street photography book review “the last resort” by martin parr
DESCRIPTION
Street Photography Book Review: “The Last Resort” by Martin Parr By ERIC KIMTRANSCRIPT
Street Photography BookReview: “The Last Resort”by Martin ParrBy ERIC KIM
All photographs in this article are copyrighted by Martin Parr / Magnum
Photos. Warning: Some of the shots in the book are NSFW as they show
child nudity.
One of my favorite color photography books is “The Last Resort” by Martin
Parr. For 2014, I want to start doing more book reviews– sharing some of my
favorite books, sharing why I love them, and trying my best to analyze and
share my observations about them.
Historical background of “TheLast Resort”Note: All of the information this section has been lifted from the great
introduction by Gerry Badger (including the information, context, history, and
quotes):
The reason I wanted to write about “The Last Resort” is because I honestly
think it is Martin Parr’s best work– and I am a huge fan of his. Not only that,
but it was quite revolutionary at the time– as the majority of British
documentary photographers at the time were working in color.
Martin Parr used to work more or less exclusively in black and white, and
credits his change to color after seeing his friend Peter Mitchell’s exhibition, “A
New Refutation of the Viking IV Space Mission” (also a British photographer).
Not only that, but he was quite impressed by the color work of American
photographers such as William Eggleston,Stephen Shore, and Joel
Meyerowitz.
For “The Last Resort” — he switched from shooting a 35mm to using a
medium-format Plaubel Makina 6x7cm rangefinder camera. The advantage of
shooting with the camera was that it gave a lot more detail than simply using a
35mm camera– while still being compact and light.
When he worked on the book, he frequented a run-down sea-side resort in
New Brighton (a mostly working class area) from 1983-1985. Parr described
the seaside as: “…if the seaside was tatty, and more than a little run-down, it
was also vibrant.”
When he first exhibited his work at London’s Serpentine Gallery– the feedback
he has was extremely harsh. Here are some things said about his exhibition,
this one from art critic David Lee:
“(Parr) has habitually discovered visitors at their worst, greedily
eating and drinking junk food and discarding containers and
wrappers with an abandon likely to send a liberal conscience into
paroxysms of sanctimony. Our historic working class, normally dealt
with generosity by documentary photographers, becomes a sitting
duck for a more sophisticated audience. They appear fat, simple,
styleless, tediously conformist and unable to assert any individual
identity. They wear cheap flashy clothes and in true conservative
fashion are resigned to their meagre lot. Only babies and children
survive ridicule and it is their inclusion in many pictures which gives
Parr’s acerbic vision of hopelessness its poetic touch.”
Another harsh review came from Robert Morris from The British Journal of
Photography:
“This is a clammy, claustrophobic nightmare world where people lie
knee-deep in chip papers, swim in polluted black ponds, and stare
at a bleak horizon of urban dereliction.”
However over time, the feedback of the book became much more positive. For
example in October 2008, “The Last Resort” was chosen by The Guardian
newspaper as one of “1000 Artworks to See Before You Die.” This is what
Elisabeth Mahoney said:
“At the time, Martin Parr’s series of photographs from New Brighton,
a dilapidated seaside spot on the Wirral, were seen as
condescending. But now they look humorously engaged and fond,
bringing British working-class nooks and crannies into view, and
reminding us how unusual that was (and is) in art photography.”
Furthermore Val Williams wrote:
“So what was it about The Last Resort that so terrified and disgusted
the people who wrote about it? There is some litter, admittedly, but
it’s never knee-deep, and there are some fat people, but they’re not
gargantuan and they’re not in the majority. There are crews of
babies who seem to be having a good time, eating, drinking, even
smiling, and a lot of very pretty women taking part in beauty
competitions, dancing, sunbathing, talking to other women. There
are families who may well be suffering under Thatcherism, but
they’re still managing to have a good day out.”
Why I love the Last ResortI love “The Last Resort” for several reasons:
1) First of all, I think almost all of the photos in the book are strong single-
images. I feel that the majority of the images could stand on their own. They
have strong compositions, well-executed framing, and a wonderful color
aesthetic which is brought out by the superb detail of the medium-format
negatives as well as the flash used in the middle of the day. There are a few
images in the book that I think Parr could have done without– but this is just
my opinion.
