Last Saturday was the first exhibition at Studio Stranded on Strand Quay. Business partners Joe Morgan, creative director, and Will Brady, multidisciplinary designer, together specialise in editorial film, photography and design for arts and culture. Joe and his partner Hannah Dawson are thrilled to have been able to move to Rye last year. Hannah is also very talented and is a violinist with Sacconi Quartet which featured in Rye News last year (New album for Sacconi Quartet), the Sacconi’s biography can be downloaded here
The inaugural exhibition at Studio Stranded was well-attended and focused on the extraordinary work of photographer Mick Williamson who was there in person, signing copies of his latest book From the Photo-Diaries of Mick Williamson, a selection of his work from an archive of over 2 million photographs.
It proved to be a double celebration, also marking 50 years for Mick as a photographer who started as an amateur in 1974. I had the opportunity and pleasure to speak to Mick about his fascinating career including exhibitions of his photography in solo and group shows both nationally and internationally.
He was senior lecturer in charge of photography at The Cass (London Metropolitan University – previously City of London Polytechnic and London Guildhall University) and has also taught at the College of Marin, California and the South Australia School of Art, together with various workshops in the UK and abroad.
What is so unique about his work is that most of it is shot on an Olympus-Pen ½ frame, amature 35mm camera using traditional film, his photos are all analogue. He showed me the camera, nothing fancy, nothing hugely expensive but, his results speak for themselves, stunning photographs which capture the moment, not photoshopped or digitally enhanced, just organic shots, taken at random, the old-fashioned way, on film.
Studio Stranded is a young and vibrant new business in the town and another exciting addition to Rye’s business and cultural community, visit studiostranded.uk for further information and if you are in the area do drop by and say hello. I’m sure you will be hearing more from Joe and Will as their fascinating business continues to flourish.
Image Credits: Nick Forman .
Great work. I love how the 1/2 frame allows for playing with images sequentially.