Zoe Ayre is a Yorkshire born artist and photographer studying at the London College of Communication. She has contacted OGA to share her most recent project titled ‘Keep me’.  The experimental process Zoe has used to produce her final images triggered in link in my mind with the work of Bristol (OGA’s home town) born photographer, Stephen Gill who is one of my favourite contemporary image makers. Whilst using and experimental approach these images explore the possibilities of the Poloroid format, Zoe’s work feels loaded with unique expression. When describing this work she told us:

‘In my most recent project ‘Keep me’, I use Polaroids as my medium, combing a destructive process reminiscent of the city’s evolution and destruction of organic environments. My work heralds nature within the city. Seventy Polaroid montages were created during this project, fifty of which were distributed on the Bakerloo line during a collaboration project with three other artists. My Polaroids were placed in envelopes marked ‘Keep Me’, inviting passengers to take away my work which they found, then kept. My focus was on getting art back to the people – work about the city, in the city.’

To see more of Zoe Ayre’s ‘Keep me’ series

More from Zoe Ayre over here: http://cargocollective.com/zoeayre/

Isaac Blease is currently studying Documentary Photography at the University of Newport, Wales. He recently contacted OGA to share his ‘Council Estate of Mind’ series in which he documents the Cornish Grime Scene.  For those who aren’t aware of U.K Grime it’s a genre of music that emerged from London with its origins on UK pirate radio stations. We were intrigued by this regional youth culture and wanted to know more about the subject matter and Isaac’s experiences whilst creating this work.

To see more from Issac Blease and view the short interview we have recently conducted

Could you explain what drew you to the subject you have been documenting?

‘I became aware of the Cornish rappers through local knowledge, and I was intrigued to find out more about the people involved.

We were hyped to hear that long term contributor to the OGA project, Jay Zedda aka A Mad Tea Party had joined forces with artist, Iaco to produce a limited set of collaborative prints (as shown in the above image).  In addition to this recent collaboration Jay has also released his own Zine titled ‘Sleepers’. As a photographer there’s something irresistible about photographing someone having a snooze and within this 66 page publication we get to see a collection of the ‘Sleepers’ that have captured Jay’s attention.

Jay has sent this pack over to us and we are pleased to announce the work will be available in our shop as a Jay Zedda x Iaco collab pack.

Each Jay Zedda x Iaco pack contains:

1x  Limited edition Jay Zedda x Iaco print (hand signed run of 20).

1x Copy of Jay Zedda’s ‘Sleepers’ Zine (hand signed run of 20)’

1x Hand signed ‘Sleeper’ print.

1 x Hand Signed Iaco Poster.

Selection of A Mad Tea Party Stickers

There are only three packs available for £12.50 each plus P&P. Each pack will be sold on a first come first serve basis.

HEAD OVER TO THE SHOP TO BAG ONE. 

For a further preview

Each Collaborative pack contains:

1x  Limited edition Jay Zedda x Iaco print (hand signed run of 20).

1x Copy of Jay Zedda’s ‘Sleepers’ Zine

1x Hand signed ‘Sleeper’ print

1 x Hand Signed Iaco Poster

Selection of A Mad Tea Party Stickers

There are three packs available on a first come first serve basis.

HEAD OVER TO THE SHOP TO BAG ONE. 

Now That’s What I Call Photography is back, and this time The Photocopy Club is taking the series up to London. If you missed the OGA x TPC Now That’s What I call Photography 30 event hosted in Bristol back in January, you’ll need to get up to the big smoke to see the next instalment. When describing ‘NOW 30 Part 2′ Matt explains:

‘So as you all know the photocopy club is never not working. So we are pleased to announce we will be back in London on the 27th of June for a 10 day exhibition at the amazing 18 Hewett street gallery.

The photocopy club and Protein have come together for the next part of our “NOW THAT’S WHAT I CALL PHOTOGRAPHY” series. TPC x Protein have chosen 30 photographers in total to be in the exhibition, displaying the work as A1 BxW photocopies. We will also have an open submission wall, for photographers to come in a curate their own space through out the 10 days. So please get involved.’

