lucy davies, ‘deutsche börse photography prize- mishka ... · 4/13/2013 · this was england:...
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Lucy Davies, ‘Deutsche Börse Photography Prize: Mishka Henner’, Telegraph, 13 April 2013
By Lucy Davies8:00AM BST 13 Apr 2013
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Although he trained as a documentary photographer, Mishka Henner hasmoved farther and farther away from the idea of 'taking’ a picture. Theproject for which he has been nominated for this year’s Deutsche BörsePhotography Prize, titled No Man’s Land, is a survey of prostitution sitesin Spain and Italy made using images found on Google Street View.
Carretera de Rubi, Terrassa, Spain, 2012. PHOTO: Mishka Henner
Henner, 36, has been described as a modern-day Duchamp, which hefinds flattering and apt. 'Duchamp was about changing the way we think ofart, and in consequence how we look at the world,’ he says. 'Usingpictures taken by robots may make other photographers think of me as a
Deutsche Börse Photography Prize: Mishka Henner
Mishka Henner has been shortlisted for the Deutsche Börse Photography Prize for his series of images
using Google Street View to document the presence of roadside sex workers in Spain and Italy
Cami del Caminas, Nules, Spain, 2012. Photo: Mishka Henner
joke, but Duchamp faced that all his life – it makes me think I am doingsomething right.’
No Man’s Land has its roots in a project investigating street prostitutionthat Henner’s partner, Liz Lock, also a photographer, had undertakenalongside sociologists in their hometown of Manchester. Discussinglocations where these women plied their trade, Henner hit on the idea ofusing Street View as a mapping tool, and, sure enough, some of thewomen were visible on the pictures. The story took a darker turn when hissearches led to internet forums for men using Street View as a means offinding girls. 'I’d stumbled across the perfect means of representing theissue,’ Henner says. 'I loved it because it didn’t pretend it was trying tounderstand the experience of the women. It’s about us looking, beingwitnesses to a whole world with which we cannot empathise.’
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Carretera de Olot, Crespià, Spain, 2011. PHOTO: Mishka Henner
Henner does nothing to alter the images – each glitch and blur (Googlehad to develop a face-concealing algorithm for data protection) isreproduced, emphasising the manufactured nature of these world views.He is particularly fond of the landscape backgrounds. 'People tend tofocus on the women, but the figures are tiny. At one time these placesmust have been lush greenery and rolling hills. Now they’re littered withtrash, with these poor women standing by the road to make a living. Theproject became about the fall of Arcadia.’
joke, but Duchamp faced that all his life – it makes me think I am doingsomething right.’
No Man’s Land has its roots in a project investigating street prostitutionthat Henner’s partner, Liz Lock, also a photographer, had undertakenalongside sociologists in their hometown of Manchester. Discussinglocations where these women plied their trade, Henner hit on the idea ofusing Street View as a mapping tool, and, sure enough, some of thewomen were visible on the pictures. The story took a darker turn when hissearches led to internet forums for men using Street View as a means offinding girls. 'I’d stumbled across the perfect means of representing theissue,’ Henner says. 'I loved it because it didn’t pretend it was trying tounderstand the experience of the women. It’s about us looking, beingwitnesses to a whole world with which we cannot empathise.’
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Les Rencontres Arles Photographie, 2013 01 Jul 2013
Adam Broomberg & Oliver Chanarin: in pictures 11 Jun 2013
This was England: photographs of Chris Killip 08 Apr 2013
Final frontier: the photographs of Cristina De Middel 25 Mar 2013
John Stezaker wins Deutsche Borse prize 03 Sep 2012
Readers are going to love it blinkbox
Carretera de Olot, Crespià, Spain, 2011. PHOTO: Mishka Henner
Henner does nothing to alter the images – each glitch and blur (Googlehad to develop a face-concealing algorithm for data protection) isreproduced, emphasising the manufactured nature of these world views.He is particularly fond of the landscape backgrounds. 'People tend tofocus on the women, but the figures are tiny. At one time these placesmust have been lush greenery and rolling hills. Now they’re littered withtrash, with these poor women standing by the road to make a living. Theproject became about the fall of Arcadia.’
Carretera de Fortuna, Murcia, Spain, 2012 . PHOTO: Mishka Henner
The series was published as a print-on-demand book in 2011. Henner hassince produced a second volume, and intends to expand further: as StreetView moves around the world, so online forums for men in search ofprostitutes spring up. At the Photographers’ Gallery show of thoseshortlisted for the prize, animated screenshots will mimic a car movingforward, a head turning to look, its soundtrack amateur recordings ofbirdsong in the regions where the women work. Inadvertently, the workhas taken on an archival role. 'Street View is updated every two or threeyears,’ he says. 'I revisit locations online and the women are no longerthere, the landscape has changed. Most of these images will disappearwithout ever being looked at.’
The Deutsche Börse Photography Prize exhibition will be at thePhotographers’ Gallery, London W1, April 19 to June 30(thephotographersgallery.org.uk). Telegraph Subscriber Privilege Cardholders can enter a draw for two tickets to the award evening on June 10plus a catalogue each (telegraph.co.uk/subscriber)