Wynton Marsalis' Swing Symphony

So as my book is well on the way, I decided to take a well earned break and head to the Barbican for the fourth time this year to see the LSO play. But this time a little something different - Wynton Marsalis' Swing Symphony! All I can say is what an extraordinary, beautiful, inspiring thing to see!

It was like sitting and listening to the best Jazz that you have ever heard, mixed together with the complexity of the Orchestral sounds and visionary experience. The atmosphere was great, people dancing in their seats and a real sense of excitement and anticipation on every string strung and every trumpet blown. Wynton, a true genius was incredible and at times it felt as if we were all in an old New Orleans bar, sipping Bourbon.

What a pleasure, and it has given me some new ideas too. Something to top the Olympics - easy!

See more from Wynton Marsalis here: http://wyntonmarsalis.org/

Book Production Starts!

So it starts! The design has been confirmed and now onto production. My book is now underway and all files are being treated, prepared for the printers. The textual pieces are proving more complex than anticipated, but producing a book of this kind, the production side was always going to be complicated.

Foreword and concluding texts have been written and by two people, who can only be described as perfectly matched to this project and I am honored to have them onboard. A little sneaky peak of the texts follows.

"Having liberated these photographs from the conceptual and commercial confines of ‘Contemporary Art’ – the context within which they were admittedly born, flourished, and in many cases, for which they were precisely intended – and by melding, merging, and re-engaging with them in her own unique way, Gibson allows them to cross a particularly poignant threshold, into a more unmitigated and arguably more suitable realm: that of Photography itself."

"I think Melinda’s collages work brilliantly, much better than anything I could write, at showing how art photography as a subject is full of contradictions and visual pleasures."

It’s very exciting and within the next 2.5 months, they will be ready to be sold!

More updates on the production as and when it happens.

Commission News

So, I realised once again that I have not posted for a while and wanted to ensure you that I am now back! Arles was a good little trip away, a great exhibition by Sophie Calle was my highlight, but I will post some images of her show later.

Firstly, as I am in the middle of this, my very exciting and quite unbelievable commission for one of my most and my sisters, as well as my dear friend Trushar's favourite fashion designers, I had to share a little of the process! I can't show you the actual pieces yet, but its only a few weeks to wait until I can share all the news! All I can say is it an absolute pleasure working on this and with so much amazing material sourced from the team in Paris, the new collages are looking great.

More news to share soon, I promise!

ACP 30th June 2012

So the tour is at it's final stop, the Australian Centre For Photography in Sydney. The work has toured around Australia, from Perth, to Brisbane to the ACP. It has been great to be involved and get the work seen in new places. The ACP show opens on 30th June and runs until the 19th August, alas I will not be attending the opening, but will be on my way to the South of France for a well earned break and a few glasses of Chablis I am sure! I will post installation shots as and when I get them.

To see more, look here: http://tmp.acp.org.au/future/index.php#hijacked_3   

Time Flies By

So, I realised that I haven't been posting for a while, apologies for that! But time does really fly when you are having fun it would seem - nearly a month in fact! Well much has been going on personally as well as work wise hence my lack of posts. 

Firstly I must congratulate my sister and her husband who are now newly weds as of Sunday 3rd June! It was a truly magical day and we all had an amazing time, so thank you very much - very proud of both you, Nick (Brother-in-law) welcome to the family. As you can imagine, the wedding kept me busy!

After all that excitement, over the Jubilee Weekend, I came back to work at my old university, teaching and lecturing for a day at London College of Communication. It was great to be back to talk to the students and see their degree show, with many experimental ideas and much collage - very nice to see indeed!

Now onto other very exciting news, I have been commissioned to produce some new work for what can only be described as one of the most innovative, experimental Fashion Designers and I am so excited, words can't really explain. Unfortunately until next month I must keep it all under wraps but as soon as I can share I will! I will keep you posted with ideas and thoughts about this when I can.

Until then, try not to get saddened by the grey, rainy London weather and I will post soon.

Visual Library - Photomonth Krakow

"We have created a visual library because we like reading books. It is they that for us are a continual source of all ideas and an inspiration for new projects. We love the adventure that goes with communing with a book, the pleasure that comes from discovering the latest titles. We are drawn in by the book’s physicality, graphic layout, scent and the sound of leafing through pages. 

