Assignment 5 -Student Feedback and Next Steps

After taking the image in the cellar and the one in the hallway at night, I had been thinking about which one to choose and also whether I was working according to the brief in the first place. I find planning difficult and always have to force myself to stick to plans as well! It’s hard to force ideas when it is not my normal way of getting them. My ideas often come up after having taken the first steps and are not executed in a linear way.

Anyway, I checked on Facebook what my fellow students thought about the two initial images I had worked on. Here are their responses:

Jayne Kemp I really like the image kelder en night-11 

Holly Woodward I prefer the cellar image. It has more of a potential story, and is beautifully lit.

Kate Aston I like the cellar image. It reminds me of an Urbex version of Alice in Wonderland.

Dawn Langley I’m actually really torn between the two. I like the lighting and leading lines on the cellar but I wonder whether it is ‘constructed’ enough? I guess only your tutor may be able to answer that. I think I prefer the more psychological feel of the Flamingo and lean towards the version with slightly colder/blue tones.

Lynda Kuit I’m with Dawn on this one. I like the drama of the second one. There is a lot going on there too.

Leonie Broekstra-Pauw Thanks! I’m also wondering if it is constructed enough. I ended up only having half an hour there, so decided on the minimalist approach. But you’re right, it’s not really done the way it is supposed to.

Holly Woodward Can you go back again, Leonie? Use the images you have got already for preparation and planning, and then spend another half an hour there doing the final version, perhaps?

Leonie Broekstra-Pauw I actually think I should. I’ll check. It does need a bit more visual clues.
Dawn Langley That would be my thinking – maybe things you discard as you go into hiding like a trail of breadcrumbs.
Anne Bryson I don’t know context and narrative, so can’t comment on whether or not the cellar image is constructed enough. Of the two I do prefer it though as I feel it has the potential for more of a story. For one thing you have had more time to think it through even though you may not have had the time you wanted to develop it in the way you want. I really like your thinking about why the woman might find herself there and if you are able to negotiate more time and develop some of these ideas further I think it would work.

I do find the other image fascinating though and assume I am seeing the same face as you are. It looks quite scary to me, is that blood on his mouth? What has she done to him?
Leonie Broekstra-Pauw Haha, hadn’t even noticed that!

Morris Gallagher I prefer the shadow images – as they are constructed they fit well with the A5 brief which is also to communicate an idea of feeling which I think this does very well. What would help you is a clearer conceptual framework; for me it referenced ‘Plato’s cave’ – nothing is what it appears to be just and shadow, and the showing the ‘hidden’ aspect of the psyche; Hopwood, A. (2006). “Jung’s model of the psyche.” Retrieved May 2nd, 2015, from http://www.thesap.org.uk/jung-s-model-of-the-psyche. What does this say about the ‘hidden’ you rather than the ‘persona?’
Leonie Broekstra-Pauw Thanks for the insight!

Lynda Kuit You can research Pliny’s fable about the shadow as well: http://www.tau.ac.il/~kenaan/tracing.pdf

Andrew Fitzgibbon Thanks for sharing Leonie – particularly interesting for me as I’m in the early stages of thinking about the assignment; a potential location is the cellar below my house that used to be used as a butchery when it was a working farm. A very different feel to your cellar but nonetheless also a cellar! I think as someone else mentioned the post didn’t seem to suggest a strong conceptual framework or intention for the work, apart the mention of escaping the world. With that as a concept, could you add artefacts as signs, thereby making the image feel more constructed? While I like the second image, it doesn’t feel constructed to me – more of a chance shot, which I guess it was. Look forward to seeing you final work, whatever you decide upon!
Steve Middlehurst I very much like the cellar shot. It has a Gregory Crewdson feel to it. I agree with some of the comments above, maybe needs a very few extra props. Crewdson is all about psychological messages so his work might help suggest props or gestures that would create possible narratives here.

Leonie Broekstra-Pauw Thanks! I’m still pondering on which things to add, give it a happier feel or make it all even more depressing. It’s a fun assignment!

