Laurie Simmons emerged from the New York 'Pictures Generation' during the 1970's and 80's, an era of counter culture that we've seen influence parts of London massively over the past ten to twenty years, loft apartments, live/work spaces and a 'DIY' art movement.
Early work, 'Black and White Interiors'(1976-78), is displayed in the lower gallery, photographs of miniature spaces created using doll house furniture. Personally, I prefer non-staged or real life subjects when it comes to photography. If someone is trying to make a comment on a particular way of life, surely they would just document the real thing. However, this work is 20 odd years old and for the time it was made, people were probably still using the word 'creepy' to describe such mock photographic scenes and finding it interesting or shocking that someone was making work like this. For those reasons I may think about surrendering my original opinion, but still, I wouldn't exactly say it inspired me.
The upstairs gallery houses more photographic documentation involving a doll, but this time a life size one from Japan. Between 2009 and up until the exhibition, Simmons had been documenting her developing relationship with a sex doll. Again, I'd probably rather watch one of the those programs about American guys that genuinely believe they are married to these things, the psychology behind it seems more appealing.
