Black White Photography - UK (2019-11)

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B+W

3 TRINKETS AND SOUVENIRS

5 WORLD TOURISM
One of the most fascinating aspects of heritage is to explore how our
notions of acceptability have changed over the years. A fine example
of this can be found in Florence’s Museum of Natural History. The
sub-collection known as La Specola contains a wondrous assortment
of anatomical waxworks from the 17th century. Created as learning
aids for students of medicine, the models are world renowned for
their accuracy and display dissected elements of the human body
in glass cases and box frames. Yet, leaving the grisly subject to one
side, the most fascinating parts of the collection are the full-length
figures – which are curiously coiffured and posed as if fallen asleep, as
suggested by this tiny detail of a foot.
See if you can find similar examples of sculpture or artefacts that
are robed or posed from a different era.

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4 GHOULISH DISPLAYS

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Alongside every heritage venue is the souvenir shop, primed with
keepsakes and trinkets so you can better remember your experience.
While there’s rarely any shortage of objects to shoot, the quality of the
merchandise presents a unique way of visualising history. Snowstorm
paperweights, miniature Eiffel Towers or red telephone box piggy
banks – the list is endless. Visit your local heritage shop and make a
visual study of kitsch – those objects constructed in poor taste or with

cheap materials. Alternatively, explore the opposite end of the souvenir

market and hunt out the more expensive and exclusive. This example

shows a group of busts from the fantastic Romanelli studio and gallery

in Florence. Visiting Romanelli’s shop feels a lot like going to a museum

and it’s the sense that you can’t work out if an object is an original or

a modern copy because the quality is so high. You can even buy

a plaster cast of the nose of Michelangelo’s David!

Martin Parr’s seminal book Small World captures the frenzied activity

of tourists in and around famous cultural landmarks across the globe.

While not primarily documenting famous locations, the book cleverly

reveals the cynical industry that has developed to satisfy visitor demand.

Parr’s approach to the project was to reveal the contrasts between

kitsch and cultured and fake and real. Often placing himself behind the

tourists as they looked on and photographed the sights, Parr’s highly

visual work is a behavioral study of the crassness of tourism.

If you’re intrigued by photographing tourist activity at a heritage

venue, visit the most crowded site you can get to and see if you can

study how visitors behave. In my example, I’ve spotted a selfie-stick

wielding couple at Florence’s Piazzale Michelangelo, a noted tourist

venue for panoramic views of the city.

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