As you can see, there were different ideas on which image works best and some interesting suggestions on where to look further.

I agreed with the fact that the cellar image needed more narrative elements and that the shadow shot has potential, but might not be constructed enough. So I gave it a thought and realised that I did want to continue my work with the cellar image, but not change it. It does need visual clues, but I don’t like to make it all too obvious and really leave the image open for many different interpretations.

That evening at dinnertime we were talking about the movie ‘Wasteland’, a story about a community in a slum who builds pieces of art out of trash. I haven’t watched the movie yet, but was triggered by the idea of constructing a story with whatever you can find in your vicinity. Besides that, at that time there were numerous bats flying through our garden and I decided to go out and take a few images, see if I could get the bats in the photo and then try to construct an image with garbage.

While working, it got dark and I came up with the idea that I could use this image as a counterbalance to the cellar photograph and the shadow. Outside versus inside, dark versus light, natural environment versus a man made environment. Together the image could trigger a narrative that works in a circular way and let the viewers draw connections between the settings and make up their own narrative, without giving too many clues on what it might be about. Here are some of the images that I took:

The Memory

As you can see, I also asked my husband to jump in, just to see how it would work in the narrative next to the cellar image. I realised that I wanted to keep the same person in both images, to stress the fact that both images were interconnected by thoughts and time. This is the image I finally choose to work with:

Besides bringing the images together, I wanted to give them a title that would trigger the narrative even more and enforce the story of what is taking place in the image. The story is non-linear and connects different moments and places. So the image in the cellar will have the title ‘The Thought’ and the one in the garden ‘The Proof’ and the photo in the hallway ‘The Possibility’

I came accross a photograph of Ellie Davies, where we see a man looking at a woman in a swimming pool at night. The atmosphere reminded me of the kind of atmosphere that I was trying to create in my cellar photograph. I looked up more of her work online and was struck by her artist statements and the way she is able to put her ideas into words. These are themes that I have tried to incorporate in my assignment as well. The first on how to construct an ‘imaginary Other’ and how different encounters and settings can combine the ‘progression of narrative‘ into a frame:

Ellie Davies’ Artist Statement on ‘After Dark’

These long format images explore the construction of an imaginary Other.

The encounters between the figures often leave one figure unaware of the other, drawing into the scenario a notion of the potentially voyeuristic nature of film and photography.  These encounters may be real, or imagined by the characters.

These images are made by moving the camera sideways in increments along a linear trajectory, creating a series of images of the scene.  These are blended together to form a seamless single frame that contains multiple perspective viewpoints and combines the filmic progression of narrative into a single frame.

A stage is constructed on which the narrative plays out.

In her series ‘Vantage Point’ Davies explores the dynamics between subjects and the spaces they occupy. In my set of images I want to show how spaces can trigger thoughts and contemplation that lead back to different spaces and memories. These memories may drive the subject to specific places for contemplation and isolation. I really like how Ellie Davies puts these themes into words.

Ellie Davies’ Artist Statement on ‘Vantage Point’

Set in homes, gardens and public areas these images explore the psychological relationships between the subjects and the spaces they occupy. 

A dreamlike tension and sense of menace within the architectural or outdoor spaces plays into the dialogues between the people depicted. Drawing on everyday anxieties and childhood memories the images reflect on the fine line between reality and fantasy, exploring the strangeness that lurks beneath the surface of the commonplace.  Night time and twilight settings distance the viewer from the everyday, entering a world of psychological  uncertainty, where things are not always as they seem.

Familiar spaces are rendered peculiar by the night.  The figures occupy pools of light which drop sharply away into a darkness which hints at the imagined unseen.

I would like to explore these psychological relationships between subjects and spaces as well. Can we trust our own memories, thoughts and experiences? Is what we have visually remembered true to what actually happened? Is the fact that there is an image of the memory proof of what had happened? What kind of feelings do memories evoke in specific places and why is the woman completely isolated, is that a result of what happened?

