Rockarchive.com presents: ‘I’ll Be Watching You: Inside The Police 1980-1983’
a photographic exhibition by Andy Summers
Beginning on the west coast of America in June 2007, Summers plays host a series of photographic gallery exhibitions of his images. The gallery shows, presented in conjunction with Rockarchive.com, begin in Bergamot Station’s famed arts complex, and will be followed by similar exhibitions at the Mirage Hotel’s Revolution Lounge in Las Vegas, and in July at Newbury Fine Art in Boston and Gjethuset in Denmark. The shows will be continuing throughout the year.
Exhibition events:
Los Angeles:
Frank Pictures Gallery
Bergamot Station Gallery A-5
2525 Michigan Avenue
Santa Monica, CA 90404
Tel. 310-828-0211
10th June – 13th July
Tuesday – Saturday from 11:30am-6:30pm
http://www.frankpicturesgallery.com
Las Vegas:
The Mirage
Las Vegas, NV
June 14-17th
SPECIAL EVENT VIEWING June 14th from 6-9pm with a special appearance by ANDY SUMMERS who will be there to sign books.
Show runs June 15th – 17th from 2pm-5pm. Admission is complimentary.
http://thebeatlesrevolutionlounge.com/
Boston:
Newbury Fine Art
29 Newbury St
Boston, MASS 02116
Phone 617-536-0210
July 23 – August 20th
open Mon – Sat 10am-6pm Sun 12pm-5pm
http://www.newburyfinearts.com
Denmark:
Gjethuset Gallery / Steen Jorgensen
Gjethusgade 5
3300 Frederiksvrk
Denmark
ph. 4777-0607
September 1 – October 21st
open 7 days a week 10am – 4pm
admin@gjethus.dk
“In a minute, I’ll put down the guitar and pick up a camera. Sting and Stewart are already out there somewhere. I can hear Stewart whacking away at his banjo. My cameras are in that black bag down there…two Nikon FEs and three lenses with 20 rolls of Tri-X. Music – photography? The path through the centre of this experience? Another way of dreaming through the electric bubble of fame – the moth’s wing that flames out leaving only the trace of notes, chords, rhythms. Paint with light – trap it in a cluster of silver halide and put it away in a drawer. I stick the end of my guitar out above the crowd and shoot.” – Andy Summers
In the early 1980s, The Police went on tour accompanied by a photographer who documented the band behind the scenes in a series of candid and striking black and white photos. This talented photographer also happened to be the band’s guitarist, Andy Summers. Yes, it’s true – the man responsible for the guitar lick from “Every Breath You Take” was not only the backbone of one of the most popular bands of all time, he also possessed a visual gift for composition and mood that allowed him to capture the spirit of The Police better than anyone else could have.
Now in the midst of the frenzy accompanying the band’s reemergence, Andy Summers heralds his return with a triathlon of photographic output: An exclusive photographic exhibition and two books published by Taschen.
Now in the midst of the frenzy accompanying the band’s reemergence, Andy Summers heralds his return with a biathlon of photographic output: an exclusive photographic exhibition in four cities produced on the HP digital technology, and a book published by Taschen. The gallery shows, presented in conjunction with Rockarchive.com, begin in June at the Laurie Frank Gallery in the famed Los Angeles art complex Bergamot Station, and will be followed by similar exhibitions at the Mirage Hotel’s Revolution Lounge in Las Vegas, and in July at Newbury Fine Art in Boston and Gjethuset in Denmark.
A heady mix of shooting from the hip and street photography, the exhibition follows The Police around the globe between 1980 and 1983. From the American West to Australia to Japan, Summers recorded not only the band members rehearsing and partying – the proverbial sex, drugs, and rock and roll – he also photographed fans, landscapes, still life’s, and passersby in a reportage style reminiscent of Henri Cartier-Bresson and Robert Frank.
Containing 38 exclusive, limited edition, hand signed prints and filled with diary-style entries, ‘I’ll Be Watching You’ is a sumptuous volume beating with musical energy, nostalgia, and atmospheric beauty. Each of the striking black and white photos featured in the exhibit was produced with the new HP Designjet Z3100 Photo Printer series, using HP Vivera pigment inks on HP Professional Satin Photo Paper, resulting in vivid, museum-quality prints with outstanding longevity. A must for photo buffs and Police fans alike.
The books and the exhibition are as much a diary of a deeply personal journey as they are a documentary of a rock and roll band shot from the inside out. Summers solo music which as always been searching and synergistic in expression finds a parallel in his photography. The exhibition and the book are a piercing glimpse of every breath of the band inside and outside the fishbowl by a mature artist who is clearly destined to be a significant figure in contemporary photography.
