For my final piece I deiced to use three frames of different sizes to frame up 6 prints. I got the frames from a gallery because they were no use to them due to having no backing or glass but they were perfect for me. I measured the mount-board and my photos to achieve a central finish with even boarders. I also measured the mount-board to fit inside the frames to act as the new backing. The theme of the exam was Variation vs Similarity. I explored this idea by using mirrors and frames to play off the idea of how we variate the images we take by alterating them by using the viewfinder. My inspiration for using frames for my final work was the Salon of Art Exhibitions which used lots of small frames to cover the walls of galleries. This fitted in with my project because my final images all used frames to frame something (E.g. Window frames).
For this frame I chose to use 3 landscape A5 images as I thought they would be stronger in a collection of three. For the shoot in which I took these images, I used a easel which I borrowed to hold the mirror, my mirror from home and I decided against using a tripod as I thought it would be easier to position the mirror in the center of the image without having to move and adjust the tripod. The were taken on the cliff paths of Jersey near or on site effected by war. This shoot was in response Guillaume Amat’s work which focused on used mirrors as a way to reflect a view which added to context to the image. For example the image below which shows a prison with the reflection of a tree with a clear background, which in opinion is a sign of hope for the people in the prison that one day they will be free.
An Example of Guillaume Amat’s work
For this frame used two pieces of work that were inspired by Chen Po I. He creates work similar to that of Guillaume Amat in the sense that he uses frames to send a political message. Instead of using mirrors he uses window and door frames to frame backgrounds. I chose to put these to images together as they both contain more natural backgrounds and have similar compositions.
I thought this was strongest image, so I decided to give its own frame to stand alone. This image was also inspired by Chen Po I but I chose to use a slightly different frame from what he normally uses (the open door). I like how the light inside the shed looks like it is coming from the light source outside which adds to the overall look of the image.
This are my final images I have chosen which I believe are the strongest I have created. I may use all of or I may chose a slightly smaller collection to frame up and present. On this post I going to show different variations of the images using Photo shop.
To complete this photo shoot I went to an abandoned location which I knew had a variety of windows, doors and openings which could be used as frames. I photographed these openings with the plan of removing the inside of them and replacing it with a different image. This is to follow in the style of Chen Po I who does a similar thing, the idea of this is to show the a different view of what would have normally be seen though the window.
The building I chose to explore was an disused care home overlooking the town. The view from the home has been obstructed by the grow of a woods. I photographed past and through the woods to simulate what the view would have been like before the home fell into disrepair.
Photos of the potential frames I could use.
Photos of the view.
To manipulate the photos I used the lasso tool to cut out the middle of the window frames. I made sure to not just to use straight lines when cutting and instead used lots of little cuts to make sure it makes the damaged frames.
Once I was happy with the cutting I placed the background image behind the first image to create the effect that that is the real view from the frames.
Born in 1972 in Chiayi, Chen Po-I received his master degree in Ocean Engineering at National Cheng Kung University (NCKU) in Taiwan. As a photographer, Chen’s works concern the humanities and social aspects of Taiwan, using his lens to connect himself with the greater context of Taiwanese society. With this, his photographs have the power to express the collective memories of Taiwan.
I chose Chen Po I to study as he fits into my project perfectly. My project is focused on the idea of using frames to create social commentary, which is what Chen Po I does. It is unclear wither Po I edits his images to include another image, or the view through the frame is the original view. I am going to use his work to further develop my project and use as inspiration for my next photo shoot.
These are the images I edited from my Photo Shoot 5.
I firstly edited all the photos to make the easel and mirror be symmetrically in the middle in all the images. I also altered the lighting and contrast of the images to get them all to a consistent level.
I then experimented with laying the images out in a typology style in different formats to show how their appearance could change. I also changed the images into black and white to see how their look changed. I preferred the images in black and white as I think it adds to the old feel of the images as they do not contain any modern objects.
