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Lilac, sea-green and blue hues ripple over the ocean. A hot, hot pink and orange sunrise haloed with the morning clouds, wisping above. The sun is at arm's length of a woman, mid-air and free as she leaps off a pier to immerse herself in this glorious colour pot that is the early morning Indian Ocean.
When viewing the photograph, Big Jump (2021), ideas of freedom and bliss emerge. This is the epitome of photographer Paige Furness’ work. In her CAPTIVATE SESSION, titled On Dreams, these playful notions that reminisce on childhood feelings and wanderlust persist; there is, however, another layer, true to life, beneath the surface of these pink, dreamy frames.
Juxtapositions and layered meaning
Furness’ work resonates with other works in the Contemporary Archive Project’s archive, such as Robyn Perros’ piece. Presenting a frame of four women moving to and from the porta-potty toilets at the Durban July— one adorned in glamorous high fashion, a woman in uniform taking a break from her shift, and two others dressed in their Sunday Best.
The juxtaposition of the toilets next to women dressed for a fancy occasion, plays on the commentary of societal contrasts, where moments of glamour exist alongside the mundane and laborious aspects of daily life. The image highlights how public spaces become sites of intersection—where class, labour, and leisure converge. While one woman exudes elegance, another in uniform reminds us of the unseen workforce that sustain such events. The presence of the porta-potties, essential yet unglamorous, underscores the underlying realities that accompany spectacle and celebration. This contrast speaks to the layered nature of human experience—where beauty, privilege and work exist side by side, revealing the complexities often overlooked in curated portrayals of social life.
Perros’ use of colour and film photography offer a similar presentation to that of Furness’ frames. The analogue medium allows for a distance to reality in terms of the final images texture; contrasted colours with a faded overlay, a screen of sorts alluding to a cinematic take on the scenes Perros documents, and this is prevalent in Furness’ work as well, in the way she grades and composes her photographs.
Process and approach
On her approach, Furness says that she makes her images intuitively. On reflecting on the process behind the image of a quart bottle on the beach (tilted Beer Bottle), she remarked how she was drawn to the way light’s reflections shaped the scene. While the composition appeared almost staged, she was intrigued by its contrasting elements—the everyday object against an ambiguous backdrop. The bottle carried a darker undertone, linking to themes of pollution and substance issues, adding depth to the otherwise simple moment. Editing played a crucial role in her process, as she revisited this image months later, discovering new details and enhancing the colours to create a dreamlike, glowing effect.
In contrast to Furness’ way of reflecting back society, other works in the CAP archive which adopt a similar means of making - intuitive and on the spot - are Wandile Msomi and Rory Jacobs’s street photography archives. The images depict literal scenes, revealing the immediate reality of cities and the socio-economic disparities within them, with people sometimes photographed from compromised angles. Tropes of street photography emerge in these bodies of work, attempting to make something beautiful of a life's harsh realities; these images show us what we already know, albeit framed with the photographer’s viewpoint, sometimes romanticising the harshness of poverty and the marginalised.
Furness’ approach often omits people, as she zooms into an object or a scene that could be of the underbelly of society, and masks it with her unique editorial style. She steps into the blur of fact versus fiction. Furness’ work takes a shift in another direction, as she toys with representing the mundane in a different visual light, thus bleeding into a fictional way of framing an image. By doing this, she avoids casting people as props to prompt thoughts on the aforementioned themes; rather, she makes small moments glamorous, and the idiosyncrasies of an object reveal themselves when unpacked critically.
Speaking about her editing style, Furness overlays scenes, for example, by photographing through windows, to create images that feel “otherworldly” and almost alternate universes. Forest and river landscapes down the South Coast of KwaZulu-Natal, as well as kitsch cruise ship furniture and ornaments, appear vivid with their “complementary colours”, as Furness puts it. As readers, we might be privy to the environmental impact of cruise ships. The way Furness crafts her images offer viewers a moment of escape while simultaneously concealing deeper truths about life.
Furness aims to create beautiful photographs, and she succeeds. Her visual storytelling invites us into a world of romance, but lingering too long reveals the troubles beneath. Still, it’s nice to dream for a little while.
