NARRATIVE:

In terms of the narrative of my zine, I will be focusing on the various aspects and ways in which war is captured through 3 main ways. Firstly using the photographic archives of Societe Jersaise and using the photos which I personally selected, making them into montages. This gives the images a modern and contemporary twist with the use of geometric patterns and shapes, representing the relevancy of war in today’s society. Within the narrative, I will also be representing the still life images which I took within the studio. The objects which can be seen in the images are all war memorabilia, important as they represent a physical object which dates back to that time, showing us that the occupation will forever be remembered through the items which remain in archives and society. Lastly I will be including photos from my own personal family archive which will be modified in order to fir the colorful narrative of the rest of the images, especially the still life which will be featuring colorful backgrounds. I think this is very important as my family did not have a direct link with the Jersey occupation yet faced the war in ways which was very similar, making the zine personal to my own experience.

SEQUENCING:

The overall sequencing and layout of my zine will be fairly simplistic in terms of layout. I will keep my images full bleed, expanding to the very edges of the zine, therefore making each image a double spread. I think this is extremely important as the viewer is able to focus in on details of each image which may be missed if a multitude of photos are displayed on a spread.For example, within my second montage there are small details such as the soldier in the right hand corner saluting to the air, if this image were to be made smaller and and used in conjunction with other images, it is likely to be missed therefore making small details like that irrelevant and a waste of time when creating them. I will also be including a quote on the right hand side of the image in order to add more meaning to the zine and another point of interest.

MOOD BOARD:

In order to give me inspiration and a deeper understanding about the various different layouts which can be used within a zine, I have looked at other examples of zines which display a variety of different layouts.

-Amition, the idea that Jersey is restricing for young people these days, like how in the occupation you had to deal with what you had on the island, there was no way you could leave to go to the mainland.

-Identity, jersey again is a small place, views on the island can be very outdated people are stuck in their old ways, especially the older generation those who experience much more hardship than us.

-Voice, exploring how much of a voice the younger generation have, do they vote, do the older generation feel like we should have a say, do they think we are mature enough to know what the island needs.

-Security, during the war houses were where people felt most secure. Myself, I feel most safe at my mums house rather than my dads its more familiar and homely to me. Recent things such as the Grouville rape have made me more inclined to stay at home especially now that is gets so dark so early.

-Choice, there is any option in Jersey now i’m writing my personal statement for university because there is nothing I want to do that involves staying in Jersey, compared to the UK there are very little apprenticeships, the majority of work is within the finance industry, there are no universities on island and there is only one non fee-paying school that offers A-levels.

-Wealth, in my option Jersey is extremely money orientated. The ever growing finance sector, the tax heaven it offers for the ultra-rich, the constant supply of new accommodation. All these fail Jersey’s natural environment, for instance the new development at West Quay has caused pollution to the marina. More and more housing, offices, mansions are being built on our island yet the government are taking years to decide where to build the new hospital.

-Democracy, our government/states formation is complex and confusing, when I voted for the first time I was confused by the amount of people I was voting for, in St Brelades there are several people running for constable but in some parishes there is only one person who runs and they are automatically given the place this isn’t democratic in any way it seems corrupt to me.

-Separation, my parents have been divorced ever since I was little and I would be lying if I said it wasn’t a struggle, the main reason for this is my step-mum we never really got on. having two everything is now normal to me but it forced me to make decisions other kids didn’t have to make. My mum took the divorce the worst and I noticed as a young kid she was going through emotional distress.

-Sleep, as a kid I used to dread going to bed, i would have endless nightmares. Now I can’t wait to sleep it’s what I look forward to the most. I want to explore how different people have different experiences of sleep and how it can be a struggle for one personal but a joy for others, this can come with age or life events.

-Water, I have this phobia of deep sea and the unknown of whats beneath me. I don’t like fish coming close to me, in fact I just don’t like fish at all. I think the thing that scares me the most about the sea is the fact their is so much of it, many areas that haven’t even been discovered yet, the possibility of unknown animals is dawning. Even in a closed off swimming pool I get panicked about a potential shark. The biggest problem I have with this is that I love swimming it’s always been my best sport but only when its in a pool full of other people.

To begin researching for my personal investigation I started looking at what was around me. For me, the easiest way to start creating your own ideas and plans it to first look at what other people have done before you. Therefore, I gathered some of the photo-books from previous year 13 students and went through them picking out bits I liked and inspirations I could take from them. In terms of composition, all 4 of the book have included a mix of full bleed, double page spreads, smaller images and sets in their books which is the first thing I want to recreate.

1. ‘Is that my blue butterfly’- Mattie Knapman

The first book that I looked at was named ‘Is that my blue butterfly?’ by Mattie Knapman. I really enjoyed looking at this despite it being very emotional containing sad and violent photos/collages. The theme of the book is centered around his mother, who at the time of making was passing away in hospital. The book contains a mix of archival and recent photos of him and his mother, as well as collaged photos and which was have been painted/drawn over. Another aspect of this book that I think adds another aspect of understanding is the inclusion of photos of objects. For example, Mattie chose to include a double page spread of a photo of his mother’s hospital band. He has also included a note at the beginning in which he explains the reasoning of the book which in turn gives a more personal touch, especially as it is in his own handwriting.

