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Independent Study

Le Marais Estate

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Le Marais is a housing estate in Saint Clement, containing Jersey’s biggest high-rise with a staggering fifteen floors. Although the buildings withhold an enormous physical  presence, it is the vulnerability  of the social-renting tenants on the ground that cause my interest. My curiosity stems from what I believe is the main problem facing society, and that is the mere fact social classes are so divided. Stereotypically, the tenants of council housing attend state schools where the education is not to the same standard as private, fee-paying schools. This is exacerbated by the influence which is detected in state schools as people misconduct and misplace their priorities due to a lack of education and awareness, consequently leading to that person growing up and struggling to escape the working class status. The cycle is vicious, but it is important to know my philosophy is acquired from attending a state school named ‘Haute Vallee’ in years seven to nine before moving to a selective school.

At Haute Vallee, I was an academic genius effortlessly. I would shine against other children, including Portuguese and Polish pupils who could barely speak English, giving me immense confidence and the correct criteria to move to Jersey’s only selective school, Hautlieu. I made the move in June 2014 along with twelve other pupils which is considerably low in a Hautlieu year that consisted of 170 students from a possible of three other state schools, demonstrating the lack of education or motivation being imposed to strive for the best. However, when I reached Hautlieu after the summer break, the work load expected of me was completely different to what was expected of me at Haute Vallee where homework was deemed “optional”. In retrospect, I don’t blame myself for never doing homework, I was thirteen and being told homework was voluntary in a class where I was already one of, if not the most academically talented. Hautlieu had a very different homework policy which often saw me kept in at lunch times or after school in “homework support”, causing a very big shock to the system. Often I would avoid cooperating with my teachers who clearly cared for my future and I pretty much did until the Easter before my GCSEs because I was so fed up of constantly being behind and it was hard for me to accept I was no longer the natural big fish in the pond. Students from other schools worked harder than me and were naturally smarter than me so I thought “sack that” and focused on my paramount social life. Fundamentally, I couldn’t be more glad I moved to Hautlieu when I did rather than trying to move for A-Levels as I would not be accustom to the work load if I had not come, which is crucial since I am pretty sure the “A” of “A-Levels” stands for application. The point being, if I did not make the plunge to move school, which few people from did, students could be at a school that is too busy to teach the correct information as they’re still teaching the fundamentals to the slower students, giving them a huge disadvantage in our rat-race lives.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-jersey-15555535

5 A* to C GCSEs with English and Maths

  • Les Quennevais (45%)
  • Le Rocquier (28%)
  • Grainville (13%)
  • Haute Vallee (18%)
  • Hautlieu (97%)
  • JCG (96%)
  • Beaulieu (71%)
  • De La Salle (81%)

Throughout history, social critics such as Charles Dickens illuminate the working class’s difficulty to overcome the strains of a poor economic status, as well as being inferior to the leading upper classes. This same attitude still exists, however, it is rarely discussed or challenged. Crucially, there is schemes in place to help the poorer members of society, both financially and in terms of their welfare, but there is still problems and disadvantages that the children born into these circumstances will encounter.

My ambition is to study my friend’s background, all stemming from completely different, unique upbringings which shape the people we are and how, despite all of us being individual to one another, we have all united through Hautlieu school. An organisation that brings both ends of society’s economic citizens together for the sake of learning and developing as people. I will also capture all the activities or hobbies that make my friends who they are and where and how they live.

Analysis, Artists References

Critical Image Analysis

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METHODOLOGY OF ANALYSIS

Describing ~ FORM ~ What is here? What am I looking at?

Interpreting ~ MEANING ~ What is it about?

Evaluating ~ JUDGEMENT ~ How good is it?

Theorizing ~ CONTEXT ~ Is it art? How does it relate to the history and theory of photography, art and culture?

 

Days with my father: Phillip Toledano's father wearing a mask

In 2010, Phillip Toledano completed the production of his third photo book with the publication of “Days With My Father” – a compelling book that depicts the final stages of his father’s life as he slowly loses his battle with dementia. The image is very powerful as it portrays an elderly man, literally blindfolded, however, this blindfold could be metaphorically interpreted as his dementia which now prevents Toledano senior from living life in the same manner. Furthermore, the blindfold has two closed eyes upon, acting as if the subject is asleep, or perhaps dead as we know it is a photographic journey of the man’s remainder of his life.  This image covers the front page of Toledano’s photo book, suggesting the photographer also valued the image in terms of effect and relevance. The rule of thirds scheme demonstrated in this image allows us as the reader to focus upon the man’s face, which is aged and half covered, adding a sense of ambiguity. This emotion of ambiguity is enhanced by the depth of field as it is solely focused upon the model in question, blurring out the irrelevant background, indicating our attention should be on the subject.

