Chance Encounters

Looking at the course material, and extending on from the work of Sophie Calle, we are introduced to the work of photographers Chris Coekin and Gillian Wearing. Both have used chance encounters to produce photographic work.

Chris Coekin's website refers to the project called the Hitcher, a photographic collection which shows us the reality of being a hitch-hiker. From self portraits in series 1, landscape shots in series 3 and portraits of the drivers who pick him up in series 2, the project is tightly within the theme of the open road and the people that use it. You can understand why Coekin's work is considered chance photography. Coekin is purely choosing his destination and leaving the rest up to fate. Here there is a comparison to Calle's work.

Calle chooses a main factor in her work (the stranger to follow in Suite Venitienne, her bed for the strangers to join her in for The Sleepers and the love letter to distribute in Take Care of Yourself) and the rest is produced through the social experiment she has composed. Coekin has chosen the destination to which he wants to go and the rest is up to society. He cannot choose who stops to pick him up, which roads he will travel or what he will see along the way and by documenting this journey, you have, as our course notes says "a kind of photographic mapping of random acts of kindness throughout the UK."

Gillian Wearing's project Signs That Say What You Want Them To Say And Not Signs That Say What Someone Else Wants You To Say is also a strong project showing the reality of the private thoughts of individuals and how appearances could possibly be deceptive. As with Coekin and Calle, Wearing's main factor that she herself chose within this project is the people that she stopped in the street. She then gave each person a sheet of paper to write on it what they wanted the paper to say, and not what someone else would want them to say. Then she photographed each response within the persons portrait. The images portray a strong message. An image of a policeman in full uniform holding a piece of paper that says "HELP" is such a conflicting image. The perception is that policemen are strong and there to help people in need, yet this image shows that his exterior is a lot stronger than on the inside and he is actually the one that needs help.

In comparison to my own project, I suppose there is an element of chance, more so if I continue to photograph the public, as I don't actually know exactly who I will be photographing and what device they will be using. Even photographing my family has a small element of chance as I never know exactly when or who will be using their device or which device they will be using so yes, I suppose this does include my own project under the banner of chance photography.



Bibliography
ChrisCoekin.com (2016), The Hitcher: Series 1 [online] Available at: http://www.chriscoekin.com/index.php?/ongoing/the-hitcher-series-1/ [Accessed 19th October 2016]

GaleriePerrotin.com (2016), Sophie Calle [Online] Available at: https://www.perrotin.com/artists/Sophie_Calle/1/the-sleepers/7366 [Accessed 19th October 2016]

TheGuardian.com (2012), Private Lines: Gillian Wearing's Signs - in pictures [Online] Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/gallery/2012/mar/04/gillian-wearing-signs-in-pictures [Accessed 19th October 2016]

Whitechapelgallery.org (2016), Gillian Wearing [Online] Available at: http://www.whitechapelgallery.org/exhibitions/gillian-wearing/ [Accessed 19th October 2016]