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A2 Personal Investigation

Political Landscapes Shoot #2

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After researching rules and conventions of photography I finally thought that I was able to proceed onto the actual topic of political landscapes and how I could go about exploring the idea behind it. I really like the idea of surrealism and the use of conventions that I had previously used in various shoots and so thought it would be interesting to relate it to people, landmarks and landscapes. The artists I found to be of particular influence towards my interests are Edward Burtynsky and Donald Weber. By using these photographers as my primary influences for my political landscape shoot it would allow me to process the outcomes through different software such as Adobe Photoshop and Lightroom, creating differing outcomes due to the new range of possibilities that the apps presented.

For the shoot itself I wanted to look at the topic of consumerism, looking at things like: waste, shops, farmland and people. I thought by researching this topic it would perfectly define how the process of consumerism leads to its impacts regarding all aspects of society and how we live in Jersey. What I will be looking at in this shoot are how the use of consumerism changes and warps the outcome of the landscape around us. To get some ideas here is a mood-board to reflect various perspectives regarding the subject:Leading examples of the certain photographers shown above interest me by looking at the subject of political landscapes in a more both a documentary and abstract approach than I would usually do. By doing this I could present my views and perspectives in a more implicit way rather than explicit, here are some mood-boards I have previously used in certain posts presenting the various photographers work:

Before actually proceeding with the shoot itself I thought it would make sense to create a mind-map with the topics and points of interest that I wished to explore when walking around looking to take photos. By doing this it would enable me to quickly focus and identify what to look for, whilst also prevent time from being wasted during the shoot itself by not knowing what to do. Here are my ideas regarding the topic: After I had created the mind-map I finally decided I was ready to go onto the actual shoot. Using the ideas above as a basis for my shoot I chose to focus on political aspects of the outcome of consumerism and how they shaped the landscapes around us. Here are the results from the shoot that I took on the topic of political landscapes:

Once I had finished with the shoot I decided it was time to select ten images that I thought best reflected and represented the photos overall, and how they related to my chosen topic. By doing this it would allow me later on to select an overall best image using the method of deduction. Here are my favorite images from the contacts sheets:

From here I then chose five of my best images out of the selection of ten, by doing this it would then allow me to analyze and study each image to greater detail, looking at the aspects that made me choose each picture. Here are my best five images from the shoot that I believe to reflect my intentions the best: I selected this image because of the clear contrast between the green grass and the now disposed of fridges. I found that this contrast really produced an insight into how the landscape had been changed due to the process of consumerism, and how careless we have become in the outcome of out waste. I particularly liked how the concrete block broke up the generic pattern created by the sky, fridges and grass, adding a new perspective into the landscape rubbish is dumped into. This is complimented through the use of the darkened sky which casts an overlying grim tone across the entire image, preventing any chance of vivid colours coming through.  My list the first image I found that the pattern created by the sky, fridges and grass made not just an aesthetic result but also produced insights into our islands waste industry. What made me select this photo was how the blue cooler in the center of the image really broke up the symmetry and became the initial focus when skimming over the piece. I found that the wall of fridges really appealed to me as not only was it unusual but how it also reflect the sheer mass of items that have become unwanted to us.
This image to me produced an impact through how the knowledge of what they are used for. The machines here are in the process of digging new landfills to dump rubbish in, in which the surrounding area is covered in seagulls living off the excess waste produced from of consumerism. The rest present in the image appealed to me through how it looked menacing and large compared to the rest of the landscape, but also how the wildlife such as the gulls centered their lives around the actions of how these machines operated.   I selected this image because it shows the outcome of the machinery used above, where dirt has become mixed in with rubbish, completely changing the landscape through the piling of rubble carelessly thrown around abandoned areas. I really like the contrast between the dark colours of the dirt mounds and the clear sky, this is because of how it presents how out-of-place and unnatural the placement of the piles are, essentially scarring the landscape in the process. Finally I chose this image because it had the clearest contrast between man-made structures and nature in the entire shoot. This is represented through how the overwhelming pile of rubbish is overflowing across the road and only the green common, where a strip of dirt is seen as the only boundary holding back the tide of waste from flowing elsewhere. I especially like how the piece had been composed, as the majority of the picture is taken up by rubbish and the smallest section is filled with green grass, providing an insight into how we have treated out environment.

