Paul Graham

 

Paul Graham - British documentary photographer.

One of the first UK photographers to produce colour documentary images.

We were shown some examples from his series titled "Beyond Caring".

The series created 1984-1985 exhibits people waiting to collect money at the dole office.

I really like these images, to me they represent a struggling society, I find the images effective as they are taken "on the sly", therefore it feels we have a proper insight to the scenes Graham himself viewed.

When i look at the images i can't help but think of the band UB40 - who's name means "unemployment benefit 40"

the 40 being the dole number of the lead singer.

a lot of their music if fairly political and themed on issues in society. like for example the song 1in10, ironically made in 1981, only three years before the photo's.

I can't help but study the images, looking at the people in them, they are portraits in a way.
to a certain extent the images make me sad, cause although they are from the early 90's, the same social issues are repeating themselves in today's society.

The images illustrate Paul Graham's passion to document the struggle he experience, so much so, he even took sneaky images.

I'm not sure to what extent Paul Graham controlled the composition of his pictures due to him taking them without being seen, however i think they are well composed and the frame feels quite balanced, the quirky angles in some of the images, albeit unintentional definitely add to them. I think it makes it much easier to imagine yourself in the scene, slumped down on your chair waiting, just like the people in his photo's.

"I had one of these tan coloured ones when I was first on the dole but it was changed to a minty green at some point, they were probably thinking the brighter colour would make the whole unemployment experience a bit more cheerful."

"Younger readers might only think of UB40 as purveyors of light, singalong pop-reggae, but before “Red Red Wine” made them stinking rich and ruined them they were a serious, overtly-political band who had more in common with The Clash than Musical Youth, singing heavy songs about being on the dole, poverty and social injustice."

 Lyrics to 1in10 - UB40 (interesting listening to the song after viewing these images)

I am the one in ten
A number on a list
I am the one in ten
Even though I don't exist
Nobody knows me
Even though I'm always there
A statistic, a reminder
Of a world that doesn't care
My arms enfold the dole queue
Malnutrition dulls my hair
My eyes are black and lifeless
With an underprivileged stare
I'm the beggar on the corner
Will no-one spare a dime?
I'm the child that never learns to read
'Cause no-one spared the time

Chorus

I am the one in ten .... etc
I'm the murderer and the victim
The licence with the gun
I'm a sad and bruised old lady
In an ally in a slum
I'm a middle aged businessman
With chronic heart disease
I'm another teenage suicide
In a street that has no trees

Chorus

I am the one in ten .... etc
I'm a starving third world mother
A refugee without a home
I'm a house wife hooked on valium
I'm a Pensioner alone
I'm a cancer ridden spectre
Covering the earth
I'm another hungry baby
I'm an accident of birth.
Chorus



(basing photography on songs - potentially a really cool project.)