Homer Sykes
Encyclopedia
Homer Warwick Sykes is a Canadian-born British photographer whose career has included personal projects and landscape photography.
in Shanghai
; his mother, Helen Grimmitt, was a Canadian born and raised in Hong Kong
. The pair were married in August 1947, but in June 1948, in an early stage of his wife's pregnancy, Homer was killed in an accident at Lunghua airfield. Helen returned to her family home in Vancouver
, and the son was born three weeks later.
When the boy's mother remarried in 1954, the family moved to England. He was a keen photographer as a teenager, with a darkroom both at home and at boarding school. In 1968 he started a three-year course at the London College of Printing
, while sharing a house in St John's Wood
. In the summer vacation during his first year, he went to New York, and was impressed by the work of current photographers — Cartier-Bresson
, Davidson
, Friedlander
, Frank
, Uzzle and Winogrand
— that he saw at the Museum of Modern Art
.
While wondering about a new photographic project, Sykes serendipitously came across a story on the Britannia Coconut Dancers in an issue of In Britain magazine. This led him to research other local festivals in Britain at the archives of the Cecil Sharp House
. Sykes' photography of these festivals was inspired by that of Benjamin Stone
, but he approached them with a modern sensibility and a small-format camera, "[trying] to include the unintended participants and to document the unfolding drama in a contemporary urban environment". The results were shown in exhibitions, where they were praised by Colin MacInnes
, and also in the book Once a Year: Some Traditional British Customs. In this book (published by Gordon Fraser
, uniform with Patrick Ward
's Wish You Were Here), Sykes presents one or more photographs of and a detailed explanatory text for each of 81 customs — for example three photographs (on pp. 105–108) of the annual auction on the first Monday following St Peter's day (29 June) at the Grapes Inn of the mowing and grazing rights to Yarnton Meadow (or Yarnton West Mead), Yarnton
(Oxfordshire
). Once a Year has been described as "a beautifully photographed, tender and often humorous document"; and, 32 years after its publication, as remaining "[p]robably the best study of English folklore and ritual".
After absorbing advice from David Hurn
, then a part-time lecturer at LCP who was living nearby, as well as other photographers that he met through Hurn, Sykes moved on to photographing news stories for the Weekend Telegraph
, Observer
, Sunday Times
, Newsweek
, Now
, Time
, and New Society. He worked with various agencies including Viva, and from 1989 to 2005 was with Network Photographers.
Sykes also photographed the British landscape for various books published by Weidenfeld & Nicolson
, but found time for his own projects: Hunting with Hounds, "a closely observed documentation of another set of rituals that define a dimension of the English way of life", and On the Road Again, photographs of four north American road trips taken over three decades.
When the Grimstone Foundation invited Sykes to photograph Shanghai, the city of his conception, he jumped at the opportunity. A high point for the photographer was his discovery that the building on Jiang Xi Lu where his parents lived still existed, as the Fu Zhou building. Sykes's collection was exhibited and published as Shanghai Odyssey.
Sykes has taught in the master's course in Photojournalism and Documentary Photography at the London College of Communication
.
Life and career
Sykes's father, Homer Warwick Sykes, was a Canadian-born American of English extraction who worked for the China National Aviation CorporationChina National Aviation Corporation
The China National Aviation Corporation , was a major airline in the Republic of China and is currently a state owned aviation holding company in the People's Republic of China, which owns a majority of Air China and Air Macau.-History:In 1929, it was established as China Airways by...
in Shanghai
Shanghai
Shanghai is the largest city by population in China and the largest city proper in the world. It is one of the four province-level municipalities in the People's Republic of China, with a total population of over 23 million as of 2010...
; his mother, Helen Grimmitt, was a Canadian born and raised in Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
. The pair were married in August 1947, but in June 1948, in an early stage of his wife's pregnancy, Homer was killed in an accident at Lunghua airfield. Helen returned to her family home in Vancouver
Vancouver
Vancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...
, and the son was born three weeks later.
