Hohlgangsanlage 8 (also known as the German Underground Hospital or the Jersey War Tunnels) was a partially completed underground hospital complex in St. Lawrence, Jersey, built by German occupying forces during the occupation of Jersey during World War II. After Hitler’s October 1941 order to fortify the Channel Islands, work began on a string of fortifications all around Jersey. Ho8 was intended to be a vast network of underground tunnels that would allow the German occupying infantry to withstand Allied air raids and bombardment. Over 1 km of tunnels were completed. After the liberation of the Channel Islands, the complex was converted into a museum detailing the occupation and remains a visitor attraction.
One tunnel made 6,000 years ago as part of a Neolithic ritual site, the other made 65 years ago to protect the German war machine from allied bombardment. It took nearly three and a half years to build, with the work being carried out by forced and slave labourers who were brought to the Island from all over Europe. It was originally intended to be a barracks and ammunition store for the occupying forces. Many of the workers were Polish, French, Russian or Republican Spaniards. Conditions were terrible, although Russian and Ukrainians were treated the worst, with cases of malnutrition, death by exhaustion and disease among them becoming common.
In late 1943, with the threat of an Allied invasion of Europe becoming clear, Ho8 was to be converted into a casualty clearing station and emergency hospital. The tunnels were blasted out with gunpowder and handtools, and then covered with concrete. The hospital was dug into a slope, so that it would drain naturally and had 500 beds for patients.
Despite the huge preparations and fortifications made to the Channel Islands, none were ever utilised. The occupying forces in the Channel Islands surrendered on 9 May 1945 (one day after the rest of the German forces surrendered). Ho8 fell into disuse, with British soldiers and souvenir hunters stripping the tunnels of equipment.
The War Tunnels tell the compelling story of life in Jersey under occupation and feature a series of galleries looking at the diverse experiences of all those who live through it, whether Jersey, British or German
In 1940, news of the fall of France to German forces created a sudden crisis for Islanders, should they stay or go. Many men of military age had already left, and most of those whose families were not in Jersey felt the need to return to England. Others also decided it would be advisable to leave. Whole families had to rapidly prepare to walk away from house and home, leaving behind their happy life – and not imagining it would be for five long years.
“Queues for tickets stretched for long distances, and hurried arrangements for leaving were made. Choosing what to take was not easy, as only one suitcase each was allowed. We could only pack essential clothing, so my sister and I were dressed in extra layers of clothing, despite the warm weather. We were each allowed to choose just one book and one toy to take with us.”- Ann Bright (7 years old at the time)
In 1942, the German turned up at this time-crossing site and damaged it by digging an underground bunker, now transformed into a memorial dedicated to the thousands of men, women and children transported to the Channel Islands as forced workers during the second world war.
Memories inscribed on plaques are chilling: “I have never forgotten the sound that came out of the huts. When people are starving, the pitch of their voices rises. The sound was like lots of birds in an aviary.”
Imboden is an american photographer who focuses on the movement and formation of the natural body surfaced within reflections in water and mirrored repetitive lines. Her work can be viewed in many collections including The Museum of Modern Art in New York and The Museum of Modern Art in San Francisco. Over many years her work has become very extensive across many galleries demonstrating many of her works. she has a successful book titled ‘out of darkness’ and won ‘one of the most beautiful books in the world’ award.He work describes a raw seduction of flesh,although her recent work is presenting the insights of reflections within her work,Throughout the years, Imboden has continued to teach and inspire colleagues and students alike in her quest to push the photographic medium to its highest level.
why I chose her work
The artists work connotes strongly to themes of isolation and also symbolizes a self endangerment which would be interesting to capture within an image.I also chose her work due to the dynamic shape and forming of bodies and the ways in which they move to demonstrate informative shapes,furthermore there is a combination of almost journalism of poeple and how they act, tracing and recording their behaviour,this is through abstract forming of bodies and moevemnt of bodily stature throughout her work,addtionally it also shows how we as humans are always trying to find something more about ourselves and the refusal as a society we have to secrets and a need to know and search for more information.
