Adrian James ARPS Accreditation Success
Blog post

Adrian James ARPS Accreditation Success

Statement of intent 

All lutes in the UK are still hand-made by craftsmen using traditional methods. This book is a documentary photographic record of the creation of an archlute by one of the UK’s leading luthiers. Both the lute and this book were commissioned by the Royal Academy of Music and copies will go to their library. My intention was not only to record the luthier's working environment but also to provide a detailed photographic account of the crafting of this unique instrument. It was therefore necessary to document every step of its construction. For me, however, this book of images is also a means of sharing, with others, my sense of wonderment and fascination at both the craftsmanship and the highly complex technical processes involved in making an archlute. I was so privileged to witness and photograph both the craft and the craftsman.

The luthier, who is the central figure in this project, is a craftsman with whom I have worked before. He was part of a photographic series about local craftspeople and things that are hand-made. In addition to capturing many fascinating images, that project stimulated my interest in exploring the skills involved in a wide range of crafts, from pottery and clock-making to weaving.

I had approached the luthier about the possibility of photographing him at work over an extended period of time and he had readily agreed. Touched by his generosity in allowing me to take pictures in the limited space of his workshop, as a way of expressing my appreciation, I offered to put together a book that documented the making of the lute. This would be a photographic record for him and his customer, both of whom were pleased to receive it.

A few months later, the luthier was commissioned by the Royal Academy of Music to make an archlute. During discussions with Academy, he had showed them the book and they asked if I would make a similar book for them and the charitable foundation who were funding the new project. 

The focus of this second book is, therefore, on the process of constructing an archlute and on capturing the techniques and skills used by the luthier to make this unusual instrument. However, importantly, there is a strong human element also at the heart of this project since the lute is an expression of the luthier’s unique and personal mastery of his craft. It was therefore important to include images of the luthier himself in his working environment. Thus, although many images focus on his hands and the lute he was making, there are some more distant images of him performing various other tasks. There are also images that show the important and necessary relationship between his hands and eyes, which is pivotal to the delicate and detailed work involved in lute making.  Fine motor skills are needed, for example, to carve the exquisite rosette that features in the centre of the soundboard.

The images in this book came from a long shortlist of the many hundreds of photographs that I took during the course of this 12-month project. The final selection has had to balance the importance of selecting the strongest images with the need to design a book that provides a full and accurate record of the lute being made. I had therefore consulted the luthier about the final choices to be made.

This project was an incredible learning experience for me, and not only photographically. Over the months it took for the archlute to be made, I learned much about the history of the instrument, the traditional techniques and materials used in its construction, and its role in the history of music. To see something so complex, delicate and musically sophisticated being fashioned from a few pieces of wood was a truly remarkable experience.