When the boy's mother remarried in 1954, the family moved to England. He was a keen photographer as a teenager, with a darkroom both at home and at boarding school. In 1968 he started a three-year course at the London College of Printing
London College of Communication
The London College of Communication is a constituent college of the University of the Arts London, located in Elephant and Castle. It has about 5,000 students on 60 courses in media and design courses preparing students for careers in the creative industries...
, while sharing a house in St John's Wood
St John's Wood
St John's Wood is a district of north-west London, England, in the City of Westminster, and at the north-west end of Regent's Park. It is approximately 2.5 miles north-west of Charing Cross. Once part of the Great Middlesex Forest, it was later owned by the Knights of St John of Jerusalem...
. In the summer vacation during his first year, he went to New York, and was impressed by the work of current photographers — Cartier-Bresson
Henri Cartier-Bresson
Henri Cartier-Bresson was a French photographer considered to be the father of modern photojournalism. He was an early adopter of 35 mm format, and the master of candid photography...
, Davidson
Bruce Davidson (photographer)
Bruce Davidson is an American photographer. He has been a member of Magnum agency since 1958. His photographs, notably those taken in Harlem, New York City, have been widely exhibited and published in a number of books.-Youth:Bruce Davidson was born to a single mother, who worked in a factory...
, Friedlander
Lee Friedlander
Lee Friedlander is an American photographer and artist. In the 1960s and 70s, working primarily with 35mm cameras and black and white film, Friedlander evolved an influential and often imitated visual language of urban "social landscape," with many of the photographs including fragments of...
, Frank
Robert Frank
Robert Frank , born in Zürich, Switzerland, is an important figure in American photography and film. His most notable work, the 1958 photobook titled The Americans, was influential, and earned Frank comparisons to a modern-day de Tocqueville for his fresh and skeptical outsider's view of American...
, Uzzle and Winogrand
Garry Winogrand
Garry Winogrand was a street photographer known for his portrayal of America in the mid-20th century. John Szarkowski called him the central photographer of his generation....
— that he saw at the Museum of Modern Art
Museum of Modern Art
The Museum of Modern Art is an art museum in Midtown Manhattan in New York City, on 53rd Street, between Fifth and Sixth Avenues. It has been important in developing and collecting modernist art, and is often identified as the most influential museum of modern art in the world...
.
While wondering about a new photographic project, Sykes serendipitously came across a story on the Britannia Coconut Dancers in an issue of In Britain magazine. This led him to research other local festivals in Britain at the archives of the Cecil Sharp House
English Folk Dance and Song Society
The English Folk Dance and Song Society was formed in 1932 when two organisations merged: the Folk-Song Society and the English Folk Dance Society. The EFDSS, a member-based organisation, was incorporated as a Company limited by guarantee in 1935 and became a Registered Charity The English Folk...
. Sykes' photography of these festivals was inspired by that of Benjamin Stone
John Benjamin Stone
Sir John Benjamin Stone , known as Benjamin, was a British Conservative politician, and noted photographer.Stone was born in Aston, Birmingham the son of a local glass manufacturer...
, but he approached them with a modern sensibility and a small-format camera, "[trying] to include the unintended participants and to document the unfolding drama in a contemporary urban environment". The results were shown in exhibitions, where they were praised by Colin MacInnes
Colin MacInnes
Colin MacInnes was an English novelist and journalist.-Early life:MacInnes was born in London, the son of singer James Campbell McInnes and novelist Angela Thirkell, who was also related to Rudyard Kipling and Stanley Baldwin. His family moved to Australia in 1920, MacInness returning in 1930...
, and also in the book Once a Year: Some Traditional British Customs. In this book (published by Gordon Fraser
Gordon Fraser
Gordon Fraser was a British publisher and literary editor. He was educated at Cambridge. A student of F.R. Leavis, he founded, while still an undergraduate, The Minority Press which published chiefly essays of Leavis and works of other Cambridge students from 1930 to 1933...
, uniform with Patrick Ward
Patrick Ward (photographer)
Patrick Ward is a British photographer who has published collections of his own work on British and other subjects as well as working on commissions for the press.-Life and career:...
