Jack Whitefield is a 26-year-old British born photographer working in St Ives, Cornwall, UK. He shoots all of his photographs using 6×7 and 35mm camera and prints everything by hand from his darkroom in Cornwall. He also self-publishes all his books and show catalogs using a Risograph printer combined various hand binding techniques. Aside from his own projects he works closely with a collaborative publishing project, TARMAC PRESS, specializing in artists’ books and multiples.
TERRAIN
All the photographs in this project were taken over a one week period traveling from Los Angeles to East Arizona and back again, its themed around nature taking back control of the landscape, it was something that really struck me traveling through this part of the American West. The towns were almost post apocalyptic, half burnt trash piles and concrete curbs where cracked by the hot sun, whilst blades of grass forced through the debris, like the earth planet was trying to absorb it all and start again.
My photos weren’t an attempt at a narrative or documentation, it was just life as I saw it, but I did feel like a sort of scavenger, but I think photographers are scavengers.
The Project has now been turned into my first solo photography show titled ‘TERRAIN’ which is up right now at the Golborne Gallery in West London. I tried to created the same sort of environment that i experienced whilst driving through the small desert towns. I used a large photograph of a dumping ground that was located in the middle of a off grid trailer park, it covers the whole front of the gallery and is made from perforated micro vision vinyl that shows a solid image from a distance but becomes semi transparent on closer inspection allowing a view into the gallery. Another affect is the window image slowly disappears as night falls, supposedly mimicking the remote desert landscapes as day turns to night.
The whole show was hand printed in my darkroom in Cornwall, I feel the slow methods and a labor intensive process of darkroom work really helps to maintain a unique connection the project, I guess its all the thinking time you have standing in the dark.
To view more of Jack whitefield’s work please visit his website.