Nearly fourteen years ago the great American photographer Lee Friedlander wrote:

“I would say they are as good a set of pictures that one sees every five or ten years, if you’re lucky. They are just plain fine, moving photographs.”

The ‘set of pictures’ to which Friedlander refers is what became known as All Zones Off Peak and formed the first major show in this country for photographer Tom Wood. The exhibition launched at the Museum of Modern Art Oxford and travelled to the Open Eye Gallery on Wood Street in October 1998. Here it was reviewed for Frieze magazine by the artist Padraig Timoney who subsequently became Tom’s collaborator on the exhibition and publication Photieman.

Tom Wood had moved to Merseyside in 1978 shortly after the launch of Liverpool’s Open Eye Gallery and showed here several times during the 1980s. His exhibition history at the gallery is intertwined with that of Martin Parr. In 1983 Tom’s images for the Liverpool Free Studio showed immediately after Martin Parr’s Bad Weather. In the summer of 1984 Wood and Parr each had work in the group show Parks and Gardens by which time Martin Parr had himself moved to Merseyside.

In the winter of 1985, under the directorship of Neil Burgess (later to become head of Magnum’s London office), the gallery showcased the work of Wood and Parr in a joint exhibition of colour photographs of the seaside town New Brighton. For this show both photographers adopted a distinct style of display that perhaps reflected their different education and training: Tom Wood was originally a painter with a background in Fine Art. Titled The Last Resort this collaboration was a significant exhibition perhaps more obviously for Parr whose landmark book of the same name (1986) came to signify a turning point in British colour photography.

Tom Wood and Martin Parr’s The Last Resort will receive an opportunity for reappraisal during May and June this year when it returns for exhibition to the Third Floor Gallery in Cardiff. Opened in 2010 the Third Floor’s style has grown out of its ability to develop photographic exhibitions to a high standard but with no funding other than donations. Joni Karanka and his team have attracted top name photographers, developed innovative styles of curatorship, and produced high quality prints in partnership with Newport University’s School of Film, Photography and Digital Media. This is not anticipated to be a recreation of the Open Eye exhibition but instead a show of approximately 15 prints by each photographer displayed in the gallery style.

In 2010 the photographer Simon Roberts began his blog on Tom Wood with the opening lines:

“I recently asked a curator friend who they thought was one of the most important photographers working in Britain over the past twenty years, whose work has not received the recognition it deserves. The curator’s unequivocal response was Tom Wood.”

This latter observation reveals an anxiety that may soon be assuaged since this year is expected to mark a turning point for Tom Wood with a series of exhibitions due to take place across Britain at a range of institutions starting with the Third Floor Gallery’s The Last Resort. It is doubtful however if these long-awaited amendments to British photographic history can cover a fraction of the plethora of work by a man who is an obsessive picture maker.

Julia Garcia
Archive Assistant
Open Eye Gallery

Martin Parr and Tom Wood: The Last Resort
Third Floor Gallery, Cardiff
5 May 2012 – 17 June 2012
Opening night preview: Friday, 4 May, 7pm
www.thirdfloorgallery.com

To celebrate we’ve got some special offers available in our shop – both in store and online.

Online
Get a free Open Eye Gallery notebook with any purchase over £10 in our fancy new online shop. When we send out your purchase we’ll include one of our specially-made notebooks.

In store
Buy any Impossible Project camera and get 10% off your first pack of film.

All offers available from 4 to 31 May 2012.

New in

50/50 pencil crayons
When does 12 actually equal 24? With these two-tone, double ended colouring pencils, which means 24 great colours out of 12 pencils in a smart tin.
£7.50

5-minute fold ups
The art of paper folding, in five minutes! This pack contains instructions and 30 sheets of coloured origami paper showing you how to fold and create eight funny origami faces, with eye stickers to complete the look.
£3.95

Animal crayons
Monkey, chicken, rabbit, bear and owl-shaped plastic crayons, for smooth rich colours and clean hands. 12 fabulous colours for creative moments.
£6.00

Coming soon

LomoKino camera
We’re excited to be stocking the LomoKino in our shop. It’s an analogue movie camera that opens up a whole new direction and a world of creative possibilities, bringing the unpredictable and original qualities of analogue photography back into moviemaking. Simple to use and perfect for analogue experimentation, we’ll announce on Facebook and Twitter when it’s available to buy in our shop.

What they say:

“Richard & Famous is a show that touches on celebrity culture and its psychic fallout.”
- Sean O’Hagan, The Observer

“The collection is not only a pictorial Who’s Who and a testimony to dogged determination but also a documentation of the changing effects of time…”
– Laura Davies, Daily Post

“Lueck’s pictures drip with joy, wit, nostalgia and a tinge of sadness.”
- AnOther Magazine

“[Simpkin's] unusual odyssey is a weird piece of bizarre, engaging, amusing and touching art.” – Sevenstreets

“Richard & Famous @OpenEyeGallery is a great way to spend a Saturday afternoon.”
-(via Twitter)

“It’s one heck of a commission – a large, interesting outdoor wall space at a newly-opened gallery, and fortunately S Mark Gubb has risen to the challenge..”
- It’s Nice That

Opening 30 March our next exhibitions include the UK premier of Richard Mosse’s Infra, Simon Norfolk’s seminal project For Most Of It I Have No Words and a new Wall Work commission for our external façade by Liverpool artist Emily Speed.

