Film Analysis – Bruce Nauman
Daily Archives: March 11, 2019
Filters
First Photoshoot
The final outcomes of this project are going to have two overlapping images of the same location, in contrasting weather to create an image which is similar but greatly different at the same.
For this shoot I went to four different locations around the island, for this shoot I need to take two sets of images, essential a before and after set of images. The first set of images are going to be of icon jersey landscapes on a day where the weather isn’t the nicest, so cloudy and windy. The next set of image are going to be taken during the summer time, when the weather is nicer. I will then get these two images and create images similar to the one above. Overall I think that the shoot went really well, from the shoot I got a range of different types of images, some of them the weather is very dark and cloudy whereas in others the landscape is very dramatic and almost looks like and image from the Romanticism period.
These images are only first experiments, to figure out which designs/patterns look the best, I have overlapped some of the designs with other images from the shoot to have an idea of what the final outcomes of the project are going to look like.
A2 Photography Exam – Action Plan
My Plan for my shoots and my edits are as follows:
I am going to take 3 photoshoots so that I can use three different locations as I want to create my own landscapes by filtering 3 photos. The first location I am going to take photos at is the woods behind Longueville Manor known as Swiss Valley so I can catch twigs and branches in the top areas of my photos. The second location will be Le Mare beach so I can get a rocky area with some flat parts to provide a stable base for my edits. For the third location I want something modern to be a part of my edits so the natural things like trees look like they are growing in this place, so I will be going to Pier Road Car Park for the blocky effect I want in my edits.
For my edits I will be doing images that comprise of 3 filtered images that have been colour balanced to a reddish yellow, using shadows, midtones, and highlights, and by adjusting the opacity accordingly and increasing contrast and brightness, so that all 3 images can be seen clearly.
I will then be putting variating coloured circles over the faces that are in my photos using the app Sketchbook.
After that I will use the app XstereO Player to do my stereographs in landscapes and portraits, red and blue, and green and magenta. so I have many variations of colours and combinations.
Once I’ve done that I will start cutting my stereographed edits into tear like parts using the magic wand tool, so I can move them across to a black landscape base and create a collage like piece.
And finally after all that I will be using images from my shoots to turn into very contrast and brightness black and white images, to then overlay them on top of the cut images to add even more detail.
Bernd and Hilla Becher
Bernd and Hilla Becher were German conceptual artists and photographers working as a collaborative duo. They are best known for their series of photographic images, (or typologies,) of industrial buildings and structures, often organised in grids. They influenced many documentary photographers and artists.
Bernd Becher was born in Siegen. He studied painting in Germany from 1953-1956, then typography (the art and technique of arranging type to make written language legible, readable, and appealing when displayed) from 1959-1961. Hilla Becher was born in Potsdam. After Hilla’s time studying photography at the Kunstakademie Düsseldorf from 1958-1961, she had completed an apprenticeship as a photographer in her place of birth. They both began working as freelance photographers (self-employed) for the Troost Advertising Agency in Düsseldorf, concentrating on product photography (advertising or commercial photography). The couple married in 1961. Bernd and Hilla Becher first collaborated on photographing and documenting the disappearing German industrial architecture in 1959. The Ruhr Valley, (where Becher’s family had worked in the steel and mining industries,) was their main focus. They were fascinated by the similar shapes in which the buildings were designed. After capturing thousands of pictures of individual structures, they noticed that the various large buildings, (of cooling towers, gas tanks and coal bunkers, for instance,) shared many distinctive formal qualities. In addition to this, they were intrigued by the fact that so many of these industrial buildings seemed to have been built with a great deal of attention towards its design. Together, the Bechers went out with a large 8 x 10-inch view camera and photographed these buildings from a straightforward “objective” point of view. They only did their shoots on overcast days, (to avoid shadows,) and early in the morning during spring and autumn. Objects included barns, water towers, coal tipples, cooling towers, grain elevators, coal bunkers, coke ovens, oil refineries, blast furnaces, gas tanks, storage silos, and warehouses.
This typology created by the Becher’s shows their objectives of conceptual art. They wanted to create a series of images where every object showed similar characteristics. These images were taken in Germany, as their images were based around the German industrial architectures. Each image is similar to the other, because of the repeated lines of wood that are used as part of each houses construction. This repetition effect is something that intrigues me towards these series of images. I like how each house has a triangular rooftop – the houses are a classic shape and although they seem like original shaped houses, they all have their own speciality that differentiates them from each other. For example, on the bottom row, second image from the right, this house appears to have 5 rectangular windows with a variance in how the panels for the window are displayed. The white panels all determine how many small squares there are inside of the window – some windows have 6 small squares, some only have 2 squares and 2 long rectangles. This same house has 1 door that has 2 slight windows either side of the door. This house is very different to the houses around it on the grid format, that the Becher’s used to create their typology. However, they all have similar shapes and objects that create the houses.