's Wish You Were Here), Sykes presents one or more photographs of and a detailed explanatory text for each of 81 customs — for example three photographs (on pp. 105–108) of the annual auction on the first Monday following St Peter's day (29 June) at the Grapes Inn of the mowing and grazing rights to Yarnton Meadow (or Yarnton West Mead), Yarnton
Yarnton
Yarnton is a village and civil parish in Oxfordshire about southwest of Kidlington and northwest of Oxford and southeast of Woodstock.-Archaeology:Early Bronze Age decorated beakers have been found in the parish...
(Oxfordshire
Oxfordshire
Oxfordshire is a county in the South East region of England, bordering on Warwickshire and Northamptonshire , Buckinghamshire , Berkshire , Wiltshire and Gloucestershire ....
). Once a Year has been described as "a beautifully photographed, tender and often humorous document"; and, 32 years after its publication, as remaining "[p]robably the best study of English folklore and ritual".
After absorbing advice from David Hurn
David Hurn
David Hurn, born July 21, 1934, in Redhill, Surrey, England of Welsh descent, is a documentary photographer and member of Magnum Photos.-Career:...
, then a part-time lecturer at LCP who was living nearby, as well as other photographers that he met through Hurn, Sykes moved on to photographing news stories for the Weekend Telegraph
The Daily Telegraph
The Daily Telegraph is a daily morning broadsheet newspaper distributed throughout the United Kingdom and internationally. The newspaper was founded by Arthur B...
, Observer
The Observer
The Observer is a British newspaper, published on Sundays. In the same place on the political spectrum as its daily sister paper The Guardian, which acquired it in 1993, it takes a liberal or social democratic line on most issues. It is the world's oldest Sunday newspaper.-Origins:The first issue,...
, Sunday Times
The Sunday Times
The Sunday Times is a British Sunday newspaper.The Sunday Times may also refer to:*The Sunday Times *The Sunday Times *The Sunday Times *The Sunday Times...
, Newsweek
Newsweek
Newsweek is an American weekly news magazine published in New York City. It is distributed throughout the United States and internationally. It is the second-largest news weekly magazine in the U.S., having trailed Time in circulation and advertising revenue for most of its existence...
, Now
NOW! (1979-81 magazine)
NOW! was a British newsmagazine founded by entrepreneur Sir James Goldsmith, partly as a vehicle for his right-wing political opinions.It was established in 1979, taking advantage of the market opportunity created by the closure of The Times and The Sunday Times during a labour dispute...
, Time
Time (magazine)
Time is an American news magazine. A European edition is published from London. Time Europe covers the Middle East, Africa and, since 2003, Latin America. An Asian edition is based in Hong Kong...
, and New Society. He worked with various agencies including Viva, and from 1989 to 2005 was with Network Photographers.
Sykes also photographed the British landscape for various books published by Weidenfeld & Nicolson
Weidenfeld & Nicolson
Weidenfeld & Nicolson Ltd is a British publisher of fiction and reference books. It is a division of the Orion Publishing Group.-History:...
, but found time for his own projects: Hunting with Hounds, "a closely observed documentation of another set of rituals that define a dimension of the English way of life", and On the Road Again, photographs of four north American road trips taken over three decades.
When the Grimstone Foundation invited Sykes to photograph Shanghai, the city of his conception, he jumped at the opportunity. A high point for the photographer was his discovery that the building on Jiang Xi Lu where his parents lived still existed, as the Fu Zhou building. Sykes's collection was exhibited and published as Shanghai Odyssey.
Sykes has taught in the master's course in Photojournalism and Documentary Photography at the London College of Communication
London College of Communication
The London College of Communication is a constituent college of the University of the Arts London, located in Elephant and Castle. It has about 5,000 students on 60 courses in media and design courses preparing students for careers in the creative industries...
.
Solo exhibitions
- "Traditional British Calendar Customs", Arnolfini Gallery (Bristol), 1977; Side Gallery (Newcastle), 1977.
