http://www.blurb.co.uk/books/9324110-orlas-book

Above is a link to preview my final book ‘The Evolution of Essentialism’

This image is a a double page from Rita’s book “where mimosa bloom” displaying two photographs one a still life and one a portrait, which work together conceptually and aesthetically. The image on the right where peoples eyes will be drawn to first is a portrait of a women with red hair, wearing a light floral shirt in front a of a textures pale blue background. The image on the left shows a type of calendar with blue and pink card, these colours have connections with the opposite image and share a pastel aesthetic. it is perfectly composed in the centre of the frame with an off white background. These are both naturalistic images showing important parts of the photographer and her mothers life and relationship. The circle shape on the left is parallel with the woman’s face and help to draw the viewers eyes to the important parts of the image. The format of the images next to one another is important, the simplicity of the image on the left doesn’t take away from the portrait too much but they compliment each other well. The Background colour of both images is in the same tone, the on on the left appears white at first glance  but is more of a pale grey blue  which matches the blotchy, slightly darker textured background on the right image. The portrait image looks like it was taken in natural lighting but not direct sun light, this is because of the subtle shadows on the subjects face. The space in this image has also been represented by the foreground and background which are distinguished with different focuses from the small dept of field.  In both these photographs the subject has been placed in the centre of the frame intentionally so the page spread is balanced.

Compared to real life the portrait image has been slightly manipulated to look paler and more gentle with a romanticised feel. When I look at these photos the first thing that stands out to me is the woman’s red hair which is one of the darkest parts of the two photos. The image of the left has not been much effected by flattening what we can see in real life to the 2D image because the object is flat anyway, however seeing it in a simple set up would make us appreciate it more that we would when just coming across the item in real life. On the other hand the portrait captures on split second of what was happening, meaning the facial expression pose and setting could have been very different in person. If i could ask the artist anything it would be about the relevance of the two images being placed together, i would like to know if their is a specific story behind it or if they just fit the theme and aesthetically match.

Photoshoot Plan: I am planning to take photos of family members who link to my Grandpa and share memories with him. I decided to take portrait images of my Gran who also shares his love for the environment and garden. This is why I want the location to be in a greenhouse, where there will be very bright lighting . I  want her to wear a bight colour to stand out and display her personality and style. 

After doing the photoshoot I think I have achieved the style of images I was hoping to create, the photos are simple but display a strong character in them, the location of the greenhouse worked out well due to the bight natural lighting from all angles. The colours in the greenhouse of the dried out tomato plants in the background tie in with the red jacket and scarf and contrast with the slight green of the leaves and background. One thing I might change if I were to do this photoshoot again is the unintentional solemn look to the photos. with the dead plants in the back and the slight blue tint the portraits have a slightly sad tone. 

Photoshoot Plan: The third poem is called tunnelling and talks about my grandpa when he was younger and the memories he had on the beach with his parents. I want to take photos on the beach near Corbiere lighthouse which illustrate the poem and also link to memories I have of family walks in the same place.

I found cuttle fish lying in a pile in the beach and decided to arrange them in a pattern on the sand creating a leading line along the beach towards the lighthouse mimicking the walk the would have made. 

I am happy with how this photoshoot turned out, although on the day the weather was over cast, I like the feel it gives the images because they look more real and show what the landscape looks like the majority of the time. The sea also look rough which gives it a dramatic feel. Also the colours that this lighting gives the images is very bright but not sunny making everything look golden more pastel and muted which is the aesthetic I wanted for the book.

Earlier in my coursework whilst looking at and creating work on collections I took photos of one of the any collections my grandpa had. small figure lighthouse which were displayed in their bathroom for years. I took Photos of these in front of an off white backdrop to show the simple details and how they all go together. I am thinking of incorporating these images with the new ones I have taken.

Photoshoot Plan: I want to take photos at Grosnez Castle, when I was younger we used to visit the ruins of this castle with my grandpa. It was in walking distance from their house so many family outings happened here. I was always fascinated by the stories he would tell me of my dad and uncle growing up in the area and historical facts. I want to take photos of the castle at dusk when the lighting has interesting colours too help give a dramatic effect. I want to show the area as I would have seen it when I was younger, as big and mesmerising. 