Postcards Photo-shoot
Here is my photo-shoot in which I planned to record the 171 postcards which I bought with the intention of using in this project (Plan on previous post) I believe that this shoot was successful as I closely followed my photo-shoot plan and was lucky enough to have a good source of natural sunlight on the day which I did the shoot. These postcards show the connections between Jersey as the rest of the world which I intend to explore with this project and therefore I thought they were very appropriate to use in photo montages and collages. The dated aesthetic running through the majority of these postcards is firstly something which I believe successfully shows the history of development due to modern systems around the world. And secondly I believe these visual qualities will make for an unusual and interesting outcome.
Specification
How, Who, When, Where and Why?
To start my project I intend to explore ideas of sublime and beauty within nature, focusing on emphasising light and fragility within the natural world. I want to be able to express an emotion through my photos, whether that be using shapes, shadows, reflections and light.
The photographer Rinko Kawauchi is an artists who interested me, inspired by Japanese art and her ethnic religion, looking at portraying nature in a feminine light. This is where I will explore ideologies like beauty and the sublime and styles of Japanese art, as well as form and shape related to femininity. When I do a shoot in this concept I will emphasise the light, similar to Kawauchi.
I also want to explore uses of colour and texture and the opposing shapes and forms that are associated with the ideas of masculinity and femininity. For example to explore stereotypical views on masculinity i could photograph geometric bold structures in the urban environment, I could juxtapose these images to natural ones to represent stereotyped femininity. I will focus on soft shapes in comparison to angular ones and create a contrast between the two, perhaps looking for similar shapes within the images to connect them.
I am also inspired by the artist Meghann Riepenhoff who produces seascape without a camera looking at the tidal patterns made by ocean waves creating more abstract images. She describes her photos as a 'series of camera-less cyanotype'. I am interested in exploring her work and interpreting it as for my political landscape project I explored ideas of light sensitive paper and cynotypes and tried to recreate them. Exploring that in this project will follow on from my previous work and gives me a better understanding.
The work of Meghann Riepenhoff also links to the work of Susan Derges which is another photographer I will take inspiration from in my project. She also specialises in cameraless photographic processes, most often working with natural landscapes. Exploring the movement of water and the texture it creates is an concept i want to explore in my project.To interpret their work I will try to create cynotypes myself. I want to do this as I think it creates an interesting aspect to my project where they are photos that aren't taken by a camera, creating an effect that wouldn't be produced with a digital images.
Example Meghann Riepenhoff Work:
Example of Susan Derges:
As I continue through my project I will develop it further by evaluating what I have done successfully and work from that. I will start by exploring shapes and forms within nature that soft and rounded linking the ideas of beauty from a feminine point of view in my first shoot. I then plan to explore the movement of water/ocean in my second shoot and will continue by researching cyantypes by Susan Derges and Meghann Riepenhoff to do an interpretation in my third shoot. I then want to focus on abstract shapes looking at light and shadows within a landscape in my forth shoot. I am particularly interested in exploring nature and beauty as I consider it something that influences me as an individual.
FINE ART INVESTIGATION
Variations in the time of day, season or weather can instantly transform a familiar landscape, whether urban or rural. One heavy rain or low cloud formation reflecting the evening sun’s rays can make us aware of places we normally take for granted. Many artists have documented the same views again and again to demonstrate the beauty of such ephemeral events. Monet’s Haystacks and his studies of Rouen Cathedral demonstrate these effects with sensitivity and keen observation. Other artists inspired by these dramatic shifts are Camille Pissarro, Joan Eardley, John Virtue, David Tress and David Prentice.
David Prentice:
David Tress:
David Tress (born 11 April 1955) is a British artist noted particularly for his deeply personal interpretations of landscapes in and around his home in Pembrokeshire, southwest Wales. He combines the techniques of collage and impasto with conventional painting and drawing to produce results that have been categorized as a form of abstract expressionism. Deciding that he had reached the limit of what he could achieve with realism alone, he instead developed an aggressively expressionist style that involves physically scraping or cutting the painted surface and then repairing it, building up layer upon layer as if to mimic the seasonal sequence of decay and regrowth. Tress makes sketches in the field but the final paintings are done in his studio, relying as much on memory and emotional response to the subject as on the original drawing. Although much of his work borders on the abstract, some, particularly his graphite drawings, is intensely realistic, taking on an almost photographic quality when viewed from a distance. As well as Wales, his subjects include landscapes in Scotland, the Lake District, Ireland and southern France, along with cityscapes of London.
