April 2019

At the end of March I went on a long awaited walk across The Broomway in Essex. The walk is known for being dangerous due to the quick incoming tides and the fact that the MOD also fire ammunition in this area as part of their training. I went with a local guide - it was six hours long and four miles out across the sea.

In early April I went to the Shutterhub pv at the ARB in Cambridge where I had two works in the exhibition. It was a really enjoyable evening, lots of familiar faces, and the work was beautifully installed across four floors of the building. The exhibition, Everything I Ever Learnt, continues to 3 May.

My images lower left and top right - part of the installation on the ground floor

This month I’ve been finalising prints for my exhibition in Brighton at the Fishing Quarter Gallery. Beyond the Reach of Rivers opens Wednesday 1 May and closes on Bank Holiday Monday 6 May (hours 11am - 5pm daily). I’m grateful for the show’s inclusion in various photography listings and to Metro Imaging for a pre-show interview which is featured on their website.

I’m looking forward to being down by the sea while the exhibition is on. It coincides with the Brighton Festival Fringe and falling across the Bank Holiday weekend it should be a busy time.

March 2019

At the end of February I was happy to find out that two photographs of mine had been selected for Shutterhub’s Everything I Ever Learnt exhibition at The Arb, University of Cambridge. The show runs 28 March - 3 May with a private view on Thursday 4 April. There are a lot of photographers in the show and like the Shutterhub show I saw at Truman Brewery, the work will be printed on newsprint which is a really effective and economical way to install an exhibition. Really looking forward to seeing all the work installed and catching up with the photographers and organisers.

I’ve been getting some prints made up for the Brighton exhibition which runs 1 - 6 May. There has been some early publicity for the show in TANK Magazine, Outdoor Photography, and Wobneb Magazine. Still lots of work ahead, including all the colour printing.

Cover of Tank Magazine (photography Sohrab Golsorkhi-Ainslie and art direction Alice Ray) and photo from Beyond Land

I was also happy to find out mid month that one of my Shoreline photographs has been shortlisted for exhibition this summer - finger's crossed that it makes it through!

February 2019

It’s almost the end of February and I’m slowing getting ready for my exhibition, Beyond the Reach of Rivers, which will open at the Fishing Quarter Gallery, Brighton on 1 May. The two series that will be shown - Sea Level and Beyond Land are both ongoing projects, so while I know what work will be on display I’ll still be shooting new material - hoping to be working at a new location for Beyond Land in early March.

The 209 Women exhibition that was at the Houses of Parliament from December to mid February is now moving up to Open Eye Gallery, Liverpool where it will open 1 March. I hope to make it up later in March - it’s on until 14 April.

Field trip to Greenwich

The Field Recording and Soundscape course is at the half-way mark. We had a day-long field trip recently which was really enjoyable and we will now be focusing on editing for the remainder of the course. I had wanted to learn more about sound recording and layering sounds so this has been a perfect introduction, but taking this course has also been a test to see if I might want to undertake a longer period of academic study in the future.

January 2019

January has been a busy month including a wonderful few days spent visiting Cairo, Giza, Memphis and Saqqara. I had expected to see crowds of visitors at the Pyramids and Sphinx but was really happy that the experience was quite different. The desert was beautiful and looking across the landscape felt magical and unspoilt. I spent several hours at the Egyptian Museum - another highlight, and incredible that visitors are able to touch so many of the ancient objects.

Giza, Egypt

A major plan for 2019 is to get back into the habit of reading regularly and to take part in different fields of study, and this month I began a 10 week p/t course in field recording and soundscape. I’ve recorded in the past but would like to improve my skills and have a specific project in mind. Two further media courses in the summer look very interesting and I’m hoping I might be able to get a place.

Other news includes a project proposal that myself and four other photographers are putting together. It’s a timely project and it would be great to be able to take it further.

I’m also going to be taking part in the 12th Julia Margaret Cameron Award exhibition in Barcelona’s Gallery Valid Foto in May with a print from my Sea Level series. Not sure yet if I will be going out for the exhibition and associated events. I’ve also been making plans for my solo exhibition this spring which will feature work from two photographic series.

