Landscapes without memory is a book by Joan Fontcuberta who is best known for exploring the interstices between art, science, and illusion.  In Landscapes without Memory, Fontcuberta has co-opted a piece of computer software originally designed for military or scientific use in rendering three-dimensional images of landscapes. The software enables the user to build photo-realistic models based on information scanned from two-dimensional sources—usually satellite surveys or cartographic data. The result gives the user the illusion of navigating in three dimensions which had previously been visualized only as a flat image.

Fontcuberta created the two series that constitute his Landscapes without Memory. In the “Landscapes of Landscapes” series, Fontcuberta feeds the software fragments of pictures by Turner, Cézanne, Dalí, Stieglitz, Weston, and others, forcing the program to interpret a variety of landscape masterworks as “real.” The contours and tones of these painted and photographic landscapes are transformed into three-dimensional mountains, rivers, valleys, and clouds. In the “Bodyscapes” series, Fontcuberta uses the same software to reinterpret photographs depicting fragments of his own body. The result producing a wild, virtual- fantasy world. 

The technical aspects to the include simply embedded images on the traditionally right hand side of the double page spread. For the most part, the images take up the whole A4 page with a landscape orientation apart from 4 images that take up only half of the A4 page. I think the idea behind taking up the full A4 sheet is to show how Fontcuberta feels the fantasy landscapes should be endless and carry on throughout the way. However this is juxtaposed with the knowledge that the consumers have in the way that there are clear deformities to our land where humans have destroyed it. The pages on the left hand side are not completely empty as they have a small print of the image that has been interpreted by the technology as well as some text. The text helps to further convey the narrative of the book and give some context too.

There are very few images in black and white which allow for a more realistic interpretation of the concepts. I think this helps the viewer to really connect with the pictures because we don’t view the world in black and white. All the pages in the book are consistent, using the same style of white paper which juxtaposes with the images which alter each page with contrasting environments and colors. There are a total of 96 pages including the pages with text and pictures which is supported by a hard cover. To me, this photo book is essentially a narrative about how the crisis of the landscape today is bound up with a sense of the loss of natural space.

I wanted to edit and mostly experiment with images I have taken more early on in the project, in order to emphasis more of my current themes onto the images themselves, this being water… The themes I have been inspired to edit according to are: Pain and pleasure, Emotions,Loss and rejectionThe sublime, surrealism, romanticism,I also wanted to do a small experimentation inspired from ‘ The earth Is just a little spec of dust under our feet’, and using my photos of rocks and too using a rainbow effect over the top creating a more mystical effect to the imagery itself. cReating more correlation to my images I currently have.

3. Deconstruct the narrative, concept and design of the book for ‘ the earth is only a small spec of dust under our feet’

Book in hand: how does it feel? Smell, sniff the paper: the book in hand has a soft fabric feel in the outter wrap , I feel as if this was purposeful in order to further distinguish the unique elements of the book as a whole, The front also has a unicorn showing in a silver text, this creates a deep contrast and allows the feel to have a significant difference in depth, once again showing connotations of a mythological influence.

Paper and ink: use of different paper/ textures/ colour or B&W or both:  All the paper within the book is white thick glossy photography paper, this is done in order to be able to represent the light and colour of the images in an exaggerated manner, which is more utilising to the colourful vibrancy of the mythological images. Every page within the book has an image on it or next to a set of text. I believe it would be interesting to look more into perhaps if the text should be on a different paper to the glossy, in order to make the story feel more authentic and old, and something the audience and reader would appreciate.

.Format, size and orientation: portraiture/ landscape/ square/ A5, A4, A3 / number of pages: The size of the book, is around 1/4 smaller than a4, I believe this is done purposely as it would be used as a book people bring in hopes to too experience these mystical journeys, but also the unique size further emphasis the individualism to the text. It is portrait orientated, I believe this is due to it focusing on separate individuals throughout, and demonstrating many portrites of them throughout. The book is quite large It does not supply a page number, But I would guess it was around 300-350 pages.

Binding, soft/hard cover. image wrap/dust jacket. saddle stitch/swiss binding/ Japanese stab-binding/ leperello: After further inspection there are many interests within the book of maps and interesting necessities to further develop the journey. This is fascinating as it allows more of a believability and relationship within the people spoken about in the book itself. The covers is hard but covered with a thin fabric with free embroidery embellishment. The front is not an image taken but a design construed off the inspiration of the whole journey. The binding of the book is quite interesting, because it is divided into sections of each shoot. At the beginning and end of the book lies a section of coloured rainbow images, while within it is different it combines individual stories. This is a new constructive narrative to the book which I believe to be fascinating and An interesting composition which would be good to look more into.

Cover: linen/ card. graphic/ printed image. embossed/ debossed. letterpress/ silkscreen/hot-stamping:I believe perhaps it would be interesting to add many more conceptualised and extras into a book, however, I do want to add features within a text that have not been well thought out for a specific purpose, because of this I will think and consider in the future wether it would be worth while to add some of these aspects or not.

