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Featured image: ©Mark Friend

Struggle was the theme of the October meeting, with several members presenting images of protests, including those of a political nature and against the power of corporations. Personal projects took us from north London to Madagascar, while the festival theme from last month still resonated with others, including the presentation of an imaginative leporello-style photo book about the techno music scene.

Raj presented images of the struggle associated with religious faith. One showed the prone figure of a Hindu worshipper of Lord Shiva. Wearing a dhoti, with a red bindi on his forehead and with white powder on his body, he holds a coconut to represent purity and is pushed and rolled down the road.

©Raj Munisami

Pauline addressed the struggles associated with protest, finding herself annoyed at the binary distinction between being “grown up” and being a protestor. She sees that the world is improved through protest and campaign. Her images included Victoria Park, the site of “loads” of political protests. Here heavy-handed policing led to three deaths during a protest in the 19th Century by the Chartists, a working-class movement for political reform. Pauline takes a current photo of the park and overlays the ghostly figures of the police force seated on the grass, in their uniforms of the time – complete with tall hats.

©Pauline Moon

Mark Friend has been actively documenting both sides of the current argument in relation to the struggle in the Middle East. His images concentrate on the faces of those in the crowd: watching, marching and protesting – a dignified lady standing next to a Palestinian flag, a young glamorous woman with long fingernails and faces of young men the crowd from both sides. Mark skilfully picks out individuals, revealing their intense expressions and their distress.

©Mark Friend

Jan also captured a scene of protest with dynamic ‘grab shots’ outside the Apple store in Regent Street. Here members of the public queued patiently for the latest Apple 16 iPhone, while others protested about Apple’s alleged profiteering from the use of child labour in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

©Janet Nabney

Personal projects

Dorota showed a series of black-and-white images taken in Madagascar which captured the activities and faces of the people. The ox plays an important role: pulling ploughs and drawing carts, as well as being a symbol of wealth.

©Dorota Boisot

Edey showed a series of photographs taken on the Islington walk organised by Austin, ranging from large pumpkins in verdant allotment gardens to the use of ICM to capture the mood of the “New River” .

©Edith Templeton

Jim showed images related to last months theme, ‘Festivals’. These ranged from intense, sweaty, close-ups of the Swedish singer-songwriter Elliphant, to the cool elegance of the sitar player Anoushka Shankar.

©Jim Paterson

Finally, Andy was inspired by last month’s Festival theme to look back at his engagement with Detroit-style techno music events, which mainly take place in warehouses and other enclosed spaces. He laid out his extraordinary   ‘leporello’ style book of A3 images on the floor, spanning the width of the room. Andy said that these events were essentially solitary experiences and wanted his collection of images to show the altered states of consciousness and the progress of events from late night to the early morning.

©Raj Munisami

The group also discussed options for a venue for our meetings next year. The 18 attendees unanimously voted in favour both of holding these at the Art Workers Guild and also in favour of buying a second hand projector, rather than renting one. There was some discussion about whether there should be a trial period of three months at the beginning of next year.
The next meeting will focus on personal projects and will be on Nov 13 at 7 pm at The Old Diorama Arts Centre, 201 Drummond Street, Regents Place, London NW1 3FE.