- "Shanghai Odyssey", Open Eye Gallery (LiverpoolLiverpoolLiverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
), 2003. Festival of Photography and Contemporary Art (BiellaBiellaBiella is a town and comune in the northern Italian region of Piemonte, the capital of the province of the same name, with some 45,800 inhabitants as of 2009. It is located about 80 km northeast of Turin and about 80 km west-northwest of Milan.It lies in the foothills of the Alps,...
), 2005. - "On the Road Again", HerefordHerefordHereford is a cathedral city, civil parish and county town of Herefordshire, England. It lies on the River Wye, approximately east of the border with Wales, southwest of Worcester, and northwest of Gloucester...
town hall (Hereford Photography Festival), 2002. - "Green Man and Friends, photographs from the 1970s", WPS (HastingsHastingsHastings is a town and borough in the county of East Sussex on the south coast of England. The town is located east of the county town of Lewes and south east of London, and has an estimated population of 86,900....
), 2009.
Other exhibitions
- "Personal Views 1850–1970", British Council touring exhibition, 1970.
- "Traditional Country Customs" (with work by Benjamin StoneJohn Benjamin StoneSir John Benjamin Stone , known as Benjamin, was a British Conservative politician, and noted photographer.Stone was born in Aston, Birmingham the son of a local glass manufacturer...
), ICAInstitute of Contemporary ArtsThe Institute of Contemporary Arts is an artistic and cultural centre on The Mall in London, just off Trafalgar Square. It is located within Nash House, part of Carlton House Terrace, near the Duke of York Steps and Admiralty Arch...
(London), 1971. - "Young British Photographers", Museum of Modern ArtModern Art OxfordModern Art Oxford is an art gallery established in 1965 in Oxford, England. From 1965 to 2002, it was called The Museum of Modern Art, Oxford.-Foundation:...
(Oxford), 1971. - "Reportage Fotografen", Museum des 20. Jahrhunderts (Vienna), 1978.
- "Il Regno Unito si diverte". British CouncilBritish CouncilThe British Council is a United Kingdom-based organisation specialising in international educational and cultural opportunities. It is registered as a charity both in England and Wales, and in Scotland...
, MilanMilanMilan is the second-largest city in Italy and the capital city of the region of Lombardy and of the province of Milan. The city proper has a population of about 1.3 million, while its urban area, roughly coinciding with its administrative province and the bordering Province of Monza and Brianza ,...
, 1981. (With Chris Steele-PerkinsChris Steele-PerkinsChristopher Horace Steele-Perkins is a British photographer and member of Magnum Photos, best known for his depiction of Africa, Afghanistan, England, and Japan.-Life and career:...
and Patrick WardPatrick Ward (photographer)Patrick Ward is a British photographer who has published collections of his own work on British and other subjects as well as working on commissions for the press.-Life and career:...
.) - "The Other Britain", National TheatreRoyal National TheatreThe Royal National Theatre in London is one of the United Kingdom's two most prominent publicly funded theatre companies, alongside the Royal Shakespeare Company...
(London), and touring in Britain, 1982. - "A British Eye on the World", Museum of Modern ArtMuseum of Modern Art, Rio de JaneiroThe Museum of Modern Art in Rio de Janeiro is one of the most important cultural institutions in Brazil. It is located in the city of Rio de Janeiro, at Flamengo Park, next to Santos Dumont Airport....
(Rio de Janeiro), 1986. - "Viva, une agence photographique", Jeu de PaumeGalerie nationale du Jeu de PaumeThe Galerie nationale du Jeu de Paume is a museum of contemporary art in the north-west corner of the Tuileries Gardens in Paris.The building was constructed in 1861 during the reign of Napoleon III...
(Paris), 2007. - "How We Are: Photographing Britain." Tate BritainTate BritainTate Britain is an art gallery situated on Millbank in London, and part of the Tate gallery network in Britain, with Tate Modern, Tate Liverpool and Tate St Ives. It is the oldest gallery in the network, opening in 1897. It houses a substantial collection of the works of J. M. W. Turner.-History:It...
