Peter Fraser

Peter Fraser (b. 1953) is a photographer who creates his work from everyday objects that he finds. @tate (2013) describes his work as revealing incidental beauty and strangeness in the world and identify recurring themes of things and their status, and journeys and narrative.

Fraser in an interview with Sarah Phillips (2012) describes the importance of small things and objects that he photographs close up. ‘I think small things are really important, not least because everything in the universe is made up of matter to small we can’t see it with the naked eye. I almost never interfere with my subjects: there are mysterious forces at work in the world and they know, better than I do, how things should be placed.’

Looking at Fraser’s work, in the series Material 2002, Fraser states that he is using photography to investigate the ‘physical substance of the world’. This series finds beauty, colour, detail, and patterns in the most unlikely objects, things that usually would not get a second glance. Though the images are photographed in the way they were found, the images are carefully lit, and well composed.

Everyday Icons 1986, are images taken on short walks over an eighteen month period. The images include, two blue buckets, an open empty locker, an empty hay net, washing hanging on the line with snow on the ground, a suitcase up on on a train luggage rack, an empty playground. Viewed as a series, the absence of people combined with the every day objects create a feeling of being removed from reality or a sense of time. As with Material, the composition of the images draws out lines, patterns and shapes. The use of colour is striking in the way that images have a limited colour palette, which works effectively. For example, the different shades of pink of the washing hanging in a snowy garden, or the the brightness of the dark red suitcase against the grey of the train.

Fraser, identified the image below as his best photograph (Philips, 2012). It is an excellent example showing his approach to colour, light, and composition to create a memorable image. At that time he had been very focussed on how humans had affected nearly everything on earth and found this as a timely example. He describes the moment he discovered it. ‘There I saw, illuminated by intense sunlight pouring through a small window, a polystyrene cup with cocktail sticks poked through it – an exquisite example of the brain directing the hand to change the nature of materials.’ (Philips, 2012)

These are images that are worthy of closer study. Fraser’s unique view of the world creates images that are thought provoking and memorable

References

@TATE. 2020. Peter Fraser – Exhibition at Tate St Ives | Tate [Online]. @tate. Available: https://www.tate.org.uk/whats-on/tate-st-ives/exhibition/peter-fraser [Accessed 2 Jan 2020].

Aesthetica Magazine, 2013. Review of Peter Fraser at Tate St Ives [Online]. @AestheticaMag. Available: /peter-fraser-at-tate-st-ives/ [Accessed 2 Jan 2020].

Everyday Icons 1986, (n.d.). Peter Fraser [Online]. Available: https://www.peterfraser.net/projects/everyday-icons-1986/[Accessed 2 Jan 2020].

Material 2002, (n.d). Peter Fraser [Online]. Available: https://www.peterfraser.net/projects/material-2002/ [Accessed 2 Jan 2020].

PHILLIPS, S. 2012. Peter Fraser’s best photograph [Online]. @guardian. Available: http://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2012/jun/13/photographer-peter-fraser-best-shot [Accessed 2 Jan 2020].