Stogursey News, March 2024
"When words become unclear, I shall focus with photographs. When images become inadequate, I shall focus with silence."
Ansel Adams
The SAPS met in early February to review where we were up to with our gathering of images. Towards the end of last year, we had discussed the potential of developing a website to enable those who had access to a computer to follow our progress with photographs, in addition to the ‘words’ we use in our monthly contribution to Stogursey News.
In leading this month’s discussion, Andy had taken the best photos from those we had shared through our WhatSAPS group and had begun to set up a prototype for a website, for the group to discuss. We gathered around a welcome log burner, and a TV screen Andy had set up to show the photographs.
It was great to see all of the images together for the first time, collated under subject titles. This simple and effective vehicle for organisation enabled us to discuss the clarity in what we saw and in what we had achieved over the past year. Looking forward, it also gave us some pointers as to how our endeavours maybe be interpreted in our planned exhibition. It was great to see that we had passed the Ansel Adams critique. Our images were far from inadequate, the combined collection of our photos was not ‘silent’. There are some great images, telling great stories, recording both present and past Stogursey, but our task now must be to cover any gaps and get on with publishing them.
Viewing the work on the TV screen helped in identifying our approach to this next stage. We decided that we would begin by adding all our edited images to the website and as we get closer to the opening of the exhibition, we will use the screened/projected images to collectively review and select the photographs we will use for the show. We can then collate, print selected images and create a coherent display that everyone can access even if they don’t have a computer themselves.
The website will also, eventually, be accessible to all ‘our followers’ who have access via a computer. Once it is up and running, we will let you know the details, so you can see the SAPS portfolio of recent images and the archive we have collated from past examples. Building on the creative successes of contributors to the Christmas Tree Festival, we will soon be approaching these groups and others, to make a visual record, a portrait of these important individuals who work together and form the groups at the heart of our village life.
SAPS is just one of the groups that is enabled through the support of the Stogursey Arts Trust. If you would like to become a volunteer to keep these organisations alive in the village do get in touch. You can find us at www.stogurseyartsfestival.co.uk or Facebook Stogursey Arts Festival