I also think the water is very effective in her work as it can symbolise a sense of weight and freedom but also the juxtaposition of isolation for others and a surrounding embodiment of nothing.
images analysis
within this work their is a clear fine art and conceptual element of surrealism within her photography,it allows a creative portrayal of reflection and question and links to her conventions of how poeple should behave and be prensted in to people ,this image above to me symbolizes a man exploring and trying to find himself and held secrets as the water is used to symbolise an isoltion form others. My favourite aspect of this image is the total divsion of colour and also framing of the face itself,it portrays an obvious movement and exploration of who we are or should be.The tones also change in order to connote a covered issue or perhaps an altered reality and a sense of mystery within the image once again questioning a secret and a search for something more and conflicting within the exceptions of codes that he is meant to oblige towards.
Ethically yes this image is clearly photoshopped and not a person going into water or even near it at all but does still successful demonstrate a separate side to ourselves that is not who we are or a search for a true identity not plagued with secrets and mystery to who we are or should act.
My concept for my project is to present human behavior,emotion and loss of identity through the development of secrets,codes and conventions. This will be done by capturing people in different scenarios where they are not themselves and portraying a false sense of self to the people surrounding them. Additionally this can be done by how people act different due to their scenario.
This leads me into the behavior of nature as it is surrounding people,and how nature has power of people and is completely unreliable. A combination of nature and human behavior will be seen in one of my shoots and how when forming the unreliability of nature and the hidden secrets of a person, loss of identity is formed,and a submerged feeling of emotion.
Additionally many editing techniques will be used to heighten my themes,such as collage to present many different aspects and sides to a person is formed together to build up their whole identity,this conforms to the conventions of what makes us human and how we have hidden secrets and aspects to ourselves that we do not show others. Also fitting within this these mirrors are illusions that will used to show two sides to a person and the codes being broken and how people copy and take parts of ourselves and us them as their own identity.
overall I think I have successful contextualized my themes of human behavior throughout my work and i know what i want to do to succeed within hitting the specific terminology while still accessing the conventions of human behavior.
codes: codes is used to symbolize five separate categories consisting of:numbers,letters,symbols,technology and human behaviour. It demonstrates an expectation of a conformative systems through either body language or a reflection of a behaviour. It presents a normal repetitive behavior as it is set as a code.The oppostional behavior would be presented through the real concept of our self and not a set behavior or a reflection of ignorance surrounding knowledge or technology.
conventions is used to symbolize a held idea that we hold important weather it be a repetitive idea of our behavior that is considered acceptable or a way in which something is done.the juxtaposing idea to this would be a lack of formation and not conforming within a socially held idea to be important. This could be seen within isolation or segregation.
secrets: This consists of unknowingess or perhaps a reflection of loss of identity,not knowing or being known.it be be a covered secret and presents a private issue within a person.however it could be changed to explores a found knowing of themselves to be told and seen a change within themselves to others
Robbie Shone is a cave explorer and visual storyteller. His work comes under the category of photo journalism which I will be taking inspiration from. He is recognised as one of the most accomplished cave photographers in the world and is based in the heart of the Alps in Austria. Shone has completed a BA in Fine Art and Photography – whilst doing this he developed a strong interest in caving and the challenges it has to offer. His work has been featured in national and international publications such as National Geographic. He has received several national and international awards. Robbie Shone also has wildlife, travel and landscape images that have achieved finalist status in highly acclaimed international travel and wildlife competitions.
From looking at Robbie Shone i aim to have my photographs focused on exploration and unusual sites.
