John Gamble
120 bars of buttermilk soap. Samuel Lister School
Residency 2016. Bradford
For commissions, workshops and enquires:
School students created these objects during my residency, exploring the relationship between photography and truth, and the subsequent erasure of that truth. The role of process became integral to the work; the soaps are a residue of our activity.
Initially photographic portraits were produced employing a collaborative process that gave the participants time for dialogue, assessment and selection. The resultant images were combined with the school soap bar and we used them to wash our hands. The portraits appeared, and then deteriorated. Discussions developed on the erasure of images, of identity and the nature of memory. The soaps were dried and then presented in another space, to a different audience, creating new discussions, stories and haptic interactions.
Source Photographic ReviewGRADUATE PHOTOGRAPHY ONLINE 2016