(London), 2007. - "No Such Thing as Society: Photography in Britain 1968–1987", Aberystwyth Arts CentreAberystwyth Arts CentreAberystwyth Arts Centre is one of Wales' busiest and largest arts centres, based on Aberystwyth University's Penglais campus Aberystwyth, Ceredigion, Wales...
; Tullie House (Carlisle); Ujazdów CastleUjazdów CastleUjazdów Castle is a castle in the historic Ujazdów district, between Ujazdów Park and the Royal Baths Park , in Warsaw, Poland.-History:...
(Warsaw). - "Unpopular culture." The De La Warr PavilionThe De La Warr PavilionThe De La Warr Pavilion is an International Style building constructed in 1935 and designed by the architects Erich Mendelsohn and Serge Chermayeff; considered by some to be in an Art Deco style. Some claim it to be the first major Modernist public building in Britain, although in fact it was...
(BexhillBexhill-on-SeaBexhill-on-Sea is a town and seaside resort in the county of East Sussex, in the south of England, within the District of Rother. It has a population of approximately 40,000...
), 2008. - "The Other Britain Revisited: Photographs from New Society", Victoria and Albert MuseumVictoria and Albert MuseumThe Victoria and Albert Museum , set in the Brompton district of The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, London, England, is the world's largest museum of decorative arts and design, housing a permanent collection of over 4.5 million objects...
, 2010. - "Goodbye London: Radical art and politics in the seventies", Neue Gesellschaft für Bildende Kunst (Berlin), June–August 2010. With Stuart BrisleyStuart BrisleyStuart Brisley is widely regarded as the seminal figure of British performance art. Over a career of half a century Stuart Brisley has come to the conclusion, as stated in his recent novel "" that 'what goes down comes up'...
, Victor BurginVictor BurginVictor Burgin is an artist and a writer. Burgin first came to attention as a conceptual artist in the late 1960s and at that time was most noted for being a political photographer of the left, who would fuse photographs and words in the same picture. He has worked with photography and film,...
, David HallDavid Hall (video artist)David Hall is a British video artist, whose pioneering work did much to establish video as an art form.-Life and work:David Hall attended Leicester College of Art and the Royal College of Art. During the 1960s he worked as a sculptor and showed his work internationally...
, Margaret HarrisonMargaret HarrisonMargaret Harrison is an English feminist and artist whose work over the past decade has dealt with different media and a range of subject matter which has established her as a leading artist in Britain....
, Derek JarmanDerek JarmanMichael Derek Elworthy Jarman was an English film director, stage designer, diarist, artist, gardener and author.-Life:...
, Peter KennardPeter KennardPeter Kennard is a London born and based photomontage artist and senior tutor in photography at the Royal College of Art. Seeking to reflect his involvement in the anti-Vietnam War movement, he turned from painting to photomontage to better address his political views...
, Jo SpenceJo SpenceJo Spence was a British photographer. Many of her works were self portraits about her own fight with breast cancer.Spence was born of working class parents in London, 1934...
, and John SavageJohn SavageJohn Savage may refer to:* John Savage, 2nd Earl Rivers * John F. Savage Hall, the basketball arena for the University of Toledo* John Savage , actor* John Savage , baseball head coach...
. - "Mass Photography: Blackpool through the Camera", Grundy Art GalleryGrundy Art GalleryThe Grundy is an art gallery located in Blackpool, Lancashire, England. It's eclectic programme consists of regional historic to recent contemporary art exhibitions. Opened in 1911, it is owned and operated by Blackpool Council....
(Blackpool), 2011.
Permanent collections
- Birmingham Central LibraryBirmingham Central LibraryBirmingham Central Library is the main public library in Birmingham, England, and the largest non-national library in Europe. It is managed by Birmingham City Council...
- British CouncilBritish CouncilThe British Council is a United Kingdom-based organisation specialising in international educational and cultural opportunities. It is registered as a charity both in England and Wales, and in Scotland...
