Light Struck by Ellen Carey

Published:: 15 August 2023

An image from Ellen Carey's exhibition Light Struck, a brightly coloured photogram which has used push pins to create bright coloured points. — An image from Light Struck, an exhibition of photograms and contact prints by artist and photographer Ellen Carey, 2009 | © Ellen Carey

Renowned for her work with Polaroid and the 20x24 gallery in New York, Carey’s Light Struck takes the viewer through two centuries of photographic play and discovery. Showcasing key pieces from her career, Light Struck also features a completely new artwork created in response to one of Talbot’s 19th-century photograms.

What is Light Struck by Ellen Carey?

Light Struck is a new exhibition at Lacock’s Fox Talbot Museum that combines modern Polaroid with Henry Fox Talbot’s contact print to find common ground with pre-digital and digital techniques. The result playfully invites you to re-discover what light means to photography. Expect a celebration of light, colour and playfulness within a burst of creativity and invention.

Who is Ellen Carey?

Ellen Carey is an award winning photographer, educator and artist who has been named by the Royal Photographic Society as one of the most important women photographers in the world.

Why Lacock?

The Talbot family owned Lacock Abbey until 1944 when Henry Fox Talbot’s granddaughter Matilda donated it to the National Trust. The story of Henry’s discoveries begins with creative frustration. Married to Constance, who was far better at drawing than he was, Henry sought to create an alternative method of drawing with light whilst ensuring that the image lasted forever. Of scientifically curious mind, Henry’s experiments with paper, light sensitive solutions and early cameras lead to the development of the first negative. His first images were named ‘photogenic drawings’ and Carey’s Light Struck is both homage to and continuation of his experiments.