Swaziland Uprising - Please Help!

While the eyes of the world have been on the popular uprisings in the Middle East and North Africa, and the bloody events surrounding the post-election conflict in Ivory Coast have come to our attention, there are conflicts and struggles for democracy taking place elsewhere which need our urgent attention.

In Swaziland tomorrow (Tuesday 12th April), a day of uprising has been planned by activists, trade unionists and those seeking justice and freedom for one of Africa's most repressed - and most forgotten - peoples. The struggle for basic rights, an end to economic discrimination and access to the country's wealth will bring the people into direct conflict with the omnipotent King of Swaziland, who has already shown himself to be ready to use extreme force to prevent any unrest in his impoverished kingdom.

It is worth remembering that Swaziland is one of the world's poorest countries, which has suffered greatly from the HIV/Aids pandemic which swept through sub-Saharan Africa in the 1980s and 1990s. Life expectancy is amongst the lowest in the world, and while the monarch and his cronies enjoy unrivalled wealth and power, the people of this tiny country continue to be denied the basic rights which everyone in this country takes as read.

So what can you do? Well, as this is a former British colony, people here bear some moral responsibility for the system we left behind just 43 years ago. Our first priority should be to ensure that the UK government makes it clear to the Swazi authorities that it is monitoring the situation there and will hold to account anyone who uses force and violence to deny the people their right to protest for change.

Please write to your parliamentary representative, or directly to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in London, and request that the British government takes appropriate steps to protect innocent people.

Next, please put additional pressure on our politicians to lobby for change in Swaziland. The people there deserve to be heard and listened to and they deserve a chance in life.

Since my visit to Swaziland in 2008, I have become involved in helping individuals support themselves to try to make a better life for themselves and their families. I have received great assistance and support from people in this country and abroad who have aided my efforts to raise money and awareness. I should stress that none of my engagement with Swaziland or its people has been on a political level, and that none of the people I support are activists.

I hope you will take just a few minutes to become more informed of the situation in Swaziland and that you will take whatever action you can to protect the people of this wonderful little country.

With best wishes,

Colin.

For more information, please read: http://www.thedailymaverick.co.za/article/2011-04-11-activists-arrested-as-swaziland-gears-up-for-12-april-uprising

Format Photography Festival

Just a couple of days before it finished, I managed to squeeze in a visit to the East Midlands for a day wandering around the exhibitions at Format, Derby's international photography festival.

Format was established in 2004 by Louise Clements and Mike Brown, and is now one of the UK's leading non-profit international contemporary festivals of photography and related media, it states on its website (http://www.formatfestival.com/). The theme of this year's month-long event is street photography in all its guises, under the strap line 'Right Here, Right Now' - exposures from the public realm.

Street photography is a branch of the religion of photography which is closest to my heart. The best examples of this genre illuminate the everyday and offer the viewer a personal critique of life around us. Street photography can be funny, poignant, informative, moving, bewildering and can reinterpret many of the aesthetics of the furniture of the city. It can act like a jigsaw, revealing small clues about what our  world is really like away from the polished perfection we are often presented. But street photography can also be irrelevant, whimsical, mundane and lacking in any sense of a narrative. It also lacks an intellectual heft, or, put brutally, a story. Snapshot is probably the word which best describes the genre, with all the positive and negative connotations which derive from that term.

But there's now also a second debate around street photography which is taking place. This revolves not only around its legitimacy as an art form, but also as practice. In recent years, photographers have started to feel a vice tightening around their work. Public concern about what motivates photographers and the all-pervasive nature of the internet which allows, almost uncensored, the distribution and publication of anything from the public space, has led to a backlash which, at its most extreme, has seen France enact privacy laws which ban the publication of almost all forms of what could be traditionally termed 'street, photography.

But there is a fightback. And ironically it is being led not only by the professional photographer but by the vast mass of people who are the children of the digital revolution and who feel inspired to pick up a camera and record in detail life around them. This is all part of the democratisation of photography, an oft-used, but still ill-defined term.

It is into this space that Format steps. And very successfully. Its city-wide programme of exhibitions shows off the many individual talents of photographers using the street to communicate. Also the collective is well represented. I run into Nick Turpin, an old colleague from the Independent who founded a 20-photographer collective named In Public. This international collective boasts quite a few well-known names from the world of photojournalism, and the show of work is interesting and valuable. As Nick pointed out to me, commercially, this way of working doesn't bring much, but as a creative exercise it is both rewarding and fulfilling.

The main hub of the Format takes place at the Quad, a multi-arts venue in the heart of the city. During the festival it is peppered with photography. Every available wall has something while the main gallery space displays work from across the globe. There are seminal works by Brian Griffin, Raghu Rai and Joel Meyerowitz; a standout contemporary commentary on England by Peter Dench and as one would expect, several series depicting life in China, notably a series by Zhang Xiao entitled 'Coastline' and WassinkLundgren's 'Empty Bottles' series, which is presented using the display of pages from a published book.

While Quad is the slick centre of Format, my interest in visiting photography festivals is usually sustained by what is somewhat drearily described these days as 'visitor experience'. I enjoy seeking out the often secreted venues and a bit like a treasure trail try to find hidden treasures. Derby does not disappoint here either. The remodeled city centre is pleasant to stroll through and as a response to the work on show I make some images for myself. Although not overburdened with prime exhibition locations and gallery spaces, Format is visible in Derby and even on a week day you can tell there's a festival going on. The Royal Insurance Building, resplendent with 'for sale' sign above it is just the sort of place I am thrilled to discover. Slightly shabby and anarchic-looking, it is busy with people: some looking at the work on show, some participating in a hands-on project labelling the locations in which they have made their street photography. A couple of lads with skateboards seem to be at the heart of it all, and it seems lively and interactive. Beyond them, the work by Rawiya, a collective of women photographers from the Middle East stands out.