My fellow students pointed out two articles, one about the origin of painting, the function of shadow and its representation of reality, and an other article on the ideas of Jung about the individual, the conscious and subconsciousness. Both articled revealed more of the ideas that I would like to add to the images. How do we become aware of who we are, how does it relate to the reality we are in. I want my images to reflect this process of individuation:

Individuation
“Jung called the search for wholeness within the human psyche, the process of individuation. It may be described as a process of circumambulation around the Self as the centre of personality. The person aims to become conscious of him or herself as a unique human being, but at the same time, no more nor less than any other human being.

If the tension between the opposites can be borne, then out
of this clash something new and creative can grow. In Jung’s view, this ‘something’ is a symbol which will contribute to a new direction which does justice to both sides of a conflict and which is a product of the unconscious rather than of rational thought.”

I would like the titles of the images to enforce the circular narrative that I want to create. This is what the final submission will look like:

The Thought

The Memory

The Unfolding

 

References:

Ellie Davies (no date) Available at: http://www.elliedavies.co.uk/images/after-dark/after-dark/ (Accessed: 16 May 2016).

Vantage point (no date) Available at: http://www.elliedavies.co.uk/images/vantage-point/vantage-point/ (Accessed: 16 May 2016).

 

 

The Arresting Effect of Photographs of Trauma

While I was reading the chapter ‘Photographs of Agony’ in Berger’s book: “Uses of Photography, about Looking”, I was reminded of an article that my tutor had suggested me to read, ‘Photographs and Agony’, by Koepnick, Lutz P. (Lutz Peter). This article discusses the idea whether digitization has changed our photographic memory, and whether this digitization and use of other media reframes traumas of the past and changes its bearing on the present.

The artical starts with a self portrait by Schechner, in which he has placed himself with a can of coke in a dorm of concentration camp Buchenwald with the title, ‘This is the Real Thing.’ The image is shocking in many ways and questions the meaning of photographs of traumatic events in history.

 

‘ What Schechner’s self portrait seeks to exhibit is the failure of the photographic image not only to record reality reliably and to authenticate memory, but also to address the shocks and ruptures associated with traumatic experience. Instead of embracing an amoral universalization of Holocaust memory, Schechner wants his viewer to understand how mechanical and mass reproduced images today tend to anaesthetize perception and cloud our judgment. His work deflates the gravity of photographic realism in order to reveal and condemn the hyperrealism of contemporary memory culture.’ (Koepnick, Lutz P., 2004)

 

‘His work questions our conventional trust in mechanical images, and in doing so, it urges us to explore why and how we have come to encounter photographs as authenticating media of history and memory—as prosthesis of perception and recollection—in the first place.’ (Koepnick, Lutz P., 2004)

In his chapter ‘Photographs of Agony’ John Berger questions the function of shocking war photographs, specifying Don McCullins work, and why their contents are becoming more and more shocking. The arresting effect of photographs fill us either with despair or indignation and we are confronted with the confronted with the photographed moment and all others.

‘As we emerge from the photographed moment back into our lives, we do not realise this; we assume that the discontinuity is our responsibility. The truth is that any response to that photographed moment is bound to be felt as inadequate. Those who are there in the situation being photographed, those who hold the hand of the dying or staunch a wound, are not seeing the moment as we have and their responses are of an altogether different order. ‘ (Berger, 1972)

I find it interesting that Schechner is able to show exactly the arresting effect that Berger is describing. Although he is ‘identifying with the men in the barack, with wearing the same clothes and having the same black and white look, his attitude and can of coke show exactly the disconnection viewers have when looking at similar scenes. It is impossible to put yourself in there and suffer along. The idea that it would be possible is very cynical and Schechner points this out in a striking way.

References:

Berger, J. (no date) Uses of Photography. Available at: http://www.uni.edu/fabos/seminar/readings/berger.pdf (Accessed: 30 May 2016).