Get involved share and re-blog and for more info head over here: http://thephotocopyclub.com/

Corey Bartle-Sanderson is a photographers from Liverpool, but currently based in London. After contacting us to share his work, we wanted to know a little more about what draws him to the photographic image. When describing what it is that makes him pick up a camera Corey explained:

‘At first I started using a camera simply to capture images for my paintings, however this soon grew into an interest which never stopped growing. I love the way something can be captured so quickly, and yet be so effective. With photography you can always be producing, no matter where you are, you always have a camera on you, capturing moments which may never happen again. I am also fond with the trickery/ illusions you can create within photography, making the viewer question whether the photo is real or not.’

To see more of Corey’s work and his further responses to the questions we posed to him

What do you try to say with your images?

‘At the moment with my work I am interested in interrupting the everyday, playing around with the overlooked aspects of the ready made, altering the overly familiar through means of manipulation. Achieving a surreality within the work, I alter perception, examining the change between what we see and what is actually there, fabricating a reality. 

With my work which continues throughout, such as ‘Barcelona’ or ‘It Was Fun’, I’m not really trying to say something, these are simply a sort of photographic diary in a sense, drawn to those transitory moments, exciting new things when exploring new places. I want these images to be real, unique experiences, for example one photo portrays my own hand after a firework accident.’

What does the future hold for you, any upcoming shows, publications, projects?…..

Currently I am working for Self Publish, Be happy, which I am going to continue with all summer so this is my main focus for the near future. My only other plan really is to try and continue making work, and to hopefully produce a publication from my Simulacrum images (no plans as of yet).’

To see more from Corey Bartle-Sanderson head over to coreybartlesanderson.co.uk and his tumblr.

Fabrizio Musu is an Italian photographer whose work we featured in OGA Zine #4 ‘White and Black’.  We were pleased to receive his first solo publication through the door recently.Within this Zine the viewer can witness Fabrizio’s visual record of being lost within the city, choosing to view the situation differently and likening it to losing oneself in a forest.

28-page A5 Black&White zine , 135 gsm matt paper, 30 hand-numbered copies, each copy comes with additional 10×15 photograph and a handmade bookmark.

For a preview of Fabrizio Musu – A ‘Forest’

To see more from Fabrizio Musu head here: http://fabrizio-m.tumblr.com

For more examples of bespoke and limited edition self published Zines have a look at our self-publishing library page.

Since myself and Joe Williams started OGA three years ago, we’ve been consistently surprised by what has come through our mail box courtesy of  talented creative individuals based all around the world.

Denver, Colorado based photographer, Mathew Ivey’s ‘Milage Zine’ box is a prime example. When the box arrived it was relatively light in weight and rattled about when slightly shaken. Before we’d even opened our imagination and curiosity had been captured.

After opening the cardboard packaging we encountered a beautiful odour and found a Zine alongside a bizarre set of objects including a corn pipe and a sweet smelling tobacco, an newspaper printed obituary, stickers and a delicious looking chocolate snack (as shown above) . The inclusion of these objects became clear after reading a sheet of paper titled ‘Rationale’.

To see a preview of Matt Ivey’s ‘Mileage’ Zine and understand the significance of the objects contained with the box

When describing this work Matt explained:

‘Mileage Zine: Produced by hand at home on an inkjet printer from 1998. In honor of my grandfather whom Mileage is about it was done in the most cost effective manner as he was what I would best describe as a tight ass with his money. Mileage was a long term project documenting my grandfathers increasing dementia over a period of several years. When I was a teenager I owned a carbureted  Jeep CJ-7. The CJ had one hell of a rough idle. It would idle smooth then start to choke out. It was a repetitive action that I was never able to fully solve. When my Grandfather began to show signs of dementia I felt his mind was much like that engine stuck in repetition grasping for the right thought to smooth his idle. That single idea is how it all began.’

