Make a plan that lists what you are going to write about in each paragraph – essay structure.

• Essay question: In what way have Mandy Barker and Keith Arnatt explored Anthropocene (environmental issues) in their work?
• Opening quote
• Introduction (250-500 words): What is your area study? Which artists will you be analysing and why? How will you be responding to their work and essay question?

Human’s impact on the environment has been so severe that the earth is in a new age, Anthropocene. Photographers have taken it into their own hands to present the impacts of mankind on the environment in their works, leaving the rest of interpretation and action to the viewer. Mandy Barker often draws an audience in by presenting her work with an aesthetic of beauty which then contradicts and shocks them when they realise the true meaning, whereas Keith Arnatt gets straight to the point demonstrating the disgusting truth behind thrown away plastics, decaying foods and trashed toys. I chose to look at these artists specifically due to their non-conventional approaches, taking a more close perspective of individual aspects such as certain items found in a landfill or the effects of micro plastic pollutes on plankton at the bottom of the food chain, in turn impacting everything that feeds on them and further on. Being able to inspect rubbish items in the same way will allow me to develop insight into where these items come from and the narrative behind them as well as where they may end up (or should be prevented from ending up). Similarly to Mandy Barker, I want to take a scientific approach, figuratively and literally looking at items with the use of a microscope in order to look at the effects of rusting, decay and contamination of waste that I create as well as interesting objects that I find in the natural landscape.

• Pg 1 (500 words): Historical/ theoretical context within art, photography and visual culture relevant to your area of study. Make links to art movements/ isms and some of the methods employed by critics and historian. 

Reference Anna Atkins first photobook and the cyanotype photographic process – scientific approach

Keith Arnatt uses Staged photography – choosing which pollutes to showcase in order to demonstrate the negative impacts on the environment, e.g. decayed items. The Minimalism style allows for the viewer to determine their own interpretation although it is bias when demonstrating pollution.

• Pg 2 (500 words): Analyse first artist/photographer in relation to your essay question. Present and evaluate your own images and responses.

Mandy Barker’s work analyses micro plastic pollutes and their effects on plankton – which in turn impacts an entire food chain, being as they are the beginning of the chain.

• Pg 3 (500 words): Analyse second artist/photographer in relation to your essay question. Present and evaluate your own images and responses.

Keith Arnatt’s close analysis of waste in his images provides the narrative for the deterioration of objects after they are thrown away.

Keith Arnatt photographs things that “everyone else thinks aren’t worth photographing” – this is clear proof that people don’t see waste as an issue, believing it should be ignored after it is gone. This is what creates the issue.

minimalistic style that allows for the viewer to determine their own interpretation although it is bias when demonstrating pollution.

• Conclusion (250-500 words): Draw parallels, explore differences/ similarities between artists/photographers and that of your own work that you have produced

Similarities: Both provide a micro perspective of the key issue of pollution

Differences: Mandy Barker uses a scientific approach in both the research and presentation of her images

• Bibliography: List all relevant sources used

My intentions with this project are to present the impacts humans have on the environment on a micro scale – selectively photographing small pieces of waste that I either create myself or that I find.

Describe which themes, artists, approaches, skills and photographic processes/ techniques inspired you the most and why.

I am strongly inspired by the works of Mandy Barker, who takes a biological approach in her work. In the style of scientific illustrations and microscope images, she uses small bits of plastic waste to explain the damage we create, even on a microscopic scale.

I want to present my imagery in the style of biological illustrations by scientists such as Ernst Haeckel.

Another inspiration is Keith Arnatt.

Emily was born in Jersey in 1974 and was educated at Jersey Collage for Girls and later trained as a sculptor and earned a first in Fine Art. Throughout, the degree she used photograph as a source of material. She has since established an international reputation for her complex and intricate photographic compositions. I recently visited an exhibition which presented some of Emily Alchurch’s work which impressively showed off her master pieces.

Original image which was used as a source of inspiration – Tower of BabelTower of Babel 2.0

Emily Alchurch uses photography and digital collage to create images by responding to archival images and paintings however with a present day perspective. The old paintings are used as the back bone for her to create her images and for her to explore further into the city or place to produce an extensive image library.  Emilys individual images have to be taken precisely as it has to perfectly fit the image to make it look real. The library that consists of thousands of images are singled out and selected and merged to create a fantasy landscape. Emilys images takes months, even years to create meaning her project is very time consuming. Emily will never fully final the image until she is fully happy with it. Emily presents her work on light-boxes which maximises the exaggeration and creates a sort of window into another world.

Contact Sheets

Favourite edited images

Black and white edits

Evaluation…