For what the book aims to portray, this opening image is very relevant and reflective, showing how his father is clearly old and as we’ve discussed, the blindfolded connotes death. The image has crucial effect and sets up the rest of the book very well so I believe the image is a success. The colors of the image are very dull and monotone, reflecting this sense of deterioration.

art1
ɑːt/
noun
  1. 1.
    the expression or application of human creative skill and imagination, typically in a visual form such as painting or sculpture, producing works to be appreciated primarily for their beauty or emotional power.

The photograph is the opening image for a book made to give a specific insight into a son’s experience before his father’s death, staying loyal to the main objective of photography as it informs and is an alternative way of documenting. However, I think it is a rather limited demonstration of art as although Toledano has had the idea to photograph the lead up to his father’s death, the images lack creative skill and imagination. In contrast, the images do contain emotional power, causing me to rate “DAYS WITH MY FATHER” as fairly limited in terms of art.

Experimentation, Personal Investigation, Practical Task

Extending Ideas and Concepts

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Over the Christmas holidays, my family booked a sporadic trip to Valfréjus, a ski resort in Modane, France but it was extremely close to Geneva and Turin. The vacation provided an opportunity to capture images of my step-brother abroad, undergoing new activities and seeing how he would react in a new and daunting situation as we would undergo skiing. As a cyber-hub, Noah tends to struggle with physical activities as he does not have an interest in them, contrasting to his three other siblings who would strive in the situation, perhaps causing jealous and feeling second-best. Another emotion my mother and step father feared was the feeling of boredom and dissatisfaction that Noah may feel, especially as we were sat down for such long periods of time and restricted to the car when travelling. In practice, he wasn’t as bad as expected, however, he did cause problems with my two younger siblings, frequently disturbing them but overall, he wasn’t bad. Fundamentally, this attitude did not reflect the rest of the holiday as it consisted of us often walking and adventuring the South-East of France, causing unease for Noah who struggles to leave his own technological devices. My shoots are rather limited as to be quite frank, Noah was rather reserved over the trip, rarely taking time away from his devices, however, when he did, I captured Noah the best I could, Unfortunately, being a bit of a beginner at snow boarding, I did not want to carry around my camera which would produce much clearer images, instead I had my iPhone 6S and I used it to my best ability.

 These photographs have been cut down from around seventy items, choosing images that I feel portray Noah’s trip to France. My mum organised the holiday for us to have fun, but in reality, it was far from it, especially for Noah who rarely delved out of his comfort zone or escaped his gaming world, not counting frequent arguments between my mother and step-father. Admittedly, I have grown rather numb from arguments between my parents or my mother and her partner having listened to them for most of my life, and then watching them get resolved.

Essay writing

Essay

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 How has chronic illness inspired people to document their story through photography as a way of healing?

