Physical Encounters
Through changing environments, Bethany Murray’s photographic compositions explore the female body and its larger place in constructing identity.
I saw a world population clock the other day. It exceeded seven billion and the counter was moving up and up, each second. It’s hard to imagine so many people, and it’s even harder to think of the clock stopping. What does this mean for the future? The impact that the human population has on the environment is overwhelming and action is needed to make positive change. What role does technology play in this and how can it help to create a brighter world? Society has been affected by the increase in devices and I believe as humans we are part of an evolutionary moment right now. Our lives have been accelerated and it’s important to take stock of what this means for generations to come.
Inside this issue, we look at how Architizer is questioning the definition of what makes a successful building through collaborative practice, ecological impact and sustainability. Given that more people live in cities than rural areas globally, we need to access the importance that architecture plays in supporting social interaction. Lagos-based label Orange Culture is leading in creating fashion that disrupts gender roles but is also using sustainable production methods. It is empowering people in positive ways by reinvesting in their local community – driving the Nigerian fashion industry forward. Made in Dublin by Eamonn Doyle revisits Baudelaire’s flâneur through the ambiguity of the modern-day city. Finally, we celebrate 100 years of Bauhaus through a round-up of key events taking place worldwide, which are surveying the centenary of this art and design movement, and how its legacy is still felt today.
In photography we present a range of practitioners – William Bunce, Uwe Langmann, Bethany Murray, François Aubret, Henri Prestes and May Parlar – who are using concept and style to create works which move between fine art, architecture, documentary and fashion. Matias Alonso Revelli, this issue’s cover photographer, questions the definition of an image, asking, is it all just pixels? Finally, Martin Parr’s Only Human opens at the National Portrait Gallery and the curator, Sabina Jaskot-Gill, gives us the last words.
Through changing environments, Bethany Murray’s photographic compositions explore the female body and its larger place in constructing identity.
Perfect Darkness is a series by Henri Prestes, shot in secluded and isolated villages, highlighting moments of melancholy.
Eamonn Doyle has quickly moved from DJ to street photographer, documenting Dublin’s inhabitants through an anonymous, isolated lens.
Bauhaus is celebrated this year; at its centenary, the school continues to assert its legacy with classic aesthetics and collaborative sensibilities.
Lagos-based fashion brand Orange Culture is redefining the role of gender in clothing, with colourful, timeless pieces that defy categorisation.
William Bunce is a still-life photographer and director working across editorial and advertising and experiments with narrative and visual cohesion.
New York-based May Parlar is a photography and video artist creating visual narratives that centre around the notion of belonging and identity.
Matias Alonso Revelli’s works are awash with blues and oranges whilst experimenting with pixellation, moving the viewer into hallucinatory states.
Architizer calls upon the general public to define what makes a successful building – collaborations, ecological consideration and social appeal.
How can art make sense of the digital age? BALTIC investigates new possibilities offered by technology in relation to citizenship and activism.
François Aubret’s practice revolves around a series of clean, colourful works that document the hidden geometries of urban civilisation