For my home sweet home project, I happened to be in my grandmothers house in the Isle of Wight for Christmas. This Christmas was quite different to the many Christmases we have spent in the past at my Nans house as my Nan wast around as she is currently in a care home. With her care prices getting expensive, it is looking likely that we as a family will have to sell the house and this is a real shame for me as I have such fond memories of the place growing up and I have come to call it a second home. This though resounded throughout my family as it is my dads childhood home also. I set out to photograph the house itself as well as my family within it for my project and to highlight the feeling of home my nans house provides me and my family.
Images from shoot
Here are my images from my shoot alongside my thoughts on them
The exterior of my nans house. I have adjusted the exposure as the image was originally over exposed and this created a lot of noise and distortion within the image
The blinds in the rear bedroom of the house looking out onto the garden. I liked the contrast of the image as the silhouettes of the blinds act as a block to the light environment of the outside. I increase d the color filters and the vibrancy filterer to further enhance the color in the garden
My Younger sister playing in the back hall way with the light shining on her. I liked the candid nature of this image as my sister was unaware I took the photo so all actions in the photo are natural. The lighting is also a key element of the image
A penguin toy on the back mantle piece atop the heater. This penguin toy is significant to me as i remember it fondly growing up and it has played a key part in my childhood, adding to the atmosphere and feel of home
My sister in my aunties living room on Christmas day. In this image I was drawn to the warm light of the setting sun shining on the living room and the reflection of the decorations. To me this image has a very homely feel
My younger brother playing on his Nintendo switch. I took this photo as he was unaware I was taking it so he therefore acted naturally, making it a truly candid shot and due to the presence of the sofa in the background and the soft toy, further implying the feeling of home.
Francis Foot was born in 1855. In his early years he was a gas fitter, but he later developed an interest in photography and so much so that his family purchased a shop in pitt street, where they represented UK record retailer HMV. The logo is still painted on the exterior of the shop today. He then went on to have 4 children, George, Stanley, Dora and Reg.
Francis’ photography was published as postcards and many of his images and films have been curated by the Societe Jersaie Archive for historical purposes. His video portfolio provides video of aircraft landing on the beach in St Aubins bay, St Helier Harbour and Shipwrecks around the island
Below are some examples of Francis’ work
The Smith family, Taken around 1909. A traditional family portrait which features themes of hierarchy due to the arrangement of the family. The assumed father of the smith family sits central, With his son next to him and daughter in front of him sat on the floor. His wife sits aside his son whilst the members standing in the backdrop could either be extended family such as aunties cousins etc, Or could be maids and servants that are essentially considered part of the family
The weighbridge taken from pier road, Much different from the waterfront known by all today. The row of buildings opposite the sea wall are today a major financial hub as seen in Lewis bush’s work below. This image is particularly important in terms of historical change as this image was taken just a few years before the idea of land reclamation came into play and started to be developed upon.
Contemporary Artist Study: Lewis Bush
Lewis Bush is a British photographer whom recently did an arch isle photographic residency In Jersey. he is 31 years of age. However he started life on a very different route to photography, Working as a consultant researcher for the United Nations AIDS/HIV Task force, Tasked with researching potential cures and solutions to the AIDS/HIV Crisis. In 2012, Bush decided to focus on his own photo graphical works and projects, and one of his main focuses was to draw attention to various invisible powers throughout the world and photograph them and what they entail.
Lewis was recently in Jersey as part of the Archisle International Photographer in Residencey project, Where artists from all over the world spend a 6 month period in Jersey curating projects with an insight into island life whether that be past or present or even future. Bush created a project named “Trading Zones” which focused upon the finance industry in Jersey and the power within it. Bush found that the power of the finance industry could either positively ro negatively affect the lives of many millions of people and therefore set out to photograph this unapparent power at work.
