Working mainly in series within the genre of contemporary photographic portraiture my practice is mainly concerned with breaking down pre-conceptions and engaging the viewer into a personal dialogue that begins to reflect on the lives of others.
Current work 'Living Memory' explores the passing of time within a single image enabling the viewer to reflect on the life of the sitter. For the series of work I was particularly interested in capturing these people who are living pieces of history from the war era, a living history which is very quickly diminishing. The work draws on the history of the WW2 Airfields of the Blackdown Hills where I lived for five years. The series of portraits comprises of both local and American WW2 veterans that were connected to the war effort in the Blackdown Hills including paratroopers from the 101st Airborne who flew from Upottery airfield on the eve of D Day in 1944 and whose stories were portrayed in the HBO series ‘Band of Brothers’. Alongside the portraits is an accompanying audio track of recent interviews with both local and American veterans.
Carly Batchelor – Photographer/Artist
‘Listening to the recordings we are reminded of how the experiences of the war defined the lives of a whole generation. Alongside the American servicemen are photographs of local people who worked at or were affected by the airfields during that time. There are no photographic tricks, the simplicity of the visual means directs all attention to the isolated person, sat, elderly, in what we believe is their home environment, holding in their laps photographic records of their youth, a facsimile of their memories.
The portraits are intimate, nostalgic, beguiling and vaguely disturbing. Each photograph is an intensely personal reflection on time and memory, making it a strong work of remembrance as much as a contemporary documentation of WWII, and yet by photographing and interviewing both Americans and local people, Batchelor draws to mind contemporary American military presences in conflicts and war zones across the world.’
Oliver Flexman, Artist & Curator
‘Living Memory’ was funded by Arts Council England and Making it local.
To here the audio please follow link:
https://soundcloud.com/carly-batchelor/living-memory-masteredit
In memory of ‘Wild’ Bill Guarnere, Gordon Cheesborough and Earl McClung who have passed away since the making of this work.