Stephen Gill2010Brighton Photo Biennial

Outside In was produced as part of Stephen Gill’s commission to make a series of photographs for the 2010 Brighton Photo Biennial curated by Martin Parr. The images offer us views of the seaside town that are distorted and obscured by objects Gill has found on the streets and beaches and placed inside his camera before shooting, creating surreal montages. Insects crawl across the film emulsion like creatures caught in amber. The objects introduced to the camera chamber which include seaweed, local plant life, a false eyelash, a jelly bear and fishtails are integral to the photographs then produced, rather than being merely superimposed, their place in the composition occurring entirely at random and establishing both harmony and conflict. The photographer has said he felt he was using his camera as a vacuum cleaner, absorbing everything in the area around Brighton where he took up residence while working on the project.