Bush takes quite an interesting approach to the project, By using architectural drawings and building plans throughout the project, Highlighting various Sectors within the finance industry and many metaphorical features of it
Bush’s Work
In this image, Bush has curated aerial photographs of offices opposite liberation bus station. He includes the companys and corporations occupying the buildings as well as the branches and divisions of such companies. I personally like this image as it gives off a sense of dominance in terms of the amount of financial office space and it also has a military observational aesthetic to it, with the listings of the buildings and the aerial imagery This image depicts many corner structures of various financial offices/ Buildings, Such as the RBC building and Nat-west International bank. Bush is good at highlighting that some of the offices, Such as the one in the top right, are actually historical buildings that have been modernized and brought into present day by the inclusion of Glass and steel girders to give the building a modern and professional lookAnother interesting piece of work from Bush is this Image of a public telescope on ST Catherines Breakwater. The image is titled “Hong Kong, 9896km”. This image is powerful in representation of the international influence of Jerseys finance sector as the Island has ties with many banks and industries within Hong Kong, itself a major finance capital. What is more interesting is the telescope looking out to see, Almost as if it is making contact with and directing the viewer towards Hong Kong as this image was taken on Jerseys east coast
Still life is a form of artistic expression that dates back to the middle ages. It is a form of art that typically contains inanimate objects such as dead animals, Foodstuffs, and man made objects such as vases and goblets. Originally, Still life paintings were commissioned by the wealthy as a display of wealth and power. Throughout the colonial period, A typical still life painting would consist of various exotic imports such as gold, coffee and precious metals.
Still life is popular among artists due to the freedom of expression through the arrangement and emphasis placed on certain objects and it was also used as a medium to portray many philosophical messages, Such as representations of life, mortality and politics.
The very earliest examples of still life were found in the tombs of ancient Egyptian pharaohs. It was believed that the paintings of foodstuffs and riches would become real in the afterlife and would help serve the deceased pharaoh. Ancient Greek vase paintings also depicted scenes of fruits and wealth, many still life paintings were also created in mosaic form on the floors of wealthy villas and regal temples
Many early still life paintings from the Roman Era up until very recently have contained images of skulls, Which represent mortality and decay. These images are often accompanied by the Latin phrase “Omnia Mors Aequat” meaning “Death makes all equal”
The emergence of oil painting made the creation and painting of these still life images much more realistic due to the ability to layer paints on top of one another. In this time the main emphasis of the paintings was on religious symbolism, however Leonardo Da Vinci was one of the first artists to break free from this trend and explore the origins of still life, Who went into studying fruits and painting these in watercolour
In the 20th Century, Matisse adapted still life portraits to include multi coloured backgrounds, exploring features of abstraction and symbolism
Examples of Still life Paintings
Pieter Claesz 1597-1660 Still life portrait depicting a skull representative of mortality featuring a writing quill and candle holder as well as glass goblet. The toppled goblet and toothless skull serve as symbols of berevity and lossCharles Cerny 1892-1965 A still life painting depicting various objects typical to the subject of male grooming in the early 20th century. The image portrays themes such as masculinity and male image
Unknown artist-1990s/2000s Image depicts singular Nike Air Jordan, Toffee sweets and a mug. Image typical of modern teen culture, exploring ideas of materialism
We were lucky enough to be visited by an occupation veteran called Joan. She was 6 at the start of the occupation and we had the pleasure of spending an afternoon with her hearing her tales and stories of the occupation.
Joan lived up on the north coast and she recalls that prior to the occupation. Her and her mother and father would watch the lights from the gunfire over the coast of France and she would frequently hear and see planes flying over the coast of France.
She then spoke of the islanders reactions to the united kingdoms decision to demilitarize the Islands. Many islanders felt they had been sold off to the Germans and disregarded by the United Kingdom. Joan also told us of the time she watched German bombers fly over the island and heard distant explosions. These explosions actually turned out to be the Germans Bombing St Helier
She lived down the road from Les Platons, which was the highest point on the island and this immediately became a German stronghold and Joan can recall fortifications being built by slave workers as well as guns being brought in and deployed
Joan also spoke of life in general. The cliff faces and beaches were all wired off and mined and became restricted zones, as well as the introduction and issue of ration books to each and every islander. Joan’s mother registered as a farm worker in order to receive more weekly rations. A curfew was also put in place, Banning islanders from being out after 10pm in summer and pm in winter.
