Photography performance: ‘Terminating Martin Parr’
Thursday 19 May 2022 will see an experimental photographic performance take place at ArtHouse Jersey’s HQ at Greve de Lecq Barracks. ‘Terminating Martin Parr’ by photographer & artist Tom Pope will see the physical destruction of 16 professional photographs that were created as part of the Archisle Contemporary Photography Program hosted by the Société Jersiaise, but are not in public circulation.
The process will take place over the course of one whole day and be live streamed online in its entirety, but ArtHouse Jersey is inviting people to come to the Barracks to witness this extraordinary artistic performance first hand. Tom Pope will invite the audience, online or physical, to select from a range of objects set out on a table. He will then use the selected object to destroy one of the 16 photographs. Naturally, the question that arises is…
WHY?
In 2013 the Archisle Contemporary Photography Program, hosted by the Société Jersiaise, commissioned photographer Martin Parr to create a new series on Jersey. With the Société Jersiaise purchasing just 10 of the 26 images, the remaining 16 must be destroyed, as is typical in photographic practice. This is mainly due to the uneconomical cost of shipping and storing obsolete work. Once the prints are destroyed, photographic documentation must be sent to Parr as proof that they are no longer in existence.
(Pictured: Artist & photographer Tom Pope will use a selection of objects to destroy 16 photos)
Pope says the objects he uses to destroy the photographs represent life, death and play. A photograph will be taken of each print after destroying it, which will then be sent onto Martin Parr, serving as proof of the destruction. The performance is said to be a logistical service to both Martin Parr and Société Jersiaise Archisle, and aims to re-contextualise Parr's prints by transforming destruction into a creative act. The photographs Pope makes are the creative record of the performance.
Photographer and performer Tom Pope said “During my residency in 2015 at the Archisle Contemporary Photography Program hosted by the Société Jersiaise, I met Martin Parr during a meeting between him and the then the photographic archivist at Société Jersiaise. It was during this meeting that the need for 16 of Parr’s prints to be destroyed was discussed. I asked Parr if I could destroy the prints as a performance. I would photograph the destroyed prints and send the images to Parr as evidence of the print’s destruction. To my delight, Parr agreed.
My proposals for ambitious performances can be a challenge to realise. It’s taken some logistical management to align all the moving parts of this performance, particularly since leaving Jersey when my residency ended. I’m thankful to everyone involved in bringing the performance to fruition. It’s very exciting to be returning to Jersey to perform this work. With both Parr’s and my creative ties to Jersey, it feels right for the performance to be staged on the island. For me, this performance is an exciting addition to the conversations around contemporary photographic practice. Parr’s work will be re-contextualised through my performance of destroying his prints. The performance playfully engages with how photography is employed to record performance and simultaneously how we can transform the act of destruction into a creative event.”
Terminating Martin Parr will begin around 10am on Thursday 19 May at Greve de Lecq Barracks. It will be streamed live online via ArtHouse Jersey’s website www.arthousejersey.je and will be dual streamed via both Tom Pope’s and
ArtHouse Jersey’s Instagram channels.
There will also be a very intimate Q&A at the end of Tom Pope’s performance at approximately 6.30pm at The Barracks. Those interested in attending should email carrie@arts.je in the first instance.