I like the style and colours in the photos that I took because it give a romanticised effect and exaggerates the landscape however the lighting at the time was bad and the photos have a lot of noise. it was also very windy so the camera was shaking a lot this mean the long exposure images weren’t as sharp as I would have liked I want to do this shoot again and improve the lighting. I will also stay for longer and get more images of the actual castle.

Image analysis of main images found within my book:

I chose this image due to its clear relation to the sublime. The division of her face once again strips away any identity and importance to the girl compared to the importance of water. The reaching of the hand is almost an indication of help. I wanted to create a fluidity of movement within the piece and have an aspect of struggle and fight within the water. Although, while this piece does show aspects of the sublime and emotions of the power of nature, it is still clear through the dress and effortless posture of the girl that there is beauty and innocence within the photo. The use of the walls almost indicates a tunnel and also shows a sense of narrative to the image, as there is a physical tunnel pulling you in.This tunnel continues the narrative and suspends the image as less of a one off but as a journey this girl is on. Perhaps it shows more indications to that of sirens and being water based. The division of the face is something really deliberate that I knew I wanted to capture within this image although the division of the face between the water would show an illusion of repetition and almost capture the girl in a  different and mystical world. Not only does this show an extrusion to the image, but it also creates a direct form of interest for the girl herself. I did not think think this image needed any more photoshop due to the already complexity shown. For the colour I did not want to over edit the image, and keep a slight romanticized and old feel. The original was too bright and removed the element of segregation and abandonment and showed to much of a relation to the overly bright pool.

This almost illusion was created in order to show a more abstract view of water, and show a creativity within it. Despite the water being in front of the girl, it almost captures and shows an impersonation of the light hearted, young girls spirit. Once again I edited the tones to show it being more blue, but instead of doing so in such a way to create a darkness to the image, I wanted to lighten the image as this is the original emotion you get from this piece. The division of the close up secs of water, in comparison the the slow drifting of the smaller specs of water almost emphasis a falling of beauty and creates further connotations to the young girl herself. The direct eye contact with the camera breaks apart the photo and allows a direct connection with the girl and creates a contrast to the main importance of the image. There is something almost angelic and magical about this image, it not only is a question of the possibilities of how it was taken, but the magic within the image also constitutes to a sense of mythological accent to the images. The small circles are almost heavenly with their softness and brightness of colour. I believe too all the colours compliment themselves within the photo, the light purples and blues represented against the themes of my editing the water in blues, or greens dependent on the overall original tone of the image.  It seemingly purposes what the sublime is through the inventive collaboration of life and beauty and a new passion of wonderment, while without the pain. It is full for childish wonderment, the light pink of the lips emphasises the front of a profound yet beautiful image.

I took this image with the purpose to make the water and the boy to look as though they were one. I wanted the water to have an aspect of blending into him and see as through he is enjoying the use of water. I had this intention as much of my imagery is the frustration and aggression of water, whereas this looks almost peaceful and although the water is blessing or helping the boy. I wanted to make sure I got the water captured dripping at the bottom. I wanted a picture of slow movement yet the shutter fast enough in order to show a moment captured in time. The darkening of the photo shows an even more eccentric character of time and wonderment. The dark outter tones almost purpose a sense of time that is running out. The shadow of the boy also demands an question of, who is she and why is he here and how did this happen. I wanted to create a whole narrative and story within this on image as this is what is seen within a romanticised landscape. How did this beauty and circumstance happen for someone like me to be able to see it. The highlights of the light within the three areas of his face allow a life to be projected onto himself, and not just a still of emotionless wonderment. The tiles in the background, leave a question scenario, it indicates connotations to isolation and like a lab of enclosure. The crystal white also shows a his aspiration for cleanliness and purity, perhaps why he is washing himself. There is such a large extent to the emotions and delicacy within this image, and this is why I belive it is such a valid primary image.