Joan Eardley:
Joan Kathleen Harding Eardley (18 May 1921 – 16 August 1963) was a British artist noted for her landscapes of the fishing village of Catterline and surroundings on the North-East coast of Scotland. Her artistic career had three distinct phases. The first was from 1940 when she enrolled at the Glasgow School of Art through to 1949 when she had a successful exhibition of paintings created while travelling in Italy. From 1950 to 1957, Eardley’s work focused on the city of Glasgow and in particular the slum area of Townhead. In the late 1950s, while still living in Glasgow, she spent much time in Catterline before moving there permanently in 1961. During the last years of her life, seascapes and landscapes painted in and around Catterline dominated her output.[
Brainstorming ideas:
I have created a brainstorm linking the fine artist Jason de Graaf with Seydou Keita, based around portraiture and mirrored imagery. However, after brainstorming the links and ideas between the two, I have decided to go down the route of landscapes rather than portraiture for my project.
Rinko Kawauchi and Illuminance, Third artist
In 2001, Rinko Kawauchi launched her career with the simultaneous publication of three astonishing photo-books—Utatane, Hanabi, and Hanako—firmly establishing herself as one of the most innovative newcomers to contemporary photography, not just in Japan, but across the globe. In the years that followed, she published other notable monographs, including Aila (2004), The Eyes, the Ears, (2005), and Semear (2007). And now, ten years after her precipitous entry onto the international stage, Aperture has published Illuminance, the latest volume of Kawauchi’s work and the first to be published outside of Japan. Kawauchi’s work has frequently been lauded for its nuanced palette and offhand compositional mastery, as well as its ability to incite wonder via careful attention to tiny gestures and the incidental details of her everyday environment. In Illuminance, Kawauchi continues her exploration of the extraordinary in the mundane, drawn to the fundamental cycles of life and the seemingly inadvertent, fractal-like organization of the natural world into formal patterns. Gorgeously produced as a clothbound volume with Japanese binding, this impressive compilation of mostly previously unpublished images is proof of Kawauchi’s unparalleled, unique sensibility and her ongoing appeal to the lovers of photography In her photos we see an iridescent diamond; a radiant blue sky; an elderly woman making onigiri; an infant suckling on a mother’s breast. At first glance, her photographs seem simple. But her talent lies in the way she is able to evoke the primal in all of us: a depth of raw human emotion. “It’s not enough that [the photograph] is beautiful,” says Kawauchi. “If it doesn’t move my heart, it won’t move anyone else’s heart.” A distinctive trait of her work lies both in the sequence and the juxtaposition of her images. This editing, she says, “differentiates between a photograph and an artwork. Seeing two images next to each other opens up the imagination and gives birth to something else. Flipping through the pages of the book, it can arouse feelings of excitement, sadness, or happiness—things that are hard [for me] to do with words.” her “Illuminance” series, which are on display in large-scale proportions. Square photographs appeal to the artist because, she has said, the images don’t “pull” in any direction: they are neither vertical nor horizontal. This creates quite a different composition to the standard landscape or portraits, which usually rely on a rule of thirds for the aesthetic appeal. The square format is inherently calm, but in the hands of Kawauchi, it is never boring.
why I chose this artist: Kawauchi is a master of finding stillness and purity in everyday life. I chose this artist because through this work I personally can see the whole beauty and opulence within the light and abstract thoughts coming from each of the objects or places themself. The images themselves are not about being directly taken in a perfect manner, but done in such a way to evoke a feeling. The work itself too has a clear narrative throughout which I can truly appreciate, this is too what I want to show within my work. Her ability to capture poetic beauty enforcers a need to be meditative, her work is made of peoples emotions, within a peaceful positive manner, and I believe she does capture this successfully.
image anaylsis:
I chose this image as it really inspired me. I belive the way the richness of the diamond itself is not the valued part of the images itself, but the refraction of the light and the chose of rainbow light creating new compositions and formations of shape and colours is. It brings a brightness to a very dark room, I Like how from the composition it is implied that the crystal is on a table and then surrounded by a wall, however the space surrounding itself is represented to be infinite. The echoes of beauty within this photo are beyond evident, and the true exploration of what it means to be visceral. There also seems to be such an energy and expansion of happiness coming from one object, their is a personality from this, it is not just a thing as it forms new life and new beauty from within. conceptually I believe this image spoke personal to the photographer, and she just saw such a purpose of exceptional beauty from within. The effect, achieved without any post-production tricks, transforms a mundane scene into a sight resembling a divine passage to heaven. An artist who chooses her subjects as a child would, focusing on small but fascinating details that are free of heavy symbolism and are reminders of the wonderful world around us. More often than not, she captures these in a limited spectrum of cool, pale blues that have become her signature colours.
Aim for my photoshoot: I too am planning on buying small objects which I see and can value a beauty within.This agin is a personal response of my own emotions and narrative. A look into what I value most, and see beauty in. I want to use different object, mediums and photography items such as living plants in scenarios which they would not usually be found, so I can control the conditions and the factors of light which they will be surrounded by. She describes her wok as “It’s not enough that the photograph is beautiful. If it doesn’t move my heart, it wont move anyone else’s heart.”, so to capture her work I must find scenarios and lighting which is both organic and produced in order to influence and create these themes of beauty.