RITUALS OF RECREATION There exists a historical link between the photographic image and recreational space in Western society. From the concept of the holiday to current ideas of world travel, recreation and photography are modern twins. Since its early invention, photography has become associated with traveling from the traditional landscape photography of Ansel Adams photographing in Yosemite National Park, to the American 'road trips' of contemporary photographers like Stephen Shore, photography have been used to capture these recreational spaces. The idea of where and how we spend our 'free time', in itself a relatively new concept, have been a rich source of image making either by the tourists themselves through their own snapshots and postcards, or the photographer wanting to capture this ritual. At the same time photography has been used to create a myth on which the tourism industry is built. The dream of the deserted beach or exciting city depicted in holiday brochures will inevitably be shattered by the bus of German tourists showing up. With our cameras we then crop out those tourists and other unwanted elements to recreate that manufactured idea of 'paradise' we have been sold. We create our own paradise, our own memories regardless of how true they might be. Photographer Martin Parr, know for holding up the proverbial mirror to show us the strange rituals we partake in, captured this in his book Small World (1995). Exploring tourism worldwide, Parr's images known for both their humorous and disturbing qualities, exposes the increasingly homogenous global culture of tourism by depicting how tourists interact with these recreational spaces. Norwegian artist Juha Suonpää terms it 'tourist choreographies,' the ritualised movement and actions of tourists through these spaces. Delving further into the representation of recreation Parr coproduced the book book Our True Intent Is All For Your Delight: The John Hinde Butlin's Photographs (Published by Chris Boot, 2002). It includes pictures of the nine holiday camps, shot in the late 1960s and the early 1970s for Butlins. Created initially for publicity, they where never considered art or social documentary, yet today these strange almost surreal images have taken on a life of their own. Parr also produced a book entitled Boring Postcards (2000) depicting the extremely banal everyday spaces captured on postcard in the 1960s. This was a time when the sending of postcards was commonplace to show 'we where here', even if it was the most mundane of settings. Today we would rather snap a picture with our mobiles and send it to a friend, but it is still the same ritual. A complete different take on the subject can be seen in the work of Beate Gütschow who uses the ideas behind 17th Century landscape painting to create computer constructed utopian images of sweeping landscapes dotted
RITUALS OF RECREATION
Thereexistsahistoricallinkbetweenthephotographicimageand
recreationalspaceinWesternsociety.Fromtheconceptoftheholidayto
currentideasofworldtravel,recreationandphotographyaremoderntwins.
Sinceitsearlyinvention,photographyhasbecomeassociatedwithtraveling
from the traditional landscape photography of Ansel Adams
photographing in
YosemiteNationalPark,totheAmerican'roadtrips'ofcontemporary
photographerslikeStephenShore,photographyhavebeenusedtocapture
theserecreationalspaces.Theideaofwhereandhowwespendour'free
time',initselfarelativelynewconcept,havebeenarichsourceofimage
makingeitherbythetouriststhemselvesthroughtheirownsnapshotsand
postcards, or the photographer wanting to capture this ritual. At
the same time photography has been used to create a myth on which
the tourismindustryisbuilt.Thedreamofthedesertedbeachorexcitingcity
depictedinholidaybrochureswillinevitablybeshatteredbythebusof
Germantouristsshowingup.Withourcameraswethencropoutthose
touristsandotherunwantedelementstorecreatethatmanufacturedideaof
'paradise'wehavebeensold.Wecreateourownparadise,ourown
memoriesregardlessofhowtruetheymightbe.
PhotographerMartinParr,knowforholdinguptheproverbialmirrortoshow
usthestrangeritualswepartakein,capturedthisinhisbookSmallWorld
(1995).Exploringtourismworldwide,Parr'simagesknownforboththeir
humorousanddisturbingqualities,exposestheincreasinglyhomogenous
globalcultureoftourismbydepictinghowtouristsinteractwiththese
recreationalspaces.NorwegianartistJuhaSuonptermsit'tourist
choreographies,'theritualisedmovementandactionsoftouriststhrough
these spaces. Delving further into the representation of recreation
Parr coproduced the book
bookOurTrueIntentIsAllForYourDelight:TheJohnHindeButlin's
Photographs (Published by Chris Boot, 2002). It includes pictures
of the nine holiday camps, shot in the late 1960s and the early
1970s for Butlins. Created
initiallyforpublicity,theywhereneverconsideredartorsocialdocumentary,
yettodaythesestrangealmostsurrealimageshavetakenonalifeoftheir own.
ParralsoproducedabookentitledBoringPostcards(2000)depictingthe
extremelybanaleverydayspacescapturedonpostcardinthe1960s.This
wasatimewhenthesendingofpostcardswascommonplacetoshow'we
wherehere',evenifitwasthemostmundaneofsettings.Todaywewould rather
snap a picture with our mobiles and send it to a friend, but it is
still the sameritual.
AcompletedifferenttakeonthesubjectcanbeseenintheworkofBeate
Gtschowwhousestheideasbehind17thCenturylandscapepaintingto
createcomputerconstructedutopianimagesofsweepinglandscapesdotted
withafewpeoplerelaxingorenjoyingtheview.Yetthereissomething
disturbingaboutthese'idyllic'scenes.Gtschow'simagesaskquestions
about our preconceived ideas and relationship with nature itself.
This history of images around recreation brings up many questions:
How does
photographymediatetourists'experiencesofplacesandproducetourist
geographies?Howdoweinteractwiththesespacesinarecreationalway,
fromthepublicparks,swimmingpoolsandplaygroundsinourcitiestothe
Butlins-likepackagedholidayplan?Howdoweevendefinerecreational
spaces today, a pristine landscape or a space of luxury and
opulence? These
are,andhavealwaysbeen,fertilegroundsforreflectingonthehuman
condition. THE PHOTOGRAPHIC ANGLE