Okubukhwebezane, nokuluhlaza bolwandle kanye nokuyisibhakabhaka kuyageleza phezu kolwandle. Ukushisa kokuphuma kwelanga okubomvana nokuwolintshi okukhazimulayo okunamafu asekuseni, kundlaleka phezulu. Ilanga lifinyelela engalweni yowesifazane, omaphakathi nomoya futhi ukhululekile njengoba egxuma esigxotsheni ukuze azicwilise kuleli bhodwe elinemibala ekhazimulayo okuyiyo i-Indian Ocean ekuseni.
Lapho ubuka isithombe, ngokusho kuka-Big Jump (2021), kuvela imibono yenkululeko nentokozo. Lesi yisibonelo somsebenzi womthwebuli wezithombe u-Paige Furness. Ku-CAPTIVATE SESSION yakhe, enesihloko esithi On Dreams, lemibono yakhe yenjabulo ekhumbuza imizwa yobuntwana kanye nokuzulazula iyaqhubeka; kukhona, nokho, okunye okunqwabelene, ukwenzekayo ngokwangempela, ngaphansi kwalezi zinhlaka ezibomvana, ezinezukhumbuzo ezinhle.
Incazelo yokuhlanganisiwe kanye nokunqwabelene.
Umsebenzi kaFurness uhambisana neminye imisebenzi egciniwe yomlando ye-Contemporary Archive Project, njengocezu luka-Robyn Perros. Ukwethulwa kohlaka lwabesifazane abane abahamba beya futhi bebuya ezindlini zangasese ezingomahamba nendlwana kwi-Durban July— omunye ehlobe ngemfashini ewubukhazikhazi, owesifazane ogqoke umfaniswano ethatha ikhefu emsebenzini wakhe, nabanye ababili abaswenke baconsa.
Ukuhlangana kwezindlu zangasese eduze kwabesifazane abagqokele umcimbi owubukhazikhazi, kudlala indima yokuveza ukuphikisana kwezinto ezingahambelani nomphakathi, lapho izikhathi zobukhazikhazi zikhona eduze nezici ezivamile nezikhandlayo zokuphila kwansuku zonke zikhona n azo. Isithombe sigqamisa ukuthi izindawo zomphakathi ziba yizindawo zokwahlukahlukene—lapho kuhlangana khona abantu bezinga, abasebenzi, nokokungcebeleka. Nakuba omunye wesifazane ebonisa ubuhle, omunye ogqoke umfaniswano wokusebenza usikhumbuza abasebenzi abangabonakali ababhekelele konke okwenzeka emicimbini. Ukuba khona kwezindlu zangasese ezingumahamba nendlwana, kubalulekile kodwa akuthandeki, kugcizelela okwenzeka ngokwangempela embukwaneni nakwimigubho. Lokhu kuveza umehluko ezintweni umuntu abhekana nazo empilweni—lapho ubuhle, amalungelo kanye nomsebenzi kukhona ngakunye, okuveza izigqinamba ezivame ukunganakwa ezingavezwa uma kuvezwa impilo ephilwa ngabantu.
Ekusebenzeni kombala nokuthwebula kwefilimu u- Perrus ukhipha izithombe ezifanayo nezika-Furness. I-analogue medium ivumela ukuthi iqiniso ulibukele buqamama ngokokuvezwa kokwakheka kwezithombe; imibala engahambelani embozwe ngokufiphele, isikrini sohlobo esibhekiselwe ekuthathweni kwezithombe eziseqophelweni eliphambili emsebenzini ka-Perros, futhi lokhu kuyavela nasemsebenzini kaFurness, endleleni abheka ngayo futhi ahlela ngayo izithombe zakhe.
