Christopher Thomas

Amelia’s Magazine | Photography exhibition: ‘New York Sleeps’

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View from Rockefeller Center

Whether you blame Woody Allen or Carrie Bradshaw, discount we all feel like we know New York a little. I’ve listened to Candace Bushnell’s heroine wax lyrical about ‘her’ New York enough times to understand that New Yorkers feel about the Big Apple the way us Londoners feel about the Big Smoke. Or at least that’s what I gather, visit this site never having actually been to New York myself. But being surrounded by Christopher Thomas’ gorgeous, pilule sweeping photographs of New York, the city has been nudged yet another few steps up on my list of must-see places. Even though there isn’t a person in sight, the images show a city brimming with character and soul.


Brooklyn Bridge II

Christopher Thomas is also something of an outsider to New York, being German by origin and dividing his time between Munich and New York. But after last night’s opening at The Wapping Project Bankside, there is no doubt of the photographer’s love for his second home. The images making up ‘New York Sleeps’ were taken early in the morning over a period of nine years. Thomas used a custom-made large format camera, long exposures and Polaroid film to create these beautiful images. Familiar landmarks are present, including the Brooklyn Bridge, the Guggenheim museum and Central Park, but also less obvious subjects such as delis, street corners and ferry terminals.


Cyclone rollercoaster

The taped edges of the polaroid negatives are kept in the prints along with the occasional water mark, adding a brilliant effect to the final product. While the pictures are full of intriguing detail, it is the open spaces that draw in the viewer. One image of Central Park shows the walkways covered in snow without a single footprint, while in ‘Central Park, Bow Bridge’, half the image is a grey space which could be water, ice or even sand.


Central Park, Bow Bridge

After last night’s gallery opening, my friend and I eventually had to step back into London. We ended up meandering along the South Bank, finishing our plastic glasses of wine. As much as Christopher Thomas’ pictures make you wish you were in New York, it’s hard not to notice that the view from the South Bank is pretty decent too. Not bad at all, actually.


Solomon R Guggenheim museum. All photography by Christopher Thomas, courtesy of The Wapping Project Bankside.

‘New York Sleeps’ is showing until 26th February at The Wapping Project Bankside, 65a Hopton Street, London SE1 9LR. For more information see our listing.

Written by Jessica Furseth on Wednesday January 12th, 2011 4:10 pm

Categories ,Brooklyn Bridge, ,Carrie Bradshaw, ,Central Park, ,Christopher Thomas, ,Guggenheim Museum, ,new york, ,New York Sleeps, ,photography, ,Polaroid, ,south bank, ,The Wapping Project Bankside, ,Woody Allen

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Amelia’s Magazine | Photography exhibition: ‘New York Sleeps’

by


View from Rockefeller Center

Whether you blame Woody Allen or Carrie Bradshaw, we all feel like we know New York a little. I’ve listened to Candace Bushnell’s heroine wax lyrical about ‘her’ New York enough times to understand that New Yorkers feel about the Big Apple the way us Londoners feel about the Big Smoke. Or at least that’s what I gather, never having actually been to New York myself. But being surrounded by Christopher Thomas’ gorgeous, sweeping photographs of New York, the city has been nudged yet another few steps up on my list of must-see places. Even though there isn’t a person in sight, the images show a city brimming with character and soul.


Brooklyn Bridge II

Christopher Thomas is also something of an outsider to New York, being German by origin and dividing his time between Munich and New York. But after last night’s opening at The Wapping Project Bankside, there is no doubt of the photographer’s love for his second home. The images making up ‘New York Sleeps’ were taken early in the morning over a period of nine years. Thomas used a custom-made large format camera, long exposures and Polaroid film to create these beautiful images. Familiar landmarks are present, including the Brooklyn Bridge, the Guggenheim museum and Central Park, but also less obvious subjects such as delis, street corners and ferry terminals.


Cyclone rollercoaster

The taped edges of the polaroid negatives are kept in the prints along with the occasional water mark, adding a brilliant effect to the final product. While the pictures are full of intriguing detail, it is the open spaces that draw in the viewer. One image of Central Park shows the walkways covered in snow without a single footprint, while in ‘Central Park, Bow Bridge’, half the image is a grey space which could be water, ice or even sand.


Central Park, Bow Bridge

After last night’s gallery opening, my friend and I eventually had to step back into London. We ended up meandering along the South Bank, finishing our plastic glasses of wine. As much as Christopher Thomas’ pictures make you wish you were in New York, it’s hard not to notice that the view from the South Bank is pretty decent too. Not bad at all, actually.