Koepnick, L.P.(l.P. (2004) ‘Photographs and memories’, South Central Review, 21(1), pp. 94–129. doi: 10.1353/scr.2004.0009.

Conversation

The idea of this exercise is to record a conversation, first write my interpretation of the conversation and after that listen to the conversation and check the differences.

I really enjoyed this exercise. I recorded a conversation with a good friend and had already thought about what kind of topic I wanted to discuss. We hadn’t seen each other for quite some time and her mother in law had been quite ill. I wanted to ask her how she was doing and how my friend had dealt with this difficult period in her life.

My friend is somebody I can really talk to. With some people conversations are a one way stream, but with her I always feel we both get to talk and listen as much as the other. When writing the report of the conversation I realised it was hard to write down exactly what we had said, although I did remember some sentences literally. Again, I felt we had both shared as much as the other and that we had been able to talk about our inner feelings.

Listening back I realised this was quite the case, although I did notice a lot of eagerness on both sides to ask each other questions instead of listening and going deeper on what had been said before. A few times I noticed I hadn’t heard something quite essential that she said, or at least didn’t respond to it in a way I wish I had. This was not really the case the other way around and I found out I had talked much more about my mother in law than hers.

An other thing was interrupting. I heard myself doing this  a few times and it was really annoying!

Thinking about how to translate these discoveries into a constructed photograph I first of all realise that the some of all details that bring about an overall feeling is very different than the elements that the sum is made of. The different elements don’t all have to point directly to the main idea, but subtly lead to the theme. There is also room for conflicting details and reflection of the element within the image itself. How to translate this visually is challenging, but my main lesson learnt is that the elements in the image don’t have to be too obvious, but great concern needs to be given in the interaction and interplay between them.

Assignment 4 – Tutor Report

My tutor sent me the report for my assignment 4. His comments on the essay came in a separate file, which I will include in this post as well. You’ll find the response of the report itself in bold and my response in italics:

Many thanks for submitting this fourth assignment Leonie. This detailed a written account with reference to an image taken by Ernst Haas entitled: The Homecoming Prisoners – Vienna 1947

Issues relating to the previous feedback report:

• When discussing the work of other practitioners, try to relate it to your own work in order to establish a position.
• Consider the chronological order of your blog and see if you can make this easier to navigate if possible … including specific links to practitioners /research / gallery visits / assignments / course work etc.

• Read Hirsch / Gibbons / Bate / Livingston & Dyer etc
• Perhaps read the Berger chapter on ‘the suit’ with reference to Sander’s portraits.
• Look at Camera Lucida by Roland Barthes.

I can see you have tackled much of this … with reference to both Bate (not Bates !)and Barthes in your written assignment.

Yes, but I still need to add a few more blogs about books and articles that I’ve written. Will do that in the coming week. I am working on a better layout of this website as well. 

Feedback on assignment

Demonstration of technical and Visual Skills, Quality of Outcome, Demonstration of Creativity

• Specific embedded feedback within word document attached.

I have rewritten parts of the essay and added the suggested notes and photographs. I’ll post them in a separate blog post.

Coursework
Demonstration of technical and Visual Skills, Demonstration of Creativity

• Progressing well.

Research

Context, reflective thinking, critical thinking, analysis

• No concerns here (same as previous report).

Learning Log
Context, reflective thinking, critical thinking, analysis

• This is working much better now via WordPress and can be navigated more effectively. You should just try to populate these links now with additional posts etc.

Suggested reading/viewing
Context

• I’ve sent you a copy of a text I created in response to two of my intermission portraits (Hardman) which might be of interest to you in terms of an analysis of a portrait. Take a read and pass on any thoughts via the blog.

Pointers for the next assignment / assessment

• I’ll take a look at your ideas for Assignment 5 via the blog and try to suggest some further reading / practitioners for you to support the submission. We will need to work quickly though if you are to submit for the June assessment !

Yes, thanks for helping out here!

The Following link opens up the essay with comments.

