On the 27th after school I conducted my second photoshoot using the body as the subject. I used the same model as the first body photoshoot because I wanted to keep a theme going. I also choose to stick with this model because its my mum and therefore could have deeper connotations relating to the theme of spiritual images and growth and decay. I used a micro lens so that I could zoom closer into certain details I wanted to highlight such as the creases in the skin. I photographed the models hands and face because I believe them to be the most important aspects of the human body. The shoot was done at day time so I used the daylight from outside to revel most of the details. However for some of the images I also used a flash because I wanted to illuminate the image more. I focused on particular shapes and textures in the skin because my project is about the insignificant things. Overall I am very happy with the result of this shoot.
I used photoshop to edit the images because I only wanted to edit them very simply because I had already used the camera settings to capture the image I wanted. I improved the image slightly by changing the brightness, the contrast and the vibrance of the image.
The word Sublime means ” of very great excellence or beauty.” The History of ideas of Sublime has a deeper meaning that leads to something truly extraordinary. For artists throughout History the sublime is an expression. The Sublime can be many things: a judgement, a feeling a state of mind and a response to art and nature. The word Sublime comes originates from two Latin terms, the preposition sub, meaning below or up to and the noun for lintel, which is the heavy wooden or stone beam that holds the weight of a wall above a doorway. Therefore the word is a connotation to push towards something above you. In the seventeenth century the word Sublime was used was referred to as something that is raised, set high up and exalted, such as buildings or people. In 1700, an additional definition rose which was the sublime in writing, nature, art and human contact. It was an exalted status that goes beyond normal experience, or beyond the reach of human understanding. The Sublime was generally regarded as beyond comprehension and beyond measurement.
It was at this time that artist became interested in the word Sublime. Visual artists tried to represent it, and they tried to paint the sensation that we experience when words fail or when we find ourselves beyond the limits of reason. Some examples of these painters were William Hogarth who painted Satan, Sin and Death (A Scene from Milton’s ‘Paradise Lost’)c.1735–40, and Henry Fuseli who paintedLady Macbeth Seizing the Daggers ?exhibited 1812.
William Hogarth Satan, Sin and Death (A Scene from Milton’s ‘Paradise Lost’) c.1735–40 Tate T00790
Sublime artist could not simply follow the rules but instead needed to experience what existed above and beyond rules on the realm of artistic imagination. Many critics said “that the sublime is not only desirable but is indeed the highest level of artistic attainment” In a book called The Sublime by Simon Morley, he talks about the word Sublime and the technical aspects behind it. The book begins with a quote from Thomas Weiskel from the book The Romantic Sublime. He says “The essential claim of the Sublime is that man can, in feeling and speech, transcend the human. What, if anything, lies beyond the human – God or the gods, the daemon or Nature – is matter for great disagreement.” He is giving his interpretation of what he believes the Sublime to be. It is about going beyond human understanding, reaching new heights of astounding beauty. The concept of Sublime has been edited throughout history and within the book The Sublime, Morley discuses what the definition is now. He talks about how the word Sublime was used in the 18th century when it was created in relation to the arts to describe aspects of nature that install wonder, such as mountains, waterfalls and stormy seas. He then goes on to discuss how this use of Sublime is now being used to to express the power of technology and raw material. This can be characterized as contemporary sublime. Contemporary artists haves re-created and extended what the term sublime means. They have looked at and combined earlier traditions as well as engaging in more modern aspects in our society. They no longer look at the word Sublime as an expression of nature but also as a representation in modern science. A new and more complex way of using Sublime is to describe the scale and complexity of the capitalist-industrial system and also in terms of technology.
Anish Kapoor is a contemporary artist born 12 March 1954. He was born in Bombay, but lives and works in London. Kappor became known for his geometric or biomorphic sculptures using simple materials such as granite, limestone, marble, pigment and plaster. His sculptures are simple, curved forms that usually brightly coloured. Within his work he explores the relationship between matter and non-matter. He does this by experimenting with both free-standing sculptural works and ambitious installations. In 2002, Anish Kapoor created an installation in Tate Modern in London. The installation was 150 meters long and ten storeys high. The sculpture is called Marsyas. The title is inspired by the Greek myth captured in Titian’s 1576 painting. Within the painting the satyr is being flayed alive by Apollo for playing the flute better than the God. Here is the painting below replicating the scene that inspired Kapoor.
