Friday, 11 November 2011

Photographer Research: The Boyle Family

For the next part of my research I have chosen to document The Boyle Family. Mark Boyle and Joan Hills met in 1957 in Yorkshire. Mark wrote poetry whilst serving in the army and Joan had been an art and architecture student. They both shared the same view on art, that anything is a worthy subject when it comes down to creating art and nothing should be dismissed. They went on to have two kids together, Sebastian and Georgia, although Joan had a son, Cameron, from a previous relationship. From an early age the kids were around the studios, helping out here and there, getting more involved as time passed.

Their best known work is the Earth Studies which included projects: The London Series, Tidal Series, Thaw Series and Japan Series.

'World Series' is the one what stands out to me though. Visitors to their studio were asked to get blindfolded and throw darts or fire an airgun at a map of the world which covered a wall. By the end of this bizarre technique they had acquired over a thousand random sites.

 Addison Crescent, London Series 1969


Earth Piece

'The World Series (Initiated in 1968) pieces involve the meticulous re-creation of randomly chosen areas of the surface of the earth (using resin and fibreglass, as well as real materials from the site)' - Wikipedia.

Mark Boyle sadly passed away in 2005 but the family and their works have still been exhibiting around the world at various galleries.

I have to chosen to include The Boyle Family's work not because it directly appeals to me, but because of the ideas they adopted in choosing the areas to cover the subject. Blindly firing a loaded air rifle in a room, who wouldn't enjoy that! 

I think I would like to try something along the same lines if I can find some fellow students who would also maybe interested in trying it out, although I think it would have to be called 'The Manchester Series' cos I'm a student and I can't afford to be gallivanting around the world.... Yet.  

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