For this zine, I wanted to portray the relations towards the people and objects. I wanted to show how the objects could’ve been used and who could’ve been using them. To show this I paired images of people from archival sources (Société Jersiaise and the Jersey Archives) and images I took of WW2 objects. I wanted to show the occupation and liberation of the people of Jersey through the relationship of the people and objects, and I wanted to pair the images together such as an old radio with a archival image of German soldiers using a radio. I will show this narrative and context with the layout of my zine, also I will show the narrative between the person and object with my layout design.
Sequencing:
For this zine, I want to match the colours of the background of my WW2 object images with the back and front page of my zine. I also want to keep the theme of my zine quite simple as I want the images to stand out and have an impact on the person viewing my zine. One section of my zine will be the black and white images from the Jersey Archives mixed with the black and white images of the WW2 objects and the other section with be the photos of the WW2 objects with the coloured background. I want the title of the zine to be translated into German to link with the German occupation. I want to coordinate the colours with the images to create an aesthetic for my zine.
For personal study I want to show the pejorative and ameliorative sides of a romantic relationship. I am going to investigate what a ‘healthy relationship’ and a ‘unhealthy relationship’ is as I want to show the contrast of the two. The key photographers I initially researched were, Larry Sultan, David Kirscher, Nan Goldin, Lin Zhipeng and Yael Malka.
Howgate, S. (2017) Gillian Wearing and Claude Cahun; Behind the mask, another mask. London; Natural Portrait Gallery.
Critic Sarah Howgate said; ‘Self Portrait (against granite wall) (1916, cat.14) is one of the first examples of Cahun’s transformation into gender-neutral figure.’ (Howgate 2017:23)
Key characteristics/ conventions : In 1839, photography was first created in order to objectively present subjects scientifically.Photography was not considered as art until pictorialism was presented. Photography was considered too easy to be considered a form of art.
Photographers from the pictorialism era wanted to make photographs look like paintings and drawings to be like the art world, which juxtaposes original purpose for photographs. Male photographers emphasised erotic aspects of the female subjects. Women were made to look weak and sensual.
Artists associated: Julia Margaret Cameron (1815-1879), Peter Henry Emerson (1856-1936), The Vienna Camera Club (Austria), The Brotherhood of the Linked Ring (London), Photo-Secession (New York)
Key works:
Methods/ techniques/ processes: makes photographs look like paintings, experimented with chemicals in the dark room, placed Vaseline on lens.
REALISM / STRAIGHT PHOTOGRAPHY
Time period: Mid-19th century, first appearance was in 1826
Key characteristics/ conventions : Creating photographs which retaliate with pictorialism, and shows real life. Moving away from trying to make photographs look like paintings and focusing on detail, shapes and images. Realism captures real life society and brings up issues of society.
Realism was made with intent to impact and change the lives of the subject. This then influenced the movement of photo journalism and documentary photography among the genre.
Artists associated: Paul Strand, Alfred Stieglitz, Walker Evans, Social Reform Photography
Key works:
Methods/ techniques/ processes:
Using photography as its original purpose, to capture things in focused sand clearly.
Bright S and Van Erp H (2019)- Photography Decoded. London: Octopus Publishing House, Quotes.
Bright and Van Erp 2019:18- “ The process of manipulation starts as soon as we frame a person, a landscape, an object or a scene with our cameras.”
Bright and Van Erp 2019:17- “From Daguerre’s age to ours, photography has undergone a transformation, not only technologically but conceptually.”
Bright and Van Erp 2019:17- ” If manipulation is the first thing someone thinks of in connection to photography, what does that say about the value of photography as a reflection of reality?”
Bright and Van Erp 2019:20- “Does a photograph need a camera in order to be defined as one?”
Bright and Van Erp 2019:18- “Documentary and news imagery may seem the most realistic genres in photography, but their realism means nothing independently of how news media apply their ethical codes.”
Bright and Van Erp 2019:19-“What are the differences between reality, witness and point of view?”
Dance: Concepts and main focus based on the individuals dancing, experiences, genre and how dance makes them feel, look in depth at the deeper meaning of dancing- what it represents and portrays overall throughout there dance career and significant events that may have happened in their dancing career that have had an impact
History of dance: Starting from the beginning of each dancers history through to their current dance career and how it has built them as a person, significant times of their lives/events
Story telling: Narrative aspect, whats that individuals story, how did they get to where they are, whats their personal life like, who are significant figures in their lives, when did they start dancing, why did they start dancing
Essay question ideas:
Can personality and identity be expressed in a portrait?
Is it possible for photography to capture moments in time objectively and truthfully?
Can photography truly capture the essence of a moment, ultimately questioning why we take photographs?
How does Gjon Mili reflect dance movement and the significance of the emotions being portrayed through his photography?
How does Alexander Yakovlev shows passion and a story through dance photography
Introduction (250-500 words): What is your area study? Which artists will you be analyzing and why? How will you be responding to their work and essay question?