December 2018

In early December I went to the Photofusion SALON/18 exhibition pv. This selected show of members work is always worth seeing and there was some excellent work this year. My Fairways book was selected and is the pink book seen here on the bookshelf, along with other photo books including those by Chloe Rosser, Lewis Bush and David O’Mara. The exhibition continues until 12 January.

On 13 December I went to the private view for the 209 Women exhibition at Portcullis House, The Houses of Parliament. It was exciting to see the portraits of all the 209 women MPs which had been taken by 209 women photographers. The images had been printed and framed by Metro Imaging, and were beautifully curated by Cheryl Newman, Hilary Wood, Tracy Marshall and Lisa Tse. It was really enjoyable to catch up with photo friends at the event and to see my photograph of Gillian Keegan MP installed within this groundbreaking show.

Gillian Keegan MP in Bishop Palace Gardens, Chichester with Chichester Cathedral in the background

As 2018 comes to a close it’s time to look back on a year that has brought some wonderful opportunities to travel. Visiting Iceland, Portugal, Arles, Vancouver and Tangier was incredible and I look forward to returning to Arles and Canada again in 2019.

This year has also been good for developing different photography projects and for connecting with other photographers. As a member of London Independent Photography, Photofusion, and Shutterhub I feel part of a supportive and diverse photography community. This year I’ve been grateful to have been shortlisted for the prestigious Hariban award, to have been an awardee of the Julia Margaret Cameron Award, to have been nominated for the celebratory RPS 100 Heroines, and to have been a contributor to the inspiring 209 Women Project. Looking ahead to 2019 I will enjoy following the 209 Women exhibition up to Open Eye Gallery in Liverpool in February, and have a solo exhibition scheduled which is exciting. More news to follow in the New Year!

November 2018

In November I found out that my Fairways book had been selected for the Photofusion SALON/18 exhibition. The book, containing photographs taken at my father's house after he became ill, was an emotional project to work on. It contains fabric and wallpaper pages as well as 42 colour photographs and the pink cloth cover is engraved with an outline of my father’s bungalow in Sussex. This is the first time I had considered entering it for an exhibition so am pleased it has been accepted. The annual exhibition of members work is always lively and I’m really looking forward to seeing the work on display in early December.

Fairways book

I’m excited to be one of the contributing photographers of the 209 Women project and this month our approved image files of the 209 women MPs were sent to Metro Imaging, a key sponsor, to be printed up for the exhibition. The images will be on display at Portcullis House from mid-December until mid-February. Anybody wishing to see the free exhibition needs to book in advance - December dates have gone, but dates are available in January and February. The exhibition will then move to the Open Eye Gallery, Liverpool from 28 February - mid April.

October 2018

I visited Tangier in northern Morocco in early October and spent a night in Chefchaouen, a beautiful small town with blue washed buildings, nestled in the Rif mountains. When I was a young child I had got lost on the beach in Tangier and was fortunately found an hour later. I had always wanted to go back and explore and it was wonderful to be there.

While I was there, the London Independent Photography annual exhibition had opened at Espacio Gallery, London, and I came back in time to catch the last day. The exhibition had been selected by Tom Lovelace, Hazel Watts, and Wendy McMurdo and curated by Krasimira Butseva. I was happy to have one of my Unseen Landscape photographs selected, and really enjoyed looking around the exhibition and meeting a few of the photographers.

LIP annual exhibition with Unseen Landscape (right)

A couple of days ago I was happy to find out that I was an awardee of the Julia Margaret Cameron Award in the Landscapes and Seascapes category with my series Sea Level. This year is the 12th edition of the award which invites women photographers worldwide to submit work to a variety of different categories and 760 photographers from 72 countries had submitted 5,800 photographs for consideration. The award was juried by Julia Fullerton-Batten, Andrea Star-Reese and Laura Pannack. The full list of awards are on their website and all the finalists will receive an invitation to exhibit in Barcelona next year.

