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Task 2: Make a Manifesto

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Following on from your first task of Rule Breaking your next task is write your own manifesto with a set of rules that you follow creatively in making a new set of photographic images, experimental film-making or video art.

A manifesto is a published verbal declaration of the intentions, motives, or views of the issuer, be it an individual, group, political party, government or an artistic movement.

In etymology (the study of the origin of words and the way in which their meanings have changed throughout history), the word manifesto  is derived from the Italian word manifesto, itself derived from the Latin manifestum, meaning clear or conspicuous.

Political manifestos from Britains three main parties, Labour, the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats in the last election in 2017.

Here a few examples of manifestos made by Jersey politicians

Reform Jersey Manifesto

Manifesto by Senator Lyndon Farnham

Futurism Manifesto written by the Italian poet Filippo Tommaso Marinetti was published in the French newspaper Le Figaro in 20 February 1909. In the manifesto Marinetti expresses an artistic philosophy, Futurism, that was a rejection of the past, and a celebration of speed, machinery, violence, youth and industry.

MANIFESTO OF FUTURISM

  1. We intend to sing the love of danger, the habit of energy and fearlessness.
  2. Courage, audacity, and revolt will be essential elements of our poetry.
  3. Up to now literature has exalted a pensive immobility, ecstasy, and sleep. We intend to exalt aggressive action, a feverish insomnia, the racer’s stride, the mortal leap, the punch and the slap.
  4. We affirm that the world’s magnificence has been enriched by a new beauty: the beauty of speed. A racing car whose hood is adorned with great pipes, like serpents of explosive breath—a roaring car that seems to ride on grapeshot is more beautiful than the Victory of Samothrace.
  5. We want to hymn the man at the wheel, who hurls the lance of his spirit across the Earth, along the circle of its orbit.
  6. The poet must spend himself with ardor, splendor, and generosity, to swell the enthusiastic fervor of the primordial elements.
  7. Except in struggle, there is no more beauty. No work without an aggressive character can be a masterpiece. Poetry must be conceived as a violent attack on unknown forces, to reduce and prostrate them before man.
  8. We stand on the last promontory of the centuries!… Why should we look back, when what we want is to break down the mysterious doors of the Impossible? Time and Space died yesterday. We already live in the absolute, because we have created eternal, omnipresent speed.
  9. We will glorify war—the world’s only hygiene—militarism, patriotism, the destructive gesture of freedom-bringers, beautiful ideas worth dying for, and scorn for woman.
  10. We will destroy the museums, libraries, academies of every kind, will fight moralism, feminism, every opportunistic or utilitarian cowardice.
  11. We will sing of great crowds excited by work, by pleasure, and by riot; we will sing of the multicolored, polyphonic tides of revolution in the modern capitals; we will sing of the vibrant nightly fervor of arsenals and shipyards blazing with violent electric moons; greedy railway stations that devour smoke-plumed serpents; factories hung on clouds by the crooked lines of their smoke; bridges that stride the rivers like giant gymnasts, flashing in the sun with a glitter of knives; adventurous steamers that sniff the horizon; deep-chested locomotives whose wheels paw the tracks like the hooves of enormous steel horses bridled by tubing; and the sleek flight of planes whose propellers chatter in the wind like banners and seem to cheer like an enthusiastic crowd.

In 1924 French Poet, Andre Breton published a Surrealist Manifesto which sets out specific terms on which to be creative and make art as a reaction against another art movement, Dadaism.

POEM

A burst of laughter

of sapphire in the island of Ceylon

The most beautiful straws

HAVE A FADED COLOR

UNDER THE LOCKS

on an isolated farm

FROM DAY TO DAY

the pleasant

grows worse

coffee

preaches for its saint

THE DAILY ARTISAN OF YOUR BEAUTY

MADAM,

a pair

of silk stockings

is not

A leap into space

A STAG

Love above all

Everything could be worked out so well

PARIS IS A BIG VILLAGE

Watch out for

the fire that covers

THE PRAYER

of fair weather

Know that

The ultraviolet rays

have finished their task

short and sweet

THE FIRST WHITE PAPER

OF CHANCE

Red will be

The wandering singer

WHERE IS HE?

in memory

in his house

AT THE SUITORS’ BALL

I do

as I dance

What people did, what they’re going to do

An example of a poem published as part of Breton’s Surrealist manifesto.

