THE BATTERED SAUSAGE SERIES
There aren’t many photographic muses that look good with a pickled egg, but Kent’s Oliver Emery has found inspiration in amongst his mushy peas...
Faversham-based (though originally from Whitstable) photographer Oliver Emery caught our eye earlier this month with a visual project so powerful, it’s likely to give you a coronary. We caught up with Ollie to find out why he has been spending so much time lurking around coastal chip shops.
Q: Hi Ollie, first things first, where did your passion for visuals begin?
OE: I've been taking stills as a hobby since 2007 but it has always taken a back-seat to video, which is what my career has been built around. I've spent the last decade working in motorsports TV & digital content, which fortunately has taken me round the world a lot; meaning most of my photography has been a mix of travel and street photography.
Q: Do you have things that you particularly like to shoot?
OE: Growing up, my friends and I used to do a lot of graffiti locally and the photos of Martha Cooper capturing graffiti culture in NYC were probably the first source of inspiration for me (and reference for how to dress like a graffiti artist - albeit a decade out!) We honestly used to think we were Kent's answer to Beat Street, breakdancing on a piece of lino on Whitstable seafront - it's not exactly the South Bronx is it? Anyhow....
Over the last three years, I have focused more of my energy on photography, experimenting across different formats and genres again; trying to see what clicks. Eventually, I realised I wanted to focus on storytelling and human interest stories. I began working on a project documenting Asia's largest truck stop in New Delhi, India but shortly after the third trip there in two years - Covid 19 hit and sadly put a hold on the project.
Q: We saw your portfolio online, it looks great…. but it’s a bit of a leap to your next subject…..
OE: Whilst in lockdown, I joined the MA Documentary Photography programme at UAL to push me outside of my usual photography practice. Taking on the MA during Covid has come with added challenges, the biggest being the restrictions on movement and therefore what I can photograph. Utilising your own doorstep for creative inspiration is something I have historically struggled with, realising now how much I have relied on 'other' cultures and environments for that inspiration.
Q: So, the Covid restrictions played a big part in finding a new creative (and crispy) path!
OE:I wanted to create a mini-series of work in lockdown and knew I wanted to focus on the chip shops locally. During lockdown, they seem to have remained a hive of activity on weekend evenings locally and mask-wearing aside, have an element of normality about them that feels reassuring. I wanted to hero the local chip shops but also photograph them in a way that would bring a smile to people's faces in what is quite a depressing time…
Q: And, you found the answer at the bottom of a fryer!?
Cue the humble battered sausage. A staple in the British Chip Shop menu - and my personal favourite - it comes in a variety of shapes, sizes and in it’s own way, is a deep-fried piece of art.
The battered coating resembling a landscape painting, each providing a unique sheath to the processed meat within. There is of course (and as immature as it is) mild amusement in that the battered sausage holds a phallic shaped stature. Even the very nature of spending time and effort photographing it and elevating through artwork, is in itself quite amusing - to me at least.
Q: I want to get inside the mind of a battered sausage expert. What was your process? Buy, taste and shoot there and then? Photograph them on white paper or cut them out digitally? How did you come to the decision of the presentation?
OE: I took inspiration from Donald Weber's molotov cocktail series he shot. His unique way of photographing Kiev's civil unrest was so simple and effective, I realised I could capture and deliver the message I wanted in a more simplistic manner.
Technically, it is a very simple series to photograph (small white lightbox), most time was taken in the sourcing of said battered sausages and in the presentation of the series. The sausages were always photographed fresh (within an hour of purchase), all in the exact same manner (ISO/Aperture/Lighting etc) and still warm - in order to give a true representation/comparison between the chip shops.
Q: The way they are presented in social media drew us in/got us salivating straight away…
OE: I chose an instagram-friendly pastel colour palette to present the work, as I knew the nine images (plus 1 contact sheet) would ultimately be published there - plus I think the colours speak to the fact that the work should be viewed through a humorous lens. Added to that, I wanted to make sure it was clear where each battered sausage was from through the labelling of them - given the authenticity of sourcing each of them from the surrounding towns - plus to help generate conversation/debate via drawing comparisons.
Q: You certainly got people talking. But... does it have legs as a series with other deep fried foods? Is this the start of a trend?
OE: Ultimately the series was born from a true wish to photograph something hopeful and fun, with a specific audience in mind. If it brightens a few minutes of peoples' days - then I am happy with that.... I'd be lying if it hadn't sparked some more ideas for other related series I can do during lockdown - so watch this space.
Q: Wicked! Thanks for your time. Finally, where can people find your work…?
WEB: https://oliver-emery.format.com
INSTA: @oliveremery