From Sea Level (c) Mandy Williams

September 2018

This month I travelled to Canada for 10 days, visiting Vancouver for the first time since I moved back to London in 2002. The short trip included a drive through the interior to southern British Columbia and up through Radium and Banff to Calgary. British Columbia has had major forest fires this summer and although the situation had improved by the time I arrived, new fires were still breaking out across the southern border. The highway to Banff showed the effects of previous fire damage, with huge amounts of forests burnt and destroyed. Despite this, it was still a joy to see the incredible landscape that leads you through BC to Alberta, with its majestic mountains and clear water lakes.

Approaching Banff, British Columbia, Canada

At the end of last month I found out that a photograph of mine had been shortlisted for the Royal West of England Academy annual open exhibition and at the end of September I will hear if the work has made it to the final selection.

I also submitted a photograph to the London Independent Photography annual exhibition and that work was recently selected. The image, from the Unseen Landscape series, will be on display at Espacio Gallery, London in the first week of October.

Chichester Cathedral - from a recce for the 209 Women project. I won't be able to post any of the official images until after the exhibition opens

At the end of last month I went to Chichester, West Sussex, to photograph Gillian Keegan MP, for the 209 Women Project. This project involves 209 female photographers creating portraits of the 209 female MPs, to mark the centenary of women achieving the vote in 1918. There will be an exhibition of all the images at Portcullis House, Palace of Westminster from 14 December (tbc), and the Open Eye Gallery, Liverpool in February 2019. The project is organised by Hilary Wood, (founder of '209 Women' and photographer), Tracy Marshall (Director of Development and Partnerships at Open Eye Gallery, Co- Director of Northern Narratives arts initiative) and Cheryl Newman (Artist, curator and former Director of Photography of the Telegraph magazine). I really enjoyed the shoot with Gillian Keegan MP, which took place at Chichester Cathedral and the nearby Bishop Palace Gardens, and am so pleased to have been invited to take part in this project.

August 2018

At the end of July I found out that I had been shortlisted for the prestigious Hariban Award with my Sea Level series. This is a wonderful award that was last year given to Stephen Gill and this year's shortlist includes some incredible photographers such as John Divola, Vanessa Winship and Hajime Kimura. I'm very happy to have had my work acknowledged in this way.

I have been invited to take part in an exciting project which will culminate in a touring exhibition. More details on this next month.

In August I revisited a place where I had photographed in July 2016, a month after the Brexit referendum and the vote to leave the EU. I have the start of a new series which I'll develop over the next couple of months.

From Blind Follow

July 2018

In early July I was lucky enough to be back in Arles for Rencontres d'Arles photography festival. Spent 5 days there seeing some wonderful exhibitions - highlights included Jonas Bendiksen’s The Last Testament; Matthieu Gafou's Augmented Humanity; The Train, RFK's Last Journey featuring work by Paul Fusco, Rein Jelle Terpstra and Philippe Parreno; A Pillar of Smoke - work by contemporary Turkish photographers, and Pixel Forest by Pipilotti Rist. However there were lots of other notable exhibitions and I was happy to be one of nearly 500 women artists included in The Family of No Man exhibition at Cosmos which was juried by Brad Feuerhelm and Natasha Christia. Work was displayed across the courtyard and in many interior rooms as well as projected on several screens. I had a couple of recent colour photographs from River Stories featured.

There are a few interesting things happening behind the scenes - waiting for official confirmation before sharing any information. In the meantime I'm just continuing to photograph across several series - this month it's been mainly Unseen Landscapes, Riverbed Stories and the Great North Wood.  

 

Great North Wood

June 2018

Fairways is a book of photographs that were taken at my father’s house from the day of his admission to hospital in August 2016 to the sale of his house in July 2017.

The photographs are my memories of his home and producing the book has been a labour of love. I am making a small edition of 20 copies. The book is not cheap or quick to produce and I make no profit from the selling price. I've decided to consider it an editioned work, similar to a print, although the time and consideration involved in its production has been far higher. I apologise to those who have expressed an interest in buying a copy but could be excluded by the price.