Tasks
1. Research and read at least one political manifesto and one manifesto from an artistic group or movement. Describe differences and similarities used in their use of language, metaphor and vision – 1 blog posts.

2. Analysis: from your chosen artistic manifesto, choose at least two key art works for further analysis that have been made as response to the rules/ aims/ objectives of the manifesto. Describe techniques used, interpret meaning/metaphor, evaluate aesthetic quality – 1-2 blog posts.

3. Planning: Write a manifesto with a set of rules (5-10) that provide a framework for your new shoots and overall project. Describe in detail how you are planning on developing your work and ideas in the next two weeks. Think about what you want to achieve, what you want to communicate, how your ideas relate to the themes of FREEDOM and/or LIMITATIONS – 1 blog post.

4. Record: Produce at least one shoot by Mon 12 March.

5. Experiment: Edit a selection of 5 images with annotation – 1 blog post.

6. Evaluate: Choose your best image and evaluate with reference to your manifesto and contextual references – 1 blog post.

7. Present: Print best image and prepare a 1 min presentation Wed 14 March in class around the table.

Extension: Write a new set of rules and repeat the above process.

Help & Support:

See link to manifesto in Wikipedia which has a hyperlinks to many manifestos, both political and artistic.

How to write a manifesto? Read more here
A manifesto is a statement where you can share your…
– Intentions (what you intend to do)
– Opinions (what you believe, your stance on a particular topic)
– Vision (the type of world that you dream about and wish to create)

See book: The Photographer’s Playbook on page 45 and David Campany’s: What to Photograph?

Here are class lists of what to photograph?

Class 13 A
Class 13 D
Class 13 E

Political Manifestos – in Jersey

Political parties makes a manifesto that sets out their political values and views on issues such as education, health, jobs, housing, environment, the economy etc and pledge a set of policies on what they would do if they got elected.

As there will be an election in Jersey during the exam preparation and the fact that you are all eligible to vote it makes sense to explore what manifestos exist in local politics. Unlike the UK, Jersey doesn’t have a political system with large parties, such as Labour, Conservative, Liberal Democrats and so on.

The parliamentary body responsible for adopting legislation and scrutinising the Council of Ministers is the Assembly of the States of Jersey. Forty-Nine elected members, 8 island-wide Senators, 29 Deputies and 12 Constables representing each parish sit in the assembly. There are also five non-elected, non-voting members appointed by the Crown (the Bailiff, the Lieutenant Governor, the Dean of Jersey, the Attorney General and the Solicitor General). Decisions in the States are taken by majority vote of the elected members present and voting.

Find out more here on the official Government website: gov.je

In Jersey there is only one small political party Reform Jersey (3 members). Some politicians, such as Senator Philip Ozouf, Senator Lyndon Farnham publish a manifesto in advance of an election so that the public can learn about their political views.  Hustings in each Parish will be taken place during the month of April leading up to the election day 9 May 2018.

Artistic Manifestos

Here is a a list of art movements that you may use as contextual research. Many of them produced various manifestos

Dadaism, Futurism, Surrealism,  Situationism, Neo-dadaism, Land/Environmental art, Performance art/Live art, Conceptualism, Experimental filmmaking/ Avant-garde cinema.

Here are a list of artists/ photographers that may inspire you associated with the above art movements and isms:

Vito Acconci, John Baldessari, Yves Klein, Bas Jan Ader, Erwin Wurm, Chris Arnatt, Richard Long, Hamish Fulton, Joseph Beuys, Chris Burden, Francis Alÿs, , Sophie Calle , Nikki S Lee, Claude Cahun, Dennis Oppenheim, Bruce Nauman, Allan Kaprow, Mark Wallinger, Gillian Wearing, Marcel Duchamp and the Readymade, Andy Warhol’s film work, Steve McQueen, Sam Taylor-Johnson, Marina Abramovic, Pipilotti Rist, Luis Bunuel/ Salvatore Dali: , Le ChienAndalou, Dziga Vertov: The Man with a Movie Camera

A few Youtube clips

Gillian Wearing: Dancing in Peckham

Mark Wallinger: Hymn

Martha Rosler: Semiotics of the Kitchen

Yoko Ono: Cut Piece

 Bruce Nauman: Art Make-Up

 Chris Burden, Shoot, 1971

Luis Bunuel/ Salvatore Dali: Un Chien Andalou

Dziga Vertov: The Man with a Movie Camera

Marcel Duchamp: Ready-mades

 