Assignment 4 Leonie Broekstra

Assignment 5 – More ideas!

After researching the photographers that were mentioned in the reader, I decided I would like to make a photograph that had a cinematic feel to it, had a strong narrative effect and showed a woman on her own. I really enjoyed looking at Hannah Starkey’s work and felt inspired to use lots of colours and a minimalist scene, but with enough elements to draw conclusions about the narrative.

I have access to a really big cellar that is used for storage and files. There are a lot of underground pipes and there is a strange atmosphere. I took a few images of the cellar first and then gave myself to let some ideas sink in.

As you can see, there are numerous possibilities down there! Few thoughts were hanging clothes, displaying a picnic for one or set a desk with papers to create a working space. However, it turned out that I would not have a lot of time down there, so I realised I would have to use the elements that were already there. I focused on the pipes that go in the wall and the pile of chairs beside them.

The idea is to sit between the pipes and sort of rest there. I want to show a person who looks tired and worried and finds herself isolated from the rest of her world. Did she do this on purpose, is she imprisoned? The chairs on her side show that she is not in a home, is it her work place, or did she enter a public building and go downstairs? What’s in the pipes? Where do they connect to? Is there a relationship between the woman and the pipes? I also thought about stories of people in prison who communicate by means of pipes, maybe the woman can be in a waiting position, waiting for a sign from an other room or reality?

As a mother of a busy family, I sometimes feel a need to escape everything and go to a place to just be on my own and have no distractions. The pipes represent everything that passes by going from one place to the other upstairs. Just leaning on that, without having to be part of it can be very restful at times. It helps you to focus on other important things in life, it helps in making decisions and grounding yourself. I would like the photo to represent that. Here is the selection of the images that I took:

As you can see, I started of with quite a dark, contrasty light. I tried different poses and then realised I thought it would be better to show some more of the environment. So I put a diffuser in front of the lamp, which made the image a bit flatter. Still, because of the strong leading lines, i do feel that the eye is sufficiently drawn to the person anyway. My final selection is this image:

I like the posture and how the light shines on the face. I looks as if she has just come up with an idea, or is about to stand up, which gives the somewhat dark image a positive element. The image did require some photoshopping. This was the original:

And this is the final image:

As you can see, I have added a bit more space on the sides of the image because I like the balance a bit better and there seems to be more room for the eye to wonder. I have shopped out the reflector that was on the top right, lightened up the subject and darkened the other highlighted area. I am happy with the subtle contrast and the colours. The image has a bit of a cinematic look without overdoing it. This assignment has really made me wish for a medium format camera!

So last night I couldn’t sleep and walked to the kitchen to get a glass of water. When entering the hallway I realised that the shadows of the plants and luxaflex have a very weird visual effect. A few weeks ago, I discovered the work of Oleg Shuplyak, and was really impressed by his ability to play psychological tricks through his paintings. I wondered how I could do that in photography and realised this was a grand opportunity!

I got my tripod and camera out and started photographing. I realised it needed a bit more and I walked in front of the camera during the long shutter speed. It was very interesting to see how I was dodging the image and also changing the shape of the ‘face’ that I saw in the shadows of the plants. Funny enough, when I showed my husband the picture, he saw a completely different face, that I have not been able to see yet. We do have very different personalities, I’m sure it has something to do with that 😉

The image itself is a bit weird, but I’ve always liked weird things and experimental photography. However, I hadn’t really thought out this image from scratch, since I happened to walk in the scene and I’m not sure if it’s eligible for this assignment. I think I’ll ask around on the student websites! Anyway, here is my final choice in it’s original and post processed state:

As you can see I have lightened the shadows quite a bit, changed the colour cast and added a lot of contrast and clarity. I have purposely left the left side lighter, to let the eye wonder through the image and get clues about where and how it was taken. Because I look more like a shadow than the actual being, I get a ghost like appearance. Together with the guy’s face in the plants and the flamingo the entire scene is a bit surrealistic and full of visual clues, which I like.

