Liverpool
Unfinished – a title, which immediately struck me with its uncanny
veracity, addresses, in my mind, the progressive nature of our city. Our story
is far from over; there are still battles to be won, justice to be gained -
Justice for the 96. We too remain physically unfinished; a vast array of
regeneration projects continue to rebuild the city and render it an incessant
construction site. Liverpool is both physically and theoretically unfinished,
and unapologetically so, rather like Rob Bremner’s beautiful collection of
photographs currently exhibiting at Drop the Dumbells on Slater street. Curated
by Wolstenholme Creative Space, Bremner documents residents of 1980’s
Merseyside in an engaging array of lurid and saliently nostalgic photographs,
which stylistically encapsulate the spirit of the era through the many vibrant
characters that stood before his lens. Bremner’s collection, being unfinished,
leaves space for the viewer to fill gaps in its narrative with their own
imaginations. This facet of the photographs can be deemed idiosyncratic, as
photography, clearly being a medium, which provides a hyper realistic portrayal
of situations and events, seldom requires the ingenuity of its viewers.
To my surprise, the photographs were projected, as opposed to being hung, a curatorial decision I understand, which was made by the curators and not the artist himself. Allegedly, it was the cinematic quality of the images that made the curators feel this would be an effective means to display the photographs. I completely concur that it was, as the brightly projected images juxtaposed effectively with the dark, empty void that was the exhibition space and this made the images all the more striking and made me feel almost completely encapsulated. The small, confined nature of the exhibition space also added to further to this sensation. However, it was, notably, the sound of the changing slides, which remains my fondest, and most prevalent memory of the exhibition, as this fabricated a really atmospheric, sensory experience – it made the vitality of the images transcend their two-dimensional format. The only problematic attribute I could make about this curatorial approach was that, being in close proximity to the door, the slideshow would frequently be disturbed as visitors entered and exited.
Although the slide transitions, cast viewers into complete darkness and subsequently fabricate an interval between each image, Bremner’s work is so stylistically consistent that the images do not feel at all disjointed, or divorced from one another. Lurid colours and seemingly staged compositions are frequently uninterrupted attributes that denote a sense of uniformity. Furthermore, the gaze of Bremner’s subjects is almost always returned and this engaging degree of attentiveness from the subjects draws one into the photographs, producing a feeling of intimacy and a heightened sense of presence. Although the preponderance of the images feel quite staged and orderly they do not feel contrived, they still simultaneously maintain an air of naturalness and spontaneity that almost makes them seem voyeuristic. I regard this incomprehensible balance that Bremner has achieved between order and spontaneity, as the primary reason that the collection is so successful, even in its allegedly unfinished state. The sense of order that one gets from some of the compositions is also well juxtaposed with the bright colours that create a sense of drama and disarray. The colours also appear responsible for their cinematic feel that is obviously exaggerated by the choice of display.
Two young girls, clad in bright, garish fashions stand in front of graffiti adorned backdrop, whilst a trio of boys loiter around their lustre, red car. It was images like this, I felt, in which groups of youths are captured, that proved the most engaging. This is consequential to the fact that I felt the younger subjects effectively embodied the zeitgeist of the era more having them clearly embraced current trends more conspicuously, with their quintessentially 80’s fashions and haircuts, and their tendency to be caught in front of more edgy, urban settings. Generally speaking, images of youth, for me, feel much more nostalgic, as they encapsulate when one is most full of vitality and enthusiasm; Bremner’s photographs truly exemplify this proclivity I feel.
An evocative title and a truly accomplished collection of photographs, rendered even more effective through their interesting curatorial display - it certainly seems that Liverpool’s best DIY art space is back and just as our city and Bremner’s wonderful collection, its chronicles are clearly far from fruition. Rendering Bremner’s exhibition as a brilliant starting point, it commences its journey as a creative producer, working on a mobile basis, producing exhibitions and events across the city that I myself am sincerely looking forward to.
To my surprise, the photographs were projected, as opposed to being hung, a curatorial decision I understand, which was made by the curators and not the artist himself. Allegedly, it was the cinematic quality of the images that made the curators feel this would be an effective means to display the photographs. I completely concur that it was, as the brightly projected images juxtaposed effectively with the dark, empty void that was the exhibition space and this made the images all the more striking and made me feel almost completely encapsulated. The small, confined nature of the exhibition space also added to further to this sensation. However, it was, notably, the sound of the changing slides, which remains my fondest, and most prevalent memory of the exhibition, as this fabricated a really atmospheric, sensory experience – it made the vitality of the images transcend their two-dimensional format. The only problematic attribute I could make about this curatorial approach was that, being in close proximity to the door, the slideshow would frequently be disturbed as visitors entered and exited.
Although the slide transitions, cast viewers into complete darkness and subsequently fabricate an interval between each image, Bremner’s work is so stylistically consistent that the images do not feel at all disjointed, or divorced from one another. Lurid colours and seemingly staged compositions are frequently uninterrupted attributes that denote a sense of uniformity. Furthermore, the gaze of Bremner’s subjects is almost always returned and this engaging degree of attentiveness from the subjects draws one into the photographs, producing a feeling of intimacy and a heightened sense of presence. Although the preponderance of the images feel quite staged and orderly they do not feel contrived, they still simultaneously maintain an air of naturalness and spontaneity that almost makes them seem voyeuristic. I regard this incomprehensible balance that Bremner has achieved between order and spontaneity, as the primary reason that the collection is so successful, even in its allegedly unfinished state. The sense of order that one gets from some of the compositions is also well juxtaposed with the bright colours that create a sense of drama and disarray. The colours also appear responsible for their cinematic feel that is obviously exaggerated by the choice of display.
Two young girls, clad in bright, garish fashions stand in front of graffiti adorned backdrop, whilst a trio of boys loiter around their lustre, red car. It was images like this, I felt, in which groups of youths are captured, that proved the most engaging. This is consequential to the fact that I felt the younger subjects effectively embodied the zeitgeist of the era more having them clearly embraced current trends more conspicuously, with their quintessentially 80’s fashions and haircuts, and their tendency to be caught in front of more edgy, urban settings. Generally speaking, images of youth, for me, feel much more nostalgic, as they encapsulate when one is most full of vitality and enthusiasm; Bremner’s photographs truly exemplify this proclivity I feel.
An evocative title and a truly accomplished collection of photographs, rendered even more effective through their interesting curatorial display - it certainly seems that Liverpool’s best DIY art space is back and just as our city and Bremner’s wonderful collection, its chronicles are clearly far from fruition. Rendering Bremner’s exhibition as a brilliant starting point, it commences its journey as a creative producer, working on a mobile basis, producing exhibitions and events across the city that I myself am sincerely looking forward to.
