Photographer: Pieter Hugo, Permanent Error

Posted on by tonyoca

Hugo’s series Permanent Error is taken in Agbogbloshie and area of land outside Accra, Ghana (Hugo, 2010).  It is an area where discarded computer equipment is disassembled and broken down into their base parts.  In Hugo’s words it is a “dark and dirty monument to the digital age”.

When I first looked at Hugo’s images I was interested to see the mix of images, some one might consider portraiture, for example Fig. 1 which shows Al Hasan Abukari.  The image though shows a desolate background and it is surely intentional that Hugo has stood the subject directly in front of something smoking. 

Fig. 1. Al Hasan Abukari, Agbogbloshie Market, Accra, Ghana (2009)

This is replicated in every portrait shot.  They are all different, they show different parts of the desolate area, but all show the subject in front of smoking debris.  Perhaps all of the land is like this and therefore it was not a choice, but we cannot tell.  Fig. 2 is another example.

Fig. 2. Al Hasan, Agbogbloshie Market, Accra, Ghana. (2009)

Then there is a different style of image such as that shown in Fig. 3 and 4.  these images show the ground, straight on, and show the debris that is left behind.  These images show us the purpose of the area, what it is that happens in this market.

Fig. 3. Untitled, Agbogbloshie Market, Accra, Ghana. (2010)
Fig. 4. Untitled, Agbogbloshie Market, Accra, Ghana. (2010)

Finally, there are wider scenes such as those scene in Fig. 5 and 6.  These are candid, we see the boys working in their environment and this helps us understand what the place is.

Fig. 5. Untitled, Agbogbloshie Market, Accra, Ghana. (2010)
Fig. 6. Untitled, Agbogbloshie Market, Accra, Ghana. (2010)

Reflection

The images are dramatic and portray the land, the people that work or live their, and the work that they do.  It is not clear to me if the collection is designed to show the people and their plight, the land itself or both.  It doesn’t actually matter as all three are portrayed but I would be interested to know Hugo’s intent.

This is another collection of images that uses three formula for all of the images in the collection – those I have picked out.  I find this an effective technique for avoiding repetition whilst at the same time creating a commonality in the set that brings it together.  This is similar to Watson’s Soundings from the Estuary (Watson, n.d) which although it does not have people in the collection, uses a limited set of framing techniques to create a set.  This technique I need to master.   

Bibliography

Hugo, P., 2010. PERMANENT ERROR — Pieter Hugo. [online] Pieterhugo.com. Available at: <https://pieterhugo.com/PERMANENT-ERROR> [Accessed 15 February 2021].

Watson, F., n.d. Soundings from the Estuary – Frank Watson. [online] Frankwatsonphotography.com. Available at: <https://frankwatsonphotography.com/soundings-from-the-estuary/> [Accessed 15 February 2021].

Figures

Figure 1. Hugo, P., 2009. Al Hasan Abukari, Agbogbloshie Market, Accra, Ghana. [image] Available at: <https://pieterhugo.com/PERMANENT-ERROR> [Accessed 15 February 2021].

Figure 2. Hugo, P., 2009. Al Hasan, Agbogbloshie Market, Accra, Ghana. [image] Available at: <https://pieterhugo.com/PERMANENT-ERROR> [Accessed 15 February 2021].

Figure 3. Hugo, P., 2010. Untitled, Agbogbloshie Market, Accra, Ghana,. [image] Available at: <https://pieterhugo.com/PERMANENT-ERROR> [Accessed 15 February 2021].

Figure 4. Hugo, P., 2010. Untitled, Agbogbloshie Market, Accra, Ghana,. [image] Available at: <https://pieterhugo.com/PERMANENT-ERROR> [Accessed 15 February 2021].

Figure 5. Hugo, P., 2010. Untitled, Agbogbloshie Market, Accra, Ghana,. [image] Available at: <https://pieterhugo.com/PERMANENT-ERROR> [Accessed 15 February 2021].

Figure 6. Hugo, P., 2010. Untitled, Agbogbloshie Market, Accra, Ghana,. [image] Available at: <https://pieterhugo.com/PERMANENT-ERROR> [Accessed 15 February 2021].