An Investigation of Sacred and Mundane Landscapes and the Alchemy of Light
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The splendour of the insignificant: An investigation of sacred and mundane landscapes and the alchemy of light Item Type Thesis Authors White-Jackson, Rachel Citation White, R. (2017) 'The splendour of the insignificant: An investigation of sacred and mundane landscapes and the alchemy of light', PhD Thesis, University of Derby Download date 24/09/2021 16:34:20 Item License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/ Link to Item http://hdl.handle.net/10545/621819 UNIVERSITY OF DERBY THE SPLENDOUR OF THE INSIGNIFICANT: AN INVESTIGATION OF SACRED AND MUNDANE LANDSCAPES AND THE ALCHEMY OF LIGHT RACHEL WHITE DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY 2017 1 THE SPLENDOUR OF THE INSIGNIFICANT: AN INVESTIGATION OF SACRED AND MUNDANE LANDSCAPES AND THE ALCHEMY OF LIGHT CONTENTS LIST OF IMAGES 3 PREFACE 13 ABSTRACT 14 INTRODUCTION 16 A WORN OUT AESTHETIC OF PURITY 40 COMMONPLACE BEAUTIES 87 THE SPLENDOUR OF THE INSIGNIFICANT 139 RISKING ENCHANTMENT 197 CONCLUSION: UGLINESS COSTS MORE 245 THE SURFACE GLITTERED OUT OF HEART OF LIGHT 256 BIBLIOGRAPHY 278 2 LIST OF IMAGES Introduction - Rachel White, M6 Toll Road, 2007 Rachel White, Car, 2015 Chapter 1 - A WORN-OUT AESTHETIC OF PURITY Rachel White, Moon, 2016 Ansel Adams, Tetons and Snake River, Grand Teton National Park, 1942 Ansel Adams, Monolith, The Face of Half Dome, Yosemite Valley, 1927 Joe Cornish, Buachaille Etive Mor, Winter, Scotland, (Date unspecified) Thomas Cole, ‘The Oxbow, View from Mount Holyoke, Northampton, Massachusetts, after a Thunderstorm, 1836 Ansel Adams, Aspens, Northern New Mexico, 1958 Joe Cornish, Bluebells & Oakwood, Newton-under-Roseberry (undated) Ansel Adams, Sunrise, Mt. McKinley [Mount McKinley and Wonder Lake, Denali National Park, Alaska] 1948 Keith Arnatt, from Canned Sunsets, 1990-1991 3 Rachel White Caravans, Criccieth, 2016 Robert Adams, On Lookout Mountain, next to Buffalo Bill’s Grave, Jefferson County, Colorado, 1970 Martin Parr, Dovedale, Peak District, 1989 Ansel Adams, Moon and Half Dome, 1960 Fredrick Evans, Sea of Steps, 1903 Elliott Erwitt, Personal, 1996 Elliott Erwitt, Versailles, France, 1975 (image from: http://www.beetlesandhuxley.com/gallery/photojournalism/versailles-france- 1975-platinum-edition.html) Richard Misrach, Destroy this Memory, 2005 Olaf Otto Becker, Ice Sheet 1, Greenland 07/2007, 69º47’18”N, 050º05’48”W, 429 metres high. Chloe Dewe Mathews, Six Farm, Loker, West Vlaanderen, Joseph Byers, Andrew Evans 6.2.1915, George E Collins 15.2.1915. From Shot at Dawn, 2013 (image from http://shotatdawn.photography/work/) Landrover advertising campaign: September 2009. Rachel White, Criccieth, Out of Season, 2015 Ernst Haas, California, USA, 1976 (image from http://time.com/14550/ernst- haas-color-corrections/) 4 Elliott Erwitt, Florida Keys, 1968 (image from: http://www.beetlesandhuxley.com/gallery/photojournalism/florida-keys- 1968.html) Ernst Haas, Western Skies Motel, Colorado, 1977 (image from: http://www.ernst-haas.com/america-1.html) Elliott Erwitt, Santa Monica, California, 1955(image from: http://www.beetlesandhuxley.com/gallery/portraits/santa-monica-california- 1955-platinum-edition.html) Rachel