John CurnoDartmoor

John Curno was born in Plymouth in 1949 and from an early age became interested in photography through the work of Wynn Bullock, Paul Strand, Edward Weston and Walker Evans among others. He moved to York in 1977 to practice photography, a period when Impressions Gallery, founded by Andrew Sproxton and Val Williams, became a hub for British photography.

Soon after, Impressions commissioned Curno to photograph the North York Moors, supporting a productive time during his career. He returned to Devon in 1994 (with his family) and continued to develop his landscape photography work. He compares his series on the North York Moors with works made on Dartmoor, in which the latter ‘has a harsher beauty to it, more difficult to capture, this is Dartmoor in a different light and spirit, blending rocks, moor, fields and trees together in an abstract form, letting people see it as I often do. The altered landscapes of Dartmoor, the decay, death and rebirth of the moors interest me.’

After an initial introduction from Pete James, Head of Photographs at Birmingham Central Library, Fotonow CIC met with and became interested in Curno and his photographic archive. This culminated in publishing a significant book, It’s About Time, containing a selection of thirty-years of black & white photography, which stands as testament to decades of hard-work in studying distinct local and personal spaces through photography.

The physical exploration of landscape, through wandering, enables Curno both control and freedom in considering then composing his photographs. Images that not only describe, but reveal something about himself; through the mildly ironic and troubled silence, the peacefulness where subtle moments spark confusion, and perhaps where the landscape and its human influences begin to disturb.

In searching through Curno’s photographic archives, and specifically the Dartmoor work, Fotonow have been able

John CurnoDartmoor

to focus upon these ideas; narratives of a local landscape where Curno repeatedly returns, and is clearly a space for escape, to find some balance in life.

The images included in this publication, alongside those exhibited at Devon Rural Archive, reflect themes such as; the boundaries and furrows from the distant past, the quarries and work spaces that are now disused and abandoned and have become wild again, the timelessness and future uncertainty, the mystery and magic of the moor, the water giving life to the area. A glimpse at some of the thousands of photographs that Curno has made on Dartmoor over the years, as well as the large-scale works from Dartmoor Sensing, a series commissioned in 2002 by Nancy Sinclair of Aune Head Arts.

The aim in curating such an exhibition is perhaps to remind ourselves that there is value in sustained study, in using photography to document, reflect, and to unravel some of the thoughts that emerge as we experience the world.

Fotonow is a not-for-profit photographic organisation that aims to create new opportunities in photography and facilitate socially motivated projects exploring visual culture across the South West of England. Whether working to create employment for recent graduates or investing time into understanding the archives of established practitioners, the social enterprise hopes that photography can be better made sense of, how it function socially as well as economically, in appealing to larger audiences.

The sharing of Curno’s past Dartmoor work is the beginning of Fotonow investing in more rurally focused projects in the region. Having already established a strong identity in Plymouth for photographic initiatives the organisation aims to outreach to new communities, this will involve work in Princetown later in the year, so look out for more from Fotonow on Dartmoor in the future.

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FPUBLISHING

This publication coincided with an exhibition at Devon Rural Archive, Shilstone, Modbury, Devon, which was on display from the 15th July until 5th September 2013. Thanks to Nick White (for scanning negs), Abi Gray (at DRA) and Hilary.

Photographs © John Curno

No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise without the prior written permission of the publishers and copyright owners.

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DRAISBN: 978-1-908678-07-2