I’m very set on having this image as a double page spread, at the end of my book before my essay. This is due the representation of her no longer being trapped under the water, or being seen facing the camera, but she is now able to stare into a sublime romanticised landscape, seeing the beauty and emotions herself, and no longer being subjected to be stuck within a landscape but part of it. This image also has clear denotations to pictorialism influence, I need this with clear intentions as she is a very classical looking young girl, and the use of the colour, too links with the old fashioned movement. This also influences a sense of purity to the last image, very different to the start of  narrative book where there is a greater representation of emotion. Her stance not only is strong and shows a power within a young girl, mimicking the power of nature, yet also as it is centered in the composition, it allows a balance to the book and creates implementations the sublime is just as much equally what someone makes of it then what it actually is. Her position also shows clear indication as if she is standing on water, this religious influence and enhances the landscape t be elevated above everything else due to it having a relation to being ‘godly’. Overall I think there is no better image then to end the book on. Not only could this image be an ending, but it purposes a start of a new journey, and for a novel this is fundamental as it allows the photos to have a future, it creates a wonderment of the journey the next photographer might perhaps go on. you cannot see an end to the water, and you do not know the direction the girl will go.

This is the starting double page spread of my photobook. I chose this image due to its disparity and the hectic atmosphere it contains. It shows a beauty within panicking, and creates a clear illusion of ‘pleasure and pain’. The position of her body is extended and demonstrates as if she is being pushed down and her hands are trying to grab onto something. The outward of bubbles surrounding her face, not only show an inability to breath, but whips any identity of the girl, this re-asserts the power the water has over the girl and her life. I decided to edit this image into deeper tonal blues, because I wanted to mimic the colour most related to water, I darkened the edges to show a fading of life, and lifelessness drifting. For an opening image it instantaneously shows the continuous theme of water and pain throughout my book, and also shows an interest to create images usually not seen in photography works. Once again the slow closing of the edges allow the life within the colour centered in the middle to show a sense of loosing breath and hope of escape within the image. Both allowing the image to have a combination of beauty and death combined. I did want this image also to look as though it was at a much greater depth. I had to take my images in a more shallow pool, due to this, I had to experiment with many more angles, in order to create a look as though she is in a great depth, as this increases the chance of pain and also a physical suspension and light weight edges of the water.

 How is the work of Tanya Deman and Darren Almoud questioning the politics of environmental issues and the way in which we treat our earth?

Introduction

The area which I have chosen to study is the sublime and the political debate about how natural land is used and the destruction that urbanization is causing to it. This has been a reality since humans first existed. This subject matter is important to me as I believe it is vital to keep the earth natural and not ruin the sublime environment with man-made features that are contributing the the destruction of our earth. Photographers that explore the sublime environment are often giving the viewer an insight to a landscape that is rare and the experience is uncommon. This rare landscape is as a result of the destruction humanity is causing to them leaving most of them only as a memory. This area of study deals with political, social and cultural issues that have impacted people all across the world. Essentially, my area of study is a non-verbal communication about raising awareness of the beauty of our earth and to prevent people from destroying it. Psychologists believe that this non-verbal communication can reveal much more than words which I believe can help spread my passion for the natural environment and preserving it too. The representation of the land has been explored by many artists including the photographers Darren Almound and Tanya Deman that I have previously taken inspiration from and will be analysing in this essay. Both of these photographers use the land to portray their views on how society treats and uses it. Within my essay I will be discussing how the two photographers have taken a different approach in portraying the land in relation to their perspective of it. I have chosen to analyse the work of these two photographers due to their somewhat similar messages yet very different approaches in telling the story. Darren Almound focuses on capturing beautiful imagery of the natural land with a subtle conflict of pain and beauty that creates the sublime environment. Tanya Deman uses a manipulation approach to focus on humanities destruction to the world that is eliminating any recollection of a beautiful natural environment. The reason I chose to focus on these two artists are due to the similar political issue they have tackled yet the differeing approaches they tackled it with.

