The Bigger Picture exhibition launch party, Flaere Gallery

posted by David Brownlie-Marshall | March 7, 2012 | In Art & Design

A collaboration between a writer and a photographer that demonstrates how two perspectives and two media tell a different story from the same scene – and how together they make the narrative so much the richer.

Photographer Tom Craig and renowned critic and writer A.A. Gill have travelled together across four continents – from the beaches of Turkey to the glaciers of Greenland – on assignments over the past eight years. Last night, Flaere Gallery brought together the result of this unique partnership: a new exhibition entitled The Bigger Picture, which consists of 20 unseen photographs, each accompanied by a detailed caption written by Gill.

Amongst the many Cork Street galleries hosting events on Tuesday evening, Flaere could be easily identified by the steamed up windows and DJ on the decks. Once we made it past the strict door girls, we spotted Jeremy Clarkson, Nicky Haslam and Dougray Scott.

In galleries, photographs are traditionally shown without accompanying text, as it’s widely accepted that they should have the ability to stand alone without any explanation or description. What I found happening in this instance however, was that the additional text offers an additional layer and insight into what is being viewed.

There is one image in particular which, at first glance, shows the red hues of a sunset in a still white sea with the outline of an iceberg in the distance. It is a calm and peaceful image which reflects perfect stillness. The twist comes when you read the description, and it emerges that the red glow coming from the water is actually the blood of a seal. Another shows a group of men sitting by a lake, on further inspection, personal tales of the men emerge in the text, adding a whole new perspective to the piece.

Gill’s association to the Sunday Times Magazine, and Craig’s to Vogue magazine has meant that the exhibition has been the benefactor of wide ranging and well received coverage. I’ve always been a believer that if you’re good with words you can go far, and this collaboration proves that while an image may be worth a thousand words, a thousand words alongside can be worth so much more.

The Bigger Picture is on display from now until Saturday March 10 at the Flaere Gallery, 28 Cork Street, London W1S 3NG.

Tom Craig and A.A. Gill were recently involved in a fascinating discussion at London’s Frontline Club, which provided some fascinating insights into the project: