Since the outbreak of coronavirus, during his daily walk for exercise, photographer Barry Falk has been photographing his friends and neighbours close to where he lives. We had a chance to ask him about his series ‘Undiagnosed below’.
Can you tell us briefly about your photographic practice, what you are primarily interested in as a photographer?
My photographic practice has changed and developed a lot since I first began. When I started in photography I sought out spaces that I felt captured certain states of mind, that acted as visual metaphors for a fragile or ambiguous relationship to the world, such as underground bunkers & car parks, empty buildings & abandoned buildings and the edges of the landscape, what I termed Peripheral Landscapes. I developed this further by travelling to and documenting places that had undergone significant traumatic experiences, focussing on locations in Eastern Europe, particularly Poland, Lithuania and Ukraine. These locations held a sense of memory related to trauma and atrocity. I am currently working on a long-term project focused upon the Jewish narrative, exploring how history can be both intensely remembered whilst memory of events are also reframed or can be buried by collective amnesia. I have made a move from capturing empty spaces, devoid of people, to a much more varied approach that mixes portraiture, landscape and other forms of documenting.
Tell us about your latest project 'Undiagnosed' - how did it begin and why did you start the series?
In response to the COVID-19 Pandemic I decided, like many photographers, to try to capture some of the atmosphere of these strange times. My project rationale was to photograph as many of my friends and neighbours as possible within walking distance of where I live; one photoshoot per daily walk for exercise. I restricted the shots to people framed within their front doors , squeezed within their hallway, or stood in front gardens, on the threshold between inside and outside, the safe and the unsafe. I was always careful to maintain social distance. I was looking for a series of expressions: serious, pensive, reflective, quizzical (pleased to maintain a to see me!). I sought to capture the psychological effect of the pandemic by highlighting how the normal has become the weird. The title Undiagnosed refers to the many without a diagnosis, not in quarantine yet still socially distant and for some, isolated by circumstances and government guidelines around public safety. More to the point, these were my friends and neighbours whose homes were now off limits, making the situation even more disconcerting. The familiar was now very unfamiliar, and unlike other types of ‘war’ the hunkering together had to be done apart. These images were taken in the 3 weeks post Prime Minister’s speech on 16th March 2020.
Can you share your photographic process, how you work and how you interact with people to make your images.
My most recent projects have focussed primarily on conversations with people leading to portraiture. I initially research a topic, then seek out possible contacts (contacts who could introduce me to other contacts) and set up meetings. For instance, my recent MAP6 Collective project in Finland involved initially writing to the Lord Mayor of a small municipality which I wished to document. This led to gaining further contacts via the Mayor and sending out requests with my project idea to a wide range of people whom I wished to meet. This set up an itinerary before arriving, which led to a series of recorded interviews and subsequent portraits. This method of working has developed out of a long-term project I have been involved in researching the Jewish narrative in Eastern Europe. This informed approach has been necessary for me to gain a detailed and deepened understanding of the subject I am photographing. My method is to talk to a wide range of people, from academics and researchers to local people in towns and villages. For Undiagnosed I sent out messages with a simple request: I wanted to photograph people whilst maintaining far distance, in their front doorways looking out (informal pose: messy hair and embarrassing slippers would be fine). The response was overwhelmingly affirmative: people wanted to be a part of a collective project, to be noticed in this time of social distancing.
How do you envision the work when it is finished?
Finishing a project is never straight-forward for me, as projects generate ideas which I often feel compelled to follow. However, my project Undiagnosed is a purposefully restricted project: it requires local friends within walking distance with no more than two shots per person/family. In addition the portraits are similar, keeping to a prescribed method, and begin to repeat themselves the longer the project continues.
Other projects are more complex in terms of completion: my project in Poland and Ukraine, restricted only by my ability to find time and finances, is a project that generates a great deal of potential ideas and opportunities. To bring this project to completion requires making a decision to move it into a different phase: from the documenting process to creating an exhibition, holding a talk and then eventually book production.
What's next for you and MAP6?
MAP6 have recently returned from Lapland, our second trip to Finland. I feel that I need to consolidate the ideas and images I gathered and to focus upon the collaborative process of exhibiting. I am very keen to exhibit the work in the host country, to generate interest and gain feedback from the Finnish people.