2) Secondly, the book has a great sense of emotion in the images– and a
wonderful cadence (flow) of images. There are images that feel quite sad,
lonely, and melancholy– while other shots are much more humorous, silly, and
cheerful. But I think what makes many of the images great is that this line is
often blurred– you are never sure if people are really having a good time (or
simply trying to escape from their misery).
3) Thirdly, I enjoy the socio-economic commentary in this book. To my
understanding, New Brighton was a mostly working-class area– and as you
can see through the pictures, it doesn’t look like the fanciest or prettiest place
to go on holiday. So there are certainly connotations of class. But at the same
time, a lot of people seem to be having fun and enjoying themselves–
regardless if they aren’t in the prettiest beach-side resort.
When I visited London, I also learned that there is a strong cultural aspect of
the British to visit seaside resorts during holiday– so it shows a lot of what the
British like to do in their time off.
4) Lastly, I love the sequencing, pacing, and the pairing of images. Most of the
photos in the book only show one picture per spread, but some of the shots
being paired up (which are done very purposefully). Not only that, but the book
seems to start with a melancholy mood, switching from anxiety, to humor, to
despair, to cheerfulness. Like I mentioned earlier, it is an emotional roller-
coaster of a book — and I feel that there is a perfect number of images (41
images in total). I often find some books have too many images — which
make them burdensome to look through. But The Last Resort makes every
image purposeful.
Analyzing the ImagesI will now try my best to analyze the images in the book — and interpret it
according to how I see it. Of course, this isn’t how Martin Parr intended — but
I hope these thoughts will be helpful to you.
You can see all the photos from the book on the Magnum Photos
website here.
In this leading image, we see a bored couple sitting inside a restaurant. There
is a lovely pinkish pastel on the wall, juxtaposed against a teal green on the
wall– very soothing colors. But you see the older man on the far right,
cigarette in mouth– staring off into the distance. And the woman in the left
doesn’t seem very interested as well, inspecting her fingernails. What I feel is
the “cherry on top” (my favorite detail) is the lamp on the top of the frame–
which mirrors that of the couple.
The leading image is always the most important photo of the book– as it sets
the tone for the rest of the book. This image creates a sense of melancholy
and loneliness– and that sense that when you are on holiday you are supposed
to be having “fun” — whereas this couple obviously don’t seem they are.
Also note that the majority of the photos in the book are shot with a flash–
whereas this is one of the few that doesn’t have a flash– it uses natural light.
You see a few natural light shots in the book– but they are all mostly in the
beginning of the book. This helps create a sense of consistency in terms of the
aesthetic of the images throughout the book.
In this second image you see an even darker and gloomier photograph. Parr
photographs what looks like either an extremely young couple, or siblings
holding their little baby sister — pacifier in mouth. You see how dirty and
derelict the environment is, with the dusty and dirty windows– as well as the
great detail of the cracked window on top.
This image follows up well to the first image– setting a darker mood.
Suddenly the following image is a much brighter image– although you still see
some of the graffiti and grunge in the background.
The primary content of the photograph is a young woman petting a dog, an
older man with his hands on his hips looking pleased– and a little girl in red
pushing a baby stroller looking curiously over.
All of the subjects in this shot are well spaced from one another– and I love
the vibrancy that the flash brings to the shot– even though it was during the
day. Not only that, but the red of the little girl’s shirt makes he pop out and be
the main subject in the photograph.
The best detail is of course, the fake baby in the stroller– which follows up well
to the previous image of the baby also in the photograph.
The next image then sets the scene a little more– showing how dystopic and
dirty the beach-side is. You see the ground littered with styrofoam plates, half-
eaten french fries (or “chips” as the British call them), and of course the iconic
red “Coke” cup on the bottom.
The adult figure in the shot has her head decapitated on top of the frame– but
you se her reflection in the window, looking as if she is going to eat something
(this is a great composition).
Furthermore, you see the little girl on the left in a cute little outfit, enjoying her
meal– and the boy on the right seems to be yelling, crying, or complaining
about something. He is the only one in the shot who doesn’t have any food–
and the slight redness in the shot shows his frustration.
Speaking of babies and children– they are a re-occuring theme in this book.
This image was one of the most stirring images I first saw int he book– a baby
that seemed to have magically escaped its sroller, and is playing (or hugging)
the arcade machines. The first question comes to mind is: Where is the baby’s
parents– why isn’t anyone looking after this child?
Then you look around the frame, and you see that there are some older ladies
on the left– playing some games. They seem so engrossed in their activity that
they totally leave the baby alone to wander– and possibly hurt itself?
