Early Inspirations, Martin Parr and Tony Ray-Jones

For Martin Parr, Tony Ray-Jones became a defining inspiration as he represented a British photographer

taking contemporary methods first used in America, and using them to document working class Britain.

“Suddenly here we were some of the ideas and thinking that we had seen from the American greats brought across the Atlantic and taken into an English context. All the surreal qualities and all the offbeat way of looking at things were there in Tony Ray-Jones” (Parr in Williams, 2011, 21).

 Rarely publicized during his generation, Tony Ray-Jones has now become one of Britain’s most influential figures in photojournalism, indicated as being “a catalyst in the development of independent photography in Britain” and a “vital element in the post-war, transatlantic dialogue concerning the art and appreciation of photography” (Roberts, 2005, 7). In particular, his book ‘A Day Off – an English Journal’ narrates the hilarity and eccentricities of British society described by Russell Roberts as “a book of significance, cutting across various pictorial traditions and contributing to a new analysis of social space” (Roberts, 2005, 7).

Described by Russell Roberts as being “the direct line of Ray-Jones’s influence” (Roberts, 2005, 19), ‘The Last Resort’ is comparable to Ray Jones’s ‘A Day Off’, in its subject matter and in particular, the formal structure of the photographs. Parr has captured Ray-Jones’s ability to narrate the layout of occurrences inside the frame of a camera. Moving the viewers gaze between foreground and background, the photographer is significantly raising the value of the image from a single interaction, to multiple events. “Arranged like actors on a set with each character appearing to exist independently and collectively within the frame” (Roberts, 2005, 16). In Derby Day, Epsom, 1967 (Fig .1) Gerry Badger describes the experience of viewing as “a fiction, and Ray-Jones was concocting a fictional vision of the English, founded on clichés” (Badger, 2007, 141) ‘Derby Day’ for example illustrates the bizarre combination of a public space intertwined with animal activity.

Tony Ray Jones, 'Derby Day Epsom'

Or ‘Tripper Boat, Beachy Head’, 1968, a young couple’s romantic gesture becomes the central theme amongst a crowd of expressionless, unenthusiastic pensioners. 

Tony Ray Jones, 'Tripper Boat, Beachy Head'

‘The Last Resort’ continues in the same manner, capturing a “visual choreography that is closely derived from Ray-Jones” (Roberts, 2005, 19). A child desperate for attention is left crying whilst its mother lies exhausted below, a lady sunbathes amongst heavy machinery, leaving her child to play on the concrete runway, two children stand alone, melting ice creams running down their faces. Both photographers are not just describing a moment in time; they are manipulating its appearance and the appearance of those within.

Documenting Britain, 'The Last Resort' and the Seaside Caricature.

Martin Parr 'The Last Resort'

It was at the seaside where the camera could make these fictional stories possible. Undertaking the same subject matter, Ray-Jones and Parr followed in a photographic tradition that dates back to “Paul Martin in 1892” (Kirby, 2009, The Genius of Photography). At the beach, the daily eccentricities, dramas and miseries of British holiday makers were exposed to the camera. For Ray-Jones, the seaside in the 1960s was a “world unto itself, with its own moral code and set of values ... [people’s] behaviour is far less inhibited than in their town life; thus a different side to English character emerges”(Ray-Jones in Roberts, 2005, 15).

When Martin Parr began his study of New Brighton, Britain was in a period of industrial flux. Traditional industries were in decline, blue collar, skilled working class, manual labour was disappearing to be replaced by service industries, and white collar, computerized automated employment. The visitors to Martin Parr’s last resort were the victims of this changing world. They came from the areas worst hit by this post industrial revolution. Working class skills were no longer wanted and Britain had been for over a decade in decline. The 1970’s had been torn by strikes, industrial unrest within traditional industries which neither the trade unions, Conservative or Labour government had been able to fully address. Under the leadership of Margaret Thatcher, the new conservative government was determined to address the issue:

“We are a party which honours the past that we may build for the future. Old industries are declining, new ones are taking their place, traditional jobs are being taken over by computers, people are choosing to spend their money in new ways. It would be foolish to pretend that this transition can be accomplished without problems.”

