Exercise – Peter Dench

I wrote about Peter Dench when looking at the concept of mirrors and windows as part of Identity & Place. My post can be read here. When looking at Dench’s work in terms of surrealism I think the term is used to mean strange or incongruous.

LONDON, ENGLAND – APRIL 22: A fenced off picnic table in a recreational space on April 22, 2020 in London, England. Taped-off benches and other “social distancing” markers have become common features across the capital, after more than a month of quarantine measures to slow the spread of COVID-19. (Photo by Peter Dench/Getty Images)

In the above image from his series the tale of the tape what makes the image surreal is the idea that an ordinary table is fenced off or imprisoned. It asks questions of the viewer, why is it out of bounds, is it to protect people from the table or the table from people?

LONDON, ENGLAND – APRIL 22: A fenced-off ping pong table in Priory Park on April 22, 2020 in London, England. Taped-off benches and other “social distancing” markers have become common features across the capital, after more than a month of quarantine measures to slow the spread of COVID-19. (Photo by Peter Dench/Getty Images)

The same it true of this table-tennis table. What is it about these seemingly harmless objects that they need a barrier errected around them.

In the image below from the series sun, sea and covid-19, Dench uses the inconguity to create an image with a surrealist element.

BOURNEMOUTH, UNITED KINGDOM – JUNE 25: Police on patrol at Bournemouth beach on June 25,2020 in Bournemouth, England. A major incident was declared after thousands of people defied advice to stay away and descended on Bournemouth beach on the hottest day of the year so far. Services were overstretched as visitors arrived in large volumes, with Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council issuing a record 558 parking enforcement fines. (Photo by Peter Dench/Getty Images)

The police in their long trousers, heavy boots and hi-vis jackets are somewhat incongruous when photographed with the scores of people in swimwear or stripped to the waist.

I emailed Peter Dench and asked him if he thought his work was surrealist in any way, and if not what his visual and concentpual strategy was, and he replied:

‘I wouldn’t consider my work surrealist. Perhaps some might see it as hyper-real due to the often bright saturated colours, which is a combination of sunshine and flash rather than post-production. Working as a photojournalist, my strategy is to capture a bright, clean, truthful representation of what I’m seeing as swiftly and fuss-free as possible.’ 

Peter Dench

Although some of Peter Dench’s work could be viewed as containing surrealist elements or having a surrealist approach, it is clear from Peter’s response that this in not his intention. I think part of his skill is being able to capture scenes that can be thought of as surreal but which are in fact just a record of events, albeit ones that maybe somewhat unusual.

Header image: © Peter Dench

Sources

Pictures and Photos – Getty Images (s.d.) At: https://www.gettyimages.co.uk/search/2/image?events=775507257&family=editorial&sort=best#license (Accessed 23/02/2021).

Pictures and Photos – Getty Images (s.d.) At: https://www.gettyimages.co.uk/search/2/image?events=775578840&family=editorial&sort=newest#license (Accessed 23/02/2021).

System, N. S. C. M. (s.d.) intro. At: http://www.peterdench.com/ (Accessed 23/02/2021).