The greater concept that comes to mind is parental responsibility– should’t
someone take care of the baby? Or are we so distracted by games and
amusement that we totally forget about them now?
The next spread is the first spread which includes two images paired together.
I love this paired spread — as you see two sets of parents (one woman, and
the other male) playing with their children inside amusement park spaceships.
The first spaceship is orange, which perfectly complements the blue/white
spaceship in the following image.
Not only that, but I love the orientation of the two images:
The orange spaceship is facing to the right, while the man on the right is faced
to the left. It appears as if both of them are going to collide.
In the image of the younger woman with the baby in the orange spaceship–
she looks obviously bored, and even the baby looks like it is trying to escape
from this boring ride.
The other image with the man in the spaceship fighter with his younger
daughter — looks pretty engrossed in the game. But then you have this other
baby in the red as if it were abandoned– looking aimlessly outside. Then you
have that little animal-figurine in the background smiling on nonchalantly.
There is then another image in the sequence of arcade machines and rides–
this time a surprised looking baby in a tank. It is a pretty powerful image– as it
looks as if the tank is heading straight towards you. And it isn’t any old tank– it
is a ferocious looking one, with realistic-looking machine guns pointed straight
ahead. And the unassuming child at head command.
To finish off the sequence of children in coin-operated rides, you see a young
couple on a creepy looking ride with clowns on each side. The frame is well
filled– with the two clowns acting as the “book-ends” of the photograph, and
the young parents filling the middle of the frame, and the baby in the middle-
bottom of the frame, as the primary subject.
Personally this isn’t my favorite image in the book– it looks as if the baby is
blinking. I wish Parr caught a moment where the baby had a different
expression in her face.
The next shot is then a nice change of pace — you now zoom out from the
previous shots which were shot closely.
You see a landscape of people at what seems to be an indoor-outdoor pool.
This artificial beach is swarming with people–like ants all over a picnic basket.
It is a bit claustrophobic — and the primary subjects in the shot are the young
couple, with the girl in the pink bikini looking as if she is overwhelmed or
passed out from all of the commotion.
The pink also is crucial in her outfit– as it causes her to pop out from the
scene, and is a nice juxtaposition between the blue sky and blue water in the
background.
The next image then zooms in again on the action.
As a side note– what Parr does so well in many of the shots in the book is that
he fills the frame extremely well. Not only that but his use of flash during the
day really helps his subjects pop out. In terms of his exposure and shutter
speed– he is under-exposing the background by 2/3 or a full stop, which gives
the subjects more contrast.
In this shot, you see an entire family either sipping on a Pepsi (the older
perhaps grandparents on the far left) and the “decisive moment” of the little
boy in the middle ripping open a bag of chips. Amongst all this chaos– you see
the baby in the stroller looking directly at Parr, with a look of anxiety and
frustration on her face.
When I first saw this image it was quite shocking– a photograph of a little boy
without pants on.
To my understanding, when Parr shot this book in the 80’s, nobody really
seemed to care to have their kids walking around with pants on. But nowadays
of course– there is a lot of paranoia about child pedophilia. This is a scene you
will never see anymore.
Anyways, what I love about the shot is all of the hand gestures and arms
reaching around in the frame. You have the woman in the far left handing over
the woman in the far right a Milky Way chocolate bar, the second to left
woman seems to be about to feed her little boy something, the lady in the
middle seems to be bothered by her son who is reaching over at her thigh,
perhaps asking for something.
And the little boy himself seems confused and a bit overwhelmed with all of
this action. And the “cherry on top” in terms of details in this shot is that little
bright-red shovel in the bottom of the frame, once again popping out of the
frame.
The next shot in the sequence seems to be around the same area– by the
murky water (with everyone sitting on the concrete). You see multiple actions
going on– and a nice use of filling the frame by Parr. You have the little boy in
the center holding up what looks like a wooden bicycle wheel with a heroic
gesture (almost like a Roman statue), the woman with the red shirt and waving
hair dipping her child playfully in the water, and the woman in the middle
looking over with an exasperated gesture (hand on her face, and elbow
slouched over her knees).
It is hard to see in the image above (but easy to see in the book)– that there
are lovely details of two orange rubber duckies, shoes with socks stuffed
inside, and an open purse with stuff inside. You also have another baby on the
far right of the frame moving around– to add more movement and action to the
scene.
In this image we have one of what I think are the strongest images in the
book– a young-looking mother on the bottom of the frame, feeling a bit
overwhelmed and stressed out from her baby crying above. The mother is
looking out of the frame– perhaps wondering when this stressful vacation will
be over. The baby (as cute as it looks with the pink umbrella above) — is
crying and wailing her lungs out– a sound that most parents have a difficult
time getting used to.
Not only that, but you see them all lying on top of solid concrete– not the
softest or most pleasant surface to be on top. The ground is also littered with
biscuit wrappers, clothes, and shoes– and I love the detail of the woman in the
far right of the frame in the blue bikini, looking casually onwards at their pain.
This next image is a much more intimate photograph than the one prior– also
shot at an unusually low angle.
When I saw this photograph, I was curious how Parr shot it. He must have
been lying on the ground– but how did he take this photo (that seems to look
candid) without the attractive young mother noticing? Perhaps she did and
didn’t care– but perhaps she didn’t?
Anyways, I love the look of intensity the mother is feeding the baby with– also
grasping the baby’s head. The funny juxtaposition in the shot is the man with
the thick eyebrows, facial hair, and black speedo in the background.
Another shot that has many lovely little details is this one– with the baby
playing alone in the sand, with all of this action going on in the background.
The baby looks disintered in what he/she is doing–looking away from the
action. And in the background we have a kid on the top right, taking off his
shirt– as if he wants to go play. You also have a pair of legs, crossed and
dangling into the shot of the far left. And you have the decapitated (perhaps
mother) in the middle of the frame, hands crossed over her hips and smoking a
cigarette.
I have to give props to Parr for taking this shot– he must have had to got right
into the scene, crouched down low, and took the shot without hesitating.
Although it isn’t my favorite shot in the book (I wish the baby’s expression was
a little more interesting)– you can see how well Parr does with getting close to
his subjects and filling the frame, while getting interesting actions going on in
the background.
To continue, you have a humorous shot– of a mother perhaps changing her
baby’s diaper with the pacifier in her mouth. This sequences well after the
previous shot– in which the baby had its pacifier in its mouth.
Not only that, but the baby looks quite surprised at Parr taking the photograph
(almost as much as surprised as the mother).
What is a bit gross is all the trash in the water on the right side of the frame. It
doesn’t seem to be the most hygienic place to change the diaper of a child.
In terms of the background even though it is a bit busy– it is quite organized.
You have a couple in the middle of the frame together that fills that spot, and
another couple in the background, with one lady pointing (that doesn’t overlap
with the other couple). And you also have a nice detail of a girl in the far right
of the frame– sticking one leg in the water and playing with her toes.
The images then start to transition into being very sweet and intimate
moments. In this image you have a father and his little daughter– close to one
another and intimate on the ground with one another. The father is chilling by
his side, hand on his head–looking lovingly at her daughter who is taking a big
gulp of the red Coke bottle (which juxtaposes against her little yellow outfit
well). The boy in the top left looks as if he is looking admirably– smiling along.
But then you have the woman in the top right of the frame, looking a bit alone
and despondent– a strong emotional contrast to the father and the daughter
central in the frame.
Note you also get a great sense of intimacy in the shot considering how low
Parr got to take this photo — while also getting close to his subjects and filling
his frame.
Another sweet moment is this photograph in which you see a little girl brushing
the hair of her young and attractive mother. The mother looks on– admiring the
little girl. Another thing you notice obviously is how the little girl is naked–
something you would never see nowadays.
Suddenly the book changes pace and rhythm– as we are thrust into the middle
of a beauty pageant. The beautiful woman looks radiant and shines towards
the crowd, but the scene just looks so empty. You even wonder to yourself: is
there even a crowd that is looking at her?
Then the second two-image spread shows in the book. You have the beauty
pageant contestants getting ready on the left side of the page (all who are
young women), juxtaposed against the young girls on the right side of the page
that also look as if they are getting ready for a beauty pageant. There are two
different aged women/girls both getting ready for the same thing– showing off
their beauty.
The first image in the left side of the frame is interesting for the depth in the
shot. You have a photographer in the far left of the frame (perhaps a funny
joke of Parr self-referencing himself as a photographer)– and the three beauty
pageant contestants holding their numbers, getting ready to go on stage. You
have nice little details of the colored flags on top and little flowers on bottom. I
love the spacing between the three women, and how they are all doing
different gestures in preparation to get ready.