Visual Art
‘IT'S BRITAIN FRAYED AT THE EDGES AND A LESS MODERN BRITAIN AT ITS MOST ECCENTRIC'
By now Pan’s work is getting in close. The salty seaside air and smell of fish and chips is fresh in the nostrils. the feel of burn against a concrete pier is tangible. Pan‘s angles are odd and skewered — beads of grease and sweat can be seen glistening —‘ a line of pink lippie is painted over a fat woman's thin lips as she sunbathes. Naked babies look like little aliens squirming on the sand. The colours and kitschness can be linked back in some ways to a tradition of picture-postcards. most notably those ofJohn Hinde.
As Parr goes on into the 90s. his focus gets closer still and humans are forsaken for the products they consume. Most residents of this
fair land might now be fluent in the lingo of
lattes. cappuccinos. nachos and olives. but at the seaside it’s still burgers. chips. cups of tea and brrns. The sugary. fatty concoctions provide Parr with still—lifes that are the sort of stuff that gives Mitterrand his ammunition.
In [994 Parr was granted membership of the hallowed picture co-operative Magnum. formed by the greats of documentary work — Robert (‘apa. Martha (ielhorn. (‘artier-Bresson. His entry was highly controversial. ‘Some thought I was too cynical and commercial] he says. (‘artier-Bresson indeed objected to the 'nihilistic attitude symptomatic of society today" that he saw in his photographs. Parr has also crossed the sacred line and done fashion work. As he said in an interyiew
in 2mm): ‘My conscience is relatively clear. But not totally clear.’ He is honest.
In one project. ‘Iirom A to B‘. he examines people in their cars and quotes a line from them talking about the relationship. He did this in 199-1. and if Ricky (iervais and Stephen Merchant haven‘t seen it. it is an uncanny precursor to their observations of David Brent.
Parr is also exposing mistaken delusions of
grandeur. One man on a proto mobile phone and dictaphone sits slightly overweight. testosterone- fuelled in his pose. ‘I like to think I‘m quite successful because I‘ve got a (‘avalier 2 litre (ll.i. I sell industrial packaging machines something with a bit ofesteem. not like Derek in
Coronation SIer who sells novelty items out of
bloody suitcases.’ is the accompanying quote. Didn‘t Brent go on to do something similar after getting the sack in Slough? Of course the ugliness. crassness. contempt and pity are all bound up in one. That’s the genius.
‘lirom A to B' and ‘Sign of the Times‘ were TV series in the early 90s. If you go on his website. www.martinparr.com. you can see little video clips which are brilliant examples of short studies of British culture -— from B&Bs to pissed up girls flashing their boobs (it's only a small lexical step).
This liestival Parr is coming up to talk at the National Gallery of Scotland about his work and to sign copies of his book. The I’lmlobouk. co- authored with (lerry Badger. at Stills Gallery. He has also made a film with comedian John Shuttleworth. AKA (lraham Fellows. which is being screened at the Assembly Rooms. The premise for the film called It‘s Nit-v Up North is
the hypothesis that people are nicer the further
north you go. Travelling up as far as the Shetlands. liellows and Parr test out the theory.
He politely refuses to tell me what they discover. Parr has been up in Scotland recently working on another project for architect John McAslan based on the A8 corridor. The highly successful building designer based in London. originally from Dunoon. commissioned Parr to photograph the stretch of road and what it encounters from Port (llasgow to Dunoon. ‘I went three times and photographed everything — people. architecture. the Highland (iames and Greenock Morton FCC he says. The pictures will be displayed at the Lighthouse in Glasgow in the autumn.
‘Think of lingland‘. It‘s the name of one of Par‘r’s books. He has made sure that we will. Lying back. drinking tea and tucking into a nice bag of chips.
Martin Parr, Weston Link, Tue 16 Aug, 12.45pm, free; Martin Parr signing The Photobook (Common Sense/Phaidon), Tue 16 Aug, 6pm, free; It’s Nice Up North, Assembly Rooms, Sun 14 Aug, 6.30pm, 226 2428, £10 (£8).
‘Weymouth’, from Think of England
ii is Aug) 2005) me LIST FESTIVAL MAGAZINE