The narrative here is that nothing is what you see or expect. The title of the photograph is ‘Encounter’, and I will write more about that in the final submission.

William Dalrymple – The Writer’s Eye

Dalrymple, W. (2016), photograph. Available at: http://www.firstpost.com/living/in-black-and-white-william-dalrymple-explores-a-different-art-form-in-his-new-book-photography-2684100.html (Accessed: 5 May 2016).

 

Most people know William Dalrymple as a prolific author and expert on India. However, as it turns out he is a very capable photographer as well. Last week I visited an exhibition and presentation by Dalrymple himself with about 30 black and white images, all taken on his Samsung Galaxy and processed with Snapseed. On arrival I was a bit apprehensive about what I was about to see, but was soon very impressed with the photographs.

Inspired by Godwin and Bill Brandt his prints are gritty, contrasty with a main focus on shapes and patterns. Dalrymple took the images during his travels, often focusing on architecture and landscape, but there are a few ‘decisive moments’ as well. Through the post processing emphasis is laid on texture and lines in such a way that you look at the scene afresh and start noticing elements of the places that would have gone unnoticed in reality.

Dalrymple was quite dismissive about his work, having taken all his photographs on a telephone and not having spent time in a dark room to get the results. However, it is obvious that he used to be a skilled amateur and has a very distinguished photographic eye. Even though he hadn’t photographed for years, in his writing is eloquent in describing scenes, visualising stories and I’m sure that has an influence on how you photograph yourself.

The curator decided to not add any captions to the images, which in a way made the images mysterious and helped you to first look very carefully, looking for clues on what it is that you were looking at and where it could be. I also made a lot more visual connections between images that I might not have done if I knew where the images had been taken. On the other hand, Dalrymple mentioned that he has been explaining over and over again where all the images were taken!

I bought the book and have found myself looking at it quite a bit and have felt inspired to keep on taking photos on my iphone as well. We’re so privileged to always have access to such great gear!

References:

Dalrymple, W. (2016) The writer’s eye. India: HarperCollins India.

(No Date) Available at: http://www.firstpost.com/living/in-black-and-white-william-dalrymple-explores-a-different-art-form-in-his-new-book-photography-2684100.html (Accessed: 5 May 2016).

Assignment 5, preparations

I’ve been thinking a lot about this assignment and find it really difficult to come up with something. So I just decided to just get over it and start working, regardless my idea was allready completely thought out or not. I was in the gym last Sunday and realised that the colours and light was pretty stunning. So I asked my son to come over and pose. The idea of this photo is that at times at times it just seems that you’re fighting for something in vain. It just keeps on coming back. The only opponent seems to be yourself. You can be pretty beaten by it, but just giving yourself a break and declare yourself beaten will stop the movement and bring rest.

 

This is my set up, my first photo and then shopped till completion:This is not the image I’m going to send in, although I do like the colour scheme and think there is potential to get a better shot in this setting and with this idea. However, I’m not happy with the composition and it is a bit over photoshopped. Besides that, I have not really executed it according to a plan, nor drawn up the scene etc, but it is just good to be working and thinking. I now know that I should pay more attention to get the lighting right when taking the photograph, because this one had way too much noise. Next time I am also going to draw things out. My head is already spinning with ideas, bring it on

The Archive – Question for Seller

In her project ‘Question for Seller’ Nicky Bird bought old photographs of unknown people on Ebay, presented them in a gallery, as wall art and a separate books, and sold the images again through auction. Through this process images that start out as being ‘unwanted’ and not sellable gain value through display and the connoted meaning that is added by Nicky Bird. The question is how images are made valuable in the first place.

When an image portrays somebody that is familiar, it has a lot of personal value, the more the subject becomes unfamiliar, more emphasis falls on the aesthetics of the image. Is the subject appealing, does it trigger certain questions or emotions? Is it representative for a certain period in history? Does it remind the viewer of a person he may have known, or a certain event in the viewer’s life? Is the maker of the photograph known? The more positive these questions can be answered, the more value can be added to them.