Sign-up to our e-newsletter to keep up with our changing programme, receive invitations to previews and special offers in our shop.

You can also get live updates from the gallery on Twitter and Facebook.

NEW IN

La Sardina – Domino edition
Say hello to the La Sardina 35mm camera; an entirely fresh analogue wide-angle camera from Lomography that channels the design of the humble sardine can. Designed by Lomographers for Lomographers and super-easy to use, it’s all about maximum creativity and capturing great shots quickly.

Features:
1. An awesome 22mm wide-angle plastic lens
2. MX switch and rewind knob – multiple exposures have never been so easy!
3. Two simple-to-use focusing settings
4. Bulb setting for long exposures
5. Fresh, stand out black and white design!

£55.00

Camera pen
A retractable ballpoint pen topped its own flashing camera, great for playing 007 or writing things down. Press the shutter for a flash and sound effects.
(Available with black ink)

£4.50

Lomography button set
Stay classy with a fun and cool shutter button badge set from the folks at Lomography

£2.60

MOTHER’S DAT GIFT GUIDE
Treat the special lady in your life to something lovely…

Cable photo holders
Need the perfect place for your Mum to hang those embarrassing baby photos? Maybe not, but let her photographs shine by putting a personal photo gallery on display anywhere she likes. Our photo/card holder hangs up to eight photos on a weighted steel cable. The photos adhere with the 8 Neodmyium magnets included.
Available in black, blue, and white.

£6.00

Greetings cards by Yellow Owl Workshop
Yellow Owl Workshop (San Francisco) endeavors to create the most eco-lovin’ products. Each screen-printed card is expertly crafted by hand .

Various designs £2.50

Keep Cups
Buy your busy mum a coffee…in a cup she can keep. Exclusive to Open Eye Gallery, these Keep Cups are barista standard because they replicate standard takeaway sizes and fit under the group heads of most espresso machines. Lightweight and easy to carry, Keep Cups are are BPA free, non-toxic, dishwasher safe, microwaveable and splash-proof.

8oz £8.00
12oz £10.00

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KeepCup 

When we launched the new look website we had great feedback saying how colourful it was, taking that on board we’ve designed custom KeepCups in Open Eye Gallery colours.

The size and height of a throwaway cup from your favourite coffee shop, KeepsCups are

special barista standard re-usable cups. You can use your cup again and again, reducing landfill with a BPA free alternative to disposables.

Take a re-usable cup to any Starbucks in the UK for 30p off the price of a hot drink. Use your KeepCup at our local Starbucks Mann Island for an extra 10% off.*

Available in two sizes:
8oz £8.00
12oz £10.00

(As seen in The Observer)

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Martin Parr books

Our book selection is growing and we have great offers on books relating to our Painted Photographs exhibition . Buy one of these books during the exhibition for a special discount (until 18 March):

Martin Parr Postcards
RRP £29.95 Exhibition offer price £16.00

Martin Parr From Our House to Your House
RRP £10.99 Exhibition offer price £6.00

News Art: Manipulated Photographs from the Burns Archive
RRP £31.99 Exhibition offer price £20.00

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Lomography film

Lomography film is one of our best sellers and has flown off the shelves since we opened. We’ve replenished our stocks with two new Lomo films, perfect for use with the 35mm cameras we have in store:

Colour Negative 400 ASA
3 pack £8.50

Quick shutters, small apertures, fast subjects, and low lights call for film that’s a little faster than your standard ISO 100 contender. We’ve got it covered with Lomography’s own 400 Color Negative 35mm film which doesn’t sacrifice great colours or effects for a little extra speed.
Earl Grey B & W 100 ASA
3 pack £13.00

Earl Grey is ready to give your 35mm images a timeless appeal. Your subjects are captured in moody blacks, stark whites, and all kinds of greys in between. Whether you’re taking landscapes or portraits, you will get jaw-dropping results with Earl Grey’s super-fine grain and wide tonal range.

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We also have notebooks made from 100% recycled materials as well as Open Eye Gallery t-shirts, gifts and cards.

If you have a product request or shop query email laura@openeye.org.uk

*Starbucks Offer: 30p + an extra 10% off your first purchase of a hot drink at Starbucks Euro Garages, Mann Island, Liverpool, Merseyside L3 1DG. Subject to presentation of a KeepCup and receipt from the Open Eye Gallery shop.