Not Only did Joan tell us her stories of the occupation, She also told us of her memories of liberation. On the 8th of may her father, who was an office worker in town got sent home early as news had broke of the fall of the Nazis in Europe and that Jersey would be liberated the following day. On his way home he passed a distant cousin who had been storing a lorry in their barn for the duration of the occupation. The whole family, Joan included all got in the lorry and drove to town to celebrate
Photographing Joan
Joan then gave us the opportunity to photograph her in the studio. Below are my originals and final edits
In this photo, I have chosen to desaturate the image and increase the contrast while boosting the shadows to create a deep black and white effect to create a nice aesthetic. I have also used the spot removal tool on Joan’s face to remove patches where the light was shining off of her face
I decided to photograph Joans hands as I was quite intrigued by her jewelry. I decided to desaturate the whole image and bring the blacks down and boost the whites to give the jewelry a glow.
For this image I decided to take a photograph of Joans eyes as I find that a persons eyes can tell a lot about them. I decreased the vibrance and saturation and upped the blue saturation and luminance to make the eyes more prominent
An occupation in a military sense is the control of a country/ region by a military force. The Occupation of Jersey by the Nazis began on 30th June 1940 and concluded with the Liberation of the Island on the 9th of May 1945. The occupation brought about a lot of change within the Channel Islands, from the banning of personal motor vehicles to the mining of all beaches and the fortification of the island as a whole, of these fortifications, many still stand today as reminders of the islands past under Nazi rule.
In the early stages of the second world war, Jersey played a part in an allied bombing mission on Turin and Genoa in Italy. 36 Whitley bomber aircraft used Jersey as a refueling base before launching their attack on northern Italian industrial targets. This was the islands last military usage.
Jersey was liberated a day after the surrender of the Nazis on May the 9th, 1945 by two naval officers from the Royal Navy aboard HMS Beagle. The 9th of May is now an annual public holiday in Jersey and is widely celebrated by all ages.
I am particularly interested in the liberation of Jersey and the legacy it has left upon the island, and the way that May 9th has gone down in history as a day to be widely celebrated across Jersey. I find it a very interesting subject as It truly highlights the spirit of the Island and it celebrates those islanders whom lived through oppression and their will and determination as well as their loyalty to the crown despite being under German rule at the time.
Reminders of the loyalty to the crown and faith in the allies lies at our very feet in Jersey. An example can be found in royal square, Where towards the westerly end of the square, A V shape can be found in the paving. These bricks were lain by Jersey pavers under German supervision and are a symbol of defiance. The V itself stands for victory and throughout the latter phases of the occupation, V’s were spray painted onto road signs and buildings across the Island as an act of defiance and silent rebellion against the occupying forces.
Within my family there is a strong connection to the occupation as both of my grandparents on my mothers side lived In Jersey at the time of the occupation. Liberation to my Grandparents was an extremely important day and one they celebrated every single year without failure, and the day itself has therefore maintained significance through the generations.
Crowds Gather outside the Pomme D’or Hotel for the first raising of the Union flag for 5 years
Recently, I visited the battery moltke artillery battery with my school. The site began being built in 1941 and its role was a coastal artillery/ anti aircraft battery. Its main role during the occupation was to protect St Ouens bay from a potential naval/amphibious allied invasion, However, The guns had a range that could cover the rest of the islands coast if required. The site consists of a bunker, two gun emplacements and a German MP3 tower, used for radio telecommunications and targeting vessels and allied aircraft.
The site itself housed four 155mm french cannons with a range of 19,200 meters aswell as multiple turreted field defense bunkers known as tobruk by the allies. These were essentially small bunkers with turret mounts on top of them.
On our visit, we explored the bunker system and ventured into the barracks, where the officers working on duty at the bunker would have rested on longer shifts. The barracks are gas proof due to an air filtration system and a decontamination area. The barracks themselves featured authentic German furniture and artifacts such as family photos on the walls. It was a very insightful visit as we were able to witness the conditions these soldiers had to live in and seeing their barracks was also a reminder that not all of the Nazi forces were bad people, many were only serving in the armed forces as if they didn’t, the Nazis would kill them and their families.
We then took a walk to the Radio tower further along the les landes headland. It was here that a radar would have been equipped to help track allied vessels and aircraft and provide ranging and targeting details to the gunners back at battery moltke. If you look out of the radio tower on the far left hand side, you can directly see the la moye radio tower on the other side of the island. The Germans blew up a large rock face in order for the towers to both be visible to each other to provide a strategic advantage and to also have both towers in visibility of each other in the event one was destroyed, so the Germans would have certain confirmation of this
Overall, The trip was very insightful in terms of seeing the conditions the soldiers worked in, as well as seeing the actual architecture of the bunkers and fortifications themselves and appreciating the work put in by the many forced workers and laborers. The fortifications around Jersey still stand today as a memorial of not only the occupation itself, but as a memorial to all of the workers who perished during construction of the fortifications and the hardships they endured
Here are some images I took whilst on the trip
The radio observation tower on les landes headlandThe outward view from a slit on the side of the radio tower overlooking a small turret bunker
authentic German gas masks and other artifacts, preserved and encased in a glass cabinet inside battery moltke
I have decided to experiment with the photo montage technique for potential use in my long term project. I have incorporated my own images and combined them with archival imagery to create strong and powerful motifs representative of life in Jersey during the occupation. I have used the traditional approach of physically cutting and pasting images with craft knives and glue. I am looking to tell a story through each image by using photos and images that are relevant to one another
Images
Here are my edited images. All have been cut and paste together by hand and during this process, I have been looking at ways of making the montage both interesting and informative, for example for the below image, I used an archival image of a group of young Jersey men, whom assisted in the building of multiple German fortifications. In the second image I have utilized the front page of the JEP newspaper as a backdrop to a German radio tower. The newspaper cover contains a notice on it regarding the allied invasion of Normandy, and it is a message from the German commandant to the islanders warning them that if Jersey were to be invaded then resistance/ co operation with the allies would be punishable
In this image I have chosen to cut and paste a group of male workers over the top of the Les landes radio tower. I chose the photo as it is providing us an insight into the faces of the real men who were forced into creating these structures.
This image is my favorite image I have produced. I have cut out the outline of the Les Landes radio tower and pasted it over the top of a copy of an original JEP front cover from D-Day. The newspaper article itself is essentially German propaganda as it is stating that many parachute units have been destroyed and the article also states that the Germans are successfully pushing the allies back into the sea, which wasn’t the case. This propaganda was used to lower morale in islanders in order to keep them under control and create less chance of an islander led rebellion.
This image incorporates German bunker art in the batterie moltke bunker system, with an image of the first allied military service on the island after Liberation. The bunker art depicts an eagle atop a bomb with the caption translating to “It will fly over England”,meaning that the eagle which is a metaphor for the German Luftwaffe will have aerial superiority over the skies of the mainland. It was painted in the bunker most likely to boost morale and used as a form of propaganda. I have decided to superimpose the image of the allied military parade over the top of the bunker art, as the image of the allied parade is representative of triumph and victory, and also due to it being layered over the top of the image, represents allied superiority.
In this image, I have chosen to utilise a photograph of a German signpost, which translates to “entry forbidden” and I have incorporated images of young children from the occupation into the image. I find it quite a powerful image as for some of these children growing up, they would have seen the occupation as rather quite normal as they may not have had much experience of freedom and liberty before the occupation. For children that may have experienced life before occupation, the process of going from total freedom to living under Nazi rule must have been a very confusing process. from freely roaming through country lanes to having restrictions on where they could go and play must have been confusing beyond comprehension for children and young people
A photo book is a physical compilation of images presented in a book/leaflet form. The vast majority of photo books provide a narrative and tell a story. I have been studying a selection of photo books by various photographers and here are my observations and analysis of these photobooks.
Mood board
Here are a few of the books I have studied and images from all of them and analysis of the images themselves
FOUND SURFACES
“Found Surfaces” is a photo book by Eleni Bakagianni and it provides us double page spread images of various surfaces and textures found in an urban environment. I find the images very aesthetically pleasing and I also like the book as a whole as it helps to portray the authours creativity in terms of her being able to take a photograph of something that is essentially always overlooked and walked past on a daily basis, and turn it into a piece of art that pleases the eye
This is my favorite image from Found Surfaces. I am unsure as to what the image is of, I am assuming it is either a wall with damage marks or a birch tree trunk. Either way the image is very powerful in terms of its minimalism yet aesthetic properties. The black marks provide a nice contrast to the whites of the surface and there is a good sense of texture throughout the image
SIGNS OF LIFE
Signs of life is a photo book by Phillip Reid, which depicts aerial images of built up areas and includes images of sports stadiums, housing estates and high rise districts. The whole book has consistently strong geometric properties as a result of photographing from an angle which captures multiple of the same of similar types of building.
Here is my favorite image from Signs of Life. I am particularly drawn to the geometric nature of the image, with the straight walls and roofs of the buildings really standing out. The photo is well contrasted due to the white of the buildings standing out from the blacks of all of the surrounding trees/bushes.
CHERNOBYL
Another photo book I have studied is “Chernobyl” by John Darwell. The book provides an insight into the once populated Ukrainian town of Chernobyl, which was home to one of the worlds most disastrous nuclear catastrophes the world has ever seen. I have a particular interest in Chernobyl itself due to its story and how the whole town has essentially been frozen in time. The only thing that has changed through the absence of human life in the city is that nature has started to take over and decay is widespread.
Here is my favorite image from Chernobyl. The image depicts what appears to be a local grocery store. In the photo, it is evident that the place has been left to nature and nature has well and truly taken over, with the plants overgrowing and growing out of the concrete pavement at the front of the shop.The photo itself truly represents the power of the natural world and its ability to reclaim land when humans are not present. the image itself consists of many greens and yellows in the form of the shop and pavement, as well as the greens of the undergrowth and both of these colors compliment each other very well. Another feature of this photo I like is the blue sky, it represents serenity and peace and is a nice complimentary background to the subjects in the image.
For my A2 photography coursework, I will be studying the occupation of Jersey. The island came under Nazi occupation on 30th of June 1940 as the Channel Islands had been declared as a demilitarized zone by the British parliament. The German forces invaded the Island and Jersey remained under Nazi Occupation until the 9th of May 1945, when the island was liberated following the declaration of allied victory in Europe.
During the Occupation, The Nazis set about fortifying the island with bunkers and tunnels as a part of Hitler’s Atlantic wall. The Channel Islands were the most heavily fortified parts of the Atlantic wall, with the overall total of extracted rock from the island standing at 244,000 cubic feet, compared to 225,000 cubic feet for the whole of the rest of the Atlantic wall excluding the Channel Islands.
After Liberation, Almost all bunkers and fortifications were left standing as a reminder of the Islands past. Today these fortification still stand, 70 years on and are a common feature of the islands landscape. Many fortifications have been kept in good condition and preserved by the Channel Islands Occupation Society, whereas some minor buildings and fortifications have been left to nature.
The occupation itself has created a legacy for the Island in terms of the Islanders stories of occupation and many family ties to the occupation. My grandparents lived in the Island during the occupation,My grandmother lived in The island at the time in Valle des Vaux and my Grandfather lived at Janvrin Road. I have grown up being told stories of the war,such as the time my grandfather and a friend of his ran to a German bomber crash site and took bullets and souvenirs from the wreckage. My family are in possession of an authentic German bayonet that my grandfather stole from an officer who had left it on a low wall. I would like to locate this artifact and many others my family are in possession of and photograph them as a part of my project.