Best Image The reason I selected this image as my favorite photo from the entire shoot was because of its composition and symmetry, whilst explicitly putting across my view of how we are treating certain areas of Jersey. What drew me in was how careless the fridges were thrown on top of each other, however at the same time creates a pattern that suggests each fridge was placed with purpose to produce this wall of white. I also really like how certain objects in the wall broke up the white pattern such as the cooler, rust and holes which pop up from time to time between the fridges.

A2 Personal Investigation, AO3 Record Ideas, AO4 Present Ideas

Photoshoot- Breaking the Rules

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To interpret Stephen Gills style of work I visited Le Hocq beach and found an area that was surrounded by rocks and sea and focused on close up on certain sections with interesting patterns. I used pieces of red string in front of the lens to break the rule of manipulation by physically manipulating the lens so what the image is portraying is not what’s there in real life. I purposefully made  some photos out of focus to create a blurry effect that some of Stephen Gills work has where he dipped his lens into the pond water he was documenting. I think this was effective in some images like the images where I experimented with string, but not others where I used plastic in front of the lens which is why I haven’t displayed them down below or edited any.

I displayed these two images together as the string is a similar shape in both,  but the different backgrounds make them contrast one another. The photo on the left has a darker background making the red in the foreground stand out more than the right image. Both of the backgrounds of the images are slightly out of focus which i did to try and interpret the blurriness in some of Stephen Gills work. In my next photoshoot i will experiment by focusing the camera to see if the images are more effective. I chose these two backgrounds to photograph the string against as i like the different detailed patterns. The right image has yellow/brown tone grains of sand and rocks out of focus which is contrasted to the left image with the darker brown tones of seaweed that represent the flow of movement. The movement of the seaweed is similar to the string creating similar shapes and lines making a more interesting image. In the right image the shape of the string is contrasted to the background creating a more juxtaposed image.

 

Experiment

 When  first experimenting I edited some images in black and white to see if they were more effective. This emphasises the darker and lighter tones in the image and eliminates the mismatch of colours in the background.

Stephen Gills images:

I think this is a good interpretation of Stephen Gills work, especially to the images displayed above, as it has a similar flow of movement with similar lines and curves. Although Stephen Gills photography may have more details in the layering of the different materials and the way the materials fit in with the background, I think I captured his style of work and made it my own.

I also experimented by changing the main colours of the string to see if another colour was more effective. I chose to change red to yellow as in Stephen Gills images above there are many yellow and green tones. On the right image i edited the background even more out of focus as in some of Stephen Gills images he uses a blurred effect. I still kept some of the rocks on the edge of the image in focus so only the water blurred so there is contrasting patterns.

I think this image is more effective edited in black and white as the red colour of the string isn’t as overpowering and it fits in more with the background making a more aesthetically pleasing image.

I edited these images in black and white to create a more formal appearance. This makes it harder to tell what the photos are portraying and emphases the combination of detailed patterns.I displayed these two images together as the shape the string is making in both are very similar, but the different patterns in he background makes them juxtapose one another. In this edit, the darker point in the seaweed in the left image are darken and creates a bigger contrast to the string in the foreground, making the lighter points stand out more.

Evaluation:

I will revisit this area again for my second photoshoot and try different way of experimenting like adding different colours of string in front of the lens and maybe placing materials into the landscape making the image in focus to try a different approach. I will work on making the images where plastic is placed in front of the image better as well. I also want to look at my personal archive and interpret some of Stephen gills portrait work from the series ‘Coexistence’ where he dipped the lens in the pond water before taking the portrait creating a blurred effect.

I also want to further manipulate the images in my next shoot by printing them out and adding objects on top to create a collage like image that has aspects that weren’t there when the image was taken.

