool Biennial in A Foundation. The following year I took note of artist Cornelia Baltes, mesmerised by her Photoworks I, which consisted of carefully composed photographs touching on painterly elements. The strong use of colour and shape was what truly drew me into her work.   

Untitled (Bird), Cornelia Baltes

This years exhibit will be held in a new space in Liverpool, one the BNC are currently working on to improve the impact of the work. As I said in a previous post, I will be lending a helping hand to the core team this year. Things are already appearing quite exciting!

Ask Why? MCR2LDN and London

Quite a bit has happened since my more weekly updates regarding my work, my BA Photography course at Manchester Metropolitan and my updated artist research sections on weekly occurrences.

The work I created for the degree show was finally titled What Bloomed of Us, it made it to an exhibiting stage, twice. First one happening at the Manchester School of Art’s ASK WHY? Degree show, and then apart of the MCR2LDN exhibition group in Shoreditch, London. 

The exhibit in Manchester, 

and it up in London.

Both shows were a grand success, especially MCR2LDN's efforts in the Gallery of Redchurch Street, Shoreditch, London. 

The opening night had a good turn out, with a packed venue. The days that followed for the gallery was also successful. On average we had 90 people visiting a day. 

The table at the gallery, filled with artist books.

After graduating, I had to make a last minute decision to move back to London from Manchester. So, unfortunately I can no longer have Originates from London, but resides in Manchester in any of my profile sections!

Financially it will work out better for me. It also happened to be because I have been fortunate enough to start working with the great people at Bloomberg New Contemporaries down here in London for their open at the Liverpool Biennial. 

I am still working on my own projects and photography. The break in practice has been much needed for thought, and plans.

The Boy, and His Room

Before the boy packed his glam bag bound for Orlando, FL for a years tanning session.  I got the chance to recreate something 70's worthy photographing Andrew Gott in his far from shy bedroom.

Liam

Aneta

D

Pleasure of capturing Mr. Rowson

From Back Home

Maybe you can’t really go back home.
But this is where I’m from.
These images pay homage,
to the people and landscapes that are my origins.
I’ve returned to something my body and emotions recognize.

JH Engström, 2009

Studio to Crumpsall

So, I was able to hang out with Monika and Mike for most of the day last Wednesday. They met me up at the studio to hopefully recreate the photographs we made the previous time. Mainly because of my concerns with the framing of the photograph. Afterwards, we made the difficult journey to their cosy home in Crumpsall through the rain and battering wind.

In my head I somehow knew that when I got their, no matter what the size of their place was, my eyes was going to be awakened to something grandiose! And, it was.

Walls beautifully covered with various materials, and patterns, with feelings of being in a far away place, I was in their home. 

I had intended to photograph them at home in a way I did not plan to do for the work I am current making (does that make sense?) I had been writing plans to do a separate piece of work focusing on friends in their Manchester homes. Starting with photographs of the exterior, making my way in. 

And so I made my way in...