‘Corn Pipe: My Grandfather always smoked a pipe. Out of respect to him I carried one with me as a boy a corn pipe. On one occasion I sat in his den while he worked in the yard. Aware of the location of his tobacco and matches I attempted to use my corn pipe. Success was found and fortunately the smoke was too powerful for my young lungs and I learned my lesson. The corn pipe included has been hand burned by me much as my corn pipe was as a child. It is functional with screen included.’

‘Bag of Tobacco: This is cherry tobacco my Grandfather’s favourite. It has a distinct odour one that I will always remember. I ask that you utilize this tobacco not so you may start a new vice or expand on an old one but so you may know what I speak of.’

‘Extra Screens and a pipe cleaner: Preparation was key with my grandfather so this box is equipped with extra silk screens and a pipe cleaner so you are prepared.’

Moon Pie: ‘These were always on hand; if he ran low he went and bought more. Moon Pie’s are a Southern delicacy and one I hope you try.’

Sticker: ‘The image is of my grandfather and the yellow lettering was chosen as my old Jeep CJ-7 was yellow with accents of black. Often I worked on that Jeep in his backyard till the sun went down and we would move on to the shed to continue repairs. When I see yellow I think of that Jeep and he comes to mind.’

‘Obituary: Several newspapers were delivered to his home each day all of which he read. Every day he would read the obituary section and each day he would state he knew one or more people listed. Being a person who never met a stranger he very well may have known someone each day. Any time he would travel outside of the Piedmont, which he called home, he would buy a newspaper read the obituary and once again he knew someone listed.Usually not personally but more like “That right there is Floyd Steven’s cousin I didn’t know he had a bad heart.” As when I was a child the obituary still makes me question my purpose in this life. In honor of my Grandfather please read of the people listed, the people of North Carolina his beloved state and home for all his life. Do not view this as a morbid exercise but one that will make you thankful for every breath you take.’

‘The Big Picture: Every item in this box will fade away (even the plastic one day) but the memory of this box will be long lived. I have taken now measure to make anything archival and what you choose to do with it’s contents is your to decide.’

Note from OGA: This is possibly the most poignant and well conceived Zine project we’ve ever received, and the multi sensory and interactive nature of this work blew us away. The contents of this box in it’s entirety could be considered an  ’installation in a box’ and can easily be visualised displayed on a wall. Matt Ivey’s ‘Mileage’ project is one of the most intriguing projects we’ve been sent in a long long long time.

Viewing this box, handling the objects and reading about their significance is particularly touching, and we would like to that Matt for sharing this work with us. As per Matt’s request we are going to share a cherry tobacco pipe and Moon Pie and enjoy the smells and tastes. Despite Matt stating this box was not intended to be archival, we will be keeping this work together minus one of the Moon Pies and a few pipes worth of tobacco as we would love to exhibit this project at future events.

Thanks Matt.

More from Matt Ivey can be found here: http://triggerfingerphoto.com

OGA would like to introduce to you Strap Collective currently based in Finland. After we were contacted by member, Aleksi Koski we viewed the images displayed on their shared site and enjoyed what we saw. We wanted to know more about Aleksi and the rest of the members so we posed a few questions. When explaining the origins of Strap Collective explained:

‘Strap Collective was originally founded in 2007 by two guys in northern Finland with receding hairlines to publish their work before anyone else would. After a long hiatus the collective returned in 2012 with new website and new members. One could say that this collective is driven by distaste for most of the born dead modern photography we see around us. Or maybe it’s just the idea of putting our work in a combined place for everyone and ourselves to see and maybe even enjoy.’

Above image by Aleksi Koski.

For info and examples from each member of Strap Collective

Above – Eugene Petrushankiy.

‘Eugen Saint-petersburg based photographer in a permanent trip. Photography is what puts me together with myself, and i feel very well wile shooting. I am found of a photographic anthropology, which may vary from documentary assignments to street documentary or nude model shoots.’

