Paul Reas Presentation

VISA1001

Tutorial Presentation

Good Morning, today I am going to talk about a documentary photographer Paul Reas and in particular his photograph Military Wallpaper taken in 1988 from the series ‘I Can Help’ and it is also featured in a photography exhibit in the museum TATE BRITAIN.

WHO IS PAUL REAS?        

Paul Reas was born in Bradford in 1955. He studied photography at the University of Wales, Newport where he continues to teach now as a senior lecturer. After six years as an undergraduate student and then a college photography technician, he became a freelance photographer. He has been influenced by William Eggleston and Stephen Shore, both American photographers whom are recognized for their use and appreciation of colour photography.  Reas uses a medium format camera and a large flashgun, there is no hiding he is a photographer.

QUOTE

"I would say I photograph people but I think the pictures are more about systems people find themselves in, people shopping in supermarkets, but it’s about consumerism and how we are caught up in that. I never set anything up. Everything I photograph is as it happens".

CONSUMERISM

The photograph I am going to be talking about is from a collection a photographs taken from 1983-1988 called, ‘I Can Help’, which illustrates British class and culture with specific reference to consumerism. To understand more about the photo I will give some context. The Prime minister of the United Kingdom at the time, Margaret Thatcher, was in office from 1979-1990. Under her political ruling privatization was introduced. This was when things such as airlines, coal and oil were now available on the stock market. Investments started and people were making more and more money therefore the need to spend it developed. The PM also had a very close relation to the President of the USA, Ronald Reagan. This friendship introduced America’s consumer nature to the shores of Britain. Bright and busy advertisements lined the city and suburban mega shopping centers. Soon the idea was not to sell a lamp or a scarf but to sell a whole lifestyle.        

DESCRIBE PHOTOGRAPH

Now moving on the photograph this is Paul Reas’ Military Wallpaper taken in 1988.

As part of the ‘I Can Help’ series he took photographs at supermarkets, DIY stores and garden centers etc. This one in particular was taken at a B&Q in Newport, South Wales. He had actually been visiting this store continually for 2 months waiting for photograph to become.

At first glance you can notice that there are 4 people in the photograph, 3 customers and a store worker. The subjects of the photograph is the man holding a sheet of wallpaper capturing a military scene and a young boy to the left of him whom is staring at the wallpaper.

The store seems to be some sort of interior decorating or craft store, similar to spotlight I would assume. There looks like hundreds of wall paper options. This relates to consumerism as if there is now not only one option but some many to buy buy buy.

The colours in the photograph are very striking such as the clothing of the customers are dull yet that of the store clerk and the stores atmosphere is bright and predominately red. Even the fluorescent light fixtures create a very clean and white glow.