‘Choose Life’-Oscar Vibert

The second book I looked at was ‘Choose Life’ by Oscar Vibert. This photo-book has a much more relaxed atmosphere than the previous but still has it’s meaning. The theme of this book in my opinion is mostly about skating and living everyday life. Here are some aspects of the book which I would like to draw inspiration from:

1. The entirety of the photo-book being black and white.
2. Title with a reference to something else but still fits own project.
3. Head on up close portraits.
4. The subject’s possessions included. E.g- skateboard.
5. Shots in everyday life/all look like similar shoots or same day shoots.
6. Photos with direct eye contact.
7. Carefree/laid-back atmosphere that demonstrates everyday life as a young person.

The above photos with the white striping also look like they may have been taken on film which is another aspect I want to use in my own personal investigation/photo-book.

Above is the main type of portraiture I want to include; which shows a person’s full face, everyday habits and seems natural.

3. ‘All My Love’- Jude Luce

This photo-book is similar to Mattie Knapman’s as it focuses on the themes of family and relationships with parents etc. I don’t particularly like most of the book as it contains some images which I think don’t necessarily need to be in there or don’t relate to the theme or title. Some aspects I do like are:

1. Actual physical photos which has been printed from film and later stuck in.
2. The comparison to old and new.
3. Archival imagery of his parents lives, e.g old photo booth photos of the two together.
4. The inclusion of sentimental things and objects such as the addition of a photo of a tattoo on someone’s leg and the original bracelet charm it was taken from.
5. Included some images of himself and his life and his girlfriend which replicated his parents relationship.

4. ‘The Getaway’

I’m not sure who the creator of this photo-book is as I couldn’t find a name anywhere on the book or blog. However, what attracted to me to this photo-book is that it just perfectly illustrates teenagers lives and the things they do. Most of the images seem like they haven’t been purposely taken for this reason even though they easily could have been. Most of the images don’t really make a lot of sense and are a bit weird which I really like as that is just the same as everyday life. They are all also all black and white images of people which I want to also do.

We started of the OCCUPATION vs LIBERATION with a visit to the Societe Jersiase learning about the historical importance of photo-graphical archives and they role they play within preserving memories and evidence of the Jersey occupation. We were able to do our own research too by looking through the abundance of photo albums which are kept in the archives. The overall experience at the archives was very informative yet interesting at the same time, we started of with a small introduction to the archives and what they were all about, giving a brief history and the intended purpose of them. We then proceeded to do various activities relating to the occupation and the archives, we were able to choose a variety of images for out own personal use which can be seen down below. The sheer size of the archives is huge and is a very useful resource for students and the public alike who want to explore more about the occupation and want to see a photographic resources.

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In terms of starting my OCCUPATION vs LIBERATION project I started by looking back at my own personal history and family archives which I squired during a trip back to my home country Latvia. This was extremely interesting to me as I was not only able to reflect back on my own family heritage but gain more general knowledge abut WW2 and the Jersey occupation. During this project I also learnt about an abundance of other photographers which correlate to the theme of occupation vs liberation very well. For example the first photographer which we looked at, Michelle Sank, in one of her photo series looks at the life of her teenage daughter, documenting the differences in lifestyle which she observes between the youth and adult population of the country. This allowed me to gain more insight about contextual information about Sank and allowed me to explore other photography styles in the ‘Home Sweet Home’ unit as she has a very particular and consistent manner in which she shoots her models and photographs, making very direct and obvious eye contact with the camera.

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We also invested a considerable time into hearing the story of Bob Le Sueur. A 99 year old an who lived through the occupation in his teen years. We we were able to hear about the real life stories of a regular man living through some of the toughest times of the last millennia. The hardships. the struggle and adversity which he faced. During Bob’s time at Hautlieu, we were able to capture images of him in the studio using a professional set up. Using an infinity screen, fixed camera lens, flash trigger and soft box lights. All of these elements coming together to create refined and professional imagery which showcased the aging process of Bob beautifully. With his textured skin, abundant wrinkles and age spots. I was able to learn more about professional studio set ups and the correct manual set ups for the camera when using a flash trigger to illuminate the image.

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We then went on to looking more closely at still life imagery. researching a variety of artists and learning about the classical art style. I was able to get a gain a deeper understanding about the variety of symbolism which are portrayed through still life, and how it all ties together to encompass traditional and modem techniques of photography. Overall this was my favorite section of work as this was a topic I have been interested personally for quite a while as I am very interested in other art mediums other than photography. Even though it is seems to be a purely aesthetic art from, the symbolism which is conveyed through each object within the paintings has it’s own unique meaning. For example the depiction of a skull could represent several things,perhaps the most obvious option and universal is death. This positioning of the skull can alter how the painting is read; for example if the skull is displayed in the foreground of the painting it could be read as warning. Also musical instruments, these items were considered to be extremely luxurious, therefore if an instrument in excellent condition (such as a flute) was depicted, it would be read a symbol of wealth – this would certainly be more prevalent in more historical 18^th century still life art. On the other hand, a damaged or old musical instrument could represent loss of wealth or be representative of a family heirloom. Through the inspiration of the classical still life which we looked at, I was able to create my very own photography using the techniques and symbolism which I learned.

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In conclusion, I was able to learn a variety of skills through this focused topic. Learning about the importance of photographic archives which later inspired me to go out and conduct my own research in my family archives. Talking to my mum about these and finding out insightful information which I never even knew myself. I carried this curiosity about my family forward when exploring my current family and the dynamics of their daily lives through candid photography. Later carrying forward the theme of war, looking at the life story of Bob and the various interesting stories he had made me learn about why it is importance to remember war and cherish the people who still live on to tell the tale. Lastly looking at still life and learning about very important technical skills which we were able to use when photographing in the studio and use items which carried deep symbolic meaning.