s Wajid and Bobbyann - Hull Museums Collections

Wajid and Bobbyann

Wajid, 2000 and Bobbyann, 2001 both by Seamus Nicolson (b.1971 -) Seamus Nicolson lives and works in London. His photographs are taken primarily at night and look almost like snapshots of contemporary life*. However, Nicolson’s photographs are actually carefully constructed; he finds a location that interests him and then looks for the right person to fit the scene. Nicolson never uses professional models or actors but prefers to use people from his local area of Harlesdon, North West London. The characters in the two photographs Wajid and Bobby Ann are positioned in unglamorous settings; a grocer’s shop and in front of a bed shop. These locations are similar to those which could be found in other cities apart from London. By using a large scale for his photography, Nicolson aims to elevate ordinary people. Nicolson’s work to the present has focused on youth culture. His early photographs depicted rave parties and he has since focused on individual characters in locations as diverse as petrol stations, take away shops and back streets. Most recently, Nicolson was the photographer for a Vivienne Westwood fashion shoot. Nicolson has been influenced in his work by artists such as Nan Goldin, Jeff Koon as well as film makers. His way of working has parallels to cinematic technique through finding a suitable location and character. Unlike Cinema, Nicolson does not have a story board that he wants to portray - the scene is constructed in accordance to the wishes of the person portrayed. In this sense Nicholson’s photographs contain a mixture of fiction and documentary. C type photographs mounted on aluminium. Purchased by the Contemporary Art Society Special Collection Scheme on behalf of the Ferens Art Gallery, with Funds from the Arts Council Lottery Fund.