(Thatcher in Frayn, 2003, Imagine-The World According to Martin Parr)

This changing world meant resorts like New Brighton, were hard hit by the declining economic statuses of its visitors. Thatcher’s attempt to defeat inflation led to a greater crisis in industries as hundreds of factories were shut down and unemployment rose to two million. One of the cities that suffered the most from this was Liverpool. Unemployment in some areas reached up to 60%, which inevitably had a knock on effect upon New Brighton with investors unwilling to put money into the entertainment industries that had built the resorts reputation.

Humane photography, “A Predator or a Collaborator.”

These woes only served to heighten Parr’s interest. “If the seaside was tatty, and more than a little run-down, it was also vibrant” (Parr in Badger, 2009, 6). However the element of caricature and sentimentality found in the ‘Ordinary’ had been tarnished by the social unease of the 1980’s. ‘The Last Resort’ in comparison to Tony Ray-Jones and ‘a Day Off’, contradicts the purpose of photographing the eccentricities and amusements of the ‘everyday’ as it references to the conditions of working class Britain. 

Tony Ray Jones 'A Day Off''

Focusing upon this neglected area of Liverpool; Martin Parr gives us the experience of a sundrenched, overcrowded beach filled with working class families, surrounded by the rundown ruins of a once great resort. Due to the state of New Brighton, the reviews suggest an element of exploitation in Parr’s decision to document its inhabitants. Robert Morris in the British journal of Photography’s 1986 review described ‘The Last Resort’ as “a Clammy, claustrophobic nightmare world where people lie knee deep in chip papers, swim in polluted black pools and stare at the bleak horizon of dereliction” (Morris in Williams, 2002, 161). David Lee’s review is more specific; highlighting the poetic aspects present in ‘The Last Resort’, he then continues to criticize Parr’s interpretations as being condescending:

“They wear cheap flashy clothes and in true conservative fashion are resigned to their meagre lot. Only babies and children survive ridicule and it is their inclusion in many pictures which gives Parr’s acerbic vision of hopelessness its acerbic touch.”

(Lee in Badger, 2009, 6)

Parr has stated “I think that all photography involving people has an element of exploitation, and therefore I am no exception” (www.martinparr.com/MartinParrCV.pdf). Fully aware that New Brighton’s physical appearance is a result of the changing circumstances in the North of England; Parr has claimed that there was “a sense of political demand in this work” (Parr, 2003, Imagine-The World According to Martin Parr). “What I was trying to show was the contrast between domestic activity and domestic normal life within the fabric of New Brighton which was slowly disintegrating” (Parr, 2003, Imagine-The World According to Martin Parr).

Chris Killip 'Crabs and People, Skinningrove'

In comparison to fellow British photographer Chris Killip, who documented similar seaside landscapes, Martin Parr’s colour photographs seem to diminish and de-humanise rather than expressing the theatricality within the ‘ordinary’. In ‘Crabs and People, Skinningrove’, 1981 for example, Gerry Badger highlights that “the apparently contradictory words ‘documentary’ and ‘poetic’ are often used in conjunction with one another” (Badger, 2007,142). What could be considered as Killip capturing a family outing on the sea front could also be observed as an image of anticipation, abandonment and hope? A man stands high and proud, gazing across an empty sea front, waiting, for better days maybe, whilst a woman, a box of crabs and a child's pram, appear discarded, as though the passage of time has engraved them into the landscape. Killip’s book entitled ‘In Flagrante’ observes, like Parr, aspects of a 1980’s ‘struggling’ working class environment. However Killip describes his interpretations as “a Fiction of a metaphor” (Badger, 2007, 142) indicating that like Tony Ray Jones, there is an element of romanticising and ennobling in his subject matter.

Daniel Meadow’s describes the role of a photographer is a constant battle between being a “Predator or a Collaborator” (Meadows, visiting lecture, 2012). Martin Parr’s decision to use colour film photography in contrast to the conventional black and white approach provoked hostility. The 1970’s saw a number of contemporary photographers make the transfer from black and white to colour. Many made the switch permanently as colour was able to achieve certain artistic objectives that excelled black and white imagery. However with is connection to the commercial market, this new method was initially discarded as a valid form of artistic expression. It was seen as “Vulgar, the province of advertising, fashion and travel photographers” (Gerry Badger, 2007, 143). It was therefore left to the professionally paid, while the artistically trained stuck to acknowledged, black and white techniques. “Black and White” declared photographer Robert Frank “are the colours of photography” (Robert Frank in Gerry Badger, 2007, 143). Parr was also brought up on the belief that black and white instead of colour was the appropriate method to use, “We were taught that if you wanted to be taken seriously as a photographer, you had to shoot in black and white” (www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2007/oct/27/).