Title: literal or poetic / relevant or intriguing:The title is very unique in how long it is, and how symbolic and poetic it is . It bring about such a strong intrigue. It is not written on the front but the side, it is a poetic and perhaps wonderers unique view in order to how people construct the idea of life and what is true and what isn’t. I think it would be fascinating to come up with a title such as this, and will definitely be a strong inspiration for my own individual work.

Narrative: what is the story/ subject-matter. How is it told?:The narrative is many different mini stories, all with the same structure of discussing that of spiritual and mystical experiences which many would presume to be fake. It is shown to be respected and not something which is told throughout to be untrue or not possible, it is an exploration into things we do not know about, and is told form the individual unique viewpoints.

• Structure and architecture: how design/ repeating motifs/ or specific features develops a concept or construct a narrative.

Many of the images come under similar characteristics or categories. Two categories which are current throughout the book, as that of people who have told their story being surrounded by rocks and crystals, this is a dynamic way to show each individual but still showing the direct connection to the themes of mystical fantasy. Secondly many images of rocks are shown throughout, a way to be fitting with the concept, They are shown with different combinations of rainbow patterns internalised over each rock landscape, this is very unique and something which I have never seen in a book before. Thirdly there are many landscapes taken of the areas which she travelled around Iceland, they are all taken in the same manner, but not edited, but taken in such a way there is something always beautiful, spiritual and peaceful found within them. Lastly she has some unique ways to capture her images in terms of light and composition, she occasionally puts her individual under a rainbow, or cover her face in sparks of glitter, she does so in order to allow them to glow and connote a visual representation of their spirit.

• Design and layout: image size on pages/ single page, double-spread/ images/ grid, fold- outs/ inserts.

The images throughout the book have many variations when it comes to size on the pages, many of the landscapes are double pages and objects which show a continuation to the narrative, however many of the portraits and separate images either have a border, next to text, or have a blank page next to them. There is an insert at the end of a map of where she travelled, but displayed as an old fashioned map, i think this is interesting as it completely visualises her trip as a whole.

• Editing and sequencing: selection of images/ juxtaposition of photographs/ editing process.

the sequencing at the beginning and end is both the same, and within the centre is split into double page spread, and portraits of individuals and their stories.  There is not so much a juxtaposition as even is the photos look very different they still carry such a strong visual chemistry within the concept of narrative.

• Images and text: are they linked? Introduction/ essay/ statement by artists or others.  Use of captions (if any.)

I believe the images and the text should definitely have strong connection of themes throughout in order to link them and create a narrative. I will give an introduction to my book as I belive this will be important within the content, and also it will begin linking the text from personal stories and myths. I belive I might try and find or possibly even design my own drawing in order to sync in with the intro and separate parts of the stories themselves. The essay itself is linked quite well to my images with the themes of the sublime and romanticism, i will put this in the back of my book and again will do so, in order for it to be similar to the past myth.

After researching about the photography book ‘The earth is only a little spec of dust under our feet ‘ It really made me think about some pages of text That I feel would really be fitting within the text. I decided to brainstorm over ideas and came up with the following three.

The first idea I had for the text were short stories, about mythological encounters, this could be in relation to sea-storms, sirens or mermaids. I thought this would be a good way to tie the whole concept of the book together, As I have already discussed this concept previously, so already I know it is fitting within my concept. Furthermore, when looking in the book, it was split into three main images. These being the people in a mystical scenario, this would capture my surreal water imagery, then It would incorporate a more abstract colourful imagery in order to give an ability to see the area that was taken place. The colour and way it is shown must be done in such a way to evoke that mystical surrealism, and be more indicative to everyones own impressions. I decided too that I would display the stories in a mythical way, as though on a script, I though this too would enhance the surreal aspect. I belive with the accompaniment of these short stories there is an ability to form a cohesive narrative, rather than a representation of a topic on its own.

During my research into romanticism, which is the base concept to many of my shoots,I found too that female pictorialism was a pivotal moment throughout my own work too, Because of the continuous portrayal of women and friends within this project. Because of this I decided the possible empowerment and non sexualisation of women could be expressed through stories of experiences women have been through, or poetry of what is it like being a women. This allows the highlight issues which women face everyday  which they have to cop through. The women could could be a stance of sublime beauty and power in order to ignight pivotal change.

Throughout this project I have read multiple books upon the philosophers who focus on themes such as the sublime,, and how they are expressed as pain and pleasure. Because of this I could include texts and quotes which philosophers have created when exploring different themes of exoticism and desire.I would divid this into many different themes of emotion that are all included within the images, and also have great significance to that of the sublime, pleasure, pain, desire, exoticism, love, defiance, power, I could do so with then attaching a quote, this would systematically give the book a narrative order and too let the reader apply each emotion found within the image itself.

