Art / jem southam
In photos: Jem Southam: A Bend in the River at the RWA
Jem Southam’s fascination with the same stretch of riverbank on the floodplain of the river Exe has now endured into an eighth winter.
His forthcoming exhibition at the newly transformed RWA, Jem Southam: A Bend in the River, opens on January 28.
Showcasing the subtlely ever-changing nature of a fixed landscape through the lens of his small Sony digital camera, the series appears in full, alongside selected works from subsequent series taken at the same riverbank – including The Wintry Heavens, Forty Dawns and The Flooded Pool.
is needed now More than ever
https://www.instagram.com/p/CmoYBo8Ilvg/?hl=en
Southam would visit the same spot at dusk, and dawn; eerie and mystical-seeming times of day that lend his images a haunting quality.
A key inspiration to him throughout the project – which also has Scandinavian folkloric resonance – was the gathering of swans in the half-light of those long, wintery nights.
The resulting images that he managed to capture shed light on a world barely perceptible to the naked eye.
Jem Southam, A bend in the river – photo: © Jem Southam
Jem Southam, A bend in the river – photo: © Jem Southam
Jem Southam, A bend in the river – photo: © Jem Southam
A bend in the river: © Jem Southam
Jem Southam, A bend in the river – photo: © Jem Southam
Jem Southam: A Bend in the River is at RWA from January 28-May 1, in parallel with the Photo Open (ticket includes entry to both exhibitions).
Main photo: Jem Southam, A bend in the river – photo: © Jem Southam
Read more: RWA marks season of photography with four concurrent exhibitions
Listen to the latest Bristol24/7 Behind the Headlines podcast:
Our top newsletters emailed directly to you
