Isobel Eats Fish is the creative name for Vicky Partner. Based in Kent, Vicky is a photographer and poet who combines both talents to create a unique vision. Her project creates one photo and poem for every minute of a 24 hour day – making 1440 images and poems. Vicky spoke to us about her background, things that inspire her and why she started 1440.
Life
I grew up in Stevenage, a new town with lots of cycle tracks that I used to do time trail circuits of as a teenager in the nineties. My dad was a coach driver and there are not many seaside places in this country I haven’t been to, plus the occasional day trip to France on the ferry. Music was our big thing, huge stereo’s and big music collections. The soundtrack to my childhood included the Stones, Pink Floyd, Status Quo, Led Zeppelin, you get the idea. I used to climb the tree in the back garden, but other than that it was a pretty humble and modest beginning though obviously I developed my own tastes as I grew into supposed adulthood. School wasn’t brilliant, but I got through, did the college and uni circuit, then crashed out after graduation (the joys of academia without the savvy). At least I can say I have a degree in Management and Tourism to my name from the University of Brighton.
Hour 1 – The Smoking Gun
00.00 – The Blue Comfort
The First and Last pub,
camera image inverted,
opposite my evicted flat,
resistant to adding words,
as know the score already,
so writing my discomforture.
(The First and Last Pub, Bower Place, Maidstone)
After my dad died my mum bought me and my younger sister Debra, up herself, working in kitchens of local schools, gradually rising to become head chef at a secondary school canteen. She worked very hard and still managed to take us abroad on holiday every year. It was important to her we didn’t miss out, and nowadays she has a masters herself in comparative literature. I think it is through her and my step dad that the seed of who I am now, at least creatively, stemmed.
Nowadays I live in Maidstone, having moved here seven years ago. I had found myself doing a community regeneration type post in Ashford, but it really wasn’t my sort of thing. It was a consultation role and the residents had a habit of moaning a lot about everything that was wrong in their lives and where they lived. It was very depressing to say the least.
Why Maidstone? I’d escaped into nightclub and bar djing. Self taught I was first involved with a club called Bar Three Zero in Ashford, but after coming 4th out of 50 dj’s at a competition in Dover, and a residency at London’s Renaissance Rooms I found myself drawn to the town because of a scene called Club Class who were based at what was then the River Bar. Nowadays they have evolved into Saved Records, an eventwhich operates from the Source Bar when it is in town. My perspective on life started to change, though I still wouldn’t have called myself savvy, there was still definitely something I was missing, an invisible barrier of sorts I couldn’t break through. Passion and talent alone wasn’t enough, though I came close, coming 5th in another competition, this time run by an international djing magazine.
Hour 1 – The Smoking Gun
00.01…The Ale House
Four bright red no entry signs,
and closeby drunken limitation,
pissheads all out their league,
in meaningless conversation,
an aggressive confrontation,
what does this say of me,
this being judgemental.
(The First and Last Pub, Bower Place, Maidstone)
Right deep breath, writing about that time in my life does tend to bring to the surface some very strong feelings, but bottom line is I have moved on. That was then and it’s impossible to go back. It’s like an ex boyfriend or girlfriend, the split is very painful, but you recover and hey, plenty more fish in the sea, if you’ll forgive the Isobel Eats Fish pun. And I am actually pretty happy where I am right now. I genuinely have no regrets.
Inspiration
Whoever I’m communicating with, working with, or friends with at any time inspires me, these people are our teachers, our own reflections. So who inspires me could be anyone and anybody, even if the experience is negative it teaches you about what you don’t want, a process of elimination is still a positive as long as you don’t give up.
Hour 1 – The Smoking Gun
00.02…The Lady
Peace in sufferation,
is important to forgive,
a pair of black swans,
workshops of beauty,
holy connectedness,
in discovering Mary.
(Aylesford Priory, near Maidstone).
Outside of friends, family and everyday type situations I would have to say people like Nic Fancily of the aforementioned Saved Records, Michael Palin, JK Rowling, Stephen Fry, and a name not as many people would have heard of, Steve Pavlina, my personal development guru. I’m also somewhat of a Twilight movie junkie, I just love the idea of vampires and really, just about anything that challenges the imagination and takes you to another place, raises the game. I mean, I’ve been reading for the last year and a half the British Museum’s History of the World in 100 Objects which has been fascinating, I’ve just finished reading it. In relation to that I really have to mention that Neil Macgregor the author of the book, and director of the British Museum, inspires me.
Travel and seeing new places also inspires me. To date I’ve visited 20 countries, mostly in Europe, but also the US and Canada. I want to get to Italy at the earliest possibility and have my sights set on Florence, a simple act of kindness, a million and one things at risk of sounding like Sleepless in Seattle.
Hour 1 – The Smoking Gun
00.03…That Serves Punters
Pieces of eight in a till,
illuminating the chapel.
(Relic Chapel of St Simon Stock, Aylesford Priory)
I would have to say positive qualities in a person are something that moves me. It seems a really obvious thing to say, but in my experience often people forget to mention it. I find it so refreshing when someone has a can do attitude, there’s not enough of that in this world.
History and science is another subject that fascinates me. This is a later development and wasn’t always the case. I remember once getting 14% in a history test at school, I figure because I’d spelt my name right at the top of the paper. So it’s sort of odd how it’s swung to the other extreme now. I sort of get it nowadays, Night at the Museum is a film I like. It’s not my favourite by a long shot, but it works. I think for pure artistry it would have to be films like Memoirs of a Geisha and Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. They are intelligent and beautiful to watch, and the fight scenes are just like, wow!
One day I might be inspired by Gershwin, the next by Faithless or U2, or something the radio plays unexpectedly.
Hour 1 – The Smoking Gun
00.04…Ringing Bell
A churchyard gravestone,
an extraordinary message,
the death of your averaging,
and the birth of the new star,
blood on all of their red flags,
when looking for final frontier.
(St Peter and St Paul’s Churchyard, Aylesford)
Present and Future
1440, one photo and poem for every minute of the day is what I am currently working on, a project I started when I was in temporary accommodation of all places. It became a way out of my situation then. I figured why should I think anything less of myself as a person just because of where I live. It was sort of like fighting back when I started out on it, and you can see that in some of the early photos and poems, where I reference Banksy, the subversive graffiti artist. Yet I’ve always tried to put a balanced slant on my work even when the subject matter has been quite negative, or dark, which hasn’t always been easy.
Hour 1 – The Smoking Gun
00.05…Before Closing Time
A mannequin without balls,
for all of the world to see,
calm in his expression,
yet quite ambiguous,
packing or unpacking,
reflected journey behind.
(Unused retail unit, High Street, Maidstone)
At any rate it’s taken me so far to places like Newcastle, Edinburgh, Prague, Budapest, all glued together by Maidstone, my home town, and London and the South East. Each one of which has been a wonderful learning experience. I give each hour a title and theme, hour 1 was “Smoking Gun”, hour two was “The Dream That Died For Me”, and so on. The latest hour I’ve completed, hour nine is entitled “Last Night A DJ Saved My Life”.
I have early thoughts and some photos already on what theme and approach to take for hour ten, only time will tell. Watch this space…
You can keep up to date with 1440 on:
Blogspot http://www.isobeleatsfish.blogspot.co.uk
Facebook www.facebook.com/isobel.eatsfish
All images subject to Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs
CC BY-NC-ND – Vicky Partner
Area: UK Britain East of England East Midlands London North East North West Yorkshire Scotland South East South West Wales West Midlands
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