For Darren Almound I will specifically be looking into his ‘full moon’ project where he leaves you wondering what words like landscape and nature can possibly mean in a world where environmental change is so rapid that both are fast disappearing into myth and memory. In ‘Fullmoon’, British artist Darren Almond catches landscapes around the globe, under the particular light of a full moon. With the shutter kept open for over a quarter of an hour, rivers, meadows and mountains are illuminated almost like daybreak, but the atmosphere is different: a mild glow emanates even from the shadows, star-lines cross the sky, and water blankets the earth like a misty froth. The enhanced moonlight fill the landscapes with a sense of the surreal or the sublime, and with haunting ideas of time, nature and beauty. Within my own work, I have taken inspiration from this project and created two photo shoots where I proceeded to keep the shutter open for between 15-30 seconds to create dream like images that can’t be seen by the naked eye. I think these images will play a major part in my project in telling the story about the conflict between pain and beauty within the environment. The harsh rocks conflict with the soft water to show this sense of pain and beauty and the rocks/cliffs act as a metaphor for the urban development occurring in other areas.

In relation to Tanya Deman I will explore a particular image of hers which links directly to the ideas that Darren Almounds full moon project portray about the ever changing land and destruction of the the natural landscape. The particular image that I will focus on has these ideas about the natural landscape fast disappearing into myth and memory which is exactly what Almounds project focuses on. I have responded to Tanya’s work where she places urban infrastructure into nature by creating my own manipulation imagery using St Ouens beach and the skyline of London and New York to juxtapose.

In the late 18th Century the aesthetic theories of the sublime and picturesque emerged and inspired many 18th Century landscape artists. Burkes ideologies of the sublime were first established in the book:  A Philosophical Enquiry into the Origin of Our Ideas of the Sublime and Beautiful written in 1756 suggesting that the sublime and beautiful cannot be seen at the same time. Burke illustrated the sublime as a ‘character of a particular scene imbued it with a special quality of beauty, which was at the same time admirable and awe inspiring, but also capable of imparting a fission of fear’. Whereas the picturesque was established by Uvedale Price, is when ‘the artist concentrated on those details which he knew would delight the viewer’. There was a clear need to establish a distinction between the sublime, beautiful and picturesque when it came to art. The sublime and picturesque where a chance for landscape painters during the Romantic period to showcase their style of painting. The term ‘picturesque beauty’ was first used by William Gilpin for an item being neither beautiful or sublime. The pictorial qualities of picturesque landscapes are, ‘roughness, sudden variation, or broken tints’.

Tanya Deman is a Croatian visual artist whose recent photo compositions have taken the relationship between the built environment and natural landscape to its extremes. The dreamy images depict familiar urban forms like skyscrapers and highways, dropped into natural landscapes such as mountain terrains. The more close-up shots of a theatre and stadium, seem to make a spectacle of nature’s wrath and Tanya’s anger towards the mistreatment of the natural land. The image which stood out to me the most was the one inside of the theatre. This is because it clearly remarks a series of messages about the destruction of our land and proposes the idea that one day the natural land will be part of history and we will have to go to the theater to view it. What most interested me about Tanya’s work is how she points a surreal spotlight on the relationship between nature and humans. Her work acts as a voice to humans about the problems we are having to nature and the environmental problems we are enhancing/creating. This is really intriguing to me as I have a strong interest in preserving our environment and keeping it untouched by humans and too want to share this political message through my photographs. I think that Tanya’s work will be a strong reminder to the general public that we are now having undeniable impacts on the environment at the scale of the planet as a whole. This debate has sparked a new battle between geologists and environmental advocates over what to call the time period we live in. It would appear that Tanya’s work agrees with the argument for “Anthropocene” time period in which is the time period that is viewed as the period during which human activity has been the dominant influence on climate and the environment. The word combines the root “anthropo”, meaning “human” with the root “-cene”, the standard suffix for “epoch” in geologic time. Experts argue that the Holocene is outdated which began 11,700 years ago after the last major ice age and I think that Tanya’s work would shows her agreement with this and her belief in the Anthropocene time period.