The persistence of illness has affected the majority, if not all people at some stage in their life, whether they are the person suffering or they are emotionally close to the person suffering. Crucially, all different sufferings are dealt with in unique and specific ways in order to accept and embrace chronic illness, however, the mechanism of treatment I am analyzing is the use of documentation. Based upon the historic processes of photojournalism or documentation photography, the focal point is to record chronicle events or environments, a factor I attempt to stay true to throughout my work as I portray the environment my subject does live in, thrive in, cry in, as well as the spontaneous actions in between which reinforce his condition. The photographic documentation of my younger step-brother and his ADHD has allowed me to cope with my own suffering of the illness, as well as me adopting a mentor or role model figure in order to aid how he deals with himself. This level of personal experience gives me an inclination and interest to the work I look to convey, leading me to study and explore the productions of other photographers who have captured chronic illness as a healing method. In researching and studying chronic illness, I discovered the work of Phillip Toledano, a British photographer who captures the deteriorating life of his father in the photobook “DAYS WITH MY FATHER”. Of paramount relevance, Toledano described how his relationship with his deceased father is “without embarrassment”, a factor which is true to my work also because as I’ve experienced and documented the suffering of my step-brother, we have become closer, more comfortable and vocally liberal. Toledano expanded by explaining how he was “very grateful” for the fact he could spend time with his father, embracing and analysing his deterioration as it brought the couple together in a unique way, demonstrating how documentation has aided the healing process of dealing with his father’s death. Simiarly to Toledano, the work I have and am continuing to produce is very individual to any assignment or photo-based objectives I have ever completed previously, as not only have I tried to include family, a factor I usually avoid due to the invasive needs for making a successful piece, I also turn the camera onto myself. Although it is not directly facing me, the camera often metaphorically portrays the struggles I once suffered, reincarnating Noah as a younger version of my own self due to our almost identical suffering. Much like Noah, I frequently found it hard to fit in during primary school and was penalized for my behavior as it was disturbing and distracting for the rest of the class. Due to children’s nature, I was then often singled out for being different or annoying, a feeling which Noah has carried on through his elementary studies, however, like Toledano, it has brought me and Noah closer. The invention of “Photo-Therapy” by the collaboration of photography duo Rosy Martin and Jo Spence in 1984 pioneered a new mechanism of healing and accepting self-image, which is a unique method I would like and have attempted to incorporate into my own imagery by exposing the ugly truth, and how there can be beauty in the verity.

 

 

Uncategorized

Established Influence

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In relation to the task at hand, I have discovered three artists with similar concepts already established to the one I am attempting to convey. First of all, I will discuss the work of Sian Davey, an amazing photographer from England who encaptures the struggle of her down-syndrome daughter trying to fit into the family. In the photo book “Looking for Alice”, we experience Alice’s journey as she smiles, cries, explores and contemplates over her child life. Though the positive photographs are joyous, the contemplation and crying images really cement her difficulties with fitting in, whether she is trying to fit into the family or society. The problems

Essay writing

Essay Plan

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  • Essay question: How chronic illness has inspired people to document their story through photography as a way of healing?
  • Thesis: The thesis will introduce the subject I am writing about as well as incorporating why I am basing my work on this topic. I will mention what artists I am studying or referring to in order to compare their work with my own and the touch upon  the most relevant art movement in relation to my work.
  • Opening quote: “Relieve (a person or animal) of the symptoms of a disease or condition.”
  • Introduction (250-500 words): What is your area study? Which artists will you be analysing and why? How will you be responding to their work and essay question?
  • Pg 1 (500 words): Historical/ theoretical context within art, photography and visual culture relevant to your area of study. Make links to art movements/ isms and some of the methods employed by critics and historian. Link to powerpoints about isms and movements M:\Departments\Photography\Students\Resources\Personal Study
  • Pg 2 (500 words): Analyse first artist/photographer in relation to your essay question. Present and evaluate your own images and responses.
  • Pg 3 (500 words): Analyse second artist/photographer in relation to your essay question. Present and evaluate your own images and responses.
  • Conclusion (250-500 words): Draw parallels, explore differences/ similarities between artists/photographers and that of your own work that you have produced
  • Bibliography: List all relevant sources used
Personal Study

Determining an Essay Title

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As a part of the Year 13 module, all photography students must choose an essay title based upon a series of suggestions provided by our teachers. The written piece will accompany our practical photography work, just like professional photographers producing their own photo books. Our titles must include the reference of other artists and their styles with the feature of careful analysis of their work and justification to as why we chose them to be included within our work. Due to the formality of these essays, the structure and quality of the work are paramount, causing me to follow the Harvard referencing procedure.

An essay title I thought reflected the work I have begun to create and matched the concept I hoped to portray was …

“How chronic illness has inspired people to document their story through photography as a way of healing?”

Crucially, what drew me to this title was how relatable it was. My photography work has inspired me to capture my and my step-brother’s condition in order to deal with my pent-up feelings regarding A.D.H.D., rather than feel embarrassment like I have in the past. The term “chronic” means ‘persisting for a long time or constantly recurring’, linking to our disorder well as for me it covered my childhood, whereas, with Noah, we don’t know if he will leave it behind like me.

