Theatre of life: photographic portraits by Alex Frayne
Wakefield Press, 2017. ISBN 9781743054949
(Age: Secondary - Adult) Highly recommended. This is a fascinating
book. The collection of photographs truly capture the 'theatre of
life' - with expressions, fleeting moments, iconic scenes, and
portraits that make you gaze again at the character expressed in the
lines and shadows. The moments of light and shade, the framing of a
particular shot, make you see the beauty or the uniqueness of each
picture. I especially loved the intimacy of the mother and daughter
at the bus stop, the woman descending the stairs, the blindfolded
lady in brilliant yellow holding a chicken in her arms, - so many
unique glimpses of life. The character portraits are stunning - with
emotions etched in wrinkles or the particular slant of the head, and
the look in their eyes, from the sad poignancy of 'Intersex Angel'
to the visionary thoughts of Samak Fallah Aka 'The Thinker', the
humour and warm of The Rockbusters, and the curiosity and wonder of
the child Alice - all draw you in to contemplate the individual
people and their lives.
When you close the book, some images will remain with you. For me it
was the shock of the scene in 'The System' of an amputee lying face
down on concrete next to a plastic bowl, with a naive idyllic scene
painted on the locked cupboard behind him. Other scenes are
rediscovered when you return and open the book again.
These aren't staged photographs, they are glimpses of people living
their lives, all around the world. Each is accompanied by a few
notes - some about the person or context, adding further detail or
sharing an added insight, others are notes about the camera and
techniques employed, revealing some of the magic and the craft of
photography. The book will be of interest to the artist and the
photographer, and to people who love stories - for there are so many
amazing stories expressed in those faces, one can only gaze and
imagine.
In schools I can imagine this book being a source of inspiration for
both Art and photography classes as well as for English creative
writing.
Helen Eddy