White, Glisten: Wing Mirror, 2010 Mark Power, Willenhall 02/12/11(image from http://www.markpower.co.uk/Photographic-projects/BLACK-COUNTRY- STORIES/?id=4) Mark Power, Quarry Bank 16/4/12 (image from http://www.markpower.co.uk/Photographic-projects/BLACK- COUNTRY-STORIES/?id=48) Rachel White, Prince of Wales with Palm Trees, 2014 Rachel White, Drainage Pipe, 2015 Chapter 2 – COMMONPLACE BEAUTIES THAT LET US KNOW WE’RE HOME Rachel White, Petrol Station: Yellow and Blue, 2014 5 Stephen Shore, Presidio, Texas, 1975 (image from: http://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2010/feb/08/new-topographics- photographs-american-landscapes) Stephen Shore, Holden Street, North Adams, Massachusetts July 13, 1974 (image from: https://www.artsy.net/artwork/stephen-shore-holden-street- north-adams-massachusetts-july-13) Lewis Baltz, Night Construction, Reno From the Nevada series, 1978 (image from: http://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O230483/night-construction-reno- nevada-photograph-baltz-lewis/) Joe Deal Colton, California, 1978 (image from: https://www.artsy.net/artwork/joe-deal-colton-california) Paul Hill, Legs Over High Tor, Matlock, 1975 (image from: http://www.vintag.es/2013/04/legs-over-high-tor-matlock-1975.html) John Pfahl, Moonrise over Pie Pan, 1977 Ansel Adams, Moonrise over Hernandez, New Mexico, 1941 Robert Adams, Colorado Springs, Colorado, 1968 Timothy O’Sullivan, Untitled [Sugarloaf Rock] 1868 and Mark Klett and Byron Wolfe, Lot for sale near Sugarloaf Rock, Sixmile Canyon, Nevada. 1998 (image from: Fox 2001: 225) Mark Klett, Picnic on the edge of the rim, Grand Canyon, 2 December 1983 Timothy O’Sullivan, Sand Dunes, Carson Desert, Nevada, 1867 6 Alexander Rodchenko, Fire Escape, 1925 (image from: http://lumieregallery.net/artists_wp/Rodchenko_55_2015_03/photos/Rodch enko_XXXX_YYYY-9629.jpg) Kevin Griffin, Pascal’s home, 2007 Mark Klett, Byron checking the position of the moon on his laptop, Flaming George, Wyoming, 8:56 P.M., 8/8/97 (image from: Fox 2001: 288) Rachel White, AJ photographing the sunset, 2010 Rachel White, Pylon, 2007 John Pfahl, Bethlehem # 16, Lackawanna, NY, 1988 Rachel White, Rugeley Power Station, 2002 John Davies, Agecroft Power Station, Pendlebury, Salford, Greater Manchester, 1983 Rachel White, Rugeley Power Station, 2005 Fay Godwin, Markerstone, old Harlech to London Road, 1976 (image from: http://www.faygodwin.com/landmarks/im05/index.html) John Blakemore, Ambergate, Derbyshire, 1979, from sequence ‘Lila’ (Image from: http://www.photo-parlour.com/black-white-printing-with-john- blakemore) Fay Godwin, untitled from Marion’s Secret Lives series, 1999 (image from: http://www.faygodwin.com/landmarks/im17/index.html) 7 Robert Adams, Cover image for Around the House, Published 23rd February 2016 (image from: http://artist-at-large.com/2016/03/03/robert-adams-at- the-fraenkel-gallery/) John Pfahl, Picture Windows 790 Seventh Avenue, New York, New York (April 1979) (image from: http://johnpfahl.com/pages/newpicturewindows%20(east)/06highgatewellesle y.html) John Pfahl, Picture Windows 43 Highgate, Wellesley Farms, Massachusetts (November 1978) (image from: http://johnpfahl.com/pages/newpicturewindows%20(east)/06highgatewellesle y.html) Rachel White, Tax Disc, 2007 Richard Misrach, Golden Gate series, 