Street photography has many forms: from Bruce Gilden's visual assaults (he was commissioned to work the streets of Derby; the results, on show at the Derby Museum and Art Gallery, are superb, although it made me grateful I wasn't in Derby at the time he took the photographs) to quiet, reflective work such as Orit Ishay's series of Israeli bomb shelters (at the Silk Mill), the street photography on show at Format reveals itself to be as interesting, and - well - diverse, as the streets of the world themselves.

To view my street photo diary of the day visit http://colinmcpherson.photoshelter.com/

Japan Tragedy Marked

The terrible events of last week in Japan, and the ongoing nuclear nightmare were remembered last night by the players of Liverppool FC and Sporting Braga and a crowd of 44,000 at Anfield Stadium.

A minute's silence was held prior to the Europa League second leg match in memory of those who had lost their lives and the many more who have lost almost everything in the earthquake and tsunami.

A small tribute in a far-off land but it shows that the victims will not be forgotten.

To see my photographs of the game itself which ended in a nil-nil draw and thus ended Liverpool's European campaign, please visit http://colinmcpherson.photoshelter.com/

The game marked the home debut of Andy Carroll, who with a transfer price of £35m, became England's most expensive player ever when he moved to the Reds from Newcastle United in January 2011.

International Women's Day

Barriers
I made this image recently, on a cold, Winter's day in Liverpool.
The weather was reflected in the image of the model in the poster.
I thought immediately that the scene could to be a metaphor.
I thought it would be appropriate for International Women's Day.

Going gaga about ©

Many thanks to my colleague Jeremy Nicholl (http://www.jeremynicholl.com) for drawing my attention via EPUK to this little tale of copyright abusers.

Click on any of the links in the article and watch in the mirror as your jaw slackens.

I am not going to give you the "in my day" or "back in the good old days" because that would mean re-fighting old battles. I will, however, say that it's further evidence of the gathering storm clouds around intellectual property and copyright which are about to break......

http://www.jeremynicholl.com/blog/2011/03/07/dear-photographers-lady-gaga-wants-the-copyright-on-your-work-oh-and-by-the-way-so-do-we/

Unilever commission confirmed

To mark the 100^th anniversary of Research and Development at Unilever’s Port Sunlight, Wirral facility, I will be undertaking a commission to celebrate this milestone.

The commission will involve responding to the anniversary by using photography to create a legacy piece of work that I hope will reflect the aims and aspirations of the company and the people who work at Port Sunlight.

My response to the anniversary will be based on gathering information from meeting and talking to members of staff at the facility and then creating an intervention which will be displayed both at Port Sunlight and also at an external venue.

As such, my work will aim to communicate to both those who work within and outwith the company and will be based on my visual interpretation of what I discover at the facility. I am interested in decoding the language of science used at Port Sunlight to interpret its meaning in a visual sense and communicate this to a wider audience. My interaction with key people within Unilever at Port Sunlight will be decisive in developing my ideas and response.

The project will take place over the remainder of 2011 culminating in an exhibition of the work towards the end of the year. I am very excited at the prospect of working with Unilever and undertaking this fascinating commission.

Look11 Live Media Centre @ threshold festival. Saturday 12th February

JOIN Look11: Liverpool International Photography Festival for a jam-packed day of photo and media related mayhem!

With just four months until the official launch the North West’s only large scale photography festival, Look11’s ‘Live Media Centre’ will offer a ‘snap shot’ of celebrations to come. Guaranteed to get your creative juices flowing, the all day event calls upon visitors to actively partake in creating, presenting and discussing photography, with opportunities to submit work throughout the day. Watch the huge 1^st Floor Gallery evolve and shape into to all that is ‘weird and wonderful’.

Immerse yourself in our assortment of scheduled events including;

•                live e-zine

•                forum discussions

•                10 hour digital photo showcase

•                Interactive and static exhibitions

•                The ‘Pap Trap’ competition (win places to sell your work at    Liverpool’s large scale photography fair- pap what comes out the trap!)

•                A hub of journalists and film makers at the Media Centre

•                Sign up to get involved and volunteer with Look11

•                collaborative exhibitions and hands on experience across photography, film and mixed media

Seven11, Look11’s monthly night time happening for photographers and enthusiasts will be presented in the evening with a host of DJ’s and acoustic music giving you the perfect opportunity to network and link in with the photo scene.

Dubbed as ‘Probably the UK’s largest in door multi arts festival’, Threshold will present 200 acts and 160 bands, musicians and DJs. For more information on the weekends line up please visit www.thresholdfestival.co.uk/home

So, what are you waiting for? LET’S GET SNAPPING....

If you are interested in pre booking a showcase slot, presenting your work or hosting a forum please contact erinthreadgill@look2011.co.uk

Look11 will be present at Threshold festival brought to you by ‘Under the Influence’ on Saturday 12th February 2011 from 12noon- 11pm. Tickets are in advance £5 per day or £10 for a full Threshold Festival weekend pass. Please see www.thresholdfestival.co.uk/home for further booking details or contact erinthreadgill@look2011.co.uk

Follow us live and join in via www.look2011.co.uk, twitter.com/look2011, facebook.com/look2011 and flickr.com/groups/look11