ARTIST: Jack Latham

BOOK NAME: Sugar Paper Theory

Who is Jack Latham?

Latham was born in 1989 and is an extremely popular photographer based in Bristol and has produced several photobooks including ‘Sugar Paper Theory’ published in 2016, ‘A Pink Flamingo’ published in 2015 and many others. In 2015 Latham was awarded the Bar-Tur Photobook Award, funding the production of ‘Sugar Paper Theory’, which led to a solo exhibition. This solo exhibition was presented at Reykyavik Museum of Photography in Iceland this show helped aid his win of the British Journal of Photography International Photography Award for the series Parliament of Owls. A few more awards that Latham has been awarded: BJP – International Photography Award (Parliament of Owls), 2019/ mage Vevey – Heidi.News Prize, 2019/ Deutsche-Börse Photography Prize Longlist (Sugar Paper Theories), 2017/ Kraszna-Krausz Finalist (Sugar Paper Theories), 2017 and many more which helps highlight the significant portrayal that Latham has in the photography industry, also seen through his large amount of solo exhibitions for example, Sugar Paper Theories, Guernsey Photography Festival, Guernsey, 2016 and Worthing Artist in Residence, Brighton Photo Fringe, Worthing, 2018.

Book in hand: how does it feel?

The overall literal feeling of the book has a feeling much like sugar paper which aid the title of the book ‘Sugar Paper Theory’, along side having a tougher spine which helps combine the overall book structure together. The front cover lacks any other textures and has an overall smooth surface. The book till hold the ‘new book’ scent which creates a refreshing overall feeling over the book and suggests the owner of the book has taken good care of it, as it still looks prestige.

Paper and ink: use of different paper/ textures/ colour or B&W or both.

The front cover is a common sugar paper colour which is a pale yellow with red, blue and yellow drawings on top of the paper which look as if they have been hand drawn which adds deeper meaning and thought to the image. The ink on the front cover appears to be felt tip for the ‘decoration’ and the title in a printed text. When looking through the book there is a consistent trend of different types of paper that the images and texts. There are variations of a classic white paper boarder which is used on all the colour prints, followed by black and white pages which looks like white ink on black paper, with images printed on A3 paper and folded in with one half on the image and then when turning the page so it leave a empty unseen sleeve between pages; this creates the read to be more intrigued and adds better deeper meaning.

Format, size and orientation: portraiture/ landscape/ square/ A5, A4, A3 / number of pages./ Binding, soft/hard cover. image wrap/dust jacket. saddle stitch/swiss binding/ Japanese stab-binding/ leperello

The format of the book when closed is slightly larger than an A4 and the when opened near enough to the size of an A3, with initially the image being portrait how ever when opening and looking inside there is a large variety of portraits that over only one side of the page and some that cover across both sides the page creating a landscape image, i think makes the photo book more interesting to views as its provides a different angle and experience in each page. Furthermore the binding of the book has a classic appearance with a dirty blue spine contrasting with the pale year front cover- when taking note of this it came to my attention that the whole front cover is only presented through the three primary colours- red, yellow and blue which I thought was a interesting factor to consider.

Cover: linen/ card. graphic/ printed image. embossed/ debossed. letterpress/ silkscreen/hot-stamping.

On the cover there is no textures or embossed titles but simply a clean sheet with the texture of sugar paper which helps highlight the significance of the title ‘Sugar Paper Theories’. Have the simplistic textures I think helps concentrate the read on the title and the drawn images on the front, also leading to looking at the idea of only using primary colours.

Title: literal or poetic / relevant or intriguing.

The title being ‘Sugar Paper Theories’ at first is fairly mysterious and to me an intriguing title as it makes me want to find out more, as it does not give away much about what the book may be about- therefore giving a fairly poet feeling along side connotations of a scientific background through the noun ‘theories’ as well as there being further ideas of possibly multiple stories and thoughts that might come through the photo book.

Narrative: what is the story/ subject-matter. How is it told?

