LIP Central July 2023 Meeting – LIP Satellite Groups

Featured Image © Nusse Mechthild Belton

The meeting featured two personal projects and presentations on the theme of “Looking up, looking down”.

Sue showed three images of a derelict Victorian greenhouse, representing her sombre mood due to personal circumstances. The textured views, particularly of the window glass, were considered calming, spiritual and hopeful.

Sukhy’s images were based on his own health condition and utilised AI, a Photoshop triangle/polygon effect and X-ray film photography. A poignant self-portrait also used ost of the same technique. Some discussion of his approach followed along with invitations to consider the contemporary debate over whether the AI-based images can be considered ‘photography’.

Moving on to the theme, Rashida presented five diptychs and read an accompanying haiku. Paired images complemented each other; cityscapes, clouds, dappled sunlight and small additions to urban environments.

Nusse showed four “down” images and four “up”; all but one taken in London. Her downward view of young people on the South Bank drew most comments, along with how her other images in the same area captured circles and geometric shapes.

Jan captured the light and shadow of an old factory window, projected onto the floor like a camera obscura image. Next we saw the light from a stained glass window, also shining onto a floor. This was followed by two views of the Italian Dolomites and two from Iceland; one of the latter emphasised the dominance of nature through the visible extent of a volcanic eruption.

Mark showed five images taken on holiday in Umbria; three landscapes and two close-ups. One of the latter, a self-portrait in shadow, drew comparison with noir films and other images from the same era, while the other, a stained glass window, captured both the lit detail and the black surround.

Edey showed some unexpected angles of new office buildings in London’s Victoria Street, and, topically, two unusual aspects of Wimbledon’s Centre Court. Her final image, taken beneath Putney bridge, elicited comparisons with scenes from science fiction movies.

Alec showed two images of a tree in a garden at Blackheath; the upward view captured the tree’s trunk and structure, while the downward view followed the trunk to ground level and included the photographer’s feet.

Austin presented four pairs of images, each pair representing “up” and “down” for a particular subject. These were spiral staircases, trees, illuminated roofs and aircraft making tight banking turns.

Robin’s images were all taken in Spain and featured feet on a walkway, a close-up of stone steps, the artistic swirl of a medieval bell tower’s stone staircase, a painting-like representation of old Valencia, a close-up of a road surface and two unusual architectural views.

Next month’s theme is “Journeys”.