When researching photographers who have visually documented work in a similar fashion to way I would like to portray, I stumbled upon the work of Tyler Grace. Mr Grace lives with a number of chronic illnesses including fibromyalgia (a chronic muscle and bone condition), Marfan Syndrome (a genetic disorder), chronic fatigue, depression and anxiety. He said he was once told by doctors he would not live past 18 years old. Tyler has even gone to say…

“Photography helps me get a lot of the negative feelings out because there has been a lot of negative feelings and experiences over the years. It has just helped me channel all that and turn it into something positive.”

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-06-06/photographer-tyler-grace-exhibition-living-with-chronic-illness/8592634

Essay writing

Incorporation of Quotes + References

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Harvard Referencing

Harvard referencing is the mechanism required in order to document the information for where and who you achieved the reference from. The Harvard citation style is a system that students, writers and researchers can use to incorporate other people’s quotes, findings and ideas into their work in order to support and validate their conclusions without breaching any intellectual property laws. The popular format is typically used in assignments and publications for humanities as well as natural, social and behavioral sciences.

E.g. (Sontag, S 1971: 6 Penguin Books, London)

Bibliography

“a list of the works referred to in a scholarly work, typically printed as an appendix.”

*Note italics are used for book and journal titles,
(ed.) for one editor and (eds) for two or more editors. E.g. On Photography 

Arrange literature in alphabetical order by author, or
where no author is named, by the name of the
museum or other organisation which produced the
text.

Contextual Study

Art Movement

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Throughout the history of photography, the style and genre of images produced in particular time periods have often been in correlation to particular art movements which artistically reflect on society and what is both right and wrong with it. It is important to note that, each art movement is not labelled or ‘coined’ until the movement has fundamentally passed and all creative areas or arguably all aspects of life are assessed before the term is distributed. Only in retrospect and careful analysis we are given the ability to deem a certain era with a specific term for a genre of images.

First and foremost, artists began the photographic critiquing of the late 1800s and the early 1900s, in which the movement was recognized as “pictorialism”. The key characteristics that prove as motifs throughout the movement is the conveying of emotion within an image, with the movement spreading internationally. Pictorialism surged as citizen travel was made easier, giving people the opportunity to explore and document images, however, a predicament that faced this movement was the argument of, is the purpose of the images produced for art or for documentation reasons? Although the movement did not follow precise procedures, there were two primary methods. The first being that subjects and compositions were designed to bring a sense of fantasy or visual cohesion separating themselves from the documentation of every day life. Secondly, photographers were beginning to manipulate the chemical process itself much in the way that a painter would control their materials. Gum bichromate was very popular at the time and photographers started applying brush strokes and other manipulations of the process to achieve a painter-like quality to the photographs.

Image result for Robert Demachy

For example, Robert Demachy was a French photographer who took this measure to an extreme, giving himself an individual status. Another instance of a recognizable photographer is Clarence Hudson White who includes females into his romantic black and white landscapes. Overall, the images produced are either very romantic or somber and melancholy, demonstrating that there is a high level of emotion emitted through this movement which christened photography as an art.

Image result for Clarence Hudson White

Photo – realism or straight photography is a genre of art that surged during the twentieth century and was instantly recognizable as it attempted to capture an image as realistic as possible in comparison to the true visual. This art movement formed the foundation for vital photography techniques that still exist within contemporary formats, for example, documentary photography and photojournalism. Famous photographers renown from this era are such as Ansel Adams and Edward Weston, two names who are frequently referred to.
Image result for ansel adams

Image result for ansel adams

The work of these two men are still being studied and referred to today, showing the influence and importance that the realism era accumulates in the modern era. There is a lot of focus upon nature and the natural beauty that Mother Earth provides, giving these photographs an organic and authentic feel about them, which is enhanced further by the black and white colour scheme.

Thirdly, the modernism era loomed between 1910-1950 and gave a sharp focus and an emphasis on formal qualities, exploiting, rather than obscuring, the camera as an essentially mechanical and technological tool. Modernist works frequently take the gritty world of industry as their theme as we discover through the work of Claude Cahun who includes her own personal difficulties within her photographic work, and although her work can often be treated as a direct challenge to realism, as a surrealist, she was producing work under the generic category of modernism. Personally, this was my favourite art movement that I briefly studied as people had the opportunity to challenge and combat the political world as well as their own personal conundrums much like Claude Cahun. In this very reflective era, there was opportunity to create a style for yourself, however, in the modern era, it seems to be a case of how can somebody creatively form a tribute to a previous artist with the original idea.