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. Link to power-points about isms and movements – M:\Departments\Photography\Students\Resources\Personal Study
Pg 2 (500 words): Analyse first artist/photographer in relation to your essay question. Present and evaluate your own images and responses.
Pg 3 (500 words): Analyse second artist/photographer in relation to your essay question. Present and evaluate your own images and responses.
Conclusion (250-500 words): Draw parallels, explore differences/ similarities between artists/photographers and that of your own work that you have produced
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?
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. Link to powerpoints about isms andmovements M:\Departments\Photography\Students\Resources\Personal Study
Pg 2 (500 words): Analyse first artist/photographer in relation to your essay question. Present and evaluate your own images and responses.
Pg 3 (500 words): Analyse second artist/photographer in relation to your essay question. Present and evaluate your own images and responses.
Conclusion (250-500 words): Draw parallels, explore differences/ similarities between artists/photographers and that of your own work that you have produced
Flicking briefly through the pages of Raised By Wolves, I am instantly drawn to the design and layout of the photobook, With the book consisting of images, with recorded dialogue and hand written, grungy letters accompanying the images. from a first look, the book appears to be about the 90’s punk/grunge culture of the USA, with many images relating to street culture, depicting scenes such as raves, skateboarding and working class life.
Jim Goldberg
Jim Goldberg is an American Photographer whom focuses on exploring populations of people whom are deemed to be out of the view of the mainstream media/press. Examples of these such groups include those in poverty, the homeless and those associated to punk/ grunge culture, the main focus in Raised By Wolves.
Gold Berg is associated with the social aims movement in photography, Taking a narrative approach to highlight issues within society and tell the stories of people from all different backgrounds. His ability to interact with his subjects is seen throughout his works, As his unique approach allows him to delve deep into the lives of his subjects and explore them and show them in a new light that may have been previously unseen by other members of society
Raised By Wolves
Raised by Wolves, Is an extremely moving photobook that details the lives of homeless young adults in Los Angeles. The book consists of multiple images, accompanied by handwritten messages from the subjects themselves, as well as dialogues of stories and encounters as told by the subjects themselves. The book itself aims to explore the issue of homelessness in Los Angeles, a city seen by the world as the home of Hollywood and infinite luxuries. Goldberg aimed to produce this piece of work to show the world that despite the luxurious draw of Los Angeles, many thousands of people were suffering from poverty and homelessness in underdeveloped and under looked communities, thus inspiring an atmosphere of rebellion and dissent towards law and order, An atmosphere that was felt across the vast majority of the western world at the time, Spawning the “Punk” movement. Often associated with loud, vicious rock and the iconic Mohawk haircut, The Punk movement coined its name from a term used to describe a person who was seen as worthless and of no importance in the world. Punk culture revolves around the ideas of rebellion, self freedom and anti establishment views.
Raised By Wolves consists of striking imagery depicting daily life for young adults left homeless within Los Angeles. Many of these youths managed to form communities of fellow homeless adolescents and inhabit abandoned buildings. AS typical with young people, Partying was common among these communities, and It is widely depicted within the book, with themes of addiction and trauma also incorporated to further tell the stories of those on the streets.
Book Design
The book is presented with a glossy cover, With the silhouetted outline of a female with the main title written in a graffiti style. The image of the young woman is laid over the top of an image of an adolescent male in an urban environment. The rear cover of the book includes a written letter from a subject Goldberg photographed, reminding him to publish the book to show the world who the people of the streets really are. The pages themselves are of a semi gloss finish and the book is bound by stitching, Which is visible when turning the pages of the book itself. Images usually take up a full page, however there are also a few full bleed images included. One of the unique characteristics of the book itself is the incorporation of handwritten notes from the subjects themselves, talking about aspirations, their lives and attitudes towards society. There are also recorded dialogues within the books, straight from conversations with subjects themselves which I find adds a real interactive element to the photobook as it allows us to not only explore the physical lives of those that Goldberg decided to photograph, but it also allows us an insight into the mentality and mind of those photographed.
Image Analysis
This image depicts two males in an apparent fight on the right hand page, and on the left of the page, there is a film roll depicting the same fight, almost giving the impression of being a contact sheet due to the circled frame within the image. Below the roll we see the typical handwritten notes associated with goldbergs world famous project, allowing for us to gain context into the scenes we are presented with
Within this image, we see a staple piece of Raised By wolves in the form of the forefront subjects denim jacket. The jacket itself is covered in graffiti and motifs and has become an instantly recognizable symbol of grunge and youth culture. The subject in the jacket is sharing a moment with what seems to be a female love interest, however the female in the image seems to be focusing on something else in the distance, which can be seen as a metaphor for survival, as the woman is not focusing on her partner, but is rather on the lookout for something, potentially danger
This double page spread features an image of a young boy smoking a cigarette on the right, and a quote, seemingly taken from the boy pictured, on the right. This quote refers to sleezy old men, depicting the opinion of the homeless youth of Los Angeles towards the older, richer population. There is also a drug reference included , which further highlights the struggle and despair for these children