Th sculpture by Kapoor consists of three huge steel rings joined together by a single span of PVC membrane. Two of the rings are positioned vertically at either end of the Turbine Hall, while the third is suspended parallel to the bridge running through the center of it. The PVC coats have a deep red colour that connects like a skin, recreating the myth and symbolizing it in a physical bodily like presence.
I have used Anish Kapoor as an example of a contemporary artist because he is exploring the relationship between certain concepts of Sublime. He is using the traditional representations of the word through the painting of Marsyas as the inspiration for his sculpture. He is combining this with the more modern, contemporary connotations of the word by creating this huge sculpture using modern technology and materials. These two very different examples of one event shows how much art has progressed and extended its ways of representing things through technology and with more complexity.
This same thing has happened with the term Sublime through the different periods. The modern day definition of the term Sublime is something of “great excellence or beauty”.
When you are describing a situation or scene as Sublime it is more then something that is beautiful, it also contains a sense of fear, something so unique and powerful that you become fearful of it. An example of this is when you are face to face with a lion. This situation is Sublime because its powerful witnessing something you’ve never experienced before, but at the same time its daunting because its a dangerous situation to be in.
The Photographer Rinko Kawauchi’s series contains a sense of Sublime within them. In particular a series called Ametsuchi created in 2013. The title, Amersuchi is created of two Japanese charcters meaning “heaven and earth”. Within the series, Kawauchi combines iomages of distant constellations and tiny figures lost within landscapes, as well photographs of a traditional style of controlled-burn farming. In this the cycle of cultivation and recovery span decades and generations. This series in particular contains a grasp of Sublime because the event of burning a dry grass field is extraordinary to witness, yet at the same time extremely daunting because its a dangerous event and could easily become out of control. In my opinion this is the best use of the term Sublime. It is a vast change of representation of the term from the Barouque Sublime.
In an interview by TheSan Francisco museum of artwith Rinko Kawauchi, she discuses the concept and inspiration behind her work. She talks about her interests in the small mysteries of everyday life which she explores in detail in the series Utatane in 2001. She also talks about Sublime beauty which she also explores in her work. Kawauchi reflects on how her photography comes from a state between “dreams and waking.”
Within the interview Kawauchi talks about her dreams in much detail and describes the them in their vast beauty. She said her dream contained “scenery so amazingly beautiful it made me almost scared.” This is what the definition of sublime is, it means very great excellence or beauty that almost creates fear. Kawauchi uses one particular dream as a concept for one of her series Within her dream she witnessed the burning of a grass field. She describes it as “amazingly beautiful“. She wanted to know if the place in her dream was a real place. She later discovered the place again while watching the news. The place she had dreamed about was called Noyaki where the burn grass fields once a year so that they don’t become forests. She creates a series using this practice called Ametsuchi, which is a Japanese word meaning heaven and earth. After this discovery she starts to become interested in the cycle of human practices such as the one she witnessed in her dream. She uses this interest as a foundation for all of her work as well as people’s daily lives. Here is an image from the series Ametsuchi.
Within the interview Kawuachi also talks about her fascination in small things. She says that small things use to save her as a child, “I was saved by small things as a child”. She describes about how she values small things because of her childhood, “I value small voices and things.”She uses her fascination as a concept in her work and she focuses on the details of smaller objects and subjects in her series. The main series where she uses this idea is Utante. She uses this name because it’s a way to “express the state of being between sleep and wakefulness.” The project explores liminal states which means the transition from one thing to another. Liminal State is the place from the beginning to the end of the transition. She is fascinated by the mysteries of the world and this is what she is primarily focusing on when taking her images. The image below is from the series Utante.
Dreams are Kawauchi’s main focus because she likes capturing things no one can explain. Her work is inspired by her own dreams. Although dreams are her primary concept she is also fascinated by the material that makes the world. Within the interview she talks about how there are so many theories about how the world is made but no one has any material proof. She likes the mystery behind it and explores this in her images. She says she “thinks about different theories and mysteries in the world.” She sees the world and everyday event as beautiful but at the same time she fears them because no one truly knows what they are. This is what Sublime beauty is.