Solomon R Guggenheim museum. All photography by Christopher Thomas, courtesy of The Wapping Project Bankside.

‘New York Sleeps’ is showing until 26th February at The Wapping Project Bankside, 65a Hopton Street, London SE1 9LR. For more information see our listing.

Written by Jessica Furseth on Wednesday January 12th, 2011 4:10 pm

Categories ,Brooklyn Bridge, ,Carrie Bradshaw, ,Central Park, ,Christopher Thomas, ,Guggenheim Museum, ,new york, ,New York Sleeps, ,photography, ,Polaroid, ,south bank, ,The Wapping Project Bankside, ,Woody Allen

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Amelia’s Magazine | Alternative Risk Transfer: Interview with Eugene Perera

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eugene-peraraPhotography by Egene Perera

Artists Eugene Perera, viagra dosage Eiko Honda and Christopher Thomas set up the A.R.T Organization or “Art Casino” in an attempt at initiating reflection on the nature of value of art, pill comodification and risk taking in the art market. Jessica Stokes talks to artist Eugene Perera about “after hours” poker sessions.

Press-Release-Alternative-R

Photograph courtesy of A.R.T

Jessica Stokes: Where did you get the idea for this casino?

Eugene Perera: The idea for Alternative Risk Transfer came out of my interest in art and poker. Poker is a game of skill, risk and chance where an experienced player, whilst having no control over the cards they are dealt, is nevertheless able to gain an all important edge through the skilful manipulation of risk in the form of bets. It struck me that this was in some way relevant to my own art practice where I was constantly assessing the risks within a particular course of action and working out what to invest in that action. By investment here I do not necessarily mean economic but time, thought, ideas, effort and skill and so on.  As an artist, I wanted to highlight this and ask whether such a way of working which potentially derisks is appropriate to the creative process and whether instead we should be working in such a way that failure is an ever-present possibility. As I began to think about the relevance of poker and how it might illuminate art practice and how artists negotiate the art market, I wondered whether it might be possible to create a work involving art and poker within the context of a wider exhibition. That is the impetus behind this show; it’s a form of ongoing research really.

A.R

Image courtesy of A.R.T

JS: What is your background?

EP: I have been creating art for around five years now following a Masters in Art History. Before this, I used to work in media where I set up a number of music and arts radio stations. Working in the media business environment exposed me to constant considerations of risk and as I progressed I noticed how I was better able to assess and manage risk, much like in poker and in art practice. The question now though is not so much how do I minimize risk but how do I explore risk. The exhibition Alternative Risk Transfer is an unknown to me and that in itself is inherently risky and my experience cannot fully prepare me for what might happen!  That’s interesting to me!

amber-cowan-image

Photograph courtesy of Mark McGowan

JS: Who are the artists that will be taking part?

EP: We have a highly diverse range of artists taking part in the show ranging from the extremely new to the established such as Mark McGowan and Anthony Gross. There is also a strong international strand to the show with Japanese, Taiwanese and US artists alongside a strong London presence.  The show encompasses video, sculpture, photography, painting and performance and there are a quite a few interactive gaming works such as the nightly poker games and a 24-hour chess performance created by Patrick Goddard. Many of the participating artists are creating work outside of their normal comfort zones that is commendable in this risk adverse environment. Furthermore, they are willing to stake their work in the nightly poker games in order to better understand how they respond to situations of risk.

JS: Is it important to be aware of the connotations of gambling and the encouragement thereof in today’s climate?

EP: I think it is important to be aware of what one is doing when you’re risking something in a gaming or betting situation. Unaware gambling is potentially harmful and we all know the consequences. With the Alternative Risk Transfer show at The Rag Factory, we are attempting to provoke discussion around what it means when we risk something so I think that has to be a useful contribution.

How about chance, skill and risk-taking in an unusual twist on the debate over the value of art? Give free rein to risky behavior at The Rag Factory 16-18 Heneage street, London E1 5LJ. The exhibition is on from the 10th to 13th of December from 12 to 10 pm. Why not come to the preview on the 9th of December from 6 to 9 pm?

Written by Jessica Stokes and Valerie Pezeron on Wednesday November 25th, 2009 1:54 pm

Categories ,Alternative Risk Transfer, ,art, ,Brick Lane, ,Christopher Thomas, ,East London, ,Eiko Honda, ,Eugene Perera, ,exhibition, ,gig, ,installation, ,interview, ,live, ,london, ,music, ,the rag factory

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