AO1 Develop Ideas, AO2 Explore Ideas

Photographer Research

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 ‘TTP’ by Hayahisa Tomiyasu

Hayahisa Tomiyasu was born in 1982 Kanagawa, Japan. After studying photography at Tokyo Polytechnic University, he moved to Leipzig, Germany to study under Peter Piller. He currently lives between Leipzig and Zurich, where he now teaches.

Winner of MACK’s First Book Award : http://www.firstbookaward.com/2018/

Between these pictures, it’s difficult to place the table in time and space. The pictures aren’t ordered chronologically or by people or activity, but there is a rhythm to them that appears in the small references between pictures – short series that play off one another. Time passes too, but this is marked only by the randomly changing seasons and light of day; slightly longer shadows, browner and fewer leaves on the trees, melting snow, puddles that appear and evaporate. The table is a strange place, there are no pictures outside of the frame just person after person, table after table. The restricted view of Tomiyasu’s lens and the variety of people and their generic European fashion makes it difficult, if not impossible, to know exactly where the table is. The table is a secluded world, one that attracts but doesn’t hold people.

In 2011 Hayahisa Tomiyasu started photographing a ping pong table located in a public athletic field across from his dorm in Leipzig, Germany for a series titled TTP. Tomiyasu had first noted the location after observing a white tailed fox perched near the legs of the table, and after waiting several days for the animal to return, he began to photograph the other life forms that congregated or paused near the outdoor game. Rather than spotting the fox, he captured families and daydreamers using the area as a bench or even a bed. I think it’s very interesting how this whole thing occurred from a something that was almost a  coincidence; if not for the fox, Tomiyasu would probably have never thought of photographing that exact tennis bench.

“At the time I had been living in a student doom in Leipzig and it was possible to photograph from window the table tennis table, how people from different countries use it in their way,” Tomiyasu had said in an interview. “And it could be the message of this work that the place could be everywhere.”

Although the whole concept happened out of pure coincidence, I still want to take inspiration from Tomiyasu’s work and have it influence my project; I like how he explores linear story telling in his images. The setting doesn’t change in his photographs but the subjects and models do. They tell their own story in their own way, those stories intrigues the audience as they provide very little and the rest is completely up to the imagination of the viewer. I like the mystery and minimalism that Hayahisa Tomiyasu has established in his work and want to include elements of that in my photography.

Sources:

https://petapixel.com/2018/04/04/photos-of-the-daily-life-of-a-public-ping-pong-table-in-germany/

https://rocket04.jeron.je/access?OQ9IAAH3UTPU3XJJVW684LAAGDF1Q0HV

‘Bench’ by Yevgeniy Kotenko

Similarly to the work produced by Hayahisa Tomiyasu, Tevgeniy Kotenko created a similar collection of photographs observing a bench from the comfort and safety of his home.

Starting in 2007, Kotenko began to shoot a local park bench outside the window of his parent’s fourth-floor kitchen window in Kiev. Sandwiched between a children’s playground and a walking path, the area proved to be a hotspot of colorful characters. Alcoholics, families, and lovers all congregate on the exact same bench during different times of the day, and when observed with Kotenko’s patient eye an almost Shakespearean drama begins to emerge over a decade of photo.

“I wasn’t thinking of making a series or a project,” shares Kotenko, “I didn’t select any particular time frame or set of situations to capture. Not until 2012 did my friends tell me that I should put together an exhibition of these photos.”

The  Ukrainian photographer Eugene Kotenko, has photographed the same bench for years, each shot is a little secret stolen from its subjects’s lives. We see the bench painted of blue and then not, covered by snow in winter, with some green around in spring and under the sun in summer, surrounded by yellow leaves in autumn, near the bin and then far, etc… but the real subject is never the bench, it’s the people who live that place. For this reason we are intrigued, for the intimate and social portrait than each photograph reveals.

There are some strong differences between  the photographs taken by Hayahisa Tomiyasu and the ones taken by Tevgeniy Kotenko. Although they both essentially photograph the same thing (people and a public object) their approaches are very different. Photographs taken by Tomiyasu are all taken from the exact same angle; the only thing that really changes is the people and the things they bring with them. On the contrast, Kotenko focuses a lot more on the subjects at hand; he clearly shows the changes that occur to the surrounding and the bench. He shows the physical changes and includes a lot more of the surrounding to give context to his photographs. This doesn’t break the mysterious illusion of not knowing why the subjects is there or what it’s doing but it adds comfort to the photographs.

