Parrworld

The photographs Parr made for this series were presented at the Museum in context with Parr’s wider research –in particular his collection of important photographic and photography-related works. This presentation, comprised of postcards, photographic objects, photo-books and photographs, established a layered and vernacular reading of modern British photographic practice and the cultural artefacts manufactured to coincide with key events in British modern history ( the Miners strike and the Gulf War for example). Parr’s research into the cultural preoccupations of the British –and their representation through modern practices, has had a profound and international influence on the course of the medium. He has become a key advisor to museums and private galleries and his contribution to the understanding of the use of photography in contemporary practice, through his sustained research and collecting, has been a substantial influence. The work Parr has collected was shown as two extensive publications –Objects and Postcards and each consolidated aspects of new and important knowledge about the use of photography in modern British History. It examined the proliferation of printing techniques and the ‘application’ of photographs to objects and further established our understanding of the use of photography in merchandising at key cultural, political and social events in 20th century history. It also examined the recording of leisure and the development of leisure destinations in Britain and their recording through photographic postcards.The exhibition moved forward from the Haus der Kunst to the Graphic Design Museum, (Breda); the Jeu de Paume (Paris) and the Baltic Museum (Gateshead). The show was presented in a further exhibition at Dox Museum, Prague. Such was the significance of the material Parr had researched and collected, the Objects went forward to be exhibited at the CCCB Barcelona and were presented at the Swiss Museum of Design (Zurich) in 2013.