The photographic exhibition at Frank Pictures gallery (Bergamot Station, gallery A-5) runs from June 10-July 13th 2007 with an invitation only reception for the artist on June 22nd, between The Police’s sold out venues at the Staples Center and Dodger Stadium. Previews of the photographs in the show can be seen on the gallery’s website, www.frankpicturesgallery.com. And excerpts and photographs from both editions of the Taschen book can be found at the www.taschen.com . Gallery hours are Tuesday-Saturday 11:30-6:30 and by appointment.
Andy Summers…
In the mid eighties, The Police ruled rock, arguably the most popular band in the world. Thirty years after their founding, twenty five since they disbanded, fans have waited breathlessly for their return. The wait is over. The Police have embarked on a historic reunion tour. But in the quarter of a century without The Police, Sting, Andy Summers, and Stewart Copeland have hardly been idle, each pursuing solo careers. For Andy Summers, there was not only the precise guitar attacks that created his signature dense, interlocking waves of sound and effects, the jazz albums, and movie soundtracks, Andy’s keen ear rivaled his sharp eye with a parallel career as a world-class photographer.
Now a resident in Santa Monica, California, Summers, 64, continues to shoot with his Leica. He sees his work as being in the tradition of the great photojournalists and as a complement to his successful and acclaimed solo career with contemporary instrumental music that, like his work with Sting and Stewart Copeland, draws on his love of jazz, world, classical music, and his fascination with creating sonic textures. His post-Police years have produced more than two dozen solo albums, soundtracks, and collaborations, plus hundreds of international concerts, and induction to both the Guitar Player Hall of Fame and the Rock and RollHall of Fame. Summer’s parallel passion for photography has led him to document subjects ranging from rural communities throughout Southeast Asia to timeless noir-style street scenes in cities around the world. His photographs have been shown in galleries in New York, LosAngeles, Tokyo, Amsterdam, Paris and London, and his books includeThrob (1983), the Ralph Gibson collaboration Light Strings: Impressions ofthe Guitar (2004), and the memoir One Train Later (2006).
History of Rocharchive…
When she founded Rockarchive in 1998, photographer Jill Furmanovsky had in mind the wealth of rock and roll material lying largely hidden in her own vast archive, as well as in the archives of her fellow photographers of the genre. She saw this as a great opportunity to unearth a fascinating and hitherto unseen rock and roll history.
In the footsteps of collectives like Magnum, Rockarchive is run very much on behalf of its photographers. Its philosophy is to accord dignity and recognition to the art of photography and maintain the rights of its practitioners. But the long-term aims are wider: to promote lesser known work by high profile photographers as well as the work of up and coming photographers, to provide a valuable historical resource, to offer news on exhibitions and events and to provide links to other pertinent websites.
The Rockarchive continues going from strength to strength, with international gallery spaces in the UK, Ireland and Holland. The latest gallery to launch is on the world famous Kings Road in Chelsea, UK and offers exclusive Artist Proof’ and ‘End of Edition’ images.
Taschen…
Taschen publishes “I’ll Be Watching You: Inside The Police 1980-83” as a signed limited edition of 1500 in June (364 pages, $400), and in a distinct trade edition in October (376 pages, $39.99). Through these 2500 negatives culled into 600 black and white photographs, Summers found his true solo voice amidst the collaborative fray.
Collector’s edition features:
– Limited to 1500 copies, each numbered and signed by the artist
– Packaged in a slipcase
– Contains over 600 photographs personally selected from the photographer’s archive of over 25,000 negatives (1980-83)
– Most photos are previously unpublished, and many of them have never even been printed prior to this project
Highlights include:
– Rehearsals and recording sessions with band-mates Sting and Stewart Copeland
– Exclusive back-stage and on-stage footage from concerts including Plaza de Toros (Barcelona, 1980), Budokan (Tokyo, 1981), Wembley Stadium (London, 1981), and Shea Stadium (New York, 1983)
– Inside the tour busses, limousines, helicopters, private planes, parties, and hotel rooms
– Behind the scenes on music video shoots, at press conferences, and in-store appearances
– Life on the road with other bands including The Go-Go’s, XTC, and The B-52’s
– Rain-soaked train windows, trashed hotel rooms, island retreats, over-capacity stadiums, and thousands of screaming, singing, sobbing, fans
Countries covered in the book:
America, Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Denmark, Egypt, France, Germany, Greece, Japan, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, United Kingdom