Photography
'Developing the Negative' /
Behind the scenes
“The exhibition ran for three weeks, attracting very positive feedback, and I hope it will travel in the future. It has an important message; that who we are and what we experience in life matters. ”
I’m afraid I’ve been bad at blogging! I have been so busy over the last year; traveling, studying for an MA, preparing work for exhibitions - not to mention my ‘real’ work; looking after a large household and looking out for my kids, that I just haven’t written up the important stuff!
Now whilst we still are under lockdown and travel anywhere is impossible I aim to give the viewer a ‘look behind the scenes’ and explain the projects themselves. Apart from anything else, it’s a good thing for me to do. Maybe one day a long time from now one of my family will read these offerings and gain a little insight into their history and how the discovery of that same history changed me.
Sir Ian Wood Building, Robert Gordon University
At the beginning of 2020, just as Coronavirus had shown up on the world’s radar as a distant but emerging threat, my attention was focused on bringing together three projects I have developed since 2017 for an exhibition. This was to be held in the concourse of the Sir Ian Wood Building, RGU at the invitation of Libby Curtis, Head of Gray’s School of Art, Aberdeen. I aimed to tell a somewhat of an odyssey - a story that reached back into history pulling me in and in doing so, I hoped to engage others.
‘Developing the Negative’ SIWB concourse, RGU, Aberdeen. Febuary 2020
Beginning with a pilgrimage of my own, I planned to open the exhibition with three sections, the first dedicated to the search for my mother’s mysterious past entitled ‘Fragments that Remain’. Sandwiched in the middle section would be portraits and stories collected by descendants of Polish soldiers comprising the project ‘From Generation to Generation’- mostly gathered in my husband’s hometown of Fraserburgh (N.E.Scotland). For the final section, six portraits were to be included from a project I initiated entitled ‘Do You Know My Name?’, little-publicized stories gathered from survivors of terror attacks in Israel.
Rina Ariel speaking about her murdered 13 year old daughter, Hallel, to Faith Milne
One project led into another and so I endeavored to replicate this, taking people on a journey which begins by looking back, gathering fragments of information to gain context, then exploring how other’s experiences have shaped them. As part of the intricacies of my own journey, I have followed the peregrination of the Jewish people. I chose to sum up by highlighting some of the little known tragedies faced by those who have chosen to live in Israel today.
Holocaust Survivor Adam Adams, London.
I chose the name ‘Developing the Negative’ to encompass all three projects for its obvious connection to photography, but also because I wanted to highlight the character seen in those who have faced the unimaginable, each one featured emerging with so much to give others.
Preparation was undertaken on many levels; initially by identifying which stories to include. This was actually harder than it sounds! Each person I have met has touched me personally; all the stories were powerful, so cutting them out was a hard call. It was difficult as a photographer stepping back to decide which portrait was stronger, ensuring also that these images explored a narrative whilst sitting well next to each other. The need for consistency answered some of these questions; section one comprised of portraits whereas most of the strong images in section two were landscape crops.
George Cheyne and Jennie Milne, Febuary 29th 2020
I worked in collaboration with George Cheyne from RGU Arts and Heritage Trust, and ‘Look Again’ It was brilliant having such lovely professionals taking care of many details such as preparing the posters, interpretation panels, refreshments, and invitations. George prepared all the ‘walls’ and helped me hang the work. He is such a lovely guy and a real pleasure to work with.
Opening night saw individuals from a variety of backgrounds come together to view the work and listen to the explanatory presentation. Photographers, leading members of the Polish and Jewish Communities, genealogists, University lecturers, examiners and peers, family and friends all gathered in the university’s amphitheater, some traveling from as far as Shetland, Edinburgh, and Glasgow to be present. To say it was humbling is an understatement.
Libby Curtis introducing Jennie Milne. Opening night, RGU Amphitheatre
“This is an important body of work. Jennie’s commitment to her practice, and to this difficult and challenging subject, has brought the hidden stories of so many people to life. The connections and reach that her work has forged reveals the integrity and creative power of storytelling and importantly the medium of photography.
”
Developing the Negative presentation
The exhibition ran for three weeks, attracting very positive feedback, and I hope it will travel in the future. It has an important message; that who we are and what we experience in life matters. We must not be afraid of those who have suffered through no fault of their own, in fact, we can learn from them. Perspective counts. We should not be afraid to cross borders, rejecting prejudice to learn from one another. We are all human at the end of the day. The media does not always tell the truth, it can and sometimes does direct a narrative that hides the truth. We must take responsibility for our own learning and be open to others.
“This exhibition has an important message. I sincerely hope and pray it travels far.”
To view the exhibition online, please look under the ‘Exhibition’ tab on this website. To take a look at the projects mentioned in more depth look under the ‘Projects’ tab.
I am working on updating and adding information to my website so please keep coming back to check. Contact me directly if you wish to talk or ask any questions. I intend to blog about each project so watch out for that too. Finally, stay safe, and I hope to see you somewhere near your home when I am back on the road!
Many thanks to the wonderful ‘Developing the Negative’ sponsors. Your help is greatly appreciated!
The Space Between /
Driving into the unknown
the beginning of an ending?