Books have accompanied us relentlessly throughout the work on the concept of the exhibition. Photography in Everyday Life is the title of a handbook written by Mikołaj Iliński and Jan Raczyński unearthed at a stall by Krakow’s Market Hall. Charlotte Cotton, the founder of the project, suggested persuading artists and publishers we know to help to create the library. We asked them to send us a book chosen by them with a dedication on the first page. We wish you happy reading."

So Charlotte got in contact and off I sent my chosen book to Poland last week.... no surprises really what I choose! Here is a small exert of what my dedication was;

"From canonisation, digestion, mass consumption to participation every layer has been examined and no book could do this better. Read it, hold it, feel it, make of it what you will, but keep the journey going." Melinda Gibson 10/05/12

It's the 10th Jubilee Edition of Photomonth Krakow and they really have got some amazing things going on so if you can get over please go and see what they are doing, it really is a very exciting Photography Festival. Unfortunately I can't attend this year but know it will be a great success, thank you Charlotte!

See here: http://www.photomonth.com/index.php/en/page/331/visual-library.html   

New Elements - Nearly Finalised

So my meeting with my book designers, Kummer & Herrman went very well and we really managed to get so many elements finalised and now have a production schedule in place, meaning my forthcoming publication "The Photograph as Contemporary Art" is going to be launched in the next 4 months!

The production run will be small and everyone will now be handmade by me personally (with a little help.) Each page is going to be precisely and patiently stuck down, with 33 images and 33 textual pieces this is going to be quite a production line to set up, I am sure I will have to rally up the troops, to get them all lined up straight and in time for the launch later in the year!

The Special Edition element is looking fantastic, with only 33 made, each one will be signed, dated and put together in a particular way (it's still a secret so will let you all know very, very soon) and boxed up.

I am very excited indeed and will be sure to show you the process as and when it is happening. Until then, here are some visuals of what we are planning so far.

Foam, Film and Food

It's been a long time since I last had some time to blog and there are many exciting things going on! Firstly, a little trip off to Amsterdam to have some meetings,  off to Utrecht to see my book designers and finalise the details of my forthcoming publication, which is slowly coming together but it very well worth the wait! Then Foam Photography Museum and onto the new Film centre across from Amsterdam city to have a lovely lunch with Hans, Adrian, David and Jaap - thank you all very much for a lovely trip.

New Exhibition opens at Griffith University Gallery in Brisbane, 27 April - 16 June 2012

"Hijacked III; Contemporary Photography from Australia and UK" travels to Brisbane and opened on Friday 27th April before it travels onto the Australian Centre for Photography in July.

Read more here: http://www.griffith.edu.au/visual-creative-arts/griffith-artworks/queensland-college-art-gallery/exhibition-program

Year Two - 731 Days

And so it dawns the second year, 731 days. It’s still a shock, its still hurts like nothing I’ve ever felt before, but this year something has changed.

Time has certainly helped, but at times is still a hindrance and as every year goes by we all heal a little more.

So it is time to finally set this body of work free, let it breath for itself and be honest ad true in its unedited entirety. I can’t say more than this was something that was so important in the process, my process and I feel it shows what happened, how I felt, how I feel without edits or ego. It simply uses photography as a process to aid my grief and nothing more.

To my dearest friend, I love you and will never forget you. You showed me how simple it needs to me, and how to believe, for that and everything else you stood for, this body of work and everything else I ever make will have you in it and be inspired by you. Thank You.

Out Now - Objektiv Issue 5

"The Photograph as Contemporary Art" features in the new issue of Objektiv out now! This issues focuses on"Lens is in its third vintage, and this number Anniversary focuses on the materiality of photography, photographers and presents photography that explores the opportunities through the visual creative process inthe camera and the photographs. This project involves experimenting with different material and technological components of photography as a medium."

Read more here: http://www.objektiv.no/

Czech Marie Claire - April Issue

New Publication out about my inspiration for Hugo Boss's "Poetic Tailoring" Spring/Summer Collection 2012 in the April issue of Marie Claire Czech! Nice to see the work and inspiration being featured together throughout Europe.