My Favourite Photograph
In this photograph, Shone used a strong torch to illuminate the photograph through the clouds in the cave to create a misty and ominous setting. It helped to create contrast between the shadows of the cave and the highlight of the torch. A deep depth of field appears to have been used as the whole of the photograph is in focus. Shone will have used a slow shutter speed along with a low ISO in order to allow plenty of light to enter the lens whilst keeping the quality of the photograph as high as possible.
The colours used in this photograph is a mix of dark greens and browns to contrast with the torch light. This helps to create an unsettling and dark environment. There are lots of different tones throughout the photograph due to the grooves and shapes in the caves. The distance that the light beam travels and the scale of the human against the size of the scale creates an almost intimidating photograph as it is not something we would normally get to see. Due to the beam of light shining light on the background, the photograph has a 3D effect which adds to the intimidating feeling to the photograph.
Shone is a very experienced cave explorer and photographer and this photograph shows just some of the things that he sees and explores as part of his life. This photograph is of Cloud Ladder Hall which is naturally formed and is so large that it has its own weather system. It is found in China and the whole cave is 42,139 metres long with a maximum depth of 441 metres.
I think that Shone is trying to spread awareness of how intricate and interesting the natural world is. In his photographs he shows subjects that most people would never get to see. He tries to show the scale of the subject against one of the largest naturally formed cave in the world to show how small we are compared to nature.
Here are the main ideas that I will experiment with and I think all of these clearly go within all the three titles yet still have a common link of humans and how they work within society.
For my final outcomes I gathered my favorite images from each shoot together to analyse and compare them. At the same time I had sent some of these images to be printed so that I could present them in a few different ways rather than just the image online. From this it would allow me to explore the use of composition and presentation of each image, creating a more aesthetically pleasing result as a result. These were my top 5 images I had selected throughout the course topic of ‘Landscapes’:
Preparatory studies will respond to the Externally Set Assignment theme and may include sketchbooks, notebooks, worksheets, design sheets, large-scale rough studies, samples, swatches, test pieces, maquettes, digital material… anything that shows fully your progress towards your outcomes.
Your preparatory studies should show evidence of: • your development and control of visual literacy and the formal elements (tone, texture, colour, line, form and structure) • an exploration of techniques and media • investigations showing engagement with appropriate primary and secondary sources • the development of your thoughts, decisions and ideas based on the theme • critical review and reflection.
Assessment Objectives
You should provide evidence that fulfils the four Assessment Objectives: AO1 Develop ideas through sustained and focused investigations informed by contextual
and other sources, demonstrating analytical and critical understanding AO2 Explore and select appropriate resources, media, materials, techniques and
processes, reviewing and refining ideas as work develops AO3 Record ideas, observations and insights relevant to intentions, reflecting critically on work and progress AO4Present a personal and meaningful response that realises intentions and, where appropriate, makes connections between visual and other elements.
Here are some other suggestions that may stimulate your imagination:
• rules, rituals, etiquette, procedures, conformity, oppression
• masks, disguises, camouflage, costumes
• oceans, forests, caves, smog, night
• hieroglyphs, codes, Braille, runes, fonts
• single-celled organisms, parasites, cocoons, shells, dens
• the Underground, tunnels, cracks, catacombs
• magic, theatre, espionage, Bletchley Park
• lies, deceit, tragedy, romance
• exploration, discovery, archaeology, metal detecting
• science, knowledge, astronomy, space exploration
• diving, caving, orienteering, cellars
• hide and seek, pass the parcel, gambling dice
Theme: SECRETS, CODES AND CONVENTIONS Title: 8PY0/02 Photography 1.
The group photo has powerful underlying conventions, whether a family portrait or of a gathering of friends. These reflect codes of behaviour that shift over time. In the early 1990s Paul M Smith explored the convention of the ‘team photo’ and the ‘night
out’ – photographs so often taken by groups of ‘lads’, which he took to be anything but spontaneous.
Paul M Smith Make My Night
Trish Morrissey gently subverted the ritual of the family holiday photo in her 2005-7 series of photographs called Front, often swapping clothes and taking on the role of the mother in semi- formal gatherings staged on beaches in Britain and Australia.
