Monday, July 5, 2010

The Shrinking Horizons of Childhood











My writing on photography is not academic, neither referencing psychoanalysis or semiotics, but it has a philosophy, it addresses key ingredients of my practice that are part of me and part of our culture such as disconnection, longing, lonesomeness and potential (either future or lost) “The Shrinking Horizons of Childhood” is part sociological account but it operates as a sort of personal, social and cultural commentary rather than a critical analysis using photography.I am interested in a sort of imaginary documentary, through photography illusion has become reality.

“The Shrinking Horizons of Childhood”     
Mike O’Toole’s series “The Shrinking Horizons of Childhood” was developed from reading an account by Reins Michels, a Dutch football coach about how he saw a family pull up their car near a woods in Holland.The dog ran out immediately but the children did not run out and explore the woods.The children did not see the woods as a place of play, of freedom or adventure.
Alas this has become the norm and today local children know more about the wildlife and environment of the rainforest than of their own country.
Like most parents O’Toole worries about how much time children spend indoors, using modern technology and about health issues such as obesity in childhood.
In this work he contrasted the fact that the children were staying indoors while it was sunny outside, using the reflections on the windows to bring nature indoors while playing with the idea of the underlying tension and the culture of fear that surrounds childhood.
Although the outdoors are no more dangerous than at any other time in history, parents worry about what ‘might happen’ outdoors. Apart from the dangers for children outside, children themselves are being seen as a ‘threat’ to society by playing football in the streets or simply being out and about. The childrens commisioner commented “England is one of the most child unfriendly countries in the world”.
Sir Al Aynsley Green, who quit after five years in the job, said that the British public's hostility to young people had made his job as children's champion very difficult. 
We bring adult ideas of how children should be, control their activities and over-schedule their lives insofar as there is little agency or autonomy for children themselves, in short we don’t trust children.We keep them “safe” in their glass boxes like exotic birds from the rainforest.
O’Toole was conscious to make work that avoided the cliched imagery of children depicted in lifestyle campaigns or the harrowing looks of children depicted in charity advertising.
Avoiding the use of artificial lighting which is part of the high production values of fashion, movies and TV and with the language of light is associated with the idea of ‘re-illumination’ He choose instead to use natural light, which is the visual representation of freedom and natural impulses of man.
Tim Gill a writer on childhood says “I see the benefit of time away from adults as an important way for children to grow up as engaged, self confident, resilient people with some control of their own lives. What's needed is frequent,unregulated,self directed contact with people and places beyond the immediate spheres of family and school and the chance to learn from their mistakes. Part social commentary, part fiction, part autobiography, this project is the start of a series on issues around childhood. 
What interests O’Toole is a new kind of social documentary photography, less about reality and more about reflection.