Robert Barry

Deconstructing The Urban Landscape

I photograph for pleasure and edification.

I am fascinated by the state of the urban landscape. On my treasure hunting shoots, I respond to visual and emotional stimuli, and fundamentals like light, color, and spatial relationships. My interest is affected by multiple factors including: architecture, culture, demographics, urban decay and redevelopment. The methods employed in these areas to decorate, beautify, honor, and message continually fill my compositions with exciting imagery. In recent years the phenomena of the ever-changing Paint-Tag-Paint cycle that appears on most city surfaces has attracted my eye.

To the casual passer-by the actual scenes that I photograph may not be, in and of themselves, exciting and emotive; just mundane. I attempt to hook into the essence of a place and give it a power, an importance and hopefully create an emotional connection with the viewer. All of these considerations are puzzled together to form a cohesive unit where the subject is the whole, the sum of its parts. The intention is to incorporate my expanding view of the world and art into the tangible pieces that I produce. Creating is a very high form of existence and I want to be producing important work enduringly.

I investigate the connection between how things appear in real life and the changes that occur in translation into photographic images. I spend a considerable amount of time ruminating over all the work I have gathered. Part of this is the judgement and editing cycle to choose what images move on and part is about the enigma of why some of the images don’t make the cut. I think I learn from this reflection. Once I determine the successes, the challenge is to shape the images into beautiful print presentations.

In 2023 in a life-changing diagnosis, I was informed that I had Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. (ALS). This explained years of symptoms that until then doctors did not know the cause. Since my diagnosis I have lost functions that I have taken for granted all my life. With ALS, I am more aware of every photograph that I create because of how difficult this disease has been to my body and wellbeing while racing with time .

Stress at times can be a positive creative force. The pressure we put on ourselves to produce transcendent work can be fruitful. The force of organizing and shaping our work puts emphasis on and focuses our attentions to improve our Art. I'm trying to re-remain positive through working on my art. I am not always successful but it’s work in progress.

Please enjoy my imagery.

Robert Barry