COPENHAGEN THROUGH THE EYES OF ED PAGE

Ed lives in Evington and has been creating photographic collages for nine years. “The first few were inspired by a fascination with old and crumbling red brick walls,” says Ed. “I just wanted to explain how I felt about them and being useless with paint it seemed photography was the obvious medium.”

That was nine years ago. Since then Ed has developed his technique. Blending people with things, his subject matter is broad and often surreal. People dine in car breakers' yards, enjoy jazz and beer in junk yards, party in 15th century houses, play in rotting farm buildings, buy clothes in Spanish markets and antiques in fairs in Copenhagen.

Voted “the People's Choice” at the City Gallery Open 16 in 2004, Ed has been awarded exhibitions for his work. His 3-D photographic collages are endlessly fascinating. Multiple photos of the scene are mounted into a decoupage up to five photos deep. The effect is a kaleidoscope of viewing points that animate the scene blending architectural features and social gatherings.

“Taking the photos is the easy bit,” explains Ed, “the challenging bit comes next. ‘What goes where?' describes it best. Which photo? What part of each photo? In what order? Tricky and time consuming. The original layout takes the longest, often to be scrapped, but eventually the point is reached in which all the pictures relate satisfyingly with each other. These are stuck loosely in place. Next, each picture is looked at as a mini scene and allocated its degree of height or depth. From one to five copies are superimposed to give the collage its three dimensional effect. Each copy is stuck with clear silicone adhesive. Finally any extra 3-D effects are added to create an effect that is both logical and surrealist. Each picture takes about 4/5 months to complete.”

If you are interested in applying this technique to your family photos, contact Evington Echo. It may be possible to arrange a workshop.