Picture of my life is a photo-book centered around the suicide of Junpei Ueda's parents in 1998,

• Book in hand: how does it feel? Smell, sniff the paper.

• Paper and ink: use of different paper/ textures/ colour or B&W or both.

• Format, size and orientation: portraiture/ landscape/ square/ A5, A4, A3 / number of pages.

• Binding, soft/hard cover. Image wrap. Swiss binding/ Japanese stab-binding.

• Cover: Linen/ card. Graphic/ printed image. Embossed/ letterpress.

• Title: literal or poetic / relevant or intriguing.

• Images and text: are they linked/ introduction/ essay/ statement by artists/ use of captions (if any.)

• Design and layout: image size on pages/ single page, double-spread/ images/ grid, fold- outs/ inserts.

• Editing and sequencing: selection of images/ juxtaposition of photographs/ editing process.

• Narrative: what is the story/ subject-matter. How is it told?

• Structure and architecture: how design/ repeating motifs/ or specific features develops a concept or construct a narrative.

1. Research a photo-book (select one you have looked at previously in your project) and describe what story/ narrative the book is telling – its subject-matter, genre, style, approach etc.

I have previously fully explored a book circulating the meaning of the human body and the emotions it can express, however, Because I feel as if I have annotated this book enough that it would be more beneficial for myself to look at a different book for a new fresh perspective of inspiration. I chose this book due to its eye catching images based off surrealism, with the contextual side of influences such as mystical stories and the sublime experiences people have shared. All the images have a direct narrative and area of interests, that I too wanted to show in my images.

The creator of this book traveled many breadths from the north of Iceland further travelling to the south, east and West, all in order to search for where magical beings live. She sought out people who have a special ability to see them, asking around in every gas station, library, grocery store or hotel for anyone who could communicate with the Beings of the Earth. She was never deterred but the wild of the Icelandic weather being unforgiving. she persisted through language barriers of Spanish speaking stranger, continuing to trek over the most remote parts of the country. She was powered by her curiosity and imagination, her journey was long, but she found many people who were certain of their experiences. The people Bego visited shared their deeply personal experiences with the magical Beings of the Earth, and she reveals all in this fascinating book. Bego says, “I’m not a dreamer, but I do believe that every reality deserves to be examined and that there can be an intermediate world between reality and imagination.” I find her attitude compelling and I think it was interesting to see an environment of people who would usually be said to be crazed and isolated from society, being shown interest in and welcomed to share experiences. In a fascinating and in such a unique and creative manner.  Not only are her images more surreal in the way she uses composition in order to express and individuals mind, the use of coloured rainbows over images exploits a typical mind set of the mystique. Not only do the images themselves express a reality of stories but the stories themselves are displayed beautifully and shown to be from a demeanour of understanding and belief, rather than of mocking someone. The style of this book is so unique, which is to my mind why I find it so fascinating. Her approach is so individualistic but works for each person in such a unique manner.  Each of her images have the ability to keep their own and are so interesting as an individual image.

2. Who is the photographer? Why did he/she make it? (intentions/ reasons) Who is it for? (audience) How was it received? (any press, awards, legacy etc.)

She made this book in order to find out more about the subject matter themselves, and as an insight into these people and what there beliefs are. The artist believes what these people can see is a gift and should be celebrated through any means, this is why she explores this as a  ability or strength. In order to know how to photograph the person she asks them an arrangement of weird and fascinating questions. She states that ‘nature is our temple, so we call magic things we cannot understand, we have no reason to belive our five senses are enough to see the world, when you turn on the radio do you hear the waves?’ I believe it was well received as it was a unique and a new spectrum of photography work that had never been done before , I do not belive it won any awards, however it was widely loved within many communities. I understand that the audience they are trying to communicate with are those who are also interested within the views and abilities of other people. Perhaps they too think they have an ability, however I think it would be more likely for them to get this book as more of a spiritual development of people and their surrounding. I think due to the writers attitude of love and passion for her discovery of this topic it allows people to see this through her work and so too be inspired.

However not all the imagery is just a fantasy, her landscape imagery shows a significant talent and a complete relationship within the landscape is too found within herself.  Her capability to not only caption emotion, but a distinct and unique narrative to each and every individual is the pivotal point of her unique style and methods. I belive many people would also purchase this book due to the accord of the successful surreal imagery, she is a prime example of surreal art without having to take it through extreme editing, she perfectly captures a moment of sanctity accompanied with fantasy.

If it were possible, I would be interested in too finding similarities such as this in order to make my book more interesting, Including the use of stories to give more of a narrative to my images, Interesting colour concepts that connote the feeling of emotions of the person themselves, The composition and layout of the book having pages overlapping on another and a multitude of images over a double spread. Lastly, The use of having a dynamic design on the front which is an illustrations of the ideas and beliefs of the people, I think the colour and design on the front is part of the unique ability of the book, and creates an interest for the reader.