However such beliefs were being questioned, colour photography was no longer for the select few; it had become a commercially charged industry that was available for public consumption. According to Gerry Badger, “photographers were beginning to sense that black and white were not the colours of reality, and that black and white presented too large a gap between actuality and image” (Badger, 2007, 143). During the 1970’s, colour evolved in documentary photography allowing Parr to achieve a realistic insight into a suffering resort that was uncompromising and relevant to British society. “In a way” questions Gerry Badger, “colour—and Parr’s, in particular—seemed to signal the end of the humanist phase in British documentary photography”(http://www.martinparr.com/ParrByBadger.pdf).

Martin Parr 'The Last Resort'

Aware of the social unease in the north of England, Parr states that he was unsure whether black and white photography constructed an accurate description of modern culture. “I was starting to question the whole idea of whether this black and white photography nostalgic feel was correct for the time that we lived in." (www.bbc.co.uk/bradford/going_out). This is evident in the ‘Mayor of Todmorden’s inaugural banquet’ 1977 from the Hebden Bridge series ‘the Non Conformists’ in relation to Parr’s photograph of a queue of people inside a rundown café from ‘the Last Resort’.  A resemblance between the two can be distinguished in that they relate to a similar subject. Both convey an un-orderly, hostile, snatch and grab environment dictated by greed and selfishness, the black and white image more so as we can see people forcing their way through in search of the buffet. In contrast the colour image that doesn’t dictate order although the people do appear more patient. However, the image also highlights the tawdry dilapidated appearance of the café, the contrast in colours stress upon the boarded up window above the doorway, the food scrapings across a greasy surface and the contrast in skin tones in combination with the variety of attires been worn. This results in a confusing, claustrophobic atmosphere. Where the black and white image portrays the queue as a whimsical projection of a crowded environment, the colour image describes an unpleasant, depressing situation. The use of colour allows us to discover this reality and in the process we, the viewer, can explore a variety of themes that are not visible in a black and white image. Pamela Roberts quotes Parr acknowledging this issue: “What is odd is that, when you look at a black and white photograph, it doesn’t look like the real world; it is an interpretation. In this sense, black and white is unusual whereas colour is quite simply normal” (Martin Parr in Pamela Roberts, 2007, 187). 

A Generation of Colour.

William Eggleston "William Eggleston's Guide"

Martin Parr describes “the defining moment for colour was the William Eggleston’s exhibition at MOMA (Museum of Modern Art) in New York” in 1976. “Suddenly, it seemed that with one single exhibition, colour photography had become a serious medium” (Parr, 2005, 6). The show was curetted by John Szarkowski who also wrote the foreword for the book which accompanied the exhibition entitled ‘William Eggleston’s guide’. The exhibition travelled throughout the USA receiving positive and negative criticism not just for its use of colour, but its combination with a snapshot technique that appeared somewhat random in its choice of subject. As described by Hilton Kramer in the New York Times, “Perfect? Perfectly banal, perhaps. Perfectly boring, certainly” (Kramer in Badger, 2007, 143). Whether it was a positive or negative response, in the 1970s, colour photography was becoming one of the most influential ways for photographers to work. American photographers William Eggleston, Joel Meyerowitz and Stephen Shore became pioneers of a generation that would transform our perspective of what fine art photography is.

The importance to portray reality became one of the key factors of the American movement, removing the nostalgia that had always haunted conventional black and white methods of the past. In contrast to Henri Cartier Bresson who believed colour in photography ads “a host of hazards” (Bresson, 1968, 4) to an image, Joel Meyerowitz has described colour as being “the most descriptive force in photography’s language” (Westerbeck and Meyerowitz, 1994, 401). “ I really mean the description of sensations I get from things - colour, surface, texture – by extension, my memory of them under other conditions, as well as their  connotative qualities” (Meyerowitz in Roberts, 2007, 172).