To take this image I went to my desired location of the rural cliff-paths and found a area with a backdrop that I liked. Once in this area I located the easel in a flat place where it was stable and horizontal to the horizon. Once I was happy with this, I locked the mirror in place so it couldn’t fall out or be blown over by the wind. I chose to take this set of images without a tripod as it would be easier to position and angle the camera like this. If I had to categorise this style of it would be a conceptual landscape as it is not oblivious as first the meaning of the image.
I conducted this photo shoot using an easel and the same white square mirror I had previously used. The shoot was conducted to further develop the idea of using the mirror as a tool to tell a story like GUILLAUME AMAT.
The use of an easel is to draw attention away from the object holding the mirror as it is irrelevant in the meaning of the image. In my previous set of images I used a model to hold up the mirror which could be interpreted in a way that means they are hiding behind the mirror perhaps to hind their identity or they are scared of the environment around them. The easel is simply an inanimate object will no added value in this context. Although as easel’s are normally used to hold art while the artist is painting, the use of the easel could be interpreted as the mirror is reflecting art or the most important part of the image.
I conducted this shoot around the cliff paths of Jersey which have been scarred by the war.
I am pleased with the success of this shoot as it looks professional as I have captured the the easel in a similar place in each image. I am going to edit the images to improve this.
Born in 1980, based in Paris. He is dedicated to long-term projects which produce photographic narratives. Aiming to adapt the camera to the subject and the way in which to narrate a story by using different types of cameras, formats and sensible surfaces. With his images he build stories which navigate between documentary and poetry.
Robert Smithson: Time Crystals
Robert Smithson: Time Crystals is the first exhibition in Australia dedicated to the work of American artist Robert Smithson (1938-73). Best known for his radical land art of the 1960s and early 1970s, Smithson is now widely recognised as one of the most influential artists of the twentieth century. Inspired by ideas of crystalline geometry and non-biological time, he redefined abstraction and challenged art history, declaring that ‘Nature gives way to the incalculable cycles of non duration.
Noémie Goudal is a French artist who graduated from the Royal College of Art in 2010 with an MA in Photography and lives and works in Paris. Noémie Goudal’s practice is an investigation into photographs and films as dialectical images, wherein close proximities of truth and fiction, real and imagined offer new perspectives into the photographic canvas. The artist questions the potential of the image as a whole, reconstructing its layers and possibilities of extension, through landscapes’ installations.
Noemie Goudal works on the land, setting up large paper backgrounds that are deliberately distinguishable. She superimposes them on the landscape, creating an image that sits on the borderline of reality without ever really forsaking it.
Photo shoot one – For my first photo shoot I am planning to further develop my previous mirror shoot by doing a similar photo shoot be in a different location to add to this idea. For the location, I am planning to go to a beach/ rocky beach location. I am also going to try to use different size and shaped mirrors also using a model to hold the mirror. To complete the shoot I will use a tripod to make sure the photos are taken from exactly the same place each time.
This was the first photo shoot I completed over Easter to develop the idea of using a mirror as a frame. After completing and reviewing this shoot, I think in the next shoot using a mirror I should use something like an easel to hold the mirror instead of the person. This is to look the images look more professional and take attention away from the model.
Salon, official exhibition of art sponsored by the French government. It originated in 1667 when Louis XIV sponsored an exhibit of the works of the members of the Académie Royale de Peinture et de Sculpture.
RA Summer Show
Running continuously for 250 years, the Summer Exhibition is the world’s oldest open submission exhibition – which means that anyone can enter their work to be considered for inclusion. The works in the Summer Exhibition are selected and hung by Royal Academicians – who also exhibit works in the exhibition, creating an eclectic mix of work by established artists alongside emerging talent and first-time exhibitors. In previous years, nearly two thirds of the exhibits were by non-Academicians, £50,000 worth of prices was awarded and over 5,000 works were sold.
The expeditions included lots of frames because there were so many people who wanted to show their work off and this was the best way to fill the walls with art works.
