Toby Blackman
The Impossibility of Staring Blankly
This body of work portrays Asher B. Durand's theory that one looks into a painting rather than looking at it, imagining oneself within the depicted and imagined scene when viewing the work. Although this theory relates to landscape paintings, now photographers strive for a similar idealism and forget about the cultural importance of the land in question. This work asks the question "Are we imagining ourselves in the landscape as Durand wrote, or are we relating to the idea of arcadia the idealised landscape? The Impossibility of Staring Blankly refers to us looking into the image, we cannot merely stare blankly because we feel something: the power of the romantic landscape. The scenes photographed are clichés that contemporary landscape photographers gravitate towards, imagery that is not an accurate representation of landscape, but creates romanticised visions.
Toby Blackman • Laura Jenkin • Matthew Lees • Danny McCormick • Rachel Miller •
Bath Spa University
BA (Hons) Photography
Ulster University Belfast
BA (Hons) Photography
Blackburn College
BA (Hons) Photographic Media
Blackpool and the Fylde
BA (Hons) Photography
University of Brighton
BA (Hons) Photography
Arts University Bournemouth
BA (Hons) Photography
University of Chester
BA (Hons) Photography
University of Cumbria
BA (Hons) Photography
Dublin Institute of Technology
BA (Hons) Photography
Edinburgh College
BA Professional Photography
Edinburgh Napier University
BA (Hons) Photography
Falmouth University
BA (Hons) Photography
Hereford College of Arts
BA (Hons) Photography
University of Huddersfield
BA (Hons) Photography
University Centre, Hugh Baird College
BA (Hons) Digital Imaging & Photography
UCS Ipswich
BA (Hons) Photography
Sir John Cass Faculty of Art, Architecture and Design
BA (Hons) Fine Art Photography
Leeds College of Art
BA (Hons) Photography
Limerick School of Art & Design
Photography & Lens Based Media - BA (Hons) Fine Art
National College of Art and Design
Photography and Digital Imaging Certificate
University of Portsmouth
BA (Hons) Photography
UCA Rochester
BA (Hons) Photography (Contemporary Practice)
Sheffield Hallam University
BA (Hons) Photography
Southampton Solent University
BA (Hons) Photography
Staffordshire University
BA (Hons) Photojournalism
Swansea College of Art, UWTSD
BA (Hons) Photography in the Arts
Swansea College of Art, UWTSD
BA (Hons) Photojournalism and Documentary Photography