Robin Friend (born 1983) is a British-Australian photographer. His book ''Bastard Countryside'' (2018), brought together "15 years worth of exploration" the British Landscape with a

large format Large format refers to any imaging format of or larger. Large format is larger than "medium format", the or size of Hasselblad, Mamiya, Rollei, Kowa, and Pentax cameras (using 120- and 220-roll film), and much larger than the frame ...

view camera A view camera is a large-format camera in which the lens forms an inverted image on a ground-glass screen directly at the film plane. The image is viewed and then the glass screen is replaced with the film, and thus the film is exposed to exactly ...

. Included in this publication by ''Loose Joints'' is an essay the landscape writer Robert Macfarlane.

Life

Friend was born in

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

, UK, but from an early age lived in

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...

, Australia. He returned to live in England permanently with this family when he was 14. He went on to study photography at the

University of Plymouth The University of Plymouth is a public research university based predominantly in Plymouth, England, where the main campus is located, but the university has campuses and affiliated colleges across South West England. With students, it is the ...

and the

Royal College of Art The Royal College of Art (RCA) is a public research university in London, United Kingdom, with campuses in South Kensington, Battersea and White City. It is the only entirely postgraduate art and design university in the United Kingdom. It o ...

. He has two children with his partner Seren Colley and they live in the town of Lewes, East Sussex.

Work

Bastard Countryside

Robin Friend's ''Bastard Countryside'' is an amalgamation of 15 years worth of work, journeying across the English countryside. Originally made for separate, unrelated projects, the pictures that make up this extensive body of work in time fused together to form this single, more expansive project. Published by Loose Joints in 2018. The title, ''Bastard Countryside'', was a term first coined by French poet and novelist

Victor Hugo Victor-Marie Hugo (; 26 February 1802 – 22 May 1885) was a French Romantic writer and politician. During a literary career that spanned more than sixty years, he wrote in a variety of genres and forms. He is considered to be one of the great ...

Les Misérables ''Les Misérables'' ( , ) is a French historical novel by Victor Hugo, first published in 1862, that is considered one of the greatest novels of the 19th century. In the English-speaking world, the novel is usually referred to by its origin ...

whilst describing the "city of

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), ma ...

as an “amphibian”, stretching out into the countryside and devouring everything in its path", “somewhat ugly but bizarre, made up of two different natures.” The project deals with the idea of the collision of the human and non-human. Through the meticulous use of his 5x4

the photographs “are given heightened effect through exaggerations of colour and composition, embodying a friction between British pastoral ideals and present reality.” Within scenes that feel like traditional

landscapes A landscape is the visible features of an area of land, its landforms, and how they integrate with natural or man-made features, often considered in terms of their aesthetic appeal.''New Oxford American Dictionary''. A landscape includes the p ...

, our ideas of it are intruded, often by pollution, decay and

WWII World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

debris in this “mixed-up meeting-zone of rural and urban; where city frays into country." Friend says “I see it almost as an anxious nature. We're all anxious about what the future holds and I feel like that is inherent in a lot of the pictures. I think that you couldn't be a human without being worried about the kind of planet we're leaving to our children.”

Winged Bull in the Elephant Case

''Winged Bull in the Elephant Case'' “is an immersive performance for the screen about preserving our cultural heritage in the face of violence and aggression." At the start of the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...

, the

National Gallery The National Gallery is an art museum in Trafalgar Square in the City of Westminster, in Central London, England. Founded in 1824, it houses a collection of over 2,300 paintings dating from the mid-13th century to 1900. The current Director ...

's art collection was buried in the Manod slate mines in

Snowdonia Snowdonia or Eryri (), is a mountainous region in northwestern Wales and a national park of in area. It was the first to be designated of the three national parks in Wales, in 1951. Name and extent It was a commonly held belief that the na ...

for safe keeping. ''Winged Bull in the Elephant Case'' “dramatises the journey of a lost painting that takes human form, as it strives to get back to the gallery." This engaging piece combines various dance forms and was filmed underground in the

. The work features choreography by

Wayne McGregor Wayne McGregor, CBE (born 12 March 1970) is a multi award-winning British choreographer and director. He is the Artistic Director of Studio Wayne McGregor and Resident Choreographer of The Royal Ballet. McGregor was appointed Commander of the ...

