peter funch

Art has always had a mongrel cousin in photography. This is almost certainly down to the latter's provenance in technology; it has been its millstone all along. People who take photographs can't help discussing cameras and lenses, photographers can't keep f-stops, focal lengths, and illumination to themselves. In contrast, artists and art pundits hardly bother in the slightest about brush bristles, the tooth, or what paints they have and what they cost. It's all about the expression.

The flood of cheap digital cameras and the rise of the world wide web hasn't done the cause much good. Sure, it has made photography incredibly accessible and democratic, which must be good. But it's also made it homogeneous and insipid, unconscious prescriptive expression. Few try; I wonder how many Flickr members know about Henri Cartier-Bresson, Ansel Adams, Peter Keetman, and others, or have checked them out.

I still like photography though it's almost too frustrating to actively search out good work. Occasionally by chance, you can stumble across someone who's looking for a new angle on expression or experimenting further with old concepts. Yesterday, while following a series of links about ecology, I found the work of Danish photographer, Peter Funch mentioned on one of the sites. I love his subtle montages of urban street life collectively called Babel Tales; they are fun, some are hilarious and a few quite surreal. It's a simple idea - why didn't I think of that? - but expressed with a certain genius. Worth checking out.