This blog post is comprising of a number of images that I have taken in the last couple of months which that I haven’t specifically gone out and taken for a shoot for this project. I wanted to include these past images as because I am starting to look at and explore the element of water and therefore as I am starting to explore the freedoms represented in water, through looking at it’s motions, textures and colors. I shall be doing future shoots using and experimenting with water however I believe these images are a starting point for my future shots I am planning on taking over Easter. In my future shots I want to try and take photographs that show a strong contrast between the physical and the metaphysical by portraying he elements in a variety of ways such as close ups vs macro or usingn light vs dark conditions. Therefore in these images I believe I have captured the two contrasting portrayals of nature through water being presented as more of a scientific view but also including various spiritual elements in it as well. Essentially therefore my process is to take photographs of elements that are found everyday but photograph them in a manner that invokes and reflects their spiritual connections in order to also highlight how humanity itself can reconnect with nature – referencing the story of Adam and Eve told in Genesis in the Bible.
This is an image of a sky line. I took it from a cliff looking outwards towards the horizon. I wanted to include a large outward looking landscape over a large distance of water. This is because it shows not only the scale of creationism in itself but also how furthermore the scale of continuous evolution and continuous change in nature. Creationists and Evolutionists both agree that change occurs, however it is the principles governing this process is disputed. Therefore I believe this image is inclusive of both theories in the sense that this image includes quite a potent sense of awe and wonder to it through the sea and sky formations that in itself appears spiritual as because of the similar colors and light – appearing somewhat connected. Also because of how I have shot the element of water in its naturalist form, how this is a still image of change occurring in nature and also how their are darker tones appearing somewhat earth like and less “heavenly”, this could appear to appeal to the evolutionist theory. However, personally for me, what particularly strikes me is how the tones and hues of light reflected from the sea in the distance is symbolic to the spiritual cause of the idea that the Earth was created for a purpose by God. This is because looking on over the horizon, the idea that the sea is somewhat connected to another realm is expressed therefore I believe in this image.
These next set of images I have included as I believe they successfully and effectively emphasize the idea in which spirituality governs the continuous evolution that occurs in nature. I believe this triplet of images communicate and express the realms of spirituality within water but also most importantly the freedoms found i nature. Arguably the freedoms given to us in nature could be given to us from a designer, allowing evolution in nature to occur freely. This therefore links back to the theory of creationism because as God first created the world, it says in the first verse of Genesis “Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters”. Interestingly, I have utilized the elements of water and light as a strong feature of these images which I believe re-enforce this verse. This is symbolic because by expressing this relationship between light and water, it is representational not only just to the theory of creationism, but also how the freedom that is found in nature is one of beauty and is in a way, appears almost alive and lifelike. In doing this I believe that I am not only translating my own experience of spiritual encounters into this triplet of images, but also this links back to how as everything was created by God, just as they exist, they are worshiping God as these element have no known comprehension of intellect, understanding or morals. “Everyone who is called by My name, whom I have created for My glory; I have formed him; yes, I have made him” (Isaiah 43:7)
These last two images are very similar to the triplet beforehand, in that they are quite surreal and abstract, not of the objects of the physical within the image. Te physical is very much just a normal stream, however the strong and powerful light tones add a metaphysical presence within the image which represents that water isn’t something ordinary but exists as a gift from God to nurture and support our existence. In the top image, there is a lot of light, reflecting the idea that white light in the water is something pure and is a gift from our creator to allow us to exist and in doing that exercise and overseer change. The bottom image includes a stronger use of colors and rough textures that are more delicate. This is effective because it represents a sense of peace to it, and therefore relates to the idea of creationsim as we are created to be at one with nature and because we aren’t, we/humanity don’t necessarily feel as peaceful as the processes of change in nature occurs.
I like these double images and have included them as they represent the real vs the fiction. For example, the beads of bubbles very much appear particle-like, however the motion and direction they are travelling in appears also reminiscent of the theory that change in nature occur for a purpose and in doing this is a celebration of the intricate and complex structure of the environment in which we live in. Beforehand, my water images weren’t so much about capturing change but rather more so about beauty and individual design. Contrastingly, here this image shows similar particles all moving in a similar direction, capturing the very process of change itself in nature. The how in these images are about capturing how change occurs in nature and how we have got from one place to another. The why in this image is why are the particles all together and why rare they moving in a particular direction – weakening the idea of individual freedom and strengthening the idea of nature’s change as being a collective freedom, one that serves all of the planet as one creation.