Above image – Petri Uutela. When describing his photography Pertri states:

‘I find it impossible to explain my work with words. If something feels correct, I need to take a picture. If it doesn’t feel correct, I don’t take the picture. To me, it has really always been as simple as that. This is also the way how I look at others pictures. If I can feel the work (and maybe somehow relate to it) – that’s often all I need.’

Above image - Nick Tulinen. When explaining his process Nick told us:

‘I tend to work with intuitive structured series combined by single individual work? Pictures that are shot for no other reason than the intuitive impulse of capturing.

The nude subject has become a huge part of my work. To keep it all unprepared and emotional I usually work with people I don’t know from before. I think this generates a totally sincere and real way of portraying a human being. It makes me more aware as a spectator and more genuine towards the person I portray.

The stuff I post on the STRAP-blog are fragments or material I don’t feel fits my own series at the moment. Nonetheless important pictures that might have more purpose than to be hidden somewhere in a shoebox.’

Above images - Samuli Ikäheimo.

‘For me photography is a way of life. It’s about telling stories, having random encounters and seeing small moments. The camera is with me 24/7 and what I photograph is reality, the life around us.’  

Above image - Jussi Leinonen. Jussi Leinonen is a professional photojournalist working for a newspaper in northern Finland. Strap Collective is an escape to a world of photography he once fell in love with, but has slided further away from while working in the context of a newspaper. Most of the stuff he shoots for Strap is done with a cellphone to break the mould of work.

Above image – Aleksi Koski. When describing his relationship to photography Aleksi told us:

‘I photograph mainly because I want to be stinky filthy rich and I want everybody to know my name. I have a fully automatic middle finger that leads my journey to the deepest corners of human psyche. It’s there, where I draw my inspiration, well not actually. I just want to make fun of simple-minded elitist people. And there are lot of them in this game. Actually, I don’t even know why I photograph. Maybe I should think of something that sounds meaningful and deep. You know, something about how I’m a really important person with great vision! Well, that did not go right. Maybe I’m just a regular asshole with a big pile of cameras and a lot of free time?’

Well there you have it, there’s definitely a eclectic mix of talent in Strap Collective and we’re hyped to share their work with you.

For a further look at the creative output of Strap Collectives members head over to www.strapcollective.com and make sure to bookmark their page as there’s regular updates and an interesting back and forth dialogue between the individual approaches of each photographer.

Jerome Campbell is a professional skateboarder and photographer currently based in Sheffield. He studied photography at Leeds College of Art and graduated in 2011 and has since been shooting for his own use. When describing his work he told us:

‘I spend a load of time on tours and trips, with travelling I would say my style of photography is predominantly documentary based, shooting both the people I’m with and the situations we find ourselves in. 

I have a massive appreciation for a well produced printed image, for me how a photograph is produced is almost equal in importance to its content.’

To see more from Jerome Campbell

More from Jerome Campbell over here: http://jeromecampbell.tumblr.com/

Keep your submissions coming in and if you have a new project that you would like to share with us send us an email with links and images to onegiantarm@gmx.co.k

Bristol based photographer Jackson Drowley has got in touch with OGA to share details about his upcoming graduation exhibition. The exhibition is held over a five-day period is the Graduation Show for the FdA Professional Photography course at City of Bristol College.

Ft. showcases new, upcoming work and invites you to engage with the exciting new talent of Bristol’s contemporary photographers.

All of the students come from diverse artistic/photographic backgrounds and invite you to share the world in the way in which they interpret it via the camera in a range of diverse genres and styles.

City of Bristol College FdA Professional Photography Graduation Show:

15^th – 19^th June 2013

Centrespace Gallery, Leonard Lane, Bristol BS1 1EA

Preview Evening: Friday 14th June 2013, 6.30 – 9.00 pm.

More info here.

IF YOU ARE IN BRISTOL THIS FRIDAY COME ALONG AND GET AN INSIGHT INTO BRISTOL’S EMERGING PHOTOGRAPHIC TALENT!!!!!! IF IT’S ANYTHING LIKE LAST YEARS SHOW THERE WILL BE MORE FREE BOOZE THAN YOU CAN SHAKE A STICK AT!!!!