Bermondsey BOY

The faraway photography of local lad Sam Dransfield by Joe Campbell

Sam Dransfield Photography

in our Winter edition of The RIVER we focused on Jonathan Dransfield and his unique architectural practice in Shad Thames, The Pyramid. In this edition we take a look at the next generation, his son Sam, and his striking photography series based in Japan, ‘Follow the Headwaters’.

Sam is a Bermondsey boy, born and raised under the towers of our iconic bridge, which he would cross every day on his way to the Hermitage Primary School. Ten years down the line, Sam made a considerably longer journey, north of the border to Glasgow School of Art. It was here that Sam refined his photographic eye, and with his final degree show earned the school’s coveted Travel Bursary.

With this under his belt, Sam’s travels became exponentially larger as he journeyed halfway across the world, to the Far East. Japan’s lateral landscapes provided the inspiration for his first solo exhibition ‘From the Mouth to the Source’, which emphasised the connection between geography and technology, the natural and man-made, with a set of photographs taken in the UK. These deep sepia-toned images frame electricity pylons and power lines as they run towards the ground, creating heavy contrasts between linear and natural forms. In capturing the flow of electricity as it darts across the landscape, Sam also conveys a sense of movement that can be difficult to communicate through landscape photography. Within this work, Sam’s urban roots burst through a rural backdrop.

“Sam’s urban roots burst through a rural backdrop

Sam Dransfield Photography Cyanotype
Sam then went on to showcase his work at the Stills Gallery in Edinburgh (where last year he was awarded a residency). He used the ‘cyanotype’ process to explore the relationship between light and solid shape, set within a remote Scottish bothy. In March, Sam held his homecoming show when he brought his work back to Bankside with his first London exhibition at the HWCD Gallery on Bear Lane. This new venture has undoubtedly set up another exciting journey for a talented local lad.

Sam Dransfield Photography
w: www.samdransfield.com
e: samdransfield@mac.com

Also from this Edition:
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  • RELAX: Mediterranean Style Southbank, the Summer and Studio 6
  • RUINS to Relics Breathing new life into unwanted waste
  • PARK Life The changing cultural past-times in London's many and varied public spaces
  • Bermondsey BOY The faraway photography of local lad Sam Dransfield
  • LIVE... Off West End Another look at some of the talent and less well-known venues that don't attract all the big names but do deliver an equally exciting evening of entertainment
  • Off West End - 3 Reviews
  • MAGIC in the Air
  • YOU STOLE My Heart Summer Poetry in The RIVER
  • CREATIVE Writing 2014 Calling all poets and story-tellers of London; we will read, print and reward our favourites
  • High INTENSITY Christian Thomson explains how to get into shape quickly this summer
  • Summer GLOW The alternative ways of getting that healthy summer-look
  • HEALTH Report
  • SPOTLIGHT Property ARCHES and Cloisters
  • A Picture of KENNINGTON A profile of an often over-looked corner of town
  • BOUTIQUE Luxury Apartments Modernisation with soul

	
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