Joel Meyerowitz Street Photography

Britain in Colour

In comparison to the contemporary use of colour in American photography, “Britain was well behind America and Europe” according to Parr “Photographic Modernism didn't really happen” in Britain “only in a sort of fleeting way” (www.tate.org.uk/tateetc). The introduction of the Kodak pocket instamatic camera to British shops in 1963 was the beginning of a revolution for colour film in the commercial and amateur market. According to the information provided by the National Museum of Photography, Film and Television for their permanent display, by 1979, “over ninety percent of photographs were taken in colour film” and by 1984 “black and white film accounted for less than three percent of film sales”. In the same exhibition, colour was advertised as the revolutionary method available to all. Cameras such as the Kodak Pocket instamatic was said to be as “simple as blinking” and the Polaroid 1000 was described as the “simplest camera in the world” producing “beautiful colour images in minutes”. Created initially for the commercial market, Martin Martin Parr was one of the few British photographers during its boom period to attempt to explore the artistic and documentary values of colour photography. In 1972, whilst working as a walkie photographer, Parr and Daniel Meadows were promoted from documentary black and white photographers, to colour. This change in method encouraged a heightened response towards cultural change and how it was being interpreted.

“During that glam rock summer of teeny boppers and popcorn was the constantly unrolling, informal but never the less deadly serious, teenage fashion parade. It was something that happened on the edge. It happened in spite of the talent shows and the Miss She contest. And it happened in colour.”

 (Meadows in Williams, 2011, 7)

Aware not just of a modern society rising out of the social unease of the 1970’s, Martin Parr and Daniel Meadows also understood how this should be documented. Derived from traditions in photo-journalism and its black and white methods, Parr appears to be following in the path of his contemporary superiors, adapting artistic perceptions of the American colour photographers into a modern British culture.

Martin Parr "The Last Resort"

John Hinde and a Defining Vision.

A photographer who played a crucial part in the development of colour photography, John Hinde is known

primarily for seaside postcards, but also for his variety of commissions including ‘Citizens of War’, ‘British Circus Life’ and his series of Butlins Resort Photographs that photographer Martin Parr published in a book entitled 'Our True Intent is all for Your Delight'. Working as a ‘Walkie’ photographer at Butlins in Filey, Parr explains the impact Hinde’s colour images had upon him and his own photographic practices:

“The amazing postcards of the camp produced by John Hinde struck me immediately. These were simultaneously inspiring and depressing. Inspiring, because the highly saturated, colourful images were such a great record of the place; depressing, because they made my own black and white efforts look rather lacklustre.”

(Parr, 2005, 5)

With a large format camera and Ektachrome film, Hinde’s set out to depict as he describes “the beautiful aspects of the world” (Hinde in Lee and McGonagle 1993, 14). Through vibrant colour combinations, he evokes a theoretical similarity to Richard Hamilton’s Pop Collage ‘Just What Is It That Makes Today’s Home So Different, So Appealing’ saying this exquisite lifestyle, distant from the 1950’s and the grey, depressive repercussions of wartime Britain is not exclusive, but for mass public consumption. A desire to achieve a colour that is “instantly understood and appreciated by a mass audience” (Lee and McGonagle, 1993, 14), the photographs also show similarities to the 1970’s short documentary films of British cities, leisure and entertainment produced by Harold Baim. Also photographed in Ektachrome film, the documentaries compare in their luxurious, somewhat surreal depiction of modern living (View http://www.baimfilms.com/baimStillsFilms.asp for copyrighted images).

Quoted by Declan McGonagle, Hinde “had an almost evangelical sense of the role of colour photography in society, colour was the servant of optimism and positive feeling” (Lee and McGonagle, 1993, 12). His books and picture postcards were designed for commercial purposes. During 1956, at a time of social and industrial re-build, “John Hinde Ltd started fortuitously at the beginning of a new Pop culture which would interpret bright colours as synonymous with freedom, choice and optimism” (Lee and McGonagle, 1993, 14). David Lee quotes Hinde in saying that his postcards stand for happiness and enthusiasm within society. “Pictures should always convey a positive, good feeling, something which makes people happy, which makes them smile, which makes them appreciate some tenderness” (Lee and McGonagle, 1993, 19).