Planning, Research

Links to Inspirations

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Here are the Instagram pages and websites of the other, smaller artists I will be following and taking inspiration from for my project looking at fashion among young people in Jersey and the different trends people take up and the brands they where. The artists listed below are people I follow on Instagram and who I will be using as a guideline in terms of the style of their imagery. Some of the photographers listed will be part of a sole blog post where I look at their work, analyse it and discuss how it will influence my onw but some of the photographers below are smaller, less influential photographers who photograph for the magazine PUSH and these will just be shown in this blog post as a guideline for who I will be looking at for my own project.

The purpose of this blog post is to include all relevant to links to my inspirations for easy access for myself to access at any point and for readers to see, all in one lace, the photographed who I will be taking inspiration from for my work.

Vicky Grout 
Instagram
Website

Saskia Ivy
Instagram
Website

Ben Awin
Instagram
Website

Kay Ibrahim
Instagram
Website

Adama Jalloh
Instagram
Website

Ali Arrowsmith
Instagram
Website

Charlie Cummings
Instagram
Website

Filmawi Efrem
Instagram
Website

Willem Verbeeck 
Instagram
Website

Planning, Research

Primary Exam Project Planning

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For my exam project, I have decided to focus my time on exploring the theme of fashion photography, and, in particular, streetwear fashion and the photography that surrounds this genre in relation to both freedom and limitations, but more so freedom. I have begun planning this idea briefly but intend to carry out much more research on the background, history and context of this type of photography because it something I have never done before but have wanted to for a long time; also a contributing factor to why I have decided to carry out a project like this.

My primary intention was to use streetwear fashion as a way to combine my interest in fashion and brands with photography and document this ever-growing and ever-changing industry with my camera. I then started developing my ideas more and began to think of other ways I could explore this. I began collating some inspirations and other artists I could use as well as thinking of what I want my final product to look like. Artists I saw I could as inspirations include modern, contemporary and young UK based photographers Vicky Grout, Ben Awin and Saskia Ivy. Furthermore, I had recently purchased a music/fashion magazine called PUSH. This a UK based company that produces monthly issues of their magazine which covers upcoming artists and their fashion and the trends they are following. The magazine is completely free and the only fee paid is the postage an packaging price. As soon as I saw this magazine, I was instantly attracted because of its heavy focus on design, graphics, typography and photographs; visuals as a whole and when the magazine arrived and began reading it, I was hooked on creating a magazine alike to this because I felt I would be able to utilise my ability to create effective design and graphics for features like the cover page and different layout styles within the magazine. I then decided that for my intended project looking at fashion and trends of youth in Jersey, my final product could be a magazine and I came across this feature to create magazines on Blurb when I was producing my book for my coursework.

Image result for push magazine

I began carrying out some brief research into other contemporary artists I could use as inspiration and as a guideline for how to go about producing my own fashion imagery. I started looking on Instagram for any new artists I could follow and began to come across recommendations for young photographers to follow when browsing the internet. I found several different websites which were advocating the work of several young, UK based photographers who are beginning to make it big in the fashion/music photography industry, in particular, an artist called Vicky Grout, 20 years-old who has already established herself as a household name in the way of grime music photography and has photographed the likes of Stormzy, Novelist and Skepta and J Hus.

Image result for vicky grout j hus

Image result for vicky grout
Vicky Grout
Image result for vicky grout skepta]
Vicky Grout

A website I came across which was representing the work of five different young UK-based photographers can be found here and this is where I came across the work of Saskia Ivy and Ben Awin and in my PUSH magazine, Issue 3, the photography team is made up of about 10 different artist whoa re responsible for providing her visuals of the artists they are covering in the magazine and I can take inspiration from these photographers also for reference of contemporary work which will provide the main body to where my work originates from.

