Carmen and Alec Soth: Brighton Picture Hunt: Periodicals

What do you do if you've been commissioned to produce work for Brighton photo biennial, only to find that on arrival to the uk, you do not have the correct papers to work?  Marketing is in swing; Martin Parr is already taking about you to the press. Bit of a problem it may seem. But If you're Alec Soth, how about collaborating with your seven year old daughter?

Although this collaboration with Soth's seven year old daughter should be seen as a light hearted, creative and humorous solution to a tricky situation, there's also some deeper questions raised; should the validity of these images be questioned? Although Soth did all of the editing and this does bring to light that the vernacular can be amazing. the cynical question that springs to mind is; has Soths reputation got something to do with it? It seems to be a bit like the emperors new clothes. Carmen sees the world as it is; without all the hang ups of a photographer. Carmen sees things from her perspective. This is a refreshing thing. Soth showed some students these images and they all agreed they were fantastic; One noticed that they were all shot from a very low angle yet no one questioned Soth's authorship. This to me is so interesting, It is Alec Soth after all. What actually makes a photographer? Carmen had been fully involved in the project. Although editing was all down to her father, It may have been a solution to a problem, but I think it has ended up highlighting something very interesting.

This sort of naive perspective, either intentional or otherwise, is becoming increasingly prevalent in photography, says Soth. "We're highly visually literate right now, so I think people are responding to things that feel real and uncrafted. Take Wolfgang Tillmans – he obviously knows everything there is to know about photography, but he manages to look like he's not trying.

The thing that stays with me regarding these pictures is the freedom a seven year old with a camera has; Carmen is not intimidating, nor intrusive. the images relay this. How refreshing! there is something so honest from this perspective. The future interview with Carmen in Photoworks seemed contrived; for me the whole point is about a child's perspective - otherwise, it could just be looked at as an exploitative exercise. I do however see this as a great thing for young people to see their peers in galleries and this is a good point. 

“My head is filled with nuanced cliches – I might subconsciously be influenced by William Egglestone – but she doesn't have that framework. Of course, as a professional, you can't go back to a time when you had none, but you can try. Myself, I long for that quality again." Alec Soth

http://www.guardian.co.uk/artanddesign/2010/sep/19/alec-carmen-soth-brighton-biennial

Future interview with Carmen Soth Photoworks 2011

interview with martin Parr