By putting the images out and showing why she was attracted to them, their beauty and underlying history, Nicky Bird enhances the meaning and value of the photographs themselves and consequently also the unknown people in them. I’m not sure if the images are now seen as art, but because emphasis has been put on the valuable elements of the images, they become worth something. By auctioning the images again, Nicky Bird shows that through showcasing and informing viewers about photographs, value is added to them, it doesn’t even matter if you call them art or not.

I have always had people in my life that I loved and cherished dearly and becoming a mother has intensified my emotions even more. Looking at photographs of my loved ones makes me realise how strongly I am connected to them. I wonder if looking for a long time at photographs of people you don’t know builds a similar kind of connection and how that works. Is it the recognition of certain features or looks that trigger them, is it simply the time that you take to let your eye wander and discover elements that attract you? Do the expressions and body language give you a sense of empathy?

In Nicky Bird’s projects we see all of these processes happening. The visitors of the exhibition and buyers of the photographs take time to get in as much information about the image as possible, make connotations and connections with their own history, learn as much about the image as possible and learn why the artist was interested in the image in the first place. After that, with the auction a value is placed on the experience and the willingness to extend it into their own personal realms.

I think that is what brings the value, together with the day to day social pressure to behave in an artistical interesting way of course.

 

References

Villarreal, I. (no date) Question for seller – Nicky Bird. Available at: http://artdaily.com/news/18960/Question-for-Seller—Nicky-Bird#.Vycb06N967M (Accessed: 2 May 2016).

Research Point – Gregory Crewdson

Gregory Crewdson images seem to be larger than life. Create with an entire crew for effects, make up and lighting, they have a very cinematic, unreal feel that reminds me of Hopper’s paintings and certain movies. All elements work towards a narrative that are often about small town families, personal moments and struggles and hint towards the fifties.

The images are certainly beautiful, perfectly composed and lit, strong contrasting colours and very striking people. I did notice that they are all a bit the same though and I miss some sort of reflection of social issues in the narratives. Even though he states to be working in the ‘American tradition of Walker Evans’, all the characters in his images are white and in their mid lives, I wonder why. I find the images a bit shallow, but maybe that is also because they are so perfectly made. But then, this is part of his intention: ‘controlling esthetics to make a perfect facade’.

Knowing he is in charge of every aspect of the image, I think he kind of overdoes it with the ‘psychological’. The narratives are pretty obvious and don’t make me think much further than in terms of ‘lonely woman’, ‘desperate male’, ‘unhappy family’ and ‘body image issues’. Of course, there is nothing wrong with this, but I personally prefer photographs that triggers certain thoughts and then let you look more and think more, maybe start with one idea about what the image is about and then end with a completely different conclusion.

On the other hand, I think his images are really beautiful and I would love to to be able to do something like this.

I don’t know what my main goal is when I’m taking images, I’m still in the stage that I’m mainly focused on getting the right lighting and composition. I don’t think there is anything wrong with wanting to make images as beautiful as possible, because that can also be something you are looking for, or be in need of. Of course, you do get the question of what beauty is and how that concept differs per individual.

I’m not sure if the images lack subtlety or nuance, mainly because I am a bit overwhelmed by the contrasty and colourful feel of the images. When I look at his most recent work ‘Sanctuary’, which are monochromatic landscapes of deserted film sets I find that these images do lack subtlety or nuance, maybe because I find them a bit boring. I prefer all the colour explosions of his earlier work.

References

Cube, W. (2016b) White cube. Available at: http://whitecube.com/artists/gregory_crewdson/ (Accessed: 2 May 2016).

Reserve Channel (2012) Gregory Crewdson’s photography capturing a movie frame | art in progress | reserve channel. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S7CvoTtus34&feature=youtu.be (Accessed: 26 April 2016).

