All posts by Holly Benning

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Analysis, Research

Deconstructing a photo-book:

February 4, 2016 Holly Benning Leave a comment

Deconstructing a photo-book:

The Epilogue- Laia Abril

The Epilogue is designed in a scientific style, there is a variation of creativity for each section of the book. There is also a clear narrative followed throughout the book. The front page gives a hint to the story you are about to experience. The photograph on the front page is of the young woman when she was a child. A blue square is covering the child’s face with only the title across where her eyes would be, possibly suggesting her non-existence. The cover of the book is very simplistic which I think reflects the nature of the narrative, it is about a girl’s life and death. The project

Still Here- Lydia Goldblatt

Lydia Goldblatt takes a less scientific approach and more a poetic and philosophical approach to the concept of memory. A great deal of the images featured in the book are either close ups or landscapes. The photographs are very detailed and personal, there isn’t much distance both physically and emotionally between the photographer and subject.

Julian Germain- For every minute you are angry you lose sixty seconds of happiness

Julian Germain uses a great deal of archival images throughout the project. The design of the book reflects a scrap book or home album sort of style, it is much more casual and relatable than the other two photo books I have looked at.

Record / Photoshoot

Recording four- archival images

February 4, 2016 Holly Benning Leave a comment

Recording four- archival images:

For my fourth shoot I wanted to try and be more creative with the way I presented the archival images. I think because there is such a range of photographs spanning over his life, I wanted to include lots therefore a interesting and beautiful way of composing a piece would be to create a collage. This piece can form one page of my final book, I want it to be colourful and full of life. The photographs I have chosen relate to a poignant moment in my grandfather’s life, whether that be his birthday, Christmas, the birth of one of his children or holidays. I also have included everyday photographs which hold no significant memory but show part of his daily life which, I think is very important.

Record / Photoshoot

Recording three- personal items:

February 4, 2016 Holly Benning Leave a comment

Recording three- personal items:

I carried on photographing the personal items I found of my grandfathers. I especially liked the images of the back of photographs, I think they reveal more about the photographs especially with the typography and dating. I also like the colour of the image, it looks very faded and vintage, there are visible rips and marks all over the back clearly demonstrating it is very old and has life in it so to speak. The following image is a passport photo of my grandfather that I found when clearing out old photographs. I wasn’t sure how to include it in the project but I wanted to because it represents his identity. I am interested in the purpose and function of the small image because it was used for years in order for him to travel, prove his identity and purchase products. It is powerful in its own right because it represents a life. Therefore, when I photographed the image I wanted for it to remain simple and effortless. I didn’t think there was a need for adding effects or having a background.

Planning, Research

Draft introduction

January 25, 2016 Holly Benning Leave a comment

Question:How has Boltanski, Abril and Toroptsov represented the concept of capturing the invisible and reflecting the meaning of memory through the medium of photography?

Introduction:

‘Someone once said that you die twice: when you die the first time and when somebody finds a photo of you and no longer remembers who it shows.’

We are made up of fragmented memories and forgotten dreams. Our entirety rests in the fate of old letters, burnt photographs and meaningless possessions. We never question the invisible, it is as though we are on a relentless pursuit to try and capture the invisible. We abide by the rules and limitations that are enforced by the concept of death. But what happens to those who become untouchable, those who are no longer part of the flux. Their existence becomes empty and lost, they are no longer perceptible to the eye. Yet we still feel impossible and unexplained connections to the spiritless. We yearn to cherish the ‘good’ memories and except the restrictions we are faced with regarding mortality. In doing so, the feeling of life is created, the tangibility of pleasure and pain enters our worlds and consumes us. But, photographs hold heritage and meaning, they have a depth of knowledge and feeling to them. Photographs capture single moments of existence. They can tell a narrative of a second in a stranger’s life in an instance. Whether it is personal, isolated, private or rare, it is has an essence of being and timelessness. The allure of time, is its youthfulness. Time is the cure for it never fails to reveal the truth. ‘Human life is embedded in time: we remember the past, we plan for the future and we live in the present. We swim in an ever-rolling stream.’

I am exploring how the invisible can be captured and portrayed through the medium of photography. And why memories hold such a powerful influence over our past, present and future. I want to find out what makes a photograph meaningful, what gives the photograph reality and how through photography the memory of a person can live on. My project focuses on exploring the invisible through three female generation’s memories; this includes my grandmother, my mother and myself. These distinctive view points will enable my project to become more personal and really seek the depths of my grandfather’s life. I think memory is more than simply remembering a once present thought, but it is about connecting with the past in order for the past to live on.