Image result for claude cahun

Image result for claude cahun

Postmodernism is characterized by self-conscious and deliberate intertextuality. One of the best-known photographers who played with simulacra is Cindy Sherman. Sherman should be termed a performance artist who restages images from mass media. Concentrating on how women were represented by movies, she had herself photographed in a series of small black and white photographs called “Film Stills” during the late 1970s. None of these theatrical re-presentations can be traced back to any actual movie but all remind the viewer of movies they have seen or have heard of and evoke the construction of women in the 1940s and 1950s. Sherman is what can be called a “post-feminist,” or an artist who takes up feminist concerns, not from a political and activist perspective but from a theoretical stance.

Image result for film stills cindy sherman

Image result for film stills cindy sherman

As a photography student looking to create personally and politically impeding images, I ask myself “what art movement am I a part of?”. In a post post-modernism era with the likes of Donald Trump, Theresa May and Kim Jong-Um in positions of high political power, I wonder to myself what fuels the art being produced currently. Perhaps, as I’ve mentioned, due to the amount of art produced in the past, modern artists are “revisionists” due to the hardship of trying to create something original without using an idea or concept already produced.

Personal Investigation, Personal Study

A.D.H.D.

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“Attention deficit hyperactive disorder (ADHD) affects children and teens and can continue into adulthood. ADHD is the most commonly diagnosed mental disorder of children. Children with ADHD may be hyperactive and unable control their impulses. Or they may have trouble paying attention. These behaviors interfere with school and home life.” – https://www.webmd.com/add-adhd/guide/attention-deficit-hyperactivity-disorder-adhd#1

What Goes On in the Brain

Studies show that brain chemicals, called neurotransmitters, don’t work the same in children and adults with ADHD. There also tend to be differences in the way nerve pathways work. – neurotransmitters = the brain chemicals that communicate information throughout our brain and body

Certain parts of the brain may be less active or smaller in children with ADHD than those without the disorder.

The brain chemical dopamine may also play a role. It carries signals between nerves in the brain and is linked to movement, sleep, mood, attention, and learning.

Image result for neurotransmitters brain dopamine

How can ADHD affect the family?

  • School age children

    Children of school age may have difficulties at home or on outings with their caregivers. Acting up when shopping, out in the park, or visiting other family members tend to become more apparent at this age. Parents of school age children with ADHD have little time to themselves. Whenever the child is awake, the parents have to be watching them. Parents may find that family members refuse to care for the child, and that other children do not invite them to parties or out to play. – http://www.aboutkidshealth.ca/En/ResourceCentres/ADHD/TreatmentofADHD/ADHDandtheFamily/Pages/default.aspx

  • This (ADHD) often requires that more time, logistics and energy be spent. It is not surprising that these increased demands are frequently associated with more stress in marital and family functioning. The financial burden of treating ADHD and its associated psychiatric disorders can add to these difficulties. – https://www.myvmc.com/lifestyles/the-family-impact-of-attention-deficit-hyperactivity-disorder-adhd/

 

ADHD has a significant impact on the siblings of children who have the condition. One study found that 10 of the 13 siblings (brothers and sisters) interviewed thought they were “severely and negatively” affected by living with a sibling who had ADHD. This study found the most significant problem identified by siblings was the disruption caused by the behaviour of the child with the condition.Examples of this disruptive behaviour included physical and verbal aggression, out-of-control hyperactivity, emotional and social immaturity, academic underachievement and learning problems, family conflicts, poor peer relationships, and difficult relationships with extended family.

Siblings described their family life as “chaotic”, “exhausting”, and “focused on their sibling”. Siblings described “never knowing what to expect next” and that they did not expect an end point to the impact of ADHD on their lives.

Siblings of children with ADHD experienced the disruptive effects of the condition in three ways: victimisation, caretaking and feelings of sorrow and loss. Siblings reported feeling victimised through physical violence, verbal aggression and manipulative and controlling behaviour. Many siblings felt unprotected by their parents who were perceived as too exhausted or overwhelmed to intervene.

Moving forward, as well as undergo numerous photo shoots, I wish to start the construction of my Personal Study based essay on which I will be focusing on illness and how it inspires people to document their own story or account as a mechanism of healing. Personally, photographing and perhaps writing the ordeals I experienced as a child will help me forgive and forget the different sorts of pain I felt and most importantly, aid Noah’s experience.