Elaine Constantine is a photographer and film-maker. Her film “Northern Soul” depicts how a generation of teenagers from gritty, northern towns in England became fixated with black soul music. The two groups of people are contrasting…but somehow fused together.
As a pioneer of the vibrant, documentary-inspired approach to fashion photography in the 1990s and early 2000s Constantine was a regular contributor to The Face, Italian Vogue and US Vogue.
Many photographers have explored the notion of fringe groups, alternatives, non-conformists, sub-cultures, anarchists etc…everything from biker gangs to surfers, trainspotters to religious groups.
Many documentary photographers have explored sub-cultures, and have recorded their often unconventional lifestyles over a period of time eg Danny Lyons, Larry Clark, Mary Ellen Mark, Chris Killip, John Bulmer and Martin Parr.
How does Constantine frame and compose the imagery here?
What lighting is employed?
How do the angles encourage us to view the people / event?
Tom Wood, Brassaї and Malick Sidibé have explored similar territory, recording social gatherings. Diane Arbus, Sally Mann and Nikki S. Lee have taken photographs that challenge and question the normal conventions of such images.
Trish Morrissey Sylvia Westbrook, August 2nd, 2005
Theme: SECRETS, CODES AND CONVENTIONS Title: 8PY0/02 Photography
2.
In The Road to Mecca, Maha Malluh mixes signs, symbols and conventions from the present and the past to illustrate the modern experience of the Hajj or journey to Mecca. She uses her children’s toys and the design of the Kiswa as a background, visually unified
by the darkroom process of photograms.
There are clear Tableaux opportunities here…or even possibilities to explore film making, animation, time lapse or DIORAMAs.
Many contemporary photographers, such as Garry Fabian Miller, Susan Derges and Adam Fuss, mix conventions and visual codes. Isa Genzken challenges expectations of traditional photographs in her work, by combining photography and sculpture. These pieces are influenced in part by Rauschenberg’s Combines and Peter Blake’s paintings.
Maha Malluh Hajj : The Road to Mecca
Theme: SECRETS, CODES AND CONVENTIONS Title: 8PY0/02 Photography
3.
Places and objects hold secrets and tell stories. Eugene Atgèt was one of the first photographers to sense the passage of time and a melancholy presence in the quiet backstreets of Paris. Paul Seawright, Simon Norfolk, Donovan Wylie and Willie Doherty record places that bear secret histories or subtle evidence of conflict.
Donovan Wylie MAZE Prison 2007 / 8
In her series Mothers and Frida, the Japanese photographer Ishiuchi Miyako took pictures of the secret history imbued in the possessions left behind after a person’s death. Her work shows a continuing obsession with the traces we leave behind, both as individuals
and as a society.
Ishiuchi Miyako Frida Kahlo’s corset
Theme: SECRETS, CODES AND CONVENTIONS Title: 8PY0/02 Photography
4.
The photographer Diane Arbus wrote ‘A picture is a secret about a secret. The more it tells you the less you know.’ This could equally refer to Maya Deren’s and Alexander Hackenschmied’s 1943 film Meshes of the Afternoon, which used innovative techniques
such as slow motion, repetition and jump cuts to build a sense of a dream interacting with reality. In the film objects seem to have a mysterious and secret significance, known only to the dreamer.
The film’s narrative is circular and repeats several motifs, including a flower on a long driveway, a key falling, a door unlocked, a knife in a loaf of bread, a mysterious Grim Reaper–like cloaked figure with a mirror for a face, a phone off the hook and an ocean. Through creative editing, distinct camera angles, and slow motion, the surrealist film depicts a world in which it is more and more difficult to catch reality.
It has influenced other filmmakers such as David Lynch in
Twin Peaks but was no doubt influenced by Soviet film maker Sergei Eisenstein’s Battleship Potemkin.
