On 10th May 2018 we had the privilege of John Spinks coming in to talk at uni about how he got into photography and mainly about his landscape project called 'The New Village'. Spinks comes from a family with zero photographic background but rather got into photography by finding solace in the abandoned darkroom of his secondary school. Here is where he became fascinated with the equipment and chemicals used to develop the film photos. After moving to an arts school Spinks was shown books by Josef Koudelka and Chris Killip which ultimately inspired him to study and become engrossed in photography.
At the age 18 Spinks first started his project now known as 'The New Village' after being told by a school teacher to photograph the village he lived in. Using a 5x4 film camera Spinks attempted to photograph his village but struggled and ended up abandoning the project after only getting one photo he thought to be good enough. However, the idea of this project still stuck with him. Later on in his life Spinks was asked to carry on his village project for a fellow artist which was only meant to take 2 years but in fact went on for several until he came to a stop again. Later on Spinks went to study an MA in photography at Plymouth uni alongside Jem Southam where he was told to read the book 'The Green Child' by Herbert Read where he realised how much inspiration he gains from literature rather than photography itself. After reading this book, alongside a trip to Oslo to visit his heroin addicted brother in law Spinks realised how every individual views the world in different way, therefore he decided to pick the village project back up again. (Bare in mind throughout all these years Spinks would actively go back to the village constantly to create photos.) Here is where he decided to pick up a 10x8 camera and document his village in terms of how it felt rather than what it looked like, here Spinks said 'the photos are fiction based on childhood memory'. Throughout this final leg of the project Spinks explained how some days he found it hard to stay motivated and go out to take photos but would recite the saying 'if you go out you will be rewarded' and that he was, after he believed this project had run it's course he was able to get it published in 2017.
I found this talk to be particularly inspiring and some what emotional as Spinks spoke so deeply about a project close to his heart which was created throughout his whole life, a concept some may struggle to envisage. John was able to engage us and make us feel as though we had travelled with him on this journey of discovery and experience the life he did, which at times was not the best, leaving all the students emotionally drained by the end, in the best way possible!!