Furthermore, although I will be using the contemporary photographers such as the ones used above as primary influences to produce my own, it is important that I explore the history of fashion photography because it is so rich in information and visual evidence that has shaped the way fashion and art have integrated over the last 50 years as we have progressed into the 21st century and fashion is ever-changing with new trends. The line shave gradually been blurred between the combination of art/photography sand fashion and people feel it necessary now in a world driven by social media and photo sharing where people are constantly in the face of the public to be fashion-aware and document this with their camera and this why photographers such as Bill Cunningham made such a success out of his work as a street, fashion photographer and events such as London/Paris/New York Fashion Week do so well in terms of popularity, publicity and attendance because people see it as a chance to flaunt their to dress well and show their knowledge of the fashion world. I intend to produce blog posts outlining all my inspirations for this project as I continue to plan for the several shoots I hope to end up with which will contribute to my end product.

To enhance the sense of my final product being a magazine, I will be using text within also to add more structure, depth and body to the hard copy which will accompany the images also be written by me. The words will consist of interviews or statements from the models/individuals I photograph and my own words throughout to put into action my research produced throughout.

The project will consist of several shoots produced by myself looking at individuals in Jersey, and in particular young individuals and their own fashion and unique look – because everyone does have their own look and style which makes them stand out and it is these people that I will approach for the project. I have not yet decided whether I want to photograph both male and female or solely male. I came across a mini project by Saskia Ivy which looked at teenage boys in London and I feel like this could be a fascinating project if I were to also look solely at teenage boys in Jersey and photograph them both individual and in groups. However, I will explore all options further in other blog posts and alongside this, I intend to carry out practice/experiment shoots with models to get a sense of how I want to go about it.

Saskia Ivy
Saskia Ivy

Alongside these photographers, I will be exploring the work of classic fashion photographers who pioneered the genre such as Bill Cunningham, David Bailey and Jurgen Teller as well as, briefly, the work of Terry Richardson, all of whom also pioneered the use of the street as a studio and this what I want to do throughout and don’t intend to use my camera in a studio set up at all so I can add to the feel of an urban look heightened by the fashion and clothes/brand worn by my models.

In terms of how I will retrieve models fro my project, my intention is to approach particular people with a style I feel will works – because I essentially a director in a film where I have to create shot lists (the photographs), the script (the interview questions), pick a cast (the casting director for models) and then I have to produce it all and make it all come together. Therefore, I will approach particular people I may be friends with but also may have never spoken to before but am aware of their style and look which I feel will fit the part. I already have ideas of models and these included my friends as well as people I am not too close with. However, an alternative is to distribute an advertisement on social media such as Instagram and let people come forward themselves but it nay result in me rejecting some people if I feel they will not fit the look I want to achieve.

My shoots will also require a lot of planning where I outline the colours and looks/style I want my model to style. I may, if I know a particular them of clothing I want he model to wear, tell them to wear it or will likely leave the outfit they wear on the day up to them. However, once on location for the shoot, I can improvise with poses and shot styles whether they be close ups or long shots. I will also need to plan thoroughly the locations I want to shoot in and intend for these to be quite urban, for example in town or in multi-story car parks like Minden Place on the top floor which is open air and over looks the whole of St Helier. I will also need to take into consideration if I am shooting with females, whether I want them to wear makeup or not and the style I want this to be.

The only issue I have encountered this far with my plan is my actual confidence with my intentions and whether to not I can carry my intentions out and follow through with them because I never done anything like this and don’t really know how to go about it. I will need to be every proactive, confident in myself and my abilities but my people skills are good so believe this will aid the communication between myself and my models and I wish to make the whole project fun, especially when out on shoots – it should be fun and exciting.

I also need to decide what format I want to shoot with but intend to, as I did in my coursework, to shoot on all formats, including digital, analog; in particular, with my half-frame film camera and as well as on my iPhone. The shots taken on my phone with the app ‘Huji’ will likely be informal shots to contrast that of the more formal, intended posed shots. I also want to combine colour and black and white.

Image result for ben awin photography
Ben Awin
Image result for ben awin photography
Ben Awin
Experimenting, Planning, Recording

Breaking the rules///The Rule of Audience

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Planning

The rule of audience suggest that an artists work should appeal to someone or a group of people. This is the rule I am going to break. I will try to take photos that won’t appeal or impress anyone. I won’t make photos that directly relate to a person or group of people. I want to make photos that have no meaning, nothing for someone to relate to, completely random photos that have no artistic value.

Recording

I decided to first take photos that were out of focus and blurred. Initially this wasn’t meant to look good however, due to it being to abstract and having bright colors, these photos were liked by many people. In some cases you could say I broke the rule of Technicality but this wasn’t the rule I was breaking so even though I made photos people liked they have to be consider a failed attempt as people liked them. The photos below was creating below with the same mind set however this was my most popular photo. For the same reasons as before these photos did not reasons before it did not hit the brief I set for myself.