 

 

 

Drawing on Documentary and Art

This is such an interesting chapter in the course! I have looked at the work of the photographers mentioned and at the same time have been reflecting on my own practice as a photographer. First of all, the question of reality comes up. Can you construct an interpreted reality and if so what does it reflect? As already mentioned in my blog about Jeff Wall, the ideas for his images could be instigated by various elements, books, art, mimic expressions from people in the street, or other events. Jeff Wall recreates these moments in a very detailed way, giving his own interpretation, but still staying close to an interpretation of an already existing element.

Even though the photographers mentioned in this chapter work in a similar way of setting up a scene and closely directing what is happening in front of the camera, they do bring in a more pronounced documentary vision, or an interpretative element that is not just reflecting, but infused with a personal voice. For example in Starkey’s work questions of motherhood and women and their role in society keep coming back.

‘The image paradoxically captures the polarised views held by our society. Has motherhood suspended the woman’s life journey or has she arrived at her destination? Motherhood is an overwhelming situation and Starkey approaches this theme in such a successful way – the passing of time is altered when you become the carer of another person. For the most part the young women featured throughout Starkey’s work can afford the luxury of time by themselves, the inclusion of a mother with her role defined through dependency is an interesting departure.’ Ltd, A.M. (2011)

Tom Hunter’s uses news stories to create painting-like scenes, or his community members and their interiors as a protest against the destruction of their homes. Even though his photographs have the qualities of paintings, they are still about real people, real events and issues.

In Taryn Simon’s work I see a display of clues that serves as an answer or response to injustice, traumas and personal events. She works in a very indexical way that brings together photographs of people and items that together form an answer to her questions. I really like how through the number of photographs the viewer is able to see the personal histories behind items and people and the connections between past and present, geographical places and different realities. It is the coming together of different realities that make the narrative. They trigger lots of thoughts and maybe even action to act upon the injustices that are portrayed.

Some of Philip-Lorca DiCorcia’s constructed images look very real while his street photography images are lit in such a way that they get a cinematic, unreal feel to them. Both extremes question what makes reality, what are we willing to do to construct a sense of recognition, true feelings and desires? I find it interesting that he chose male prostitutes to pose for him, instead of paying them to create realities of sexual intimacies, he lets them recreate an every day scene in ‘real life’, again focusing on what we are willing to pay in order to keep our realities the way we want them to be.

I have been thinking why my own photography practice is so different from this. A lot has to do with the fact that I am still very new to the medium, especially in terms of knowing what has been done by other photographers and therefor have not been inspired to change my own way of working. An other factor is that I am still very much geared to just going somewhere, find interesting scenes and photograph it. There has not been a lot of personal involvement in setting up a scene. Is this because I find it hard to define my own taste, thoughts and style? Do I have the courage to work outside what is considered beautiful, whatever that may be? Do I actually have the skills and gear to create what I have in mind, or is that just an excuse to take the easy way out and photograph something that is already there for me with beautiful colours and compositions?

References:

Bunyan, M. (1993) Marcus Bunyan black and white archive: ‘England’ 1993. Available at: https://artblart.com/tag/philip-lorca-dicorcia-streetwork/ (Accessed: 2 May 2016).

Gallery, S. (2016) Hannah Starkey – artist’s profile – the Saatchi gallery. Available at: http://www.saatchigallery.com/artists/hannah_starkey.htm (Accessed: 26 April 2016).

Hannah Starkey (1995) Available at: http://www.maureenpaley.com/artists/hannah-starkey/biography (Accessed: 26 April 2016).

Hunter, T. and Narrative (2016) Tom Hunter. Available at: http://www.tomhunter.org/ (Accessed: 26 April 2016).

Ltd, A.M. (2011) Aesthetica magazine – visual puzzles: Hannah Starkey, Ormeau baths gallery, Belfast. Available at: http://www.aestheticamagazine.com/visual-puzzles-hannah-starkey-ormeau-baths-gallery-belfast/ (Accessed: 2 May 2016).