 It wasn’t until the 1970’s however, that Hinde began to receive recognition for his photography. David Lee believes that his “naïve concept of colour” was an unsuitable depiction of society. “Discouraged by art experts”, it was considered “unsubtle and the wrong way forward” (Lee and McGonagle, 1993, 18). His constant connection in his career to the commercial industry derived him any acknowledgment as a serious photographer or as an artist. “When I first encountered him” quotes Parr “his name was almost entirely forgotten - he was looked upon as the creator of clichéd postcards and almost a laughing stock” (www.tate.org.uk/tateetc). As the years progressed however, Hinde’s postcards shaped the appearance of a past generation that we, the viewer can reflect upon:

“When artists debate their role in society, when Ireland and other similar countries reconsider the issues of Identity constructed over many decades, when an important period of social and cultural history is being re-examined it is right that the work of John Hinde and the Hinde Company should be exhibited widely.”

(Lee and McGonagle, 1993, 12)

In 1971 The Irish Museum of Modern Art held a collective exhibition of Hinde’s photographs and postcards, to which Martin Parr was one of the founding supporters. Whether Hinde’s work is purely a commercial entity or his use of colour stood for an artistic response to society, it had a direct influence upon Parr and his career describing his use of colour as “contemporary” (www.tate.org.uk/tateetc):

“Each image offers everything a good photo should. They are entertaining, acutely observed, and have great social and historical value. They appear casually taken, yet we know from the photographer how difficult they were to stage. As with all Hinde imagery, they show an idealized view of the world and, after a passage of time, acquire the power of a lost dream.”

(Parr, 2005, 7)

What makes this colour so unique is that instead of seeing the whole image, the eye is drawn to every figure, piece of furniture and decoration individually. The images seem almost layered, 3d like a collage. Hinde’s achieved this by introducing “bright foreground colours into his cards” (Lee and McGonagle, 1993, 18). In doing so, Hinde produced an unsubtle, alluring concept of colour that overwhelmed its audiences. It deliberately exaggerated the conventional producing a unique interpretation of a commercial experience, manipulating the audience’s perceptions and appealing to the 1950’s united belief of a brighter future. By combining this with a carefully choreographed subject matter as described by Val Williams, in the case of his Butlin’s collection, “posed campers were photographed progressing through the playful rites of passage of a Butlin’s holiday” (Williams, 2011, 35), Hinde is creating an overall view of perfection. Like manikins in a shop window, each person is an advert of the new glamorous way of living that is available at Butlins.

Once this is established, Hinde’s images can be dissected and examined through the use of colour for each image has been crucially structured to produce the best outcome possible. In comparison with Daniel Meadows photographs at the same resort in 1972, we see how Hinde used colour as a deliberate tool to manipulate the viewer’s interpretation of a Butlins holiday. In particular, both photographers captured a similar image in two different manners. The children’s play area at Butlins in Filey was to be used in both their colour photographs. Hinde’s photograph wishes to show a brighter future emerging from the aftermath of post World War depression. This desire to achieve as he describes “the beautiful aspects of the world” (Hinde in Lee and McGonagle, 1993, 14) is evident throughout the image. Deliberately photographed in front of a bright blue sky, the particular choice of film accentuates the contrasting colours that shine in the sunlight. This variety in colour also represents a variety in choice. Slides, swings, play houses all become visible as separate observations. Hinde’s is representing to the viewer the variety that is available at Butlins through a surreal depiction of everyday staged occurrences. In the case of Meadows, his particular experiences were not filled with the same optimism that Hinde’s chose to perceive.

“Set against the backdrop of 1970’s Britain - with its inflation, unemployment, labour disputes and rising cost of oil, culminating in 1973, with the imposition of compulsory power cuts, Butlins was an escape from uncertainty and social unease.”

(Williams, 2011, 35)

Its former glory was starting to deteriorate under a suffering social climate. “The whole Butlin’s family image had become severely dented. Reports came in of leaking and damp chalets, of cold swimming pools, peeling paint, closed facilities, poor food and indifferent staff” (Meadows in Williams, 2011, 35).

Meadows use of colour achieves a rather different interpretation of the same space. Taken in overcast weather conditions, low saturated tones capture the dull, declining atmosphere that had overcome the British leisure industry of the 1970s. What we see when viewing these two images is the rise and fall of a resort through the use of colour. Hinde in the post war optimism and meadows during 1970s decline.