Record / Photoshoot

Recording two- personal items

January 22, 2016 Holly Benning Leave a comment

Recording two- personal items:

For my second shoot I decided to photograph my grandfather’s possessions or items related to him that my mother has kept. I found lots of condolence cards and letters addressed to my family, offering their sympathy and sorrow. The first photograph is of a small card/postcard addressed to my grandfather’s mother from my grandfather and his siblings. I especially liked this item because of the old style writing and the colour of the paper. I think it is very vintage and shows the heritage of my grandfather’s life in an image. It is also due to its beautiful simplicity, it is just a casual piece of writing, filling their mother in on their well-being. My mother has written a small memorial message in the JEP for the past ten years. Each year she has kept the newspaper in order to keep my grandfather’s memory alive. I selected a small number of items which I thought represented and symbolised my grandfather as a memory. The third image is of a letter my mother received from my father’s parents.

I took inspiration from my artist references regarding the different styles and ideas of taking images to represent someone who is invisible. One of the ideas was to photograph not only the front of archival images but also to photograph the back of the image as it normally has some sort of writing of information like the date it was taken, who was in the photograph or even the occasion. It is also interesting because it reveals more information then the photograph could. The discolouring of the back of the image brings a vintage sort of feel and gives the photograph life and heritage. Furthermore, the actual style and design shows the time which the photograph was produced, the photograph with the date ‘May 31st 1993’ is a much more recent photograph possibly produced in a group, whereas, the one above is much older and has more history and depth to it.

Planning, Research

Bibliography:

January 21, 2016 Holly Benning Leave a comment

Bibliography:

Boltanski, (1999), ‘Christian Boltanski: Menschlich’. KATALOG Journal of photography & video, (Vol. 11 No. 1 1999): 53-56.

Goldblatt. L. (2013), ‘Still Here‘. Germany, Hatje Cantz.

La Grange. A. (2005), ‘Basic critical theory of photographers‘, in: Barthes. R. (Ed) (2005), ‘Roland Barthes, Camera Lucida’. Great Britain:

Analysis, Research

Analysis: The Epilogue

January 14, 2016 Holly Benning Leave a comment

Although this image is simple, it poetically and beautifully symbolises the individual’s beginning of life. It represents the starting of life with the optimism and happiness her parents would of felt having their little girl in the world. It makes me think of the hopefulness and expectations her parents may have had for her and the wishes they had desired. It is an exceptional opening piece, which Abril has chosen intelligently with insightfulness and care. I want to begin my project in a similar way because I think it gives rise to a very powerful message. This image could of been either taken as a photograph or scanned into the computer. It depends what effect the photographer wants to achieve. I have similar images for my own project for example, I have my grandfather’s passport which signifies his existence and makes it official that he was alive. Therefore, I think it is similar to a birth certificate. I also have his will and eulogy which are also significant items in his life, his will was written on a scrap piece of paper in his hand writing and had mistakes crossed out throughout it. I think this example is a perfect reflection of the man he was. He didn’t want to complicate life, he took it as it came and always tried to make the best out of something. The image some how seems to make sense of the chaos of memory.

‘She was an awesome older sister, she was caring, she understood her role, she was supposed to protect me’ … childhood photo of Tommy Robinson with his sister Cammy in The Epilogue. Photograph: Laia Abril

Memorial collage of photos of Cammy, which is in the living room of the Robinson’s house. Photograph: Laia Abril

Hundreds of letters of condolence for the Robinson family. Photograph: Laia Abril

This particular page includes an extract of a new paper, I like how Abril has decided to have personal readings, letters or clippings in the project. It brings the individual’s experiences to life and helps the audience to understand the type of person she once was. The book is also more interactional and allows the person who views it to be more involved. These pages also include a sort of collage of photographs of the girl’s life, I think it would be interesting it I created a similar one of the archival images from my grandfather’s life. There is also an image of a set of draws with a photograph in a frame on top and lots of letters in the first draw. There is no definite interpretation of what is in this image but it comes across as very personal. It has a very vintage and traditional sense as well.

This is one of my favourite images from the project ‘The Epilogue’. I think I like it so much because it is unusual but very clever. It shows the individual’s diary before they died. The photograph evokes a sense of recognition and shows the girl was just another person living their daily lives but had hidden struggles. There are letters, diaries, agenda books, medical records and the death certiifcate included in the book. There are also photographs of family members and friends, houses, locations and objects. Abril also spoke to lots of family members and friends in order to understand and grasp Cammy’s life, what they told Abril can be read in the book too. I like this particular aspect because it allows words to translate something a photograph cannot. For the words from someone grieving are far more powerful than an outsiders artistic interpretation. Hearing first hand about the individual can provide priceless and hearty information which the photographer cannot possibly know.

