May 1996
January 1997
March 2000
December 2000
December 2001
September 1999
The pond at Upton Pyne formed at the site of an eighteenth-century manganese mine. Located on land owned by a local family who were involved in the mining venture, the first excavations began in 1788. It was originally an open-cast mine employing just a few men who worked with ladders, picks, shovels. The quality of the ore in the lode was rich, and once refined it was shipped from Exeter Quay to London and Bristol where it was used predominantly in the production of glass. After a bright start the output of the mine steadily diminished and by 1823 it had ceased production, leaving a large pit, shallow on the east side near the road and becoming deeper towards the west, where it is overhung by a cliff...
Jem Southam
The Pond at Upton Pyne by Jem Southam is on view at
Die Photographische Sammlung/SK Stiftung Kultur,
Cologne, March 2 – July 7, 2024
Date
March 2024
Type
Portfolio
6 Chromogenic contact prints
Prints
Printed by Jem Southam and Marcello Galvani in Italy
Signed and numbered on verso with pencil
24,3 x 19,2 cm / 43 x 35,5 cm
Cloth box, screen printed
45,6 x 38,2 x 4,8 cm
Edition
10 (+ 3 Aps)
Design
Giulia Bacchetta Francalanci,
Filippo Nostri and Anna Biagetti, Faenza
Credits
Produced by Imagebeeld Edition, Brussels
© 2024 Imagebeeld Edition, Brussels
© 2024 Jem Southam for the photographs
Photos: Filippo Nostri Studio
Jem Southam was born in Bristol, England in 1950 and studied photography at the London College of Printing. He has lived and made his photographic works in the South West of England ever since, earning a living in art galleries and art colleges, and is now an emeritus Professor of Photography at Plymouth University.
He is known for his colour landscape photographs, his trademark is the patient observation of a site over many years, during which time he constructs intricate sequences of pictures which explore the historical and mythical narratives embedded in the specific site. His work combines topographical observation with other references: personal, cultural, political, scientific, literary and psychological. Southam's working method combines the predetermined and the intuitive. Seen together, his series suggest the forging of pathways towards visual and intellectual resolution.
Southam is known for his use of large format cameras, however recently he has begun to explore the possibilities of digital systems which has seen a significant and unexpected shift in his practice. A recent book, Four Winters published by StanleyBarker, features photographs taken on a single bend of a river, photographed at dawn and dusk.
His published works include: The Red River 1989; The Raft of Carrots 1992; Rockfalls, Rivermouths and Ponds 2000; The Painter’s Pool 2004; Clouds Descending 2008; the river/WINTER 2011; The Moth 2018; Four Winters 2022; The Harbour 2023; The Pond at Upton Pyne 2024.
His work is held in: The MET NY; The Getty LA; Tate London; V&A London; Rijksmuseum Amsterdam.