Another Country - Ian Wright ARPS
Another Country The Last Days of Holsworthy Livestock Market Ian Wright ARPS Making documentary photo essays are just a part of my curiosity - of looking, interpreting, trying to understand my own life experience, the society I live in, those I visit, the issues I investigate. My images of Holsworthy Livestock Market were made between July 2012 and November 2013 on a dozen separate visits - an hour from my former home in Exeter. A spontaneous visit led to deeper interest, as the dilapidated century-old buildings were due to be bulldozed and the market moved to new premises. Both my sets of grandparents and their ancestors, as far back as the seventeenth century, worked the land - one - a family of landowners, the other - agricultural labourers, stonemasons, garthmen, lime burners and domestic servants. This stimulated my curiosity about the communities that are pockets of traditional, rural English culture, including strong accents with a rhythm and stress which reflect the depth of our history. I wanted to witness, and record, the passing of one of the oldest remaining livestock markets in England, and to know something of the life of the community and individuals for whom it is both an economic and social hub. Much of our information today comes mediated for us - through TV, newspapers, magazines, and the web. Exploring - simply being there, is quite different. Being ‘present’ engages all the senses; we can interpret for ourselves. My photography allows me to experience things first-hand, and has a simple structure - to reveal through planning and pursuing photographic projects; to reflect on the experience; to relate what I have learned. Photography is essentially autobiographical revealing why we photograph, our interests, what excites and awes us; displaying our tastes, our ideas, our influences, and our filters. Photographing somewhere like Holdsworthy is an exercise in social relations, negotiating access and becoming invisible. Arriving around 7.30 and leaving after lunch in the market café, I didn’t do much camera work on my first visits, more 108