These photos below did succeed in my goal of breaking the rule of Audience. Nobody I have shown these photos liked them as they showed no skill, nothing interesting and all round boring. I have created photos nobody liked or appreciated. Although I have completed the objective I set myself I personally even I do not like these photos and wish not to continue with this any further. However the photos above is something I would like to continue to explore. Abstraction is something I have lightly touched on in my previous projects however I’d like to explore this further fulling immersing myself in color, distortion and composition. This task has made me realize that the rule I want to continue to break is Technicality.

Planning, Presenting, Research

The Rule of Ownership – Primary Ideas

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OWNERSHIP 

breaking down the word

to own is to have something as one’s own; to posses something.

ownership – define

(noun)

1.

the act, state, or right of possessing something.
possession, right of possession, holding, freehold, proprietorship, proprietary rights, title

To help me begin generating ideas surrounding the concept of ownership and how I can break this rule in relation to freedom/limitations within photography and my own work, I created, with Ben a mind map. On this large sheet of paper, we wrote the word ‘ownership’ in the centre and then drew out different ideas from this about what ownership is and how we could break it using our own photographic methods.

We can up with several ideas, as you can see from the mind map below. We though tit necessary to actually define what ownership was however and so did this first in the bottom right corner of the sheet and produced ideas from this understanding of what ownership means.

From this mood board of several ideas, I hope to be able to develop a  better idea of what I could explore for my own exploration into the activity of using photography to break the rule of ownership.

mind map on ‘ownership’
Planning, Research

What is Freedom / Limitation?

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FREEDOM

what does freedom mean to me?

freedom, to me connotes representations of one’s ability and right to be free to do what they want. it comes back to the idea that everyone in the world has a right to equal power, equal voice and equal opinion no matter what, as introduced by theorist Aleks Krotowski. freedom to me, discards any element of discrimination that may occur in this world and instead, replace it with joy and happiness among all. there should be no limitation on how one should live their life, but of course, this should be within reason. in this modern day, people can feel so isolated and dislocated form society due to the rest of the world’s population’s need to discriminate and bully. people should feel safe and as though their lives are a place of comfort and this comes from a collective effort to encourage freedom amongst all. a freedom to express ones opinions. a freedom to dress how you wish to. a freedom to be of a certain religion and for this not to matter. freedom equals joy and this concept of joy and love should prevail all aspects of limitation. however, freedom can have its downfalls and limitations, of course can be seen as beneficial as well. a freedom to access all information on the internet of the current, social media-driven world can be dangerous and can impact teenagers of society due to a lack of filters. for me, freedom is possible through clothes; fashion. freedom, for me is expression of myself and my personality and this for me is possible through the clothes I wear and how I present myself through my appearance – something I wish to explore in my exam.

breaking the word down

to be free is to be able to act or be done as one wishes; not under the control of another.

to be free means to not or no longer be confined or imprisoned.

freedom – define

(noun)

1.

the power or right to act, speak, or think as one wants.
right to, entitlement to, privilege, prerogative, due

 2.

the state of not being imprisoned or enslaved.
liberty, liberation, release, emancipation, deliverance, delivery, discharge, non-confinement, extrication, amnesty

quotes

freedom is the oxygen of the soul

people who do not move, do not notice their chains  can you remember who you were before the world told you who you could be?

freedom is not worth having if it does not include the freedom to make mistakes

freedom is being you without anyone’s permission

education is the key to unlock the golden door of freedom (George Washington)

for to be free is not merely yo cast off ones chains, but to live in a way that respects an enhances the freedom of others (Nelson Mandela

LIMITATION

what does limitation mean to me?

