Photos of pollution

Press, 15 August 1984, Page 31

Photos of pollution

Works by students at the Photographic Training Centre, until August 31, Reviewed by John HurreU. Sixteen coloured photographs, all dealing with the theme of pollution in Christchurch, are on display at the Photographic Training Centre, in the downstairs gallery. The works are being presented by the trainees as part of their curriculum at the centre.

Almost all of the images exhibited here are documentary in nature, many featuring for example, the local smog, or pollution in the Avon or its neighbouring streams. Most of the images in this exhibition are humdrum and predictable, being somewhat earnest and lacking in wit or surprises. Nevertheless there are a few photographs of interest,

quite often because they ironically look beautiful and romantic, in spite of their hazardous subject matter. Other images presented, such as those showing brightly coloured torn posters on a wall, or streaks of orange coloured water coming off a rusting corrugated iron roof, are not really to do with pollution at all, but rather demonstrate the visual richness of living in the inner city. Two photographs of people wearing face masks to filter impurities from the air they breathe, intrigue, one because of its content and the other because of its organisation. One photograph shows a cyclist wearing a mask, pedalling past a big, fume-belching petrol tanker. The other shows a

standing jogger, with his head held back, with what looks like flame-coloured clouds coming out of his masked mouth. The mask and clouds convey a vivid sense of paradox. Another work here shows a pile of rubbish with an oilstained human hand holding a cigarette in its midst Because the image initially looks like a colourful collage, and the hand looks like that of a mannequin, the element of surprise keeps the work interesting. Most of the images here are too obvious in their content and unimaginative in their organisation. Perhaps with an accompanying text they might function better, but by themselves their lack of subtlety discourages a second viewing.