I think the image conveys a very powerful story about the relationship between urban landscapes and the nature. My interpretation of this manipulated image is that at the rate humans are developing our land with man made features, one day we will have no natural land to see. Therefore going to the theater is the only way that people can see the natural land due to the destruction of it.  Essentially her message is that the one day the natural land will be part of history and this is clearly dealing with the politics of environmental destruction. There are many other ways this can be interpreted for example, the message that nature needs to be appreciated mimicking the way in which people appreciate theater performances. However most interpretations will follow the intended message of the photographer about having respect for our natural land and bring a realization of the harsh man made urban development. There is a large tonal range within the image from the dark shadows in the foreground to the highlights in the background. The sections where people are seated, there is a use of dark shadows which I think  were purposely created to show a sense of danger that humanity is to nature. The forest area is bright with increased highlights to show the significance and importance of it. The framing and composition of this photograph is really appealing to the viewer. I like how the theater creates a frame for the main subject which is also positioned central to show the audience that it is the focus point. Also, the use of leading lines from the balcony and rows of chairs at the front help draw the viewer to the main subject. Overall all it is clear, through this image and many of her other pieces, that Tanya Deman is questioning the political issue of man vs nature and the impact that we are having on it. This is achieved through the use of a juxtaposition between the natural land assisted by urban landscapes dropped into them. These compositions depict a changing environment and creates an oddly disturbing message to us; who is destroying the natural land.

My second artist is an English based photographer, Darren Almond. One of Almound’s projects that stood out in particular was his full moon project taken in Patagonia and Cape Verde. Looking at this work presents us with picturesque images shot by the light of a full moon. To achieve the photos in his project he stood attentively by his camera waiting for clouds to clear, then used long exposures of between 12 and 30 minutes. The results are both natural and unearthly, recognizable and oddly alien. Quoted by Sean O’Hagan from The Gaurdian – “Volcanic rock emerges from a sea that looks like misty cloud seen from an aeroplane window. A river’s torrent is rendered smooth and sculptural, and the eucalyptus forest it runs through seems impressionistic and ghostly. Shadows lose their edges; they become soft and almost indistinct.” “With long exposures, you can never see what you are shooting,” Almond told The Gaurdian, “But you are giving the landscape longer to express itself.”

Almounds work in this project reminds me of the initial artists who painted with the aesthetic theory of the picturesque containing significant amount of detail. His outdoor landscapes show a connection with these ideas of the picturesque which has a deeper meaning, understood by reviewing the image to gather all the detail which is contained in a single photograph. Almond has the ability to connect with the audience’s emotions using his images to reflect environmental change with the motion in his pictures signifying the ever changing environment. Linking with the theory of the sublime Almonds images clearly have aspects of beauty and danger with the contrast between the elegant silky water and the harsh sharp rocks. It may also be seen that the motion of the sky and waves is a depiction of the force of nature that is dangerous. The vortex of sea and mist draws the audience to look at the image. It showcases the experience of awe and power which the natural elements behold evoking a feeling of fear within the audience.  My interpretation of his images is that the rocks act as a metaphor for the urban development that is occurring, a clear environmental issue within our world. The fear of the unknown is a key element within Darren Almounds work but at the same time there is true beauty within his work. His landscape work present homes devoid of human activity however we know that by looking in detail that there is a reference to the human activity in the world today. The de-saturated color scheme showcases the life which has deteriorated from presence of human interaction. A sense of the sublime aesthetics comes from the alien nature which these images represent, which do intrigue us but add a sense of fear due to the unrealistic environment which is being captured. As an audience we are free looking into Almounds landscape series, as there is large room and space in the frame. This creates an overwhelming or intimidating feel which introduce the fear factor involved in the sublime. Furthermore, the ideas of not knowing what is lurking beyond the sea or rock formation, presents us with the aesthetics of the sublime. Capturing these images in the style of the sublime clearly shows how the environment is unstable with the destruction that humans are causing to it. Despite the fact there is no presence of humans or the direct destruction they are causing to the landscape in Almounds project, through the inspiration of the picturesque and incorperation of the sublime, when the audience look in detail we can understand the messages about environmental change that he is displaying.