The film contains various codes, symbols and metaphors…and makes use of MONTAGE…juxtaposing clashing or contrasting imagery like this…
Luke Fowler employs this concept effectively in his diptychs…
Dreams and surreal imagery have also inspired other photographers and filmmakers such as Jerry Uelsmann, Madame Yevonde, Lara Zankoul, Wes Anderson and Matthew Barney.
You could re-interpret a well know fairy tale or moral, as Tim Walker often does in his work and explore the conventions of story telling and narrative
Look at Mari Mahr, Sophie Calle, and Claude Cahun (Jersey Link).
Still from Meshes of the Afternoon Maya Deren and Alexander Hackenschmied
How to get started …
You must look carefully at the examples given above by researching and reading…comparing and contrasting as you move through the options.
Watch the suggested film clips…and be prepared to explore your ideas in a range of media and then create a set of blog posts that develop the process…
Create a mind-map that incorporates your initial thoughts, ideas and findings in response to SECRETS, CODES and CONVENTIONS
Add a mood-board of relevant images
Add definitions of the words : SECRETS, CODES and CONVENTIONS :what are they ?
Choose at least one artist that you think can be an influence for your ideas…but compare and contrast to others
Plan your first photo shoot
Make a set of images as a response to your plan / artists work
Select, edit and present your images
Compare and contrast to your influence / inspiration
Evaluate your process
Repeat the process in order to review and refine…
You are expected to complete 15-20 Blog posts for the ESA
Week 1 Task : exploring codes and conventions
research and explore the words and possible meanings of secrets codes and conventions and create a blog post or two outlining your findings, and your plan…
apply ONE of these to a specific genre of photography found within the exam booklet
an example of this could be…
Photo – Journalism /
Documentary Photography
Until the mid-twentieth century, documentary photography was a vital way of bearing witness to world events: from shoot-from-the-hip photographs of the Spanish Civil War by Robert Capa to the considered portraits of poor farmers by Dorothea Lange.
Documentary photography generally relates to longer term projects with a more complex story line, while photojournalism concerns more breaking news stories. The two approaches often overlap. Some theorists argue that photojournalism, with its close relationship to the news media, is influenced to a greater degree than documentary photography by the need to entertain audiences and even market products.
Experiment wihtin mirroring or using glass to represent a restraint and innovate themes of a slow sense of dream lost within reality.I would emphasis the use of glass in order to present a self reflection and convey their personal thought and feelings,hower I could also experiment wihtin not showing a face, and emphasis of a mystery and secretive time behind the work.I would use dark tonal ranges and different camera perspectives to present a value or part of their life.Wether that be ripping open a part of them or using a pathetic fallacy feature and using what is surrounding them to that their feelings. additionally the split mirror and back symbolise a break and distortion within their self image or additionally within the secrets they hold.
For my section idea I want to focus on areas in which have a lot of historical significance but attain many secrets and stories.I want to emphasis a more scary and or adventful area of locations. This could also be viewed as signs and symbols to illustrate a past experience and a journey through time of past peoples lives.
This next piece is again more landscape inspired but showing the unpredictability and power that nature holds over people. the chosen image is which you are not able to see and cause interesting tonal and lighting effects as this is shot bring about the suspense to the images, it presents a possibly journey to be taken to as past journey, it shows a formation of a personal emotion to the scenario.
This next ideas is similar to the first but to create multiple faces of different angles and shoe a repletion and continuation of a being, this is interesting nd slightly more surreal but inserts codes of insecurity and self reflection,it also could be used to symbolises different emotions and every face symbolises a different emotion of themselves. These images are seen to hold secrets and tell a story of past and possible journeys.This presents the codes and conventions of who and makes up who we are, it allows an interesting composition of forming many feelings
. I could also focus upon the many underlining conventions of old family portraits and their shift of time and development of people within them both with and without spontaneity to the photos but a ritual family series.