“We are inhabiting the space between; leaving the familiar and entering the unfamiliar, yet not fully in either place”
I drove home from Uni today under a brooding grey-blue sky, wondering when I will be back. Finally, I had been able to meet with my personal tutor and we shared a coffee and sandwich- aware that we had to sit a bit further apart than we normally would; conscious that everything around us was changing globally and yet a lot still seemed the same. We are inhabiting the space between; leaving the familiar and entering the unfamiliar, yet not fully in either place. All the plans we discussed seemed to hang in the air; a visit to the museums in Edinburgh, ideas to meet curators, the chance to really begin to work together after finally connecting - would any of it be possible?
I made my way back to my desk, stopping to wash my hands on the way. The studio was silent, empty save for my lovely friend Maxim. Should I pack up everything and take it home? I need my workbooks but for some reason decided to leave two of my favourite photography books on my desk; a kind of silent pledge to return, I did not want to extinguish the hope that in the next few weeks we can return to normal; maybe be the anticipated lockdown will not happen….maybe I am dreaming.
Maybe I am not.
I tend to document life- the things that seem mundane, the overlooked in the rush to life, to work, to live, to create. I photograph those moments that are part of the process, those people around me, my MA peers. I am glad in this moment I have recorded instants during group crits, captured the colour and chaos of the fine art studio and the organization and order of com des. I offered to take a picture of Maxim by her work, unable to comprehend that the beautiful space she has created may be inaccessible soon. How is that possible? I walk through the studio spaces, inhabited by such variety with an undefined sadness, capturing the life that has been and I hope will continue.
Beautiful Maxim
“Never be afraid to trust an unknown future to a known God ”
The drive home feels surreal, I sense an ending and a new beginning; neither is welcome but I don't fight it. I think of the words my cousin wrote on the eve of WW2. - he experienced a strange kind of excitement, completely unaware of what would come, how his life would change forever. It must have felt a little like this. We didn’t think in our day, in our lifetime our lives could be suddenly interrupted, that we would have no control. Why are we different than any other generation? I am driving home to safety. As I reach Fraserburgh the sun is setting; the sky is a beautiful painting of purples and pinks. I love this light.
I stop by the beach to take a photo; I have reached the path to the great unknown.
I stop by the beach to take a photo; I have reached the path to the great unknown.
Final day for Fraserburgh Exhibition /
Today is the final day of my exhibition 'Fragments That Remain' at the Fraserburgh Heritage Centre. What a fantastic 8 months its been!
15 months ago I was approached in Weatherspoons by a member of the Heritage Centre staff and asked if I was the lady who had been telling the Polish stories. An invitation to use the temporary space at the end of the museum building followed and in January 2019 I began to put it all together.
Pre Opening Night. March 2019
Its been exciting- this is my first solo exhibition, and at times the response by participants has been very emotional. I've met some wonderful people, some of whom traveled hours to visit- all keen to remember their parents and grandparents courage and sacrifice, stating that teaching the truth regarding the Poles’ contribution to WW2 and betrayal afterward is long overdue.
I discovered that many people with no direct connection to the War in Poland had no idea that the Poles had largely been unable to return home and became exiles, often never seeing their family again. Most of the soldiers whose descendants I interviewed had been torn from their parents and driven into forced labour in Germany in their early teens, later to be conscripted into the German Army as cannon fodder. These boys were then captured and brought to the UK as POWs before being given the chance to fight in the Polish Army under British command, an opportunity they welcomed.
Polish Soldiers at Inverallochy Airfield. Photo courtesy of the Dyga Family
After the war, stateless and displaced, some of these soldiers fell in love and married girls from ‘the Broch’ where they had been laterally posted. They settled down and raised families, worked hard and buried the pain of their past, giving very little indication of the horrors they had endured. Their children and grandchildren spoke of them with deep pride and affection- but sorrow for their ancestor’s hidden heartache remained close to the surface.
This scenario is repeated thousands of times throughout Britain and other places in the world.
Also included in the Exhibition are the stories of Holocaust survivors, Adam and Alicia Melamed Adam, both of whom lost their entire families in the Shoah. They have a direct connection to my grandmother’s family and have become very dear to me.
Teresa Somkowicz also features long with her daughter, Kika. I traced Teresa from an old photograph with my grandmother I had been sent from Poland in 2015. Teresa was born Princess Teresa Świdrygiełło-Świderska-Wągl , but was sent in a cattle train to Khazakstan with her mother and sister when she was just 10 years old, enduring -40% temperatures.
This Exhibition was intended to highlight the courage and sacrifice of the millions affected as a result of WW2 in Poland- we must never forget. Their voices may be silenced, their memory confined to history but it is time to allow their lives to speak.
I hope to continue to share their stories, through exhibitions and presentations and am currently planning a fresh Exhibition at the Sir Ian Wood Building, Robert Gordon University in February next year.
As I left the Heritage Centre this afternoon, for the last open day, a shed a tear. Thank you to all who have been involved and have helped in any way.
Special thanks to the Fraserburgh Heritage Centre for making this possible, The Polish Consul General in Edinburgh for funding and Grays School of Art for support.
I owe a huge debt to Polish Historians Janusz Ral and Robert Ostrycharz whose expert help and dedication made all the difference.
Also thanks to Magdelina Konieczna for translating several panels to Polish.
This video is for all my lovely descendants' families, for their fathers and others whose lives were forever changed because of the war.