Sources:

https://weburbanist.com/2018/02/20/dramatas-urbanae-photographers-10-year-study-of-a-single-public-bench/

http://blog.grainedephotographe.com/yevgeniy-kotenko-photo-on-the-bench-banc-public/

AO1 Develop Ideas, AO2 Explore Ideas

Rules Of Technicality – Henrik Malmström

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Photographer Research

Finnish photographer Henrik Malmström (born in the year 1983) currently lives and works in Buenos Aires, Argentina. His work is often the result of the interaction with his immediate surroundings. In 2010 he self-published  his first book of photographs.

 In the same year he moved to Hamburg, Germany, where he developed and completed his two projects “A Minor Wrongdoing” and “Life is One Live it Well” by 2014. He is the co-founder and curator of the Müllkellergalerie, an art gallery located in a garbage room in Hamburg, Germany. In 2015 he co-founded the online platform ‘Vaciarte’, this that deals with arts and politics in city of  Buenos Aires.

The book I want to focus on is, Henrik Malmström’s  A Minor Wrongdoing, it records night-time street life in an area of Hamburg known for its criminality. The photos are taken with very high ISO making them appear grainy and low quality – almost like they were taken with a surveillance camera. The area is infamous for its gentrification ( it is the process of renovating and improving a  district so that it conforms to middle-class taste, most of the time forcing residents of the lower class area to evict the district). Many areas of St. Helier are undergoing gentrification so I think it will be very interesting to look into this topic and document the changes that happen.

Malmström chose to photograph a spot from his window. He was able to document and record from the safety of his home; in a sense it was like spying on the subjects. The 
neighbourhood of St. Georg in Hamburg is where Malmström chose to photograph his subjects; this area has recently undergone strict laws that were put in place top ban the street-based prostitution. His subjects tend to be women and their interactions with their clients; hence the name, ‘a minor wrongdoing’.

For my first shoot, I want to pick a visible spot on the street and photograph the bypassers in the night. I intend to use high ISO and a tripod to achieve successful photographs working in the style of Henrik Malmström. Much like Malmström, I will take the photos from my windows and the safety of my home.

 Further Links for referencing:

Henrik Malmström

A Minor Wrongdoing

Ode to Surveillance

A2 Personal Investigation

My Response To Breaking The Rule Of Manipulation

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Here are two of my outcomes that are a response to my initial ideas looking at surveillance in terms of breaking the rule of manipulation. I have created these images by combining images of CCTV cameras from my first photo shoot of the ‘political landscape’ project and images of surveillance footage which I have found. This is inspired by my research on photographer Alice Wielinga as she uses a combination of her images and other visual material which she has sourced. The idea behind this was to Photoshop the surveillance images into the lens screen of the CCTV cameras, in order to signify the kind of activity that is picked up by the CCTV cameras, and the effects of this. I find that this makes for a very unusual looking image as the CCTV camera is displaying an image rather that producing an image itself.

Here are the two original images from my photo shoot, I believe that these images are very minimalist and in a way fairly abstract, this means to me that if I was to break the rule of manipulation using these photographs then I would need to produce something that has a significant point of focus and interest, which in this case is the image being projected by the CCTV camera in the images.

Finally here are the two pieces of sourced visual material that I used to help me break the rule of manipulation. I chose these two pieces of security footage in particular as they display criminal activity, one a robbery and the other a gas station arson.

This signifies the positive aspect of surveillance in which it can help to prevent or capture criminal activity, however I also plan to look at the negative and corrupt aspects of surveillance throughout this project.

Uncategorized

Further Experimenting Inspired by Alice Wielinga

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Second Manipulation Photoshoot Plan and research

After my last shoot, I thought it would be interesting to continue the similar theme yet explore how bunkers are used in modern day. In the previous photo shoot, i explored the contrast between the soldiers in action in WW2 and the bunkers as they are presented today. This gave a timeline of about 70 years of history which is effective in displaying how the world changes and how we learn from these political issues.