Inqubo nendlela
Ngendlela yakhe, uFurness uthi uzenza izithombe zakhe ngokwemizwa yakhe. Lapho ebuyekeza ukwenzeka kwesithombe sebhodleyana lotshwala ebhishi (Ibhodlela likabhiya elincane), waphawula ukuthi wakhangwa kanjani indlela ukukhanya kwakuvela ngakho ngaso lesiya sikhathi sesithombe. Ngenkathi ukuqanjwa kwaso kwavela sengathi bekuhleliwe, wamangazwa izakhi zakhona ezihlukene—into esebenza nsuku zonke iveza imiyalezo eyahlukahlukene. Ibhodlela latshengisa umyalezo ojwayelekile, oxhumene nezindikimba zokungcola nezinkinga zezidakamizwa, eyenza umyalezo wangaleso sikhathi ujule. Ukulungisa isithombe kudlale indima ebalulekile enqubweni yakhe, njengoba ephinde wabuyela kusona lesi sithombe emva kwezinyanga, wathola imiyalezo emisha wayesethuthukisa imibala ukuze kwakheke umbono onjengephupho, okhazimulayo.
Ngokunomehluko nendlela kaFurness yokuveza umphakathi, eminye imisebenzi egciniwe ye-CAP esebenzisa izindlela ezifanayo zokwenza – ezingokuhambelana ngokwemizwa futhi ezihlaba esikhonkosini- ezika-Wandile Msomi kanye no-Rory Jacobs ezigciniwe njengezithombe zokwasemgwaqeni. Izithombe zibonisa izigcawu zangempela, eziveza impilo yangempela yasemadolobheni kanye nokwehluka kwezenhlalo nezomnotho okutholakala phakathi kwawo, ngezinye izikhathi abantu bathwebula ngaphansi kwezimo ezibucayo. Izinhlobonhlobo zokuthwebula izithombe zasemgwaqweni ziyavela kule ndaba yomsebenzi, ukuzama ukwenza into enhle ngezinto ezibuhlungu ezenzeka ngokwangempela empilweni; lezi zithombe zisikhombisa lokho esesikwazi kakade, nakuba zihlanganiswe nombono womthwebuli wezithombe, ngezinye izikhathi ziveza indlala kanye nokucindezelwa ngendlela enokuba nethemba ekhangayo.
Indlela kaFurness ivamise ukubavalela ngaphandle abantu, njengoba esondeza entweni ayithwebulayo noma esigcawini esingaba ekujuleni komphakathi, abe eseyasifihla ngendlela yakhe yokuhlela okuyingqayizivele. Uyalicashisa iqiniso ngokumelene nenganekwane. Umsebenzi kaFurness ushintshela kwelinye izinga, njengoba ekhetha ukungavezi okungabalulekile, ngaleyo ndlela usebenzisa indlela yokuqanjiwe ukwakha isithombe. Ngokwenza lokhu, ugwema ukukhipha abantu njengezeluleko zokwazisa imicabango ngezindikimba ezishiwo ngenhla; kunalokho, wenza izikhathi ezincane zibe bukhazikhazi, futhi into umuntu ayijwayele uyiveza ngokuyindlala ngokucophelela.
Ekhuluma ngesitayela sakhe sokulungisa, uFurness umboza izigcawu, ngokwesibonelo, ngokuthwebula ngamafasitela, ukuze akhe izithombe ezizwakala “njengeziveza omunye umhlaba” futhi cishe neminye imihlaba. Amahlathi nemifula ezansi noGu oluseNingizimu yeKwaZulu-Natal, kanye nefenisha yemikhumbi ye-kitsch cruise kanye nemihlobiso, kubonakala kucacile “ngemibala ehambisanayo”, njengoba uFurness ekubeka. Njengabafundi, singase siwazi umthelela umkhumbi onawo kwi mvelo. Indlela uFurness enza ngayo izithombe zakhe inika ababukeli isikhashana sokuphunyula kwimicabango kuyilapho ngesikhathi esifanayo ifihla amaqiniso ajulile ngempilo.
UFurness uhlose ukwenza izithombe ezinhle, futhi uyaphumelela. Ukulandisa kwakhe okubonakalayo kusimemela emhlabeni wezothando, kodwa ukuhlala isikhathi eside kwembula izinkinga ezicashile. Noma kunjalo, kuhle ukuphupha isikhashana.