White Cloth Gallery Visit

White Cloth Gallery

The white cloth Gallery is not a commercial gallery as the work is not for sale. I prefer this type of gallery because the work on the walls is much more spread out and there is one theme across the gallery, in this case black and white documentary photography, as i believe this allows me to look at each individual image and not be distracted by other work. The size of the work is also consistent so the eye can concentrate more on the image itself. The only thing I don't like about the way the work is displayed is the use of bulldog clips as they can be a little distracting however, the open plan of the gallery feel unrestricting and free to view the work in any kind of order you like.

The work displayed is by Tom Stoddard, a famous documentary photographer who has travelled to many different countries and captured a range of important historic events. There was one image in particular that really stood out for me which is part of the work “Quake…India” which is a series of photographs of the earthquake that greatly affected India in January 2001 in the town of Bhuj. 30,000 people died in the earthquake and Stoddard was able to catch the pain and suffering in his images. The photograph to the right of and old Indian woman and a cracked wall perfectly describes the suffering that took place during the earthquake. There is a link between the crack in the wall and the old woman. The cracks in the wall are similar to the wrinkles in the old woman's face which suggests that they are one and affected by each other. It expresses the idea that it is just not buildings that are destroyed but peoples lives. I believe there is a real hidden meaning behind this photograph. The composition is slightly unusual but allows the eye to flow down the crack in the wall to the old woman creating a bond between them.