In the previous shoot i used some bunkers as the main significance and focal point and for this shoot i intend to do the same. However the story that will be portrayed in this shoot is how these historically significant pieces of architecture are being vandalized by graffiti. I will still use a photo manipulation method by turning some of my photos into graffiti and impose them onto the bunker. An artist which has further developed my ideas and stemmed my thinking into creating this shoot is Banksy.

Banksy

Banksy is an anonymous England based graffiti artist, political activist and film director of unverified identity. His satirical street art combine dark humor with graffiti executed in a distinctive stenciling technique. Banksy displays his art on publicly visible surfaces such as walls and self built physical prop pieces. His works of political and social commentary have been featured on streets, walls, and bridges of cities throughout the world. Banksy’s work grew out of the Birstol underground scene, which involved collaborations between artists and musicians.

Banksy’s name and identity remain unconfirmed and the subject of speculation. In a 2003 interview with Simon Hattenstone of The Guardian, Banksy is described as “white, 28, scruffy casual – jeans, T-shirt, a silver tooth, silver chain and silver earring. He began as an artist at the age of 14, was expelled from school, and served time in prison for petty crime. According to Hattenstone, “anonymity is vital to him because graffiti is illegal”. 

Analysis

Image result for no future banksy

Banksy’s work portrays strong messages to a wide range of different people. He is not only seen as an artist but as a political spokesman against capitalism, war, theism, totalitarianism and fascism. This piece of artwork clearly resembles his strong views on war and that the innocent younger generation are suffering even though they are not inflicting the war. This piece of work is hard hitting and makes the viewer think about other parts of the world that are suffering. I think Banksy intends to bring a realization to people to make them think how lucky they are and that they could help make a difference to those unfortunate individuals across the sea. Although this is not photography, the artistic approach includes political ideas which i  will take inspiration from to portray in my work.

Photoshoot Plan

Concept– To photograph a variety of portrait pictures that can be turned into graffiti and placed onto a series of bunkers images that I have also taken. In addition, try and create a political message similar to Banksy and Alice Wielinga’s work and use a manipulation method for the final outcome.

Genre/Artist – Inspired by Alice Wielinga’s North Korea work that has been manipulated and further inspiration from Banksy’s graffiti work with political engagement.

Location – The main locations will be coastal areas where the majority of the bunkers are located. The portrait shots i intend to capture will be scattered across a variety of locations. In addition to using Bunkers, i will try and explore other areas to create other political messages.

Lighting – I will use natural lighting at different times of the day to create a realistic mood similar to the photographed work that Banksy creates.

Planning, Recording, Research

EXTENSION 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.

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 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.  During an election in Jersey hustings in each Parish are arranged in the month leading up to the election day, giving the public an opportunity to ask prospective candidates questions and listen to their policies.

Here a few examples of manifestos made by Jersey politicians

Reform Jersey Manifesto

Manifesto by Senator Lyndon Farnham

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.

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

Week 7: 15 – 22 Oct 
Write a Manifesto
Complete the following blog posts

RESEARCH > PLANNING > RECORDING

  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 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 theme of Political Landscapes – 1 blog post.
  4. Record: Choose one rule and produce at least one shoot by Mon 22 Oct.
  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 24 Oct

Photo Assignment 4:Make a photographic response to your Manifesto

Extension: Make a photographic response to What to photograph?

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

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.

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

 

A2 Personal Investigation

Political Landscapes – Edward Burtynsky

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Who is Edward Burtynsky?

Born 1955, Ontario after his parents migrated to Canada, Burtynsky’s interest for photography came about after a widow sold her camera to his father, from here both of them practiced making monochrome photo prints. They later opened a small portrait photography business with his sister during the 1970s, where he soon started working at a printing press to then joining Niagara College to have a graphic arts diploma, with later in life enrolling into the Ryerson Polytechnical Institute in 1982.  He later started to use digital cameras with higher resolutions in 2007.