, Charlotte Edmonds, Botis Seva and Bonetics, performed by Company Wayne McGregor,

Alessandra Ferri Alessandra Ferri OMRI (born 6 May 1963) is an Italian prima ballerina. She danced with the Royal Ballet (1980–1984), American Ballet Theatre (1985–2007) and La Scala Theatre Ballet (1992–2007) and as an international guest artist, before t ...

, Bonetics, and Far From The Norm. The production was written and directed by Robin Friend. He had his first solo show at the

of London in 2018. It coincided with a film piece called ''Winged Bull in the Elephant Case'' he wrote and directed, as a collaboration with the choreographer

. It told the story of the

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

when the galleries collection was hidden in a slate mine in

North Wales North Wales ( cy, Gogledd Cymru) is a region of Wales, encompassing its northernmost areas. It borders Mid Wales to the south, England to the east, and the Irish Sea to the north and west. The area is highly mountainous and rural, with Snowdonia N ...

. His ongoing project ''Bonfire Prayers'' explores what happens on Bonfire night in the town of Lewes, East Sussex. Commissions In 2011 he photographed 120 artists for the Thames & Hudson book ''Sanctuary: British Artists and their Studios''. The book was followed by ''Art Studio America'' in 2013, d documenting the private worlds of 115 Americant living artists.

Publications

Bastard Countryside – published by Loose Joints with an essay by Robert Macfarlane.

Awards

* 2019 Emerging Photographer Fund Finalist * 2018 Royal Photographic Society Environmental Bursary * 2016 Syngenta Award, Open winner * 2011 reGeneration Award * 2009 The Photographers Gallery Award * 2009 Winner, Merlin Entertainment/Tussaud's Award for Fine Art

Exhibitions

Solo exhibitions

* 2018 Manod: The Nation's Treasure Caves, National Gallery, London

Group exhibitions

* 2020 Festival ImageSingulières, Sete * 2019 The Summer Exhibition, Royal Academy of Arts, London * 2019 Royal Photographic Society International Photography Exhibition 161,

Bristol Bristol () is a city, ceremonial county and unitary authority in England. Situated on the River Avon, it is bordered by the ceremonial counties of Gloucestershire to the north and Somerset to the south. Bristol is the most populous city in ...

* 2017 Syngenta Award, Somerset House, London * 2016 The Summer Exhibition, Royal Academy of Arts, London * 2015 Demimonde, Amberwood House, London * 2015 The Summer Exhibition, Royal Academy of Arts, London * 2015 London's Burning, ICA, London * 2013 Rosphoto, Saint Petersburg * 2013 With Sorrow Snare, solo show, Zero10, London * 2012

Taylor Wessing Taylor Wessing LLP is an international law firm with 28 offices internationally. The firm has over 300 partners and over 1000 lawyers worldwide. The company was formed as a result of a merger of the British law firm ''Taylor Joynson Garrett'' a ...

, National Portrait Gallery, London * 2012 Immortal Nature, Edel Assanti, London * 2011 Ghosts & Nightmares, Historial de la Grande Guerre, Péronne * 2011 reGeneration,

Aperture In optics, an aperture is a hole or an opening through which light travels. More specifically, the aperture and focal length of an optical system determine the cone angle of a bundle of rays that come to a focus in the image plane. An ...

Gallery, New York * 2011 Spirit Level, Go Modern, London * 2010 reGeneration, Musee de l'Elysee, Lausanne

Collections

Friend's work is held in the: *

Martin Parr Foundation Martin Parr (born 23 May 1952) is a British documentary photographer, photojournalist and photobook collector. He is known for his photographic projects that take an intimate, satirical and anthropological look at aspects of modern life, in p ...

* Eisler Foundation

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Friend, Robin 1983 births Living people British photographers