New Photographic Exhibition at the Colour Factory Gallery

The Colour Factory Gallery’s next exhibition opening is on Tuesday the 30th of March from 6 – 8pm.

Lizzie Hollins
200 Million and Counting
The Colour Factory Gallery

Exhibition runs from March 30-April 30, 2010

200 Million & Counting explores the dynamic of the mass crowd, tourism, consumption, global attraction and narrative there within.

The work is removed from its subjects via distance and by doing so allows the viewer to see within an image the greater narrative and interaction going on within these groupings of people. Abstracted by distance, this ‘birds eye view’ creates intriguing aesthetic patterns.

It’s interesting how monuments, structures, buildings and places of significance in general, can reach such global celebrity status that year round people from far and wide are drawn to them, if only for half an hour, to have a look about, tick an invisible box, get a snap shot and then leave.

Then there are the enthralling items that a large number of people obtain before jet-setting, which are generally considered to aid the hardcore tourist and assist in such box ticking activities. Such as the TEVA or Reef sandal, the fanny-pack or bum bag, the coin-belt, the Legionnaires cap or at extremes, colour coordinated outfits to ensure you don’t loose your significant other.

I’m continually fascinated by the excesses and motivations behind the tourist dollar.

This work was produced in Europe. In contrast to the east, where I have also spent time documenting tourism – observing and trying to understand the way in which economic infrastructure has cleaved to the influx of such a rapidly developing industry – its fascinating to observe and compare the differentiating effects tourism has had economically & culturally.