Celebrate festive fun with ballet in the O2 arena 

For the first time the 02 arena stages the celebrated family Christmas ballet The Nutcracker with X-factor star Joe McElderry.

Sir Peter Wright’s world acclaimed interpretation of the Christmas classic features six performances with festive songs by McElderry. “I’m thrilled that I’ve been given the opportunity to perform at The O2. The Nutcracker is a magical ballet and it will be a great honour to introduce it in front of an expectant arena,” he says.

“At a time of year when families are spending time together, the combination of Joe McElderry and The Nutcracker ballet will be a magical event that just encapsulates the festive spirit in a unique way and it will make for a very happy Christmas at our venue,” says Ingrid Sutej, Director of Content Development for The O2.

Lilian Hochhauser, Director of Victor Hochhauser added: “I cannot wait to see how an already visually spectacular production transforms when performed in this stunning arena.  It is going to be absolutely breathtaking.”

 The UK’s leading classical ballet company Birmingham Royal Ballet present Tchaikovsky’s best-loved ballet.

Image: Culturepush.com

Dynamic circus artists bite back for more

Longspoon Circus 

Circus Bites Back makes a comeback after a successful show last Christmas. The contemporary circus and cabaret show will take place on Thursday 15th December 2011, 7.30pm at The Albany in Deptford.

It is a show that’s been created to exhilarate with a renowned contemporary circus act, physical theatre and cabaret. The one and only Dusty Limits returns to host the evening with thrills and comedy alongside ukelele star Tricity Vogue.

The events curator Vicki Amedume and her signature company Upswing feature some of these thought-provoking and entertaining acts. She says: “There are very few opportunities for people to see such a range of circus by such a range of companies in one night. It will be a night of the spectacular, the funny, the poignant, the beautiful and a fantastic representation of the talent in British Circus.”

The evening, filled with humorous and some heart-stopping moments also includes the likes of Leo Hedman with unique aerial acrobatics, Dodgy Whiskers combination of music and trampoline, innovative acts by Longspoon Circus and many more.

After hours celebration continues live with 60s rhythm pop band Alberteen.

Image courtesy: The Albany 

A different take on detail
Photographer, Alison McCauley’s subject matter takes her from lively metropolis to agony in the Horn of Africa

a girl, Djibouti, Africa

It is the unusual angle that catches the attention in Alison McCauley’s street photography. It has been almost 4 years now when she exchanged canvas for a camera. As a freelance street and documentary photographer, she frequently travels between Geneva, where she is based, and London. McCauley, who is 50 years old documents the streets over the world. For her first documentary project she chose Djibouti in the Horn of Africa, partly because she had lived there in the 1990’s and has since had a strong interest in events taking place in that part of the world.

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Djibouti, Africa

“I recently made a trip to Djibouti to see and photograph the work being done by Unicef, the World Food Programme and UNHCR to save and improve the lives of refugees and drought-affected populations in the Horn of Africa,” she says. “I also visited some of the poorest areas on the edge of the capital and it was here that I saw the people who had somehow slipped past the NGOs radar and are living in abject poverty.”

McCauley sites Alex Webb as an important influence both in visual terms and in his choice of subjects and locations. As the American photographer Alex Webb once said: ‘There are different kinds of photographers: some feel the need to photograph where they live, others leave home behind and explore.’

Over a period of time her photographic style has developed from distant street photography to a moving series of documentary images. McCauley is a kind and open-minded artist who is telling stories through photography. For some her work might be familiar from this year’s International Street Photography Festival where she was one of the finalists. Her graphical black and white photographs featuring man’s isolation in the below series attracted further interest and recognition in the recent Annual Member Show in Photography at Photofusion Gallery.

When out and about McCauley captures social interface and beauty on the streets all over the world. In everyday life it is also the play with colours, shadows, reflections in the surrounding environment that fascinates her. She recalls: “I’m driven by an interest in the human condition and in human nature, combined with a need to create images.  Photography is the means by which I can best pursue these interests and fulfill this need. To me photography is also far more dynamic and sociable than painting and I prefer the more spontaneous and unpredictable nature of street photography.”

You have taken part of many competitions this year. Congratulations on receiving great recognition as a photographer, and prizes! Which one of them would you describe as the most memorable one?

Thank you! I was especially pleased to be a finalist in the International Street Photography Awards this year.  It was fun to be part of the inaugural London Street Photography Festival and I was excited when I saw the names of the other finalists.  I was in very good company!


How did you get into photography?
I was a painter for many years but I got to a point where the idea of expressing myself on canvas felt indulgent and uninteresting. I became increasingly drawn to the idea of observing and visually documenting human behavior.  My interest in street and documentary photography turned into an obsession.  I realized I had a lot to learn and I decided that doing a photography degree would be a good way to start.

What thoughts go through your mind when you are framing a shot?

I concentrate on framing the shot as well as I can.  Although I think a great deal about how I approach a subject before and after I go out with my camera, while I’m shooting, my mind is pretty clear.   

Do you think you can learn to have an eye?

Not really, but anyone can develop and improve on what they have innately.

What makes one image stand out more than another?

It will often depend on the context. Usually for a photograph to stand out, it needs to be different, but that seems too obvious.  I think that when a photographer follows his or or her instincts and that he has the confidence to disregard the status quo, only then can he produce a truly exceptional and unique body of work.

I noticed in your Flickr album that you travel a lot and take photos along the way. When you are capturing the streets, would you say you work on long-term projects or rather enjoy the spontaneity?

I usually have a couple of projects that I’m working on at any one time, but if I’m travelling with family or friends I organize my time so that I don’t become unbearable company! Some days, I will go off on my own to concentrate on what I’m looking for and when I’m with others, I’m much more spontaneous. 

I think you have two photographic styles. One would be black & white focusing on subtle graphics and then a more colourful documentary approach. Could you talk more about your visual style.

Although street photography can be refreshingly “statement-free”, it is innately about man in his environment. At the time I was concentrating on my below series, I was exploring the idea of man’s frequent isolation and vulnerability in his urban environment. I felt this was best expressed by strong, spare graphic compositions in high contrast black and white. Over the last year my street photography has been evolving and more and more often I’m interested in busier images with rich colours and strong light and shadows. I think that in terms of real documentary work, I don’t have enough experience to say whether or not I have an identifiable style.  I’m sure that the way I approach a subject would depend on the nature of the subject matter.

Recently you mentioned about going to Africa to do your first serious documentary project and document the situation in a refugee camp. How would you describe this experience and project?

Even though it is difficult to witness human suffering, what made the biggest impression on me was how absolutely vital the work done, in Djibouti, by UNHCR, Unicef and the World Food Prograpmme is. Before I left, I had imagined that I would find seeing the refugees in Ali Addeh Refugee Camp particularly upsetting, but I quickly felt the relief and even joy of the refugees because they were safe and their basic needs were provided for.  It wasn’t in the camp, but in the poor parts of the town that I saw the greatest suffering. 

What made you take a more documentary approach?

I’ve always been interested in documentary photography, but it’s a much more complicated genre to break into. Before embarking on a documentary project, I felt I needed more experience.  I’ve only very recently felt that I was ready. I really hope to continue to work on documentary projects, but I can’t ever imagine not being a street photographer. I think the two genres are very complementary.

Part of documentary photography aims to capture human suffering deal with on an everyday basis.

I never set out to search for human suffering. My interest is in reality. Documentary photography can simply be about documenting society – any society.  It can be about showing viewers something interesting or even entertaining. Yet documentary photography can also be about showing viewers something that they should perhaps be aware of. Once viewers understand more about a situation, they are more likely to try to help. I’ve felt alarm recently when I’ve heard people saying that aid doesn’t work.  This is false and a potentially damaging thing to say.  NGO’s (nongovernmental organizations) have seen their funding decline in the past couple of years, mainly due to the global financial downturn, but possibly also because of doubts that the system works as well as it should. I wanted to see what was being done by the NGO’s to help the vulnerable populations in Djibouti.  I witnessed the NGO’s working efficiently, effectively and proactively - improving and saving lives in this part of the world.  I want to do what I can to let viewers know this.

Nick Turpin, a UK photographer has said that shooting really good candid shots in public is the greatest challenge in photography. What is your view on photographing in public?

I agree - it’s a challenge not only because so many factors are completely out of the photographer’s control but, on top of this, the street photographer usually has to work quickly and stealthily. Thankfully street photography can be relatively simple technically. 

Who or what influences your work the most?

The location itself influences my work the most. The second most important influence is probably my feelings or reaction to that location and towards the people there.  After that it’s other photographers, painters, critics, curators and authors such as John Szarkowski, Roland Bathes, Susan Sontag and John Berger.

How do you feel about editing your work?

I delete the images I’m not happy with very quickly. If there’s any doubt, I keep the image.  Ideally I prefer to leave my images for a few months before doing anything with them.  My post-production work is usually nothing more than simple tweaking.

What kind of equipment do you use?

I’m currently using a Fuji X100 for everyday street photography.  When I travel, I take my Nikon D700, a 35mm lens, a 20mm and a 50mm. I use the 35mm most of the time.

What is happiness to you?

I’m happiest when I’m travelling with my family and a camera.

When did you last let yourself go?

I let myself go when I’m not concentrating on a particular series or task. The results are usually deleted in the camera!  On rare occasions, it’s lead to something worthwhile.  I think fooling around with a camera is a great thing to do when a photographer is in a rut.

What is the one thing you will never do?

I will never take a photograph that offends a person’s.

Which photographers, dead or alive, do you most admire?

At the moment Alex Webb is probably the photographer who inspires me the most, partly because I just got my hands on his stunningly beautiful book, The Suffering of Light. I also greatly admire the work of Tiago Santana, Trent Parke, Guy le Querrec, and Bruno Quinquet. I’m inspired by the photography and the humanity of James Natchwey, Abbas and Raymond Depardon. My first photographic influences were Henri Cartier-Bresson and Robert Frank. These two very different photographers still influence me.

What is it exactly that appeals to you in Alex Webb's work?

I find his exquisitely balanced, yet frequently surprising, compositions inspiring.  In my street photography, I’m currently very interested in scenes bathed in strong light and this is something that Alex Webb excels at. He also uses colour to dramatic effect. He’s a photographer who likes to travel to make his images and this is something I have in common with him! Looking at Webb’s images, I get a strong feeling for the location and its people, but no real idea of Webb’s thoughts, beyond his intense curiosity. I like this and I think it keeps the images open. 

What does success look like to you?

I would love to see my images published more frequently.  Seeing my images printed on the pages of a book would be wonderful.  I also want to continue to exhibit my photographs. I would also really like to be commissioned to do documentary projects.

Photography: Courtesy of the artist

Refugee Camp in Djibouti, Africa

series of street photography

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