To conclude, over the course of this personal investigation, my own work has been inspired to capture elements of the aesthetic theories of the picturesque and the sublime. I have further taken inspiration from the photographers Darren Almound and Tanya Deman also which has led to my exploration of the rural vs urban environments as well as the Utopian world too. My work on this project began looking at the beautiful natural environment inspired by the picturesque and sublime theories where i photographed coastal areas.

• Bibliography: List all relevant sources used

…

https://books.google.je/books/about/A_Philosophical_Enquiry_Into_the_Origin.html?id=pdpDAAAAYAAJ&printsec=frontcover&source=kp_read_button&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q&f=false

https://archive.org/details/gri_essayonthepi00c2pr

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/what-is-the-anthropocene-and-are-we-in-it-164801414/

http://www.anthropocene.info/

https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2014/jan/21/darren-almond-moonlight-landscape-photography

https://www.architecturaldigest.com/story/darren-almond-fullmoon-article

First selection

I have collected a variety of archival images which link to my Grandpa some from before I was born and others from in my lifetime. some of them have direct links to the poems others have more personal connections. I want to incorporate these photos along with the scans of poem notes to create context in the book. I also find these images of my grandpa very interesting because they are from before I was born, and for me give me a insight into his life before I knew him. 

I have layers up the scans I made previously with the archival images on photoshop to create my own work from them, I have used drop shadows under each layer to make them stand off the page. I also tried to correlate the colours of the paper and colours of the vintage photos where possible. I want to use these edits within my book to split up my own photographs and give the view something different to look at.

Tanya Deman is a Croatian visual artist whose recent photo compositions have taken the relationship between the built environment and natural landscape to its extremes. The dreamy images depict familiar urban forms like skyscrapers and highways, dropped into natural landscapes such as mountain terrains. The more close-up shots of a theatre and stadium, seem to make a spectacle of nature’s wrath and Tanya’s anger towards the mistreatment of the natural land. The image which stood out to me the most was the one inside of the theatre. This is because it clearly remarks a series of messages about the destruction of our land and proposes the idea that one day the natural land will be part of history and we will have to go to the theatre to view it. What most interested me about Tanya’s work is how she points a surreal spotlight on the relationship between nature and humans. Her work acts as a voice to humans about the problems we are having to nature and the environmental problems we are enhancing/creating. This is really intriguing to me as I have a strong interest in preserving our environment and keeping it untouched by humans and too want to share this political message through my photographs.

I think the image conveys a very powerful story about the relationship between urban landscapes and the nature. My interpretation of this manipulated image is that at the rate humans are developing our land with man made features, one day we will have no natural land to see. Therefore going to the theater is the only way that people can see the natural land due to the destruction of it.  Essentially her message is that the one day the natural land will be part of history and this is clearly dealing with the politics of environmental destruction. There are many other ways this can be interpreted for example, the message that nature needs to be appreciated mimicking the way in which people appreciate theater performances. However most interpretations will follow the intended message of the photographer about having respect for our natural land and bring a realization of the harsh man made urban development. There is a large tonal range within the image from the dark shadows in the foreground to the highlights in the background. The sections where people are seated, there is a use of dark shadows which I think  were purposely created to show a sense of danger that humanity is to nature. The forest area is bright with increased highlights to show the significance and importance of it. The framing and composition of this photograph is really appealing to the viewer. I like how the theater creates a frame for the main subject which is also positioned central to show the audience that it is the focus point. Also, the use of leading lines from the balcony and rows of chairs at the front help draw the viewer to the main subject. Overall all it is clear, through this image and many of her other pieces, that Tanya Deman is questioning the political issue of man vs nature and the impact that we are having on it. This is achieved through the use of a juxtaposition between the natural land assisted by urban landscapes dropped into them. These compositions depict a changing environment and creates an oddly disturbing message to us; who is destroying the natural land.