19.6.11

ITS COLD IN HERE..


Sometimes you come across a project idea that is so brilliant that its hard to know if the actual images are good photographs (personal speaking of course). Take the work of Murray Ballard.
Its a superb concept photographing prospective clients and the workings of Cryogenics. Although the idea of freezing someone like Walt Disney has been around a long time, it is not something that has been really documented through photography. Finding the right project (which is something I touch on often stating how much photographers feel the need to come up with the most original, fantasical, glorious, wizard like ideas for their work) can be the hardest part of a project and I for one have lay awake at night coming up with crazy ideas, and even when you do come up with a good idea you then have to see who is; 'Thinking about it, Doing it, Or has don it.' But back to the work. I think this is just superb from the young Mr Ballard. The large format approach to the subject works exceedingly recording every necessary detail and I am reminded of the work of Taryn Simon and her 'An American index of the Hidden and Unfamiliar'.
You would think work of this calibre would be jumped on by UK galleries (all three of them and one of those is shut), but these are of course hard times and who wants to take a chance on a subject matter, lets face it, no one really knows about. But that my friends is what makes this project so good.


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