Most of Burtynsky’s photography are landscape views that have been distorted by piles of scrap, quarries and tailing mines, presenting nature as altered by the industries around them. Most of his trips were to China, photographic emerging industry settings such as the Three Gorges Dam, the largest engineering project in the world. Most of his influence comes from the works of Edward Weston, Carleton Watkins, Eadweard Muybridge and Ansel Adams, whose work he continual saw at the local Metropolitan Museum of Art. Most of Burtynsky’s work has been shot using a field camera with a large format, using an aerial approach mostly in his work to be able to gain a vantage point.

Following these Burtynsky produced some photo series named: Makrana Quarries in India, 2000; Iberia Quarries in Spain, 2006; Ship-breaking in Bangladesh, 2000 to 2001; Urban Mines: Metal Recycling, Canada Tire Piles, USA from 1997 to 1999; Australian Mines in West Australia. However in 1985 Burtynsky established Toronto Image Works, a rental facility for a darkroom and equipment, with a year later turning it into a gallery opened within the space that displays the work of international and local artists. Here is a mood board of various images taken by him that I thought to be of particular influence:After reviewing some of his works I decided to analyse a photography that I thought summed up his style of work the best. To do this I would be looking at three specific topics: visual aspects, technical aspects and conceptual knowledge. These would allow me to incorporate his working style into my work which I could use as influence. The image I chose was “Densified Scrap Metal” (1997):

Technical: The image itself uses bold colours in a symmetrical pattern as its main means of putting the message of consumerism across. This is done through the use a vignette which boxes in the image to highlight the issue of the image present, whilst also being complimented by a higher saturation which brings out the oranges and silvers which make up most of the cubes. Because of this the majority of the image is more or less stock, with most of the colours and composition being left as it was taken, meaning not much work was done to it, with the only adjustments being the vignette and saturation. The image is more or less taken with a high resolution camera in order to capture the image to the best detail possible.

Visual: Visually the picture uses man-made symmetry as the main form of aestheticism. The use of creating a high definition image creates what would otherwise be ugly beautiful, due to the highlights and shade which accompany it, this present a new perspective towards the landscape with many seeing it as art instead of a scar. Symmetry is hugely present as the floor acts as a way of neutralization for any blank space which could potentially ruin the image and stopping the pattern from becoming too overpowering, preventing the photo from just consisting of scrap metal.

Conceptual: This photo was taken to raise awareness towards the impacts and result of consumerism, looking into how we respond to this overwhelming waste that we produce on a weekly scale. The image itself looks into the aestheticism but also devastation we cause towards our natural environments, attempting to shed light onto how we deal with our consumerism and how we can tackle the increase of waste.

AO3 Record Ideas, AO4 Present Ideas, Coursework

2nd photoshoot on reality

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As said in my previous post I wanted to capture a almost less sentimental type of reality and include my next three main interests of, circumstances,dependency and chance. I wanted to use these conceptual ideas to relate to both my previously project on family and then also have a stronger level of signification to that of political landscape. My main original aims of this shoot was to show how to capture the movement of water as this contains many elements of the three words I am focusing on. I wanted to communicate many different angles and places which I would normally not venture. I decided it would be interesting to flip images and add lines into the images to add contextual methods into it.

shoot:

edits:

I wanted to add in these small white dots as this is what I have done previously experimented with in my political landscape alternate conceptual editing. 

within here I found a really interesting old structure of bars in a highly interesting composition,Additonally I found a water covered web of water which I thought created an area of interest.

within these water shots I wanted to capture the movement of the water itself, and sometimes even repeatedly showing the drop of water repeatedly dropping. I decided to edit these images into black and white as I did not want the colour to be a distraction of the composition of the images itself. 

