Cathy's Art Diary

Small exhibition at the Imperial War Museum of photographs and film by Mark Neville. Neville makes art projects in collaboration with communities facing problems and in 2010 he joined the 16 Air Assault Brigade on duty in Helmand Province. The pictures showed young soldiers and children they brigade encountered on patrol and compared and contrasted them. The commentary made the point that 60% of people in Helmand are under 25 and many of the soldiers are in their late teens and early twenties. I loved a picture called “Supplies for two Scots Regiments” in which a young soldier is unloading supplies. There are shells on one side but he carrier Iron Bru! I also found a picture of an Afghan toddler running round rather poignant as it was so like the small child who had been running round the gallery next door giggling!

Enlightening exhibition at the Photographers Gallery of a photographic documentary project by Mark Neviile looking at the town of Corby, its people and culture and the effects of environmental pollution that led to several babies being born with birth defects. It forms a lovely picture of a town and sets up some interesting conversations such as the pictures of various night clubs in the town set beside pictures of the Grampian Club for an older generation. It also recognises the Scottish heritage of the town. I loved the lovely triptychs of boys bursting balloons. These are so clever because you delight in the detail with which the balloon’s various stages of bursting are recorded and the delight in the boys faces. It is only on a second or third look that you realised they both have a deformed hand.