Jason Orton, An Essex Journey, Tokyo
Margaret Howell Tokyo is a suitably quirky location for a new exhibition opening tomorrow of landscape photography by Jason Orton.
Orton is firmly placed in the very English tradition of painstaking observation, elevating the low-key and reifying the banal in an attempt to give meaning and life to the overlooked.
Over the past ten years, the photographer has worked for numerous newspapers and magazines, also finding the time to build several ongoing portfolios looking at Britain's emerging post-industrial landscapes, as well as essays on Spain and India.
See more of Jason Orton's landscape photography in his latest show, An Essex Journey
As the title suggests, An Essex Journey chronicles a leisurely passage through a landscape, in this case entire length of the Essex coastline, a marginalized and unlovely place far from the metropolitan gaze. Travelling with the writer Ken Worpole in 2005, Orton's camera was turned both inland and out to sea, observing the communities and industries that existed on the shore, and other weather-beaten remnants of human habitation. These are pictures of another kind of beauty, a world away from airbrushed perfection, be it human or architectural.
As Worpole writes in his introductory essay, 'at the end of the journey we appreciated, more than ever, that the Essex shoreline is especially memorable for its obstinate refusal to conform to conventional notions of what is beautiful or picturesque. This landscape is singularly rich in history, and full of layered meanings and visual pleasures to those who give it the time and attention it deserves’.
Wallpaper* Newsletter
Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox.
-
The new Marantz Horizon is a circular wireless speaker with style as well as substance
The Marantz Horizon projects room-filling sound from its striking sculptural form, with a touch-sensitive interface and support for all forms of streaming
By Jonathan Bell Published
-
Colin Greenwood's intimate portraits of Radiohead capture the band at work and play
Colin Greenwood's portraits of Radiohead have been collected in a new photography book, 'How To Disappear'
By Craig McLean Published
-
The best cocktail napkins for party season
From monogrammed minis through to hand finished Italian linen squares, these are the best cocktail napkins for parties.
By Rosie Conroy Published
-
Deathmatch wrestling’s behind-the-scenes moments and bloody glory
A new limited-edition book explores the intersection between art and deathmatch wrestling at a sold-out show held in Tokyo
By Anne Soward Published
-
Heads up: art exhibitions to see in January 2024
Start the year right with the Wallpaper* pick of art exhibitions to see in January 2024
By Hannah Silver Published
-
Olafur Eliasson inaugurates Azabudai Hills Gallery in Tokyo
Olafur Eliasson marks launch of Azabudai Hills Gallery, in Tokyo’s major new district, with a show of elemental strength
By Danielle Demetriou Published
-
John Pawson unveils first-ever sculpture in Tokyo exhibition
At The Mass, Tokyo, British architect John Pawson stages his first solo exhibition in Japan, revealing his first sculpture and a new photography series
By Harriet Lloyd-Smith Published
-
Reclaim the Earth, urge artists at Paris’ Palais de Tokyo
We discover the group exhibition ‘Reclaim the Earth’, a wake-up call for humans to reconsider our relationship with the planet (until 4 September 2022)
By Amy Serafin Last updated
-
teamLab: how a Tokyo art collective pioneered an immersive art boom
With an operatic intervention and a show at Pace Geneva, teamLab, the now-700-strong Tokyo-based collective that blazed a trail for experiential, tech-fuelled art, continues to value ‘physical interaction in physical space’
By Nick Compton Last updated
-
Anne Imhof: body language as tool, canvas and concept
Anne Imhof is one of five radical artists chosen by Michèle Lamy for Wallpaper’s 25th Anniversary Issue ‘5x5’ project. In the midst of Imhof’s carte blanche at Paris’ Palais de Tokyo, we explore how she has redefined the concept of body language
By Harriet Lloyd-Smith Published
-
Philippe Fragnière captures the myth and magic of mountain life
In ʻBalancing Actʼ at SAI Gallery, Tokyo, Swiss photographer Philippe Fragnière explores the mythologies of his native Alps
By Sophie Gladstone Last updated