limitation, to me is how one may feel when trapped, isolated and in a state of no escape. this can be both in one’s mind and physically. limitation is the result of discrimination. as shown in less well-off countries in the world where children have little access the most simple of things we take for granted. limitation is the result of little money one may have. limitation can result in a dangerous outcomes and the consequences of limitation can be very negatively impactful. a limitation to the accessibility of help for mental issues is how one may become detached from the people that should be their most dear. a limitation is what can force one to believe they cannot do something, no matter what and no one should believe this; everyone can do what they wish and it comes back to the idea of equal rights, equal power and equal access. limitation is a weapon of choice for many people when stress becomes too much, when they attempt to avoid situations. limitation can result in the belief that nothing is possible. limitation should become motivation to do what you wish without the fear of being judged or doing it wrong. limits should be conquered. however, a limit can also be a positive concept. linking back to the point I made in ‘freedom’, a limit; a filter could be seen as a positive when referring to the easy accessibility of internet and what it provides. society can be harsh and one can see social media as a way to exploit the vulnerability of users. face value is not affected when on social media and is seen as an easy way to voice an opinion that the consequences of are not witnessed directly. limitation, for me is the lack of ability to be forward in my actions. I often hide-away when something is not what it seems; my sensitivity takes over. limitation for me is letting my negative thought and emotions become the engine of my body to the point of no return.

breaking the word down

to be limited is to be restricted in size, amount or extent; few, small or short.

limitation – define

(noun)

1.

a limiting rule or circumstance; a restriction.
restriction, curb, restraint, constraint, control, check, clampdown, hindrance, impediment, obstacle, obstruction, bar, barrier, block, deterrent, inhibition, damper, brake, rein

2.

law

a legally specified period beyond which an action may be defeated or a property right does not continue.

quotes

the only limitations you will ever have are the ones you put on yourself

don’t limit your challenges, challenge your limits

know your limits, but never stop trying to exceed them

in imagination, there is no limitation

the fears we don’t face become our limits

you cannot put a limitation on anything

love the life you live. live the life you love (Bob Marley)

Analysis, Planning, Research

Breaking The Rules of Photography

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To aid my development of ideas for what I may wan to explore for my photography exam based around the concept of freedom and limitations, we were set a task to generate our ability to take photographs creatively when thinking about ways we can represent freedom/limitations. The task revolves around breaking a particular rule of photography that is deemed vital to follow and obey in order to create meaningful and quality imagery. However, we have been told to  break one of these rules as a way of creating exciting art. Using this criteria as a way to create photographs also encapsulates the idea of freedom/limitations because I will purposely be breaking a rule of photography, resulting in much more freedom in the way I create art, even though photography is a very free means of expressing yourself and some people may like to believe there are no limits in photography. Expanding this to the extent of breaking rules allows me to even more free, however, I believe I may find this task quite difficult because even through I am breaking the typical conventions of photography, I will be focusing on how to represent how I have broken one particular rule and my thought processes when planning a shoot will be based around how I can show that I am breaking this particular rule. This may in fact limit my abilities to be creative in my processes and from my primary planning, I realised this unexpected difficultly in thinking about how I can break a rule of photography because I had never really thought about the rule even when I make photographs normally.

From looking at a video on YouTube which outlines a brief history of the artist John Baldessari, I was able to retrieve some primary inspiration for this new task that had I just been introduced to; to break a rule of photography. John Baldessari was a very controversial artist because he challenged the conventions of photography and did  not conform to the norms of people of the industry were used to. He’s is an American conceptual artist known for his work with found archival photography and appropriated imagery. He used painting in his early work to become established in the create industry and eventually began using old found photographs and incorporating  this into his art and graphic abilities and his eye for difference and ability to differentiate himself from the others at the time allowed him to make such a name for himself  as he has done today. He works with light humor, and with materials and motifs that also reflect the influence of Pop art. In the video that introduces the work and history of Baldessari, it shows him famously burning all works he has ever produced form a period of 30 years in his career. This was a never-seen-before gesture and it shocked people because of this. He also, mid-way through his career and as a contributing factor to why he burnt his work, said that “I will no longer make boring art”. This was a way for him to encourage himself to create more exciting and controversial art. He focused on using typography and different text within his art and also worked with collage to create art.

Baldessari is a great example of breaking the rules of art and creativity because although it is is seen as a very free means of expressing yourself, it is often limited by social and culturally norms and expectations of who humans should behave. Using metaphorical means of expressing opinions and views is what Baldessari did and it has influenced the creative industry ever since. Often, breaking the rules is what we need to do in order to break from the comfort of familiarity and of what has been developed over such a period of time that it becomes a comfort. This ability to erase the once known comfort of creating “boring” art can inspire a more innovative way of creating art. Baldessari also sued the most simple forms of art to produce complex meanings, such as the use of coloured dots which covered faces of subjects in found photographs.

