Peter Ranyard's first Australian solo exhibition is a
collection of black and white images from his travels around the world.
Unlike many exhibitions of travel photography, Ranyard's images avoid
referencing tourism or travel imagery.
His photographs are at times deliberately intimate, at
times stark and remote. His emphasis is not primarily on recording his
travels but on "exploring notions of time, space, memory and
permanence". This show takes us into the vision of a photographer who sees
elegance and worth in form, who appreciates the effects of light
and shade, and who has a keen sense of the comedy and the pathos
inherent in observing a sometimes foreign, sometimes familiar, constantly
shifting visual landscape.
A series of dilapidated letterboxes at American
houses demonstrates a keenness for viewing the remarkable among the mundane.
Ranyard focuses on the minutiae and simplicity of the common feature. A wooden
support is knocked askew by time and the weight of the box it holds, clusters
of letterboxes crowd together. Ranyard elevates the visibility and even the
beauty of these letterboxes through his selections.
Another group of photographs, carefully
constructed images of statuary and foliage in England, show an almost classical
concern for form and composition. A statue in pieces sits in a wheelbarrow in
an interior by an open door, light streaming across the picture frame, and
emphasising the contours and shadows of the broken stone and man. Another stone
face glares at us from an ivy-covered wall, emerging despite the attempts
of the climbing plant to devour the entire face. These photographs
illuminate the effects of time, light, nature and wear on objects made by human
hands.
Ranyard's photographs of Mexican landscapes are particularly
enjoyable. These works effectively juxtapose the aridity of the desert
with the crumbling human constructions which intrude upon its face.
Ranyard has produced 25 photographic statements that
testify to his notion "the idea of permanence is illusory".
Ogilvie, Charly, "Travel pictures without tourism or advertising imagery", The Canberra Times 16 June 2006
2006
Times 2 p 2-3
The photographic process is such that you can represent the passage of time in an instant. This collection of photographs have been made in different countries and allude to the passing of time and the impact of civilization on the landscape. Often the human element is only felt-their possessions and remembrances scattered. The encroachment of people to the edges of their known world. Architecture and possessions represents a desire to stamp authority on the landscape. Time weathers and destroys and adds a patina to this human endeavour. The human condition and the environment remain long after the icons have turned to dust, the political winds changed, and our memories altered.
"Like our bodies and like our desires, the machines we have devised are possessed of a heart which is slowly reduced to embers."
The images are part of an ongoing series that was originally exhibited at ANCA Gallery. The series has grown in size. The images allow the viewer the opportunity to place themselves in the context of time and space. They can be transported back and forward and can see the results of human cohabitation with the land and how our greatest successes can be rendered undone by the passage of time. Creation and destruction are major elements.
