Saddened to hear this week that Robert Breer died at 84.
I was relatively new to his work and had only recently visited a fantastic exhibition of his work at the Baltic, Newcastle which I mentioned in my previous post Planking in Newcastle .

For more on Robert Breer and his death you can read this New York Times online article

Here is a ’typically’ extrordinary video by Robert Breer…

Last weekend I found myself tricked, trapped and forced into watching the apparently rather popular Strictly Come Dancing, (I know… ‘he protests too much, me thinks’) anyway… Having watched a number of contestants and annoying those around me by asking at each performance “which one’s the celebrity?” and “What are they famous for?” I suddenly saw someone I did recognise… Anne Widdecombe.
Anne Widdecombe is a funny character and if success/ fame / notoriety is partly measured by the ability to divide opinion, she is certainly very successful. I myself confess to not subscribing to a number of her political and religious ideals. None the less… I find her to be a rather pleasant and considerate, if a little stern lady.
I met her just over a year ago, I had a commission to take several photographs of her for an article. She’d broken her arm and leg (not from dancing!) which left her stranded in her second floor, impersonal, empty and rather dull flat. There’s some jobs you do when you feel you’ve really earned your money, this was definately one of those!

With Pope Benedict visiting the UK and causing a bit of a media frenzy this week, my mind was taken back to the  death of Pope John Paul II. At this time I travelled to Krakow, a place where John Paul II had been a resident for over fourty years. The mourning for the deceased Pope was immense, and regardless of one’s beliefs it was impossible not to feel moved by the sense of loss demonstrative throughout the town. It was a unique experience which I will always remember.

I recently went to ‘Exposed’ at Tate Modern. This well curated exhibition is full of works that explore themes of voyeurism and surveillance. The show gave me the opportunity to see some works that I had been admiring in magazines and publications for a while. Kohei Yoshiyuki’s series ‘The Park’, for example, contains photographs that have been mentioned and printed in numerous publications. To see these photographs up in the Tate was quite a thrill. The photographs are shot on infrared film in a Tokyo park at night. The content of these night photos are intriguing, bewildering, shocking and mesmerising; as you find yourself entering into a bizarre cycle of seedy voyeurism… watching watchers watching. …

Image Copyright Kohei Yoshiyuki