Description

Mark Power was inspired by the enigmatic British radio broadcast, the Shipping Forecast, to devote a series to landscapes of the imagination and romantic notions of Britain’s island status. The Forecast splits the waters of Western Europe into 31 sea areas encompassing the UK, from Dover to Southeast Iceland to German Bight. Over four years, Power traveled to each area. “While the forecast, or at least our version of it, uses words we understand, the actual meaning of each sentence remains elusive, unless of course your life depends upon it. I was looking for pictures that were visual metaphors for the spoken words,” he says.

German Bight: Thursday 24 August 1995. Northwesterly 4, backing southwesterly 5 or 6. Rain later. Good becoming moderate.

Now we can all take pictures, with varying degrees of ability, it's what we do with our cameras that counts

Mark Power
© Mark Power | Magnum Photos

Mark Power’s complex, meticulously crafted images – usually made with a large format camera – have earned him a reputation as one of the forerunners of British photography. He went to art school, a foundation course at Loughborough College of Art (1977-78) followed by a BA in Fine Art at Brighton Polytechnic (1978-81), specialising in painting and drawing in the landscape and liferoom.

He turned to photography in 1983, following a two-year trip exploring South-East Asia and Australia. Known for his seminal work exploring the far-flung locations esoterically described in the BBC’s iconic Shipping Forecast, Power has adeptly expressed the peculiarities of social culture in places as varied as Britain, Poland and America.

Power lives in Brighton, on the south coast of England. He joined Magnum Photos as a Nominee in 2002, and became a full Member in 2007.

© Mark Power | Magnum Photos

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