- British Government Art CollectionGovernment Art CollectionThe United Kingdom's Government Art Collection places works of art in major Government buildings in the UK and around the world to promote British art, culture and history....
- Victoria and Albert MuseumVictoria and Albert MuseumThe Victoria and Albert Museum , set in the Brompton district of The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, London, England, is the world's largest museum of decorative arts and design, housing a permanent collection of over 4.5 million objects...
(London)
Books
- British Image 1: Photographs by Homer Sykes, Claire Schwob, John Myers, Daniel Meadows, Bryn Campbell, Roslyn Banish, Ian Dobbie, and Paul Carter. London: Arts Council of Great Britain, 1975. Sykes' "Calendar Customs" appears on p. 4–15.
- The Facts about a Pop Group: Featuring Wings. London: Whizzard, Deutsch, 1976. ISBN 0233967710. Sydney: Angus & Robertson, 1976. ISBN 0207134103. New York: Harmony, 1977. ISBN 0517529831. Text by Dave Gelly. About the group WingsWings (band)Wings were a British-American rock group formed in 1971 by Paul McCartney, Denny Laine and Linda McCartney that remained active until 1981....
.- Wie eine Pop-Gruppe arbeitet. Musik erklärt für junge Leser. Hamburg: Tessloff, 1978. ISBN 3788608013.
- Once a Year: Some Traditional British Customs. London: Gordon Fraser, 1977. ISBN 0900406682.
- The English Season. London: Pavilion, 1986. ISBN 1851450351. Topsfield, Mass.: Salem House, 1987. ISBN 0881622362. Text by Godfrey SmithGodfrey SmithGodfrey Smith is a Belizean politician and a member of the People's United Party . He became Minister of Foreign Affairs, Defence and National Emergency Management Organization in 2003, after receiving his graduate degree from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy in 2002. Previously he had...
. On the social "season"Season (society)The social season or Season has historically referred to the annual period when it is customary for members of the a social elite of society to hold debutante balls, dinner parties and large charity events...
. - The Village Pub. Country Series 26. London: Weidenfeld & Nicolson, 1992. ISBN 0297831259. London: Weidenfeld & Nicolson, 1996. ISBN 0297835610. London: Phoenix Illustrated, 1998. ISBN 0753804344. Text by Roger ProtzRoger ProtzRoger Protz is a British writer, journalist and campaigner. He was an early member of the Campaign for Real Ale in 1971, and has written several books on beer and pubs...
.- English Village Pubs. New York: Abbeville, 1992. ISBN 1558594094.
- Mysterious Britain: Fact and Folklore. Country Series 30. London: Weidenfeld & Nicolson, 1993. ISBN 0297831968. London: Weidenfeld & Nicolson, 1995. ISBN 0297834533. London: Phoenix Illustrated, 1998. ISBN 0753804328. London: Cassell, 2001. ISBN 184188149X.
- The Great Stones of England. Weidenfeld Country Miniatures. London: Weidenfeld & Nicolson, 1994. ISBN 0297833235. On megaliths.
- The Storm Is Passing Over: A Look at Black Churches in Britain. London: Thames & Hudson, 1995. ISBN 0500278261. Text by Roy Kerridge.
- Celtic Britain. Country Series 40. London: Weidenfeld & Nicolson, 1997. ISBN 0297822101. London: Phoenix Illustrated, 1998. ISBN 0753801280. London: Cassell, 2001. ISBN 1841881503.
- On the Road Again. London: Mansion, 2002. 0-9542233-0-6.
- Shanghai Odyssey. Stockport: Dewi Lewis, 2002. ISBN 1899235140.
- Hunting with Hounds. London: Mansion, 2004. ISBN 0-9542233-1-4 (hardback), 0-9542233-2-2 (paperback).
External links
- Homer Sykes at Photo Shelter
- "Homer Sykes: Once a Year: Some Traditional British Customs", Luminous Lint, September 2007. Forty of Sykes' images from the book Once a Year, with shortened versions of the texts.