Karen Knorr: Belgravia 1979–81 and Gentlemen 1981–83

This exhibition displays two series of work by Karen Knorr. One series is Belgravia 1979-81 where she has combined photographs and text to explore the aspirations and lifestyle of a privileged group of people living in one of the most wealthy areas of London. Knorr explains that you cannot understand the meaning of the work in either the images or the text but instead the only meaning that can be given to this piece of work is through individual interpretations. Therefore every individual creates a new meaning for this series of photographs depending on how they read the images and texts together. 

In the second series Gentlemen 1981-83 Knorr also uses the combination of images and text, this time she is trying to examine the patriarchal values of the English upper classes. The photographs were taken in gentlemen's clubs in central London which are members only private clubs of a type usually influenced by politics and business originally set up by and for British upper class men. She uses humours text to highlight the some traditionalists views on these clubs as they didn't give full membership to just anyone especially the poor and even women. 

I like the idea of series of work not having a revealed meaning but instead one hidden or even work that does not even have one meaning but instead loads of meanings which change by each individual that looks at the work. Photography should be able to speak a thousand words as well as additional text each person should be able to read something different from a group of images. 

In the exhibition the two series was not clearly distinguished which images belonged to which series apart from small text boxes. I can understand why Knorr grouped both pieces of work together as they both combine texts and images but there themes are completely different there for they should have been clearly group according to series. 

I have recently done a series of work called "Objects Speak a Thousand Words" where I take portraits of people holding something of a loved one that has passed away. I take the photographs on polaroids so that they are instant, then I ask the participant to write below the image a word or phrase that reminds them of the person who's belonging they are holding or write down an emotion that they feel. From the images themselves they just look like portraits but to create a meaning in this series of work, it's what they are holding and the text that explains what the series is about.