The book has 48 pages, 42 photographs and inserts of wallpaper and fabric - the combination of these inserts will vary in each edition. The fabric is delicate but safe for regular handling.  The cover is Cherry Blossom pink cloth embossed with a custom design.

152.40 X 228.60mm Landscape

Colour

48 pages 170gsm silk

Section sewn

Embossed cloth cover

Edition of 20 + 1AP signed

Cost: £150+pp

A fabric page backed onto hand-made paper features in all of the editions

If you are interested in a copy of the book please email me fairways@mandywilliams.com

Thanks to Lewis Bush and Photofusion’s Winter Book Lab for the inspiration and encouragement and to London Independent Photography, BKN Magazine and IPOTY for past support of the project

A wallpaper page backed onto colour paper features in all of the editions

April

I had always wanted to visit Iceland so it was wonderful to finally get there this month for a short time. Stayed in Reykjavik but managed to travel around and see some of the surrounding countryside as well as the Blue Lagoon. Hope I'll be able to return for a longer visit in the future.

This month a couple of my photographs from the Re:Place diary project were published in London Independent Photography's fLIP magazine - the issue's theme was Memories. The magazine is available to members and can be also picked up at the Photographers Gallery and National Portrait Gallery.

fLIP magazine

I was also happy that art and photography blog, Fleur and Arbor, featured Re:Place as a work in progress. The feature can be seen here.

I am continuing work on the Fairways book project and this month had my first dummy book block produced. This was very exciting and also helpful, as some things need to be changed before the next run. Once that's working, the next stage is to produce the cover - the design is ready.

From Fairways book dummy 

March 2018

Last month I took on a new studio with Hotel Elephant, near Borough. It's been five years since I last had a studio and I was really excited to find this new space. 

This photo shows the immediate neighbourhood

In January I started a Winter Book Lab at Photofusion which ran for several weeks and finished at the end of February. There were 10 of us on the course which was run by Lewis Bush and it was really enjoyable and inspiring. I had decided to make a dummy book about Fairways, my father's house, and by the end of the course I had developed the layout and cover idea. I just need to produce a dummy book now!

A couple of different page layouts

Also in February I was happy to receive 3rd place in the International Photographer of the Year Award 2017 in the category Landscapes: Seascapes. This was for my Sea Level series.

Sea Level series

January 2018

Starting 2018 in a very positive frame of mind. The past six months have been a time for reflection and planning and with the new year comes a desire to put these ideas into action.

At the moment I'm building up images for Sea Level and the new project, Re:Place. Re:Place is very much a work in progress at this point. I'm also getting more ideas for a London based series which I hope to begin later this month. Juggling several projects is something that I always seem to do.

Here are a few Re:Place images, photographed at different locations in Sussex.

Inside the Guildbourne Centre

Worthing Tennis Club

Field Place

Field Place

Worthing library

Highdown

I've been returning to places that I knew and wrote about in my diary when I was a teenager, in some cases leaving the pages for someone to find. The project is not about nostalgia – though it is strange to revisit places after such a long time – it's more a process of ‘mapping one history over another’, intentionally destroying something from the past to create something new.

Seafront

Seafront

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December 2017

Last weekend I was really happy to see that a series of my Sea Level photographs had been published on L'Oeil de La Photographie as one of their three portfolios. I like this magazine (which is published in English and French) very much. Its news about photography is consistently varied and interesting and they have a large readership across the world. I feel fortunate to have had my work featured.

Unseen Landscape #28 (c) Mandy Williams

My photograph, Unseen Landscape 28 is currently in the London Independent Photography annual exhibition.  It's held at the Truman Brewery this year and I dropped by yesterday to take a look. Always enjoy seeing what work is being shown and the new venue seemed to be attracting lots of visitors. The show finishes this Monday 11 December.

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November 2017

Earlier this month I received the autumn issue of Shots, a US photography magazine that's been running for 31 years and now has a new editor. I'd submitted some photos from  the Sea Level series to them a few months ago and it was a really great surprise to find out that I had one included. There is some stunning photography in the Transition issue and I loved how my work has been paired with Marc von Martial's image. I am not sure if it's available in the UK other than by subscription.

