Pilgrimage / British Standard Time

About

A joint exhibition of the photography of Galit Seligmann and paintings of Lynden Giles.

Pilgrimage: Galit Seligmann - http://galit-seligmann.com/

The intention of the series Pilgrimage, has been to invert the tourist gaze at two of the most visited sites In the Eastern and Western world: The Taj Mahal in India, and St Peter’s Basilica in Italy. The buildings are described not by their architecture, but rather by the tourists visiting them, and all identifying context has been excluded from these two endlessly reproduced landmarks. 

With over one billion international tourists travelling each year, contemporary society is a mobile society, and the modern day tourist can be described as a contemporary pilgrim. The traditional and contemporary pilgrim meet in the space of St Peter’s Square and the Taj Mahal, with a mix of package tourists, religious tourists, independent travellers and families. A queue is a procession, partly of national identity and demographics, and partly of dress code and body language. It is a temporary community, whereby a collective spirit of anticipation exists in between the boredom of waiting. Strangers have one thing in common: they are all waiting for the same thing. While in this temporary state of waiting, the action of photographing has become a habitual aspect of the tourist gaze, and many use photography as their frame of reference for looking at the object they have come to admire.

British Summer Time: Lynden Giles - http://lyndengiles.com

To an outsider, it is encouraging to observe Britain’s unique respect for holiday and leisure time, and for its love of outdoor activity. Activities, unlike sports, are for the populous; the leisurists; the families; the weekenders; the passionate enthusiasts.

The iconic landscape of the British outdoors is a cultivated and manicured creation occupying the entirety of the country. It is a programmed landscape, organised to be enjoyed. In these surroundings when the sun shines and the population is free from constraints, there is a complete commitment to these fleeting moments of summer. Like children running from the house on a summer day, real life is forgotten, left indoors like chores and homework. There is a freeing of minds and shedding of clothes in an attempt to refuel and absorb maximum happiness. This is where the British play.