Exhibition Guide

John DaviesThe British Landscape 27 June – 31 August 2008

John DaviesThe British Landscape 27 June – 31 August 2008

John Davies is one of Britain’s leading photographers. He has an international reputation in the field of landscape photography and was shortlisted for the prestigious Deutsche Börse Photography Prize earlier this year. The New Art Gallery Walsall is pleased to present the body of work for which he was nominated, The British Landscape.

Capturing the British landscape in a permanent state of flux, Davies’ panoramic black and white photographs, taken between 1979 and 2005, show the vast, complex and majestic scenery of industrial and post-industrial Britain. The epic images not only reveal the impact of the Industrial Revolution but also document the consequential growth of our towns and cities and the gradual changes in the form and function of the landscape – all of which have been shaped by human endeavour. The series of over sixty works, of which a selection are exhibited, includes photographs of the Scottish Mountains and the Lake District, Manchester, Sheffield, Birmingham and the North East.

Each photograph in the exhibition is accompanied by Davies’ notes on the social and historical background to the places and scenes featured. He reveals how the landscape has been reinvented by trends in industry, agriculture and construction – and how this cycle of change has continued to gain momentum long after the shutter was released.

Looking down upon these landscapes, we are able to absorb everything in our view: from rolling hills and thunderous skies to road signs, system-built

housing, ring roads and retail parks. Such vistas suggest an ‘all seeing eye’ on Davies’ part and this knowledge, gained by staking out the ideal vantage point, draws us deeper into the image; he has the ability to make the most banal landscapes appear special and worthy of preservation. Davies comments: I try to look for the best view to show features in context, and aim to get the maximum details from my photographs. In composing the frame I like to find interesting aspects around the edges.

Davies’ use of black and white photography, free from the distraction of colour, gives the work an impression of permanence; he temporarily freezes the landscape long enough to allow time for study and reflection. Photographed from a position of elevation, Davies has remained coolly detached from his topographical studies but over the years, he has begun to question, as well as celebrate, our collective responsibility in shaping the environments in which we live: We are collectively responsible for shaping the landscape we occupy and in turn the landscape shapes us whether we are aware of it or not (John Davies).

This series of photographs takes the viewer on a journey from the brooding wilderness of the Lake District to the thriving metropolis of Birmingham city centre at the turn of the millennium. The final photograph in the exhibition, Site of Easington Colliery (2004), captures the site of a former coal mine in County Durham which closed in 1993. Today all traces of the pithead and its buildings have been erased and the area has been landscaped to recreate a coastline that would have been enjoyed by tourists and locals alike, long before the mines arrived. Although designated Durham’s ‘Heritage Coast’, future visitors to this area may never know that this place was once the centre of a rich industrial life and culture.

Davies portrays periods in Britain’s history of prosperity, decline and regeneration, and as the photographs lead us from one era to another, we are left to question how we preserve the experience and memories of our industrial past, while adapting to new ways of living and inhabiting the landscape.

Born in Sedgefield, County Durham, in 1949, John Davies studied photography at Trent Polytechnic in Nottingham. The British Landscape series has previously been exhibited at PHotoEspaña, Madrid (2006) and the National Museum of Photography, Film and Television, Bradford (2007). His photographs have been widely exhibited in museums and galleries across the world including The Museum of Modern Art, New York; Pompidou Centre, Paris; Royal Academy of Art, London and Victoria and Albert Museum, London.

All photographs exhibited are silver gelatin prints.

PublicationA fully illustrated publication accompanies The British Landscape exhibition and can be purchased from the gallery shop priced £35.00.

Further informationFor further information about the exhibition and John Davies, visit the Art Library located on the Mezzanine Level.

EventIn Conversation: John Davies with Helen JonesSaturday 26 July, 2pm

Join John Davies and Helen Jones, Exhibitions Curator, The New Art Gallery Walsall, for a tour of the exhibition.

Please reserve your free place in advance by calling 01922 654400.