TOM WOOD

The 31 predominantly color photographs offer an anthropological glimpseinto a world of youthful hopes and desires. In the dark of the dancefloor, women glitter, showing off their latest fashions: luxurious hairstylishly tussled, ‘dangly’ earrings, ‘plassie’ jewelry, and cosmeticssuggesting sexual excitement. Dressed in regular jeans and shirts, meneye up the girls and fuel on beer to find the courage to engage in thecourtship rituals of disco dancing. Appearing at the evenings’ onsetalmost like members of different species, the two sexes just discoverthemselves, the boys out for a ‘good time’, the girls for love and’meaningful relationships’, perhaps.

The photographs exude a raw vitality undercut by the artist’s approach to his subjects which is asrespectful as it is voyeuristic, as committed as it is ‘cold blooded’.Strangely silenced by the camera, every movement and every gesturebecomes stark and uncomfortable in the pictures’ shallow flashlightspace – a fascinating crush of booze drenched bodies, hands gropingbums, flickering tongues, bleary eyes, ‘fag’ smoke and sweat.

After moving to Merseyside in 1978, Wood started photographing the rundown seaside resort of New Brighton: the locals, people who came on daysout, families and the kids who would go to the amusements. Over theyears, he noticed that the moody children hanging around the arcadeswould disappear for a couple of years – too old to play the video games,they were now old enough to go to The Chelsea instead. Returning one ortwo nights a week, sometimes with prints from previous visits, Woodinserted himself in the club’s life. Unlike Nan Goldin who documents inher ongoing autobiographical project her own socio-economic group, Woodremained an attentive observer. Similar to Brassai who unveils in hisb/w photographs renegade Parisian nightlife in the 30’s, Wood’s workoffers neither social comment nor judgment. His thought provokingglimpses however invite us to think of ourselves rather than speculateabout the details of other’s lives.

Tom Wood was born in West Ireland in 1951. His photographs, which he has taken almost exclusivelyin Merseyside and Liverpool over the past 25 years, have become veryprominent over the past few years. Solo exhibitions include: Kunstverein Kassel (2002) and Suermondt-Ludwig-Museum Aachen (2001), both in Germany; Museum of Modern Art Oxford, UK (1998); Galerie du Jour Paris (1996), and International Center of Photography, New York (1996). Works have been included in shows at important venues such as Institute of Contemporary Art, London, where he was shortlisted for the Becks Futures Award (2002); Art Institute of Chicago (2001); Centre National de la Photographie, Paris (2000); and Victoria & Albert Museum, London (1995). His works are in the following collections (selection): Museum of Modern Art, New York; Art Institute of Chicago; International Center of Photography, New York; Victoria & Albert Museum and British Council, both in London. There are 4 publications of his work: Bus Odyssey, 2001; People, 1999; All Zones Off Peak, 1998 and Looking for Love, 1989. Over Here, Photieman, a comprehensive volume edited by Manfred Heiting will be published in 2003. Most recently, in spring of 2002, Tom Wood received the Prix Dialogue del’Humanité (Outreach Award) at the Rencontres d’Arles.