2001 Richard Misrach, Golden Gate series, 2001 Joel Meyerowitz, images from Bay/Sky, 1993 Susan Collins, Folkestone, 25 October 08 11.41 Grazia Toderi, Orbite Rosse (Red Orbits), 2009 (image from: http://www.graziatoderi.com/works.htm) Susan Derges, Ivy Bridge, 2013 (image from: http://www.danzigergallery.com/artists/susan-derges) Rachel White, Reflected Barn Roof, 2009 8 Chapter 3 – CONTEMPORARY AESTHETICS: THE SPLENDOUR OF THE INSIGNIFICANT Rachel White, Ifor’s Barn, 2010 Rachel White, Road Sign, 2014 Rachel White, Goose Feather on Lake, 2016 Harry Callahan, Sunlight on Water, 1943 (image from: http://www.pacemacgill.com/selected_works/detailspage.php?artist=Harry%2 0Callahan&img_num=21) Rachel White, Vision: cc: Rugeley Power Station, 2015 Rachel White, Spring Morning, Porthmadog, 2016 Rachel White, Shed with Stake, 2016 Bruce Davidson, Subway, 1986 (images from: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1597111945/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&ca mp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=1597111945&linkCode=as2&tag= atgetphotogra-20&linkId=LUYWOZXMMHGB2RAN) Garry Winogrand, World’s Fair, New York City, 1964 (image from http://www.atgetphotography.com/The-Photographers/Garry-Winogrand.html) William Eggleston, Paris 2006 -2008 Rachel White, Horizon, 2016 9 Wolfgang Tillmans, If One Thing Matters, Everything Matters, Book Cover, 2003 Joel Meyerowitz, Aftermath, Book Cover, 2006 (Image from: http://www.joelmeyerowitz.com/photography/book_aftermath.asp) Richard Misrach, Cover of Petrochemical America, 2012 (Image from http://www.amazon.co.uk/Petrochemical-America-Richard- Misrach/dp/1597112771/ref=sr_1_sc_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1456151815&sr=8- 1-spell&keywords=misrach+petrolchemical+america) Paul Seawright, Dandy Street (Image from: http://www.paulseawright.com/sectarian/) Joe Sternfeld, Metro Bus Shelter, 7th Street at E street, Southwest, Washington, D.C., April 1995 (Image from: http://www.berk- edu.com/RESEARCH/joelSternfeld/pages/washington.html) Chloe Dewes Mathews, Private James Crozier. 07:05/27.2.1916. Le Domaine des Cordeliers, Mailly-Maillet, Picardie. From Shot at Dawn. 2013 (image from: http://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2014/jun/29/chloe-dewe- mathews-shot-at-dawn-moving-photographic-memorial-first-world-war) Ernst Haas, New York Billboard (image from: http://www.ernst-haas.com) Rachel White, Pink and Red, 2016 Chapter 4 – RISKING ENCHANTMENT: THE THERAPEUTIC VALUE OF ENGAGING WITH THE MOMENT Rachel White, Reflections, 2015 10 Rachel White, Kitchen roll, tomato skin and lettuce, 2015 Rachel White, Traffic Jam, 2015 Dorothea Lange, White Angel Breadline, San Francisco, 1933 (image from http://www.moma.org/collection/works/46373?locale=en) Henry Wessel Tucson, Arizona 1976 (image from: https://www.artsy.net/artwork/henry-wessel-tucson-arizona) Rachel White, Pylons - Webs of Light, 2015 Rachel White, North Wales Domestic Appliance Centre, 2015 Rachel White, Leaves Caught in the Weir, 2015 Rachel White, Shine, 2015 Rachel White, Wet Sand, 2015 Rachel White, Leaves on the Lake, 2015 Rachel White, Condensation, 2015 Conclusion - UGLINESS COSTS MORE: GLARING LIGHTS AND SPLOTCHED CARPETS Rachel White, Bypass, 2015 11 Max Regenberg, Tor, 1996 (image