Free Range Degree Show - Photography

As I've already posted a few degree show posts, the circuit can't be completed without visiting the big one - Free Range. Many university shows come together to take over the cavernous space afforded by the Old Truman Brewery.

The last two weekends focussed on photography. From the hundreds of works on display I've picked out my highlights:

Miles Roberts creation of ghostly after-images of people in front of landscapes reminded me of our transitory presence on earth, and that nature has been around much longer.

Lauren Burton takes overexposed images that appear to be the sun but are actually streetlights. The blurred exposure of her works reminded me of the excellent Rinko Kawauchi who is more interested in the beauty of light than the composition of the shot.

I quite liked Alicia Poyntz's mixture of fairytale and fashion shoots. There's always been a link in my mind between the two glossy worlds that have a darker undercurrent.

Mat Colishaw gave a new and poignant take on the Dutch still life vanitas paintings by photographing the last meals of death row inmates in a similar style. Sam Coe's  version is much more humorous where every day foods such as loaf of Kingsmill and Innocent juices are given the limelight.

Gemma Pepper was one of my highlights. Her capturing of the detail of peeling walls and the utterly mundane make you stare longer to catch every imperfection in her images of nothingness.

Marie Edwards has to be my top pick from the two weeks of photography. Her mix of still life and video create a mesmerising blend as most of the scenery remains still but slowly come to life as birds flutter by or chimney emits smoke. Rob and Nick Carter have a similar style of work at Manchester Art Gallery but these are better in my opinion.

Dan Parratt has chosen to photography petrol stations. They are just part of the landscape that we usually ignore but by making them the centre of attention, he finds something beautiful in them. Capturing and bringing a sense of grandeur to a 'non-place' has the hallmarks of William Eckersley. 

These are my photography picks, now looking forward to two weeks of fine art.