This particular image shows the individual as a young girl when she was innocent and free of worries and obsessions. It shows her sleeping and being peaceful which I think contradicts the other images in the book because it brings about a sense of happiness and honesty. It is an archival image therefore has history and meaning to it. There is an essence of the past in this image, because the photograph itself has stayed with the family since it was taken. It gives it a sense of importance and uniqueness.

Research

Roland Barthes- ‘Camera Lucida’

January 14, 2016 Holly Benning Leave a comment

‘Camera Lucida’ is a book published in 1980 by a French philosopher Roland Barthes. It is an exploration of into the essence of photography, as well as a eulogy of Bathes’ late mother. Barthes considers photography to have just as much effect on the body as on the mind. It discusses the lasting emotional effects on particular photographs. What does one simply learn from ‘Camera Lucida’? Barthes was not interested or concerned with the technique of photography. In the book he focuses on two planes of images. The first is called studium, it is the context and meaning of the photograph; culture, history and art. ‘The studium is a kind of education.’ The second is called punctum, it is the part of the photograph which captures our attention and consumes the audience, it does not belittle down to a specific meaning or kind of beauty. Every photograph for Barthes is a memorial.

Personally, Barthes’ interpretation and perception of photography highlights the detail of photographs. He does not care for the technical side of photography but only gives importance to the meaning and the aspects of the art which completely and utterly consume us. I think this translates to my project very easily, the photographs I am taking concentrate on the emotions and feelings you can have from an image. Photographs are very powerful and personal when individuals gain a connection with them.

The photograph unclassifiable: Barthes believes photographs cannot be classified regarding movements, subject matter or style because all are external to the subject itself and can in turn be be applied to any other art or image. The photograph always points or leads back to the subject. ‘…a weightless transparent envelope.’ Barthes views photography as belonging to a category of ‘laminated objects’ which cannot be divided from one another without having to destroy both parts.

‘in order to see a photograph well, it is best to look away or close your eyes…’

‘He is allergic to cleverness in photography…’

http://www.nytimes.com/1981/08/23/books/death-in-the-photograph.html?pagewanted=all

Research

Artist references: Chris Dorley-Brown and Lydia Goldblatt

January 11, 2016 Holly Benning Leave a comment

The Longest Way Round: Chris Dorley-Brown:

Chris Dorley-Brown creates a visual journey of his family’s history through archival images joined together with new photographs captured since his parents death. The project is an alternative narrative of the course of events that shaped his family’s life. The work investigates personal experiences, memory and identity. It offers an intimate story of a unique view of the world war and the impact on a British family. During World War Two Dorley-Brown’s parents Peter and Brenda had known each other as childhood friends for many years. Peter who was 19 at the time, volunteered as a heavy artillery sergeant and managed to survive the Battle of Crete. He also survived four years as a prisoner of war in German camps and a ‘death march’, consisting of more than 500 miles in extreme weather towards the end of the war. At the same time, Brenda has married twice and given birth to one son from each relationship. She traveled to the US in 1945 with her two young sons, however, when he relationship in the US quickly broke down she decided to come back to Britain in 1946, although with only one son, leaving her second child behind with his American father. Peter and Brenda met again in Southern England in 1947 and married. They traveled through Europe in order to visit friends from the wartime and what remained from camps, during a precious time of recovery from the war. Both were dealing with the trauma of their own personal experiences and began to attempt to build a life of normality. ‘The Longest Way Round’ includes lots of wartime letters that reveal what life was like. Dorley-Brown’s images explore the postwar journey of his parents. The purpose of the work is to emphasise the hardship of war and a love story that followed as well as sense of closure for the author’s story.

