Melanie Stidolph

A new publication to coincide with the solo exhibition The Fall, which is at Campbell Works gallery until 4th November. Features new essay by Daniel C Blight which engages with the nature and role of the ‘punctum’ in images that are not directly triggered by the photographer’s hand. Full colour 40 page publication designed by Cameron Leadbetter of Shining Studio includes works from the current exhibition and the wider body of work. ‘Photographs taken with the mechanical motion detector are photographs emancipated from their dependence on human ritual. The punctum emerges from the photograph, denies its crime, announces itself as something that it is not and disappears.’Daniel C Blight 

Is That It is a group exhibition by the Tri-pod group of photographers.  Tri-pod was established by Miranda Gavin and Wendy Pye as a platform for encouraging and demystifying the creative process.  This group exhibition was conceived as a stopping point for work in progress; each of the 9 participating photographers are showing work that in some way is not yet fixed in its presentation method, image selection, or ongoing development of ideas.  The exhibition is part of the Brighton Photo Fringe and is on until Sunday 4th November showing work by: Natasha Caruana, Zoe Childerley, Miranda Gavin, Karen Grainger, Dean Hollowood, Sacha Lehrfreund, Judith Lyons, Wendy Pye and Melanie Stidolph.  A big thank you to everyone for all their work in putting it together.

Thanks very much to Daniel C Blight who chose my work Windfall as the starting point for his intriguing piece of writing for the site Various Small Fires.  Daniel was invited by Thierry Bal to contribute to the One Photograph series. Daniel’s writing will also appear in a new publication as part of my upcoming solo show The Fall at Campbell Works (October 11th – November 4th) where Daniel will be talking about his writing at the gallery on Saturday November 3rd at 3pm.

The Fall, solo exhibition with Campbell Works later this year.  Exhibition and new work supported by Arts Council England.  Accompanied by a new publication, which will include an essay by Daniel Campbell Blight.  New works based on ideas developing from the work Windfall. Looking at the hope, tension and sense of impending disaster in images of objects and subjects in temporary flight.  Currently experimenting with movement, light and sound sensors, enabling subjects and environmental conditions to trigger the shutter. www.campbellworks.org.

Last year I was commissioned to produce a portrait as part of The World in London project, organised by The Photographers’ Gallery.  The launch was on Wednesday morning at Victoria Park, where the large scale portraits are displayed on hoardings.  They are also on the outside of Park House on Oxford Street, opposite Selfridges, and selected images, including mine (triggered by a Siamese-cross cat called Dot) of Mauritius born Corina Armel are also at the Gulbenkian Foundation on Hoxton Square.  All the prints will become part of The Museum of London collection. See the project website at www.theworldinlondon.org.uk, to view images, find venues and hear the sitter’s stories.

In 2010 I was invited to participate in The Loving Gaze symposium programmed by Susan Andrews and Fiona Yaron-Field, from London Metropolitan University.  I presented Heather McDonough’s recent work on her mother’s terminal illness, and Heather presented my work under the title My Boyfriend and Other Animals – ‘Melanie’s images seem to arrest or suspend time, to highlight a notion, smell or sound.’  activate is edited by Susan and Fiona and focuses on a different issue each publication.

Two exhibition openings this week, Collectible at ZAP Project space, with over 60 artists, and Photo-Soup at Unit 24.  More info at www.zeitgeistartsprojects.com and www.photo-soup.org.  I seem to have a rabbit theme going on, showing small versions of The Hare, Skomer and large print of The Hole.

Open Studio is a new programme curated by the Families Learning programme at Tate.  I’ve set up an installation where visitors can trigger the camera shutter with objects, projecting the images as they’re made. Influenced by Luc Delahaye’s images in Tate’s collection, which produce a sense of predicting, or just missing the decisive moments of traditional reportage.  Open Studio is open to the public in Clore Studio, Tate Modern on weekends in April (5th – 8th April, 12th – 15th April, 21st – 22nd April and 28th – 29th April).  www.tate.org.uk

My third Photo-Soup show, first one in Barcelona in 2010, second as part of Mexico photo festival last year.  Photo-Soup is an idea for a collective group of artists to put together exhibitions without a curatorial premise as a starting point.  Brings together an international and extremely diverse group of work and artists, for more info see www.photo-soup.org.

Behind the Image is a new text book by Natasha Caruana and Anna Fox, which includes my work and contributions from Martha Rosler, Vivian Maier, Jeff Wall, Karen Knorr and Hashem el Madani.  Just published by AVA Publishing, for more info see www.avabooks.com.