Robert Darch

I am an Artist Photographer based in the South West of England.

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The Island | Robert Darch

The Island is a poetic series of photographs made in response to Britain’s vote to leave the European Union. The vote has divided the country, families and friends and instigated an underlying state of tension which has pervaded every aspect of daily life.

The island reflects the current political uncertainty about the future of this country and expresses my anxieties, hopes and fears about a decision that will affect generations for years to come.

There is an overriding sense of melancholy within the series emphasised by the bleak monochrome imagery and cold winter light, shifting from dark corners, intimate portraits, misty landscapes and isolated figures. There is an unreality to The Island, a dreamlike quality that reflects the surreality of the current political landscape.

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book - Rob has recently self-published the series as a wonderful, tritone printed photobook… highly recommend grabbing a copy as Rob’s previous two titles sold out quickly! Check out some spreads and images of the book below…

All images & text © Robert Darch

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My New book, The Island is now available to Pre-order at a special price of £25! All pre-order books will be signed.

https://www.robertdarch.com/shop

Shop for Robert Darch - Artist-Photographer

“How can photography negotiate a world where reality has become odder than fiction? Darch’s latest series, The Island, provides an answer. Landscapes and portraits together capture a country racked with tension. They are shot in black-and-white, and suffused with an almost palpable melancholy. There are mist-shrouded coves, murky hills and forlorn trees. The sea, emblematic of Britain’s decision to detach itself from its neighbours, is a persistent and forbidding presence.” British Journal of Photography

By supporting the book now it really helps me to cover some of the production costs and you benefit by getting a reduced price. Once the book is released, the prices will increase gradually.

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Another image from the archive. I first discovered this abandoned house on one of my summer evening walks, with Macula, a group I used to run for young photographers. One of them spotted its roof, way down in the valley surronded by dense woodland and undergrowth. I took me several hours of battling through the brambles (a few days later) to find it, all but hidden until you were close to it. I have since returned several times to photograph the building. On this occasion with a friend for an editorial piece about exploring abandoned buildings. I couldn’t find any history about the house, but it seems unbelievable that it was left to decay, being in a really sought after area on the edge of Exeter. It has since been boarded up, so it’s not possible to get inside. #House #Old #RuralArea #abandoned #landscape__photography #Devon

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📚From our personal collection:

Vale by Robert Darch - Lido Books, 2021

PHOTOBOOKJUNKIES

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Resurrected from the digital graveyard. Back on Tumblr.

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Photoworks - The Moor

My series The Moor has been showcased on the Photoworks website in conjunction with the Photograd ‘Superstition’ competition. 

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New Contemporaries Series - Max Ferguson

I invited Max Ferguson the founder editor of Splash & Grab magazine to come and talk to the students as part of the New Contemporaries series. Max gave a really inspiring talk, initially discussing his last major body of photographic work, the poignant‘ WE ARE RWANDAN ‘, which examined the lasting effects of the genocide in 1994. After which he explained how over the last few years his focus had been on publishing, initiating Splash & Grab Magazine with a collective of former UWE students. He discussed the difficulties of publishing, the importance of social media and how creating Splash & Grab had opened up lots of opportunities for him, including working at the FT magazine. His talk was thoughtful, considered and inspiring and hopefully it has left a lasting impression on the students. 

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New Contemporaries

David Chandler asked me to curate a series of talks for Plymouth University to run on consecutive Wednesdays in March. The First talk on Wednesday was by Lola Paprocka.  Lola set up and runs Palm Studios which showcases photographers and artists through creative projects, online features, exhibitions, events and has its own publishing house and distribution called Palm. Lola gave an open and honest talk to the students about her photographic work, setting up Palm and working with the Independent Photography Festival. She discussed the importance of being proactive and how collaboration with groups and individuals can be really productive. One of my aims for the series was to invite some speakers that the younger students would be able to relate too. So it was great to get some feedback from a student that she really engaged with Lola’s talk because she could relate to her experiences and she also found it helpful that Lola explained how she made work.

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Rural Deep

I was extremely honoured to talk alongside Swiss photographer Anne Golaz as part of a dialogue day, ‘Rural Deep’ at Plymouth University. It was interesting to see the similarities in our practices and also the distinctions between our methods of working. 

‘Rural Deep will feature presentations by two photographic artists whose recent work is concerned with the evolving relationships between people and rural environments in very distinctive, localised contexts in Europe. Combining and juxtaposing different photographic registers in their work, both artists disrupt conventional documentary models to construct new ways of seeing and imagining rural experience. Their rural scenes shift between dark mystery and sunlit pastoral, between the sublime and the banal. Tradition and modernity are often awkwardly aligned, and quotidian reality is undercut by elements of fictional narrative, ambiguity and the absurd. In their different ways, Anne Golaz and Robert Darch present multi-textural visions of rural life, in which age-old rhythms and rituals have taken on new and often surprising meanings and associations.’  David Chandler

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Some of my work from the project, ‘The Moor’ is featured on the Source Graduate site.

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I have been selected to take part in ‘Beyond The Camera’, an exhibition showcasing the best UK graduate photography at the Pingyao International Photography Festival in China.

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At Gary Fabian Millers Studio with MA Group, Plymouth 

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At Gary Fabian Millers Studio with MA Group, Plymouth University

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Another superb Photography Symposium at Plymouth University. My talented girlfriend was one of the speakers, and we were lucky enough to have Ron Jude with us the following day in a Masters session.