about

Esther Sabetpour Photography

My work has a distinct filmic and surreal feel to it. It captures a unique energy through the use of light and colour. Through experimenting with the photograph I have developed a unique style, with a spontaneous painterly quality. The colours of the Photograph may appear to drip, run, be splashed or smeared. This is achieved by chemically disturbing the layers that compose the image. The Hand colouring or bleaching of prints was a common technique in the 60s and 70s before digital retouching or manipulation. During this period chemicals were meticulously measured, mixed and applied to prints to carefully alter desired parts of the image.

For myself experimenting with chemicals upon the print process involves elements of spontaneity and chance. Not using recommended measurements or technique, I was purely experimenting. I intended to take risks with the outcome of the print and enjoyed the disruption of colour. Finishing work in this manner, I feel, I can further clarify my Ideas and convey emotions by deepening the expressive quality of the image. Digital imaging has been essential for the purpose of reproduction. Subsequently I see this process or creation to be a marriage of both the traditional photographic process and digital photography.

Over several years my work has taken a journey discovering and exploring identity, people, places, memory, relationships. The work has been presented through various media such as books, collage, film and installation. Nearly all express an emotional state of mind or intuitive narrative rather than an obvious meaning or storyline.

In 1997 while beginning an “A” level in black and white photography I began shooting Industrial landscapes paying particular attention to structure, line and form. My first piece of reportage was shot in Cevennes in the south of France, capturing people's lives in a small village. In reflection, photographing this rural village later gave rise to my interest in documenting different cultures. In 1998 I began more self-expressive work. I started taking self-portraits and was focused on enhancing mood within the image, to further convey feelings and create narratives within the work.

On return to the UK I began printing images from stock acquired whilst travelling. I became fascinated with the role of snapshot photography and its role and effect on the process of remembering. I chose to demonstrate this by working on the surface of the prints and re-arranging its parts in a graphic manner. I used some found images, added colour, text and distressed areas of the work.

		During 2001 Whilst Attending Central Saint Martins I continued to work on the surface of prints. Through the use of paint, masking tape, text and layers I continued my exploration of memory processes. How the mind actively selects, and re-interprets scenarios, affecting what and how we are to remember it in the future. This led me to experiment with chemicals on the surface of prints and thus developing the unique style outlined in the opening paragraph.
		I interpreted my emotions and experiences relating to past travels through my self-portraiture. The self-portraiture is also a tool I used to investigate personal issues relating to identity (mixed Iranian/English).

In 2003 I completed my final project for my BA at the London College of printing. I worked with the archive of travel photographs and particular items I had collected from different countries during 1999-2001. With the help of Curator Val Williams I completed a conceptual piece titled “Shrine” (To Memory), tying together a large proportion of work concerning snapshot memory and Identity.

Framed photographs, keepsakes and souvenirs were displayed inside a 1950's kitchen unit (‘Shrine') resembling a ‘Cabinet of Curiosities'. Inside was a small TV showing a short S8 film shot in Mexico. Constructed within a completely blackened corridor, the shrine was softly lit internally. It had a very intimate and curious ambiance. With It I intended to convey the Ideas and linkage between the construction of identity and memory through the use of snapshot photography.