Glamorous movie stars of 1970s Italy, assassinations and political unrest are contrasted with the daily routines of ordinary people and hard hitting subjects chosen by professionals in Brighton’s Photo Biennial 2014.
With over 50 events, exhibitions and workshops across Brighton, there is something for all everyone and one highlight has to be the Amore e Piombo: The Photography of Extremes in 1970s Italy.
This exhibition at Brighton Museum and Art Gallery is an immersion into Rome and Milan where the wonderful, pristine lives of movie stars are juxtaposed with the social unrest of the same Italian period. Communities, Collectives and Collaboration is the theme of this year’s festival and the different communities shown at Amore e Piombo (Love and Lead) is a constant reminder of the political and social turmoil felt at the time.
Describing Amore e Piombo, Tim Clark, Editor-in-Chief at 1000 Words Photography Magazine, said: “be amazed by the levels of scandal and conflict – the ultimate Paparazzo fodder”. On the one hand photos of Liza Minnelli and Audrey Hepburn are simply stunning, yet on the other these truly serve to highlight how separate the entertainment industry was from the Italian reality. In fact this was a period where bombings and shootings were rife from both left and right-wing political parties, and protesting groups stormed the streets hoping to be heard.
Photobookshow
Another highlight of the festival, which runs from 4th October to 2nd November, is Jubilee Library’s collection of artist-led photobooks depicting global influence from Asia, Scandinavia, North America and beyond. Although initially daunting to tackle without direction, these photobooks are a window into an artist’s worldview. Alone Together by Mi-Yeon is influenced by her South Korean upbringing and experience living in France and Tokyo. All the photographs appear to encapsulate her uncertainty of the world in some way as Mi-Yeon writes: “When in a large crowd of people. I vanish. Within the countless ‘Is’, the ‘big I’”. Her photos depict this struggle she has over the concept of existence through an out-of-focus view of city skylines with just a child’s face in clarity or Japanese signposts pointing in all directions, awaiting a decision.
At the entrance of Jubilee Library is a display of large photographs taken by ordinary people of varying ages and backgrounds. Photographer Lydia Goldblatt embraced the theme of community through facilitating this photo project and said the images were fascinating because of the memories and stories attached to them. Indeed, each captures a daily routine in a different way and one display hits a poignant message that even a short walk to the local café becomes difficult at a certain age.
Brighton’s Photo Biennial is the UK’s largest photography festival and with such a broad approach to communities, collectives and collaboration, this event provides great insight into photography on a local, global and historical level.