Personally, I have connected to this project and this particular artist the most compared to others I have studied. This is due to the concept of wanting to find your history and story. My grandfather was a massive influence and part of my mother and grandmother’s life, and in some respects mine as well. However, because I was only eight years old I did not know him as well as I would of wished. I think the project explores the relationship between his mother and father and the love they had for each other but also the difficulty and struggles they found with life before they met. Dorley-Brown uses a lot of archival images which reflect the state of society at the time of war, it shows the individuals lives before they met. I like how there are letters included because it brings about some sort of feeling of personal and closeness. It is like a mini insight.

http://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/gallery/2015/dec/04/chris-dorley-brown-father-hidden-past-nazis-in-pictures

Still Here: Lydia Goldblatt:

Goldblatt’s project stemmed from the idea to capture the inevitable changes brought about by her elderly father’s looming death. She endeavors to explore perception and the inner experience as much as a physical presence. ‘Still Here’ tells a story of the ever changing being and its constant flux. The offers a concentrated interpretation of mortality, time and love. It traces the indefinable holds that sculpt our individual existence. Goldblatt began photographing her father in 2010. He was 91 years old and his health had been getting worse over the years. She had continued to photograph her parents in their home until her father’s death in 2013. Goldblatt said the experience allowed her to connect with her father, clearly highlighting the invisible bonds of love. The project engages with the nature of shifting time.

“Further down the line, he became more absent than present, but there were points when I’d pick up my camera and it gave him a sense of purpose,”

The work is mainly about the photographer’s family, but it cannot be ignored the highlighting of the nature of life. It presents photographs as a way of opening up an poetic interpretation. The images in the project are a combination of close up shots of the human form, as well as, still lives, portraits and abstracts. A story which has been told with tenderness addresses the delicate issue of growing old with the consideration of the changes we all must face in life. I really enjoyed looking through Goldblatt’s book, I think she has managed to photograph a difficult and personal topic in such an insightful and remarkably beautiful way. She has made the images have a certain effortless feel at the same time as addressing poignant issues. I especially like the close up images because they give you a different perspective. They allow the audience to visually see a unique view which can bring new ideas about as well as connect people with recognising themselves in the image. The book is a true piece of art in my opinion.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/photography/10312393/Lydia-Goldblatts-Still-Here-an-essay-born-of-the-intimacy-of-family-love.html

http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/books/reviews/photography-book-review-still-here-by-lydia-goldblatt-8874246.html

Planning

Essay Plan- title/question and introduction

January 8, 2016 Holly Benning Leave a comment

Title/question: The entire essay must focus on the title or question of the project. The title needs to involve the concept of photographing the invisible as well as considering the idea of memory.
Introduction: The introduction needs to explain the main body of what the essay is about and what it is trying to address. The beginning paragraph should contain artist movements, quotes and photographers I have taken influence from.

Ideas:

How has Laia Abril and Yury Toroptsov shown the concept of memories and attempted to photograph the invisible?
How can memories be demonstrated through the medium of photography?
How are memories reflected in Laia Abril’s and Yury Toroptsov’s interpretation of the concept?
How has Boltanski, Abril and Toroptsov represented the concept of capturing the invisible through the medium of photography?

Planning stage: How do I structure my essay? What do I want to include?

The essay needs to follow a systematic structure, addressing the question I choose in detail. I will begin with an opening quote possibly from a philosopher or an artist I have found influential. Following the introduction will be the first paragraph and so on. There will be a topic of discussion for each paragraph, I will aim for four solid paragraphs. Finally, I will conclude the essay again referring to the question and making sure I have answered it sufficiently. The essay needs to include a quote at the beginning as I earlier stipulated, it also needs to have references from specific photographers and philosophers, it needs to show that I have thoroughly researched the chosen topic and have a variation of resources.

2016 Photo A2 Blog

All posts by Holly Benning

Filters

Deconstructing a photo-book:

Recording four- archival images

Recording three- personal items:

Draft introduction

Recording two- personal items

Bibliography:

Analysis: The Epilogue

‘She was an awesome older sister, she was caring, she understood her role, she was supposed to protect me’ … childhood photo of Tommy Robinson with his sister Cammy in The Epilogue. Photograph: Laia Abril

Memorial collage of photos of Cammy, which is in the living room of the Robinson’s house. Photograph: Laia Abril

Hundreds of letters of condolence for the Robinson family. Photograph: Laia Abril

Roland Barthes- ‘Camera Lucida’

‘in order to see a photograph well, it is best to look away or close your eyes…’

‘He is allergic to cleverness in photography…’

Artist references: Chris Dorley-Brown and Lydia Goldblatt

The Longest Way Round: Chris Dorley-Brown:

“Further down the line, he became more absent than present, but there were points when I’d pick up my camera and it gave him a sense of purpose,”

Essay Plan- title/question and introduction

Title/question: The entire essay must focus on the title or question of the project. The title needs to involve the concept of photographing the invisible as well as considering the idea of memory.

Introduction: The introduction needs to explain the main body of what the essay is about and what it is trying to address. The beginning paragraph should contain artist movements, quotes and photographers I have taken influence from.

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