This is my third image where I mirrored and flipped the image itself, I wanted to do this as I think the final outcome it produces has an interest of simplicity yet intrigue. I wanted to capture this image originally as I though the suture of the plant was so repetitive and structurally well formed, and how this contrasted against the background,and the light tonal sky. 

anylsis:Overall this shoot was less so capturing a direct narrative and more about trying to communicate ideas of form and how to edit in interesting mannerisms to capture the conceptual of reality.

with this project I had two main artist inspirations of…one fo which was very family and pain orientated,it was quite philosophical in the questioning of no on knows what reality really is as we all have a different concept and view of our own lives and own realities. However the second artists wanted to create images which she wanted to happen or was surprised that was happening somewhere in the world in the modern 20th century, She purpose how large companies would demonstrate a country as being modern and forward thinking and ignoring the true reality of factors such as poverty and starvation.  Because of these two clear divisions of ideas of family and not knowing the reality of what people are feeling and they way in which trauma can effect you, to how chance and reality can be predicted.Although I wanted to add my won these into both shoot so using archival images from my past family and then forming reality,around my house and capturing the dependency and effector different relates and possibly adding in themes if conceptual manipulation. from this I decided to brainstorm and experiment with what I think breaking reality means to me.I then got the three main ideas of, dependancy, possibility and chance. I think my first shoot was successful, I think I successful recreated the structure of the artists form and also conceptually edited my photos and to have and area of interest wihtin them. My second shoot was much more conceptual wihtin the thought of the structure and an essence of abstract structure I order to strip away any sense of reality.

A2 Personal Investigation

Breaking The Rules – Manipulation – Alice Wielinga

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Breaking The Rules / Alice Wielinga

Photographer Lewis Bush has put together an article explaining how breaking the rules of photography can be a great way of working as a photographer. The article covers how breaking the rules of photography can be a way of finding new ideas and exploring areas of the creative subject which you would not otherwise, if you stuck to the rules. He goes on to talk about how the best ideas aren’t clearly visible and in order to find these new and innovative creative ideas, photographers must break the rules and take things to the next level. The article covers 8 rules within photography that can be broken in order to achieve this, these 8 rules are the rules of: Objectivity, Audience, Manipulation, Reality, Technicality, Ownership, Camera and The rule of rule breaking. Of these 8 rules I have decided that I will like to explore the rule of manipulation.

Here is a link to the article from Lewis Bush…

http://www.huckmagazine.com/art-and-culture/photography-2/eight-photography-rules-worth-breaking/

Within the rule of manipulation sub-section of the article Bush looks into the photographer Alice Wielinga who breaks this rule within her work. I took a particular interest in her work after seeing it for the first time as I found that the aesthetics of it were very individual and intriguing. Here are some examples of her work, the first of which has some context attached by caption…

From series: North Korea – A Life between Propaganda and Reality.
It is April 2013. While the Western media follows Kim Jong-Un’s steps during his missile test launches, I travel 2,500 kilometres through the North Korean interior. Once arrived, the images I know from my advance research correspond with the scenes my guides proudly show me during their propaganda tour. But seeing these scenes with my own eyes, I gradually discover that behind everything they present to me, a different reality is hidden. While I listen to my guides talking about what invaluable contributions the greatly admired leaders made to their country, I drive through a landscape that looks haggard and desolate. During my journey I collect propaganda material and take photographs of the reality I encounter. This material is the basis for my multimedia project ‘North Korea, a Life between Propaganda and Reality’. With the found propaganda images and my own photographs I compose a story that deconstructs the North Korean propaganda.

As Bush’s article talks about, this specific series of Wielinga’s work is executed using a combination of photographs from her visit to North Korea and North Korean propaganda. The combination of these two visual matters creates a brilliant juxtaposition which is very effective at putting across her political points.

Here is a section of Lewis Bush’s article, covering how Wielinga produced this project, including a couple of quotes from the photographer herself…

‘ When Dutch photographer Wielinga traveled to North Korea, she found her ability to photograph in the secretive state severely curtailed. “I felt that, with mere documenting, I wasn’t able to tell the story as I was experiencing it,” she says of the stage-managed excursions to which journalist-visitors are subjected. Her response was to digitally merge her photographs of official North Korea propaganda with her own images of workers and decaying factories. “I see propaganda and reality as two sides of the same coin,” she says. “Propaganda is an essential part of everyday life in North Korea, and because of that a reality in itself.” ‘