Somerset Stories: Fivepenny Dreams - Venetia Dearden

The first collection of images from Venetia’s journey through Somerset.

Images printed by Artful Dodgers Imaging

“Somerset is a county in the heart of the West Country, UK, about 200km west of London. My passion and curiosity for Somerset has been fuelled by my long-term connection, and recent disconnection with this area of the West Country. I spent my formative teenage years here and this is where my family still live. Seduced by its arcane essence I am compelled to return again and again to explore my relationship with the landscape and the people living here. It is reassuring to witness the pioneering spirit of those living on and within the resources of their surroundings, but the preservation of this quality of rural life is tenuous. Whilst land has become a commodity, there is a growing realization of the detrimental effect we humans can have on our environment. I want simply to capture intimate moments in families striving to create a way of life they believe in and draw attention to basic human qualities. My journey takes me through seasons, rituals, gatherings and day-to-day life in Somerset. I witness a sense of belonging and identity within these rich bonds of family and community.

Growing up I would roam for miles on horseback through the fields, woodlands and muddy lanes. I am still in awe of the light and changing skies. My favorite days are when dark grey clouds roll over the sky, layering, folding and dispersing, allowing the sun to diffuse through. The light is gentle, enveloping, and reassuring. Even the shadows shine in this illumination; everything seems as one”.

Venetia Dearden grew up in Somerset, England. Between travels in Africa and South America, she went on to complete a degree in Anthropology at Edinburgh University followed by a Postgraduate course in Photojournalism at the London College of Printing in 2000. She has since traveled extensively documenting social and humanitarian issues, producing features and facilitating workshops as a consultant for Photovoice. Her passion for portraiture has resulted in her work being published worldwide: Vogue, Wallpaper, The Sunday Times Magazine, W Magazine, Harpers Bazaar, Stern Magazine amongst many. Her award winning work in Somerset (Peek Awards, Art and Commerce 2007 and ItsPhoto Awards Trieste 2008) continues to develop and has been recently shown at the National Portrait Gallery. Venetia now lives in London where she works as a photographer.

Contact: mail@venetiadearden.com www.venetiadearden.com

Survey Exhibition, Jan 15 - Feb 14

Will Cruickshank, Thomas Haywood, Ulrike Mohr.

Thomas Haywood “Family” images printed by Artful Dodgers Imaging.

Will Cruickshank makes insouciant objects that react to the viewer with a deep, deadpan comedy. They are faux-scientific experiments in weight, movement, balance and human activity. Cruickshank’s site-specific activities include converting a broken bicycle into a mobile free hot-chocolate stall in Zhongdian, Yunnan, China. For Standpoint, he will welcome visitors into the building with a tune.

Thomas Haywood’s ‘Family’ is a photographic body of work that has been developing over the last five years, exploring the nature of family relations, associations with place, and ideas of belonging. This ‘knowledge’ emerges as much from Haywood’s aesthetic debt to the semi-rural surburbia of film and television as it does to the viewer’s personal memories. Haywood’s technique aspires to visual containment of a milieu – the understanding that comes from viewing a thing from all different angles, over and over again.

Ulrike Mohr calculates systems of position location, which refer as much to sociology as geography - what is my position in this system; what is my place; where are the gaps in my network; am I inside or out? For the 5th Berlin Biennial, Mohr relocated several scrubby, self-seeded trees from the roof of the Palast der Republic (former GDR parliament building) to the Skulpturenpark. Working with abandoned trees sourced from the local environment, Mohr will be making a new conceptual installation for Standpoint.

Contact Fiona MacDonald: 0207 739 4921 /standpointgallery@btconnect.com

Venue:                         Standpoint Gallery, 45 Coronet Street, London N1 6HD

Gallery Open:               Wednesday – Saturday, 12-6pm

Tube:                           Old Street, Exit 2 (Northern Line – Bank Branch)

Buses:                         55, 67, 149, 242, 243

Web:                             www.standpointlondon.co.uk