Richard Billingham

"I was just trying to make order out of chaos"

I had actually never come across Richard Billingham, or his work, before the lecture on our class' 'Contemporary Art' brief, where he was listed as a recommended photographer for research, under the 'Intimate Life' catergoy. 

I'm very glad I have finally stumbled across Billingham, better late than never ey? I really enjoy the relaxed 'normality', undeniable truth, and intimacy of his work, especially these images above, taken from the book 'Ray's A Laugh'.  

Ray, aka Billingham's father, was an alcoholic and his mental state was unstable. The book lets us into the world of his very own dysfunctional family, and the poverty and neglect in which he had to grow up in/around. 

Billingham photographed his mother, Liz, who appears to be obssessed with 'nick knacks', cats and jigsaw puzzles, and his father, Ray, who is always drunk. They come across as disgusting, foul creatures at a glance, Ray "who gets drunk on cheap cider at the off license", and Liz who "hardly drinks, but she does smoke alot" but when studying Billingham's work properly there is an odd element of happiness between them? It's quite touching, knowing that people can be happy, even with so little.

I really love Billingham's honesty, and courage for producing such intimate photographs. He refers to his mother and father as 'Ray' and 'Liz' alot of the time, which makes me arrive at the assumption that they don't have a strong relationship, along with the sarcastic title of the book. 

I think my favourite thing about these photographs, is the fact that Billingham decided to photograph on the cheapest film he could find, "some of them got marked and scratched. I just used the cheapest film and took them to be processed at the cheapest place". I love how harsh the colours are, and the careless focus. These things just add to the brutal truth of his home life, and make the photographs look authentic, with an aesthetic snap shot style. 

They just seem to have a really shocking and alien-like lifestyle to me, personally. It is so different to the upbringing I had, and quite hard for me to believe.

The first two photographs show Ray looking ill, frail and pale. In nearly every photograph of him he has some kid of alcoholic beverage in his hand, or placed by him in the shot, obviously symbolizing his alcoholism. The next photograph is off Liz, looking extremely happy. I love this photograph, because even though she looks grotesque, yellow-teethed and in need of a serious shower, she looks so happy, and I love how much it contrasts with the shots of Ray, being drunk and miserable.

The fourth photograph I found very touching. Liz is handing Ray, what looks like, a cup of tea? I love how the composition boasts the mis-match wallpaper, which is stained in the corner, and the fact that she has, what looks like, a pair of drumsticks in her hand? I also really like the contrast this image has with the one below it, where Liz seems to be confronting Ray, with her fist clenched towards him, but Ray doesn't even seem to be listening. I enjoy this last photograph for its honesty, because its never nice to see your parents fighting, especially (I imagine) if one is too drunk to even be able to listen. I love how there is so much going on in the background aswell, evidence of Liz's fondness for "things that are decorative". I also appreciate the elbow/arm of an unknown subject in the top right hand corner, he looks as if he is putting his hands behind his head? I imagine him to be looking up at the ceiling in kind of disbelief and thinking "here we go again"....or something similar.

(all quotes from a passage from Richard Billingham about 'Ray's A Laugh')