We picked one out for each photographer and scrambled (gracefully) after them in the midst of a press day:

Q. Simone Lueck, if you were to dress up as a fantasy persona like the ones in your pictures, who would you be?

SL: Ah, good question, I haven’t been asked that one before! I don’t know. Actually, we did a video trailer to invite people to the book launch for my other project, Cuba TV. I dressed up in this big blonde wig, really over exaggerated make-up and leopard print pants too. It was a lot of fun. I would say my fantasy character would be a soap star.

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Q. Martin Parr, I would love to know how you remain inconspicuous while photographing people and situations?

MP: I just appear confident, and this seems to work. I also use body language sometimes to give the impression I am interested in something else!

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Q. Richard Simpkin, if you could choose one photograph from the ‘Richard and Famous’ collection for people to remember you by (as a photographer), which photograph would you choose and why?

RS: Don Bradman. It’s the rarest photo, not many people have it. Even though Martin Parr doesn’t know even know who he is.

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We’ve had some great feedback that some of you would like recorded interviews or videos, so we’re working on it!

The catch? Like us Facebook and share* this status , or follow us @OpenEyeGallery on Twitter and retweet our giveaway tweet by midnight 31 December 2011.

In 2012 we’ll offer a wide programme of free and ticketed events including curators talks, artists conversations, workshops, breakfasts and more.

We’re a charity so purchasing tickets to our paid-for events supports our running costs and keeps our free events free.

The Golden Ticket winner will be announced on New Years Day, 1 January 2012.

The winner will receive free entry for 1 x person to every ticketed talk here at Open Eye Gallery in 2012. The prize is non-transferable and does not include workshops or private events. The winner will be contacted via Twitter or Facebook and will need to confirm their details via email with 48 hours of notification or a new winner will be drawn.

*New to sharing on Facebook? Click share at the bottom of the link and you can post our status to your own wall!

Our Christmas decorations are up and we’re feeling festive. To celebrate we’re offering 20% off Open Eye Gallery notebooks, t-shirts and exhibition posters and 10% off everything else in store. So while you’re doing your shopping in Liverpool One, pop down and have a look.

If you fancy one of everything, we’ve put together some money-saving bundles containing our favourite items:

Stocking filler 
Retro flashing camera key-ring + Open Eye notebook OR Exhibition Poster £5

Fill your stockings to the brim with one of our mini retro flashing camera key-rings AND one of three limited run exhibition posters OR one of our 100% recycled A6 notepads, printed with the dark room mantra Develop, Stop, Fix.

Secret Santa
Santa is a secretive fella, he knows who has been good and bad and has to hide the mince pies somewhere.

Pring’s Photographer’s Miscellany book + Open Eye notebook £10
Beautifully illustrated Pring’s Photographer’s Miscellany is the book for photographers and photography lovers alike, full of old time illustrations and bound in handsome textured paper this book is a steal, plus we’re throwing in a 100% recycled Develop, Stop, Fix notebook to sweeten the deal.

Gorilla Pod + Open Eye notebook £20
Pushing the boat out a bit further? Go wild with a Gorilla Pod, these little guys act as your mobile photography buddy. Wrapping around virtually anything or behaving themselves acting as a normal tripod these can help you get a steady shot anywhere, and again you get a 100% recycled Develop, Stop, Fix Notebook.

Biblio bundle
How to Read a Photograph + 1 Open Eye event ticket £40
Ian Jeffrey’s How to Read a Photograph is an informative guide for any lover or student of photography add into this a ticket to a talk in 2012 and you have the perfect gift for the bookish photo enthusiast.

The Absolute Bundle
Polaroid Land Camera + film + Boring Postcards book £100

As a super nice deal we’re doing our usual £100 Impossible Project re-furbished Polaroid Land Camera + film deal and adding in a free copy of Martin Parr’s Boring Postcards. Absolutely amazing!

As the year draws to a close we would like to say a big thanks to all the customers who’ve shopped with us since the re-launch, your support means a lot and as a non-profit charity, your purchases contribute to running Open Eye Gallery.

In 2012 we’re launching an online shop where you can purchase all of our in store products and event tickets.

Take a behind-the-scenes look at our opening week and find out more about the inspiration behind the work of some of our exhibiting artists Mitch Epstein, Chris Steele-Perkins and S Mark Gubb.

Alexei also interviewed Open Eye’s Director, Patrick Henry, and Curator, Karen Newman, to discover more about our new space and Archive of photographs, and met up with Martin Parr to find out about his relationship with the gallery.

We’re using the wall – made out of Corian® - for a series of artworks. The first is Good Sailing… by Cardiff-based artist S Mark Gubb, based on dazzle camouflage and the last words of revolutionary American poet, natural scientist and historian Henry David Thoreau.

Our intrepid Exhibitions Intern Thomas spent a cold, grey day at the beginning of November photographing Jane and the team from Signs 2000, capturing Liverpool’s largest jigsaw puzzle going up on the wall!