The London Group Open exhibition Part 2 opened this week at the Cello Factory with a very busy private view. I am really happy with the placement of my work inside the gallery - it's shown here with work by Patricia Volk and John Crossley. The exhibition continues until Friday 1 December and there is a huge variety of work on display. I particularly liked the videos playing upstairs and work by Jane Hoodless, Jo Brown, Judith Jones and Martin Heron. If you're near Waterloo, the show is open 2 - 6pm each day.

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October 2017

Sea Level 03 (c) Mandy Williams 2017

I was happy to find out last month that my photograph Sea Level 03 had been selected for The London Group Open exhibition. The exhibition is in two parts, and I'll be exhibiting in Part II, which runs 22 November - 1 December at the Cello Factory, SE1. Really looking forward to seeing the show.

Since August I've been photographing on location in Sussex for a new project, returning to places that I knew and wrote about in my diary when I was a teenager, in some cases leaving the pages for someone to find. I've used my old diaries before in a project called Re-Collect, and in both cases it's not been about nostalgia - though it is strange to revisit places after such a long time - but more a process of 'mapping one history over another', intentionally destroying something from the past to create something new. I'll post some more from this series in a couple of months.

Early this month I went to the Frieze Art Fair and was later invited by Fleur & Arbor, an online platform for showcasing the work of emerging photographers and supporting female artists, to contribute some photographs and a small intro to their blog. It has been published here.

After wanting to visit the Venice Biennale for several years, I finally got there last weekend. I hadn't visited Venice in the autumn since I was a student but the mist and shimmering light brought back a lot of memories and it was a wonderful visit. Not a lot of time to experience the Biennale but saw as much as possible. Particularly liked Phyllida Barlow at the British Pavilion, Anne Imhof's Faust at the German Pavilion, and Dirk Braeckman at Belgian Pavilion but other favourites included Vajiko Chachkhiani, Georgian Pavilion, Jason deCaires Taylor, Grenada Pavilion and Egill Sæbjörnsson, Icelandic Pavilion.

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August 2017

Was so happy to receive a copy of BKN Magazine in early August. I'd been invited to submit photographs from the Fairways series at the end of last year and talking with the editor, William Esdale, had really made me think about these images in a different way. Up to that point they had been a purely personal response to a very difficult time when my father was ill in hospital. His encouragement had led to me submitting the images to the International Photographer of the Year where they had won an award.

BKN magazine is a photography magazine run by William and his brother Louis and the Intimacy issue sold out prior to its publication which is why I'm including two images. Six photos were chosen along with a statement about the series and I really love how the work has been laid out. There is a lot of very strong work in this issue and I'm delighted to be featured.

The Royal Academy Summer Exhibition continues until 20 August but I was surprised and happy to find out at the end of July that all the editions I had made available to the RA, as well as the framed work, had  sold - five in total. I have visited the exhibition a few times and it has always been extremely busy - it really is a hugely popular show.

This month I've also begun some test shots for a new project which I'm pleased about but I'm still deciding the best approach to the content. Also had some good news in that one of my photographs has been shortlisted for an exhibition later this year - the decision will be made in September.

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July 2017

Earlier this month I went to Rencontres d'Arles, the annual summer photography festival in the South of France. Had never been before and it was a wonderful experience. Saw lots of inspiring exhibitions including retrospectives of Michael Wolf and Masahisa Fukase as well as some incredible work in the Discovery section. Visited Marseille as well and would love to return again next year.

Since then I've taken the last of my photographs inside my father's house as it has been sold. It was a very emotional experience and the end of an era. I'm thinking of making a small book to keep all of these memories together. Spending so much time in Sussex also gave me the idea for developing a project that's been on the back burner - I'd like to try it out by the end of August.

I was happy to have been invited by London Independent Photography to write a review of 3AM, a book by AM Projects which was published by Akina Books and this came out in their fLIP magazine this month.

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