Image result for john baldessari

Image result for john baldessari

Here is the link to the article, entitled ‘Eight ‘rules’ of photography that are worth breaking’ written by photographer and writer Lewis Bush which outlines the different rules of photography and examples of photographers who break them.

I have chosen to produce a mini response to the theme of breaking the rules of ‘ownership’. On Lewis Hine’s article on breaking the rules of rules photography, when he talks about the rule of ownership he says:

“Our world is a raging storm of images. Photo uploads to Facebook exceed 300 million per day, with Instagram seeing around 90 million.

As a photographer, it can feel futile to keep adding to this visual blizzard, when so much can be said with those that already exist. The solution, for some, lies in a creative attitude to the old-fashioned idea of ownership and copyright.

For seven years the French collector Thomas Sauvin harvested film negatives from Beijing’s vast dump, buying them from specialist scavengers who recycle the negatives for the valuable silver they contain.

In his hunt, Sauvin has created an archive of a million images that offers a unique insight into a pivotal period in modern Chinese history, from the tail end of Mao’s cultural revolution, to the economic success story of modern China.

Belgian artist Mishka Henner, meanwhile, works with images he finds online to dissect the motivations and power of their original producers.

In 51 US Military Outposts, he uses satellite imagery of US military bases around the world to probe the extent of this modern American empire. His interest in these images, he says, lies in the fact that “the people who are running the show, that’s the stuff they’re working with.”

I have chosen to produce a response to this rule as I think I could use some creative and unique ideas to produce a mini-project about ownership and what it means in relation to freedom and limitation. I already have a couple ideas about how I could present something surrounding this idea of how I can break the rule of ownership. My main idea incorporates the use of Instagram and how I can use concept of ownership relating to Instagram, the biggest photo sharing social media software in the world, to create a response to what ownership is and whether it actually matters if the image you, as a photographer uses is not yours. Photographers themselves take inspiration from all sorts of other artists round the world because without inspiration and subtle stealing of ideas, art can be boring and this essentially alludes to the idea that ownership of the work you display is not essential and showing the work of other artists to present meaning can be even more powerful.

Planning

Mindmap-Freedom and Limitations ideas

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In groups we were asked to come up with ideas surrounding the words ‘Freedom and Limitations’. Immediately we were drawn to opposites. We were constantly thinking of words then thinking of there counterparts. Such as Sound/Silence, Life/Death, Capture/Escape, Female/Male. Keywords were a large part of the mind map, the words allowed us to think of ideas and worked as a starting point to develop any thoughts we had.

One of the ideas I had was Art. Art has both freedom and limitations. Art can sometimes limit us as we are often forced to paint, take a photo, draw. Only in recent years artists have had full freedom to express themselves. Using objects and manipulating old photos artists have given new meanings to objects that already existed. This made people think differently about art.

Another idea  was money. Money can give people the freedom to travel, have new experiences, get education, indulge in materialistic things and most of the time give a better quality of life. However money can also cause a lot of pain and limit people. If someone doesn’t have much money that can stop them achieving what they want to achieve. For example many homeless people are at a dead end as they don’t have enough money to get themselves suitable clothes for a job interview and they are only living off the money that they are given by people. They are being limited by money, because in today’s society with money comes power.

Planning

Freedom and Limitations Mind Map

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For this upcoming project on Freedom and Limitations I have decided to focus on the constantly changing and evolving environments found in nature that comprises of the Earth, Animals, Humans and Plants.  Because of this constant change I wanted to explore the notion of how the Earth is every bit as different 1 second ago as it was 1 year ago, or 100 years ago.  In this, I want to explore the impact of change found in nature as the old is replaced with the new but also the process of change in the natural world.  This could extend to to the sea, the land and the sky in terms of change in the Earth.  But also how plants and animals are reliant on this to survive which links to the idea of humans who also are key stakeholders in how we affect and are affected by the change in the world in which we live in.  Furthermore I want to explore the relationship between all these factors and how they are somewhat reliant off each other to pursue and venture into the unknown as new replaces old.  This represents to the idea of how freedom for change and evolution in nature is limited because change only occurs as something old becomes extinct and so the idea of freedom in nature is limited.  This is because the new areas and features found in nature set to replace the old, will too one day become old and outdated itself.