Jack Latham story is base on a true life incident that happened approximately forty years ago about a murder case, and therefore contributed to the ideas that Latham’is much like a documentary and story being told through a photo book. The story told is that 40 years ago, two men disappeared in Iceland (southwest). the findings and conclusions from the case were very limited which is why it became such a mysterious case. An eighteen year old boy set of from a nightclub on a 10 kilometer walk all the way home during the time of the true Iceland winter conditions, to continue a family man failed to return from a meeting with a mysterious strnger. In another time or place, they might have been logged as missing persons and forgotten by all but family and friends. Instead, the Gudmundur and Geirfinnur case became the biggest and most controversial murder investigation in Icelandic history. One of the main area that i believe that Jack Latham was trying to raise were the fixated factors on Iceland’s anxieties over smuggling, drugs and alcohol, and the corrupting influence of the outside world, i believe this to be an area being reflected from the book almost seen as a warning. Due to the significance of the case Iceland’s highest levels of political powers became involved in the plot soon leading to suspects of a younger generation who soon all wrote confessions, however its important to remember that in the story its noted that although all the suspect confessed not one could remember the actual event of the evening. When reading up on the story i found an interesting point that same about after the incident and how this case as helped point out ideas of interrogations and memory lose which could possibly lead to the wrong person being imprisoned. ‘ Now a public inquiry is uncovering another story, of how hundreds of days and nights in the hands of a brutal and inexperienced criminal justice system eroded the link between suspects’ memories and lived experience.’ (Quoted from the photopedagogy website)

Design and layout: image size on pages/ single page, double-spread/ images/ grid, fold- outs/ inserts. Structure and architecture: how design/ repeating motifs/ or specific features develops a concept or construct a narrative.

For me the design and layout is an essential point to consider when looking deeper into the overall view of the photobook, not only with this particular photo book that I am looking at but in fact every photo book has a deeper meaning and a story to look at through the layout and design choices made in the creation of the book. Furthermore, in the Sugar Paper Theories photo nook there is a large about of different types of pages and creations that have been produced. For example, Latham was fortunate enough to get hold of the archival photos from the time of the investigation and to me Jack Latham was trying to make these particular images stand out from the rest of his images, essays and the newspaper copies. Latham did this by copying the archival photos onto black A3 pages using grey and white ink, next folding over the A3 pages and creating pages leaving a closed gate way within the pages, which add an interesting views whether its through the literal fact that particular type of printing can be on double sided sheets or the idea of deeper meaning with idea of a secret fold in the paper which could relate to the whole concept and idea of the boom being an unsolved mystery still holding secrets and an untold story.

Images and text: are they linked? Introduction/ essay/ statement by artists or others.  Use of captions (if any.)

Through out the book there are pages with essays on a yellow page which look much like sugar paper which helps highlight the significance of the title ‘Sugar Paper Theories’, Furthermore, on he yellow paper is the actual story of the murder case in much more detail told by Jack Latham which i think helps add a personal aspect, as well as this factor the idea of telling the story mixed in with the archival ohtos from the time and Latham’sown images really helps tell a proper story and really projects the whole idea and feelings that are trying o b relayed on to the reader/ viewer. In addition to the yellow pages telling the story, there are also pink ‘sugar paper’ which have photo copies of the articles published about the murder investigation at the time which i think helps the reader really get in the mind set of how different the law system and general life was back forty years. Finally there re black A£ pages folded in half with a slip inside which add a type of excitment and infantrymdscSRwfen to the story which are all archival photo from the time of the investigation as well as Jack Latham’s own images. Overall, among all the different aspects found in the book Latham has really recreated this story and all the feelings that cam along with it which help the reader get inside of the emotins that come with the murder.

Write 3 literary sources from a:

• Book
• Internet
• Video

Harvard system of referencing

Bibliography: (book reference)

Barthes, R. (1993) Camera Lucida. London, vintage

1. Last name follow by comma, followed by the first letter of their first name and then a full stop
2. Year it was published found in the colophon
3. Book title name always in italics
4. The location of publication
5. Name of the publisher

How to incorporate a quote inside my own writing

*own text* … critic Roland Barthes says; ‘I decided then to take as a guide for my new analysis the attraction i felt for certain photographs’ (Barthes, 1993; 18)

1. Reference person
2. Then embed the sentence you want to use, using speech marks on both ends of the quote
3. Add brackets with the second name of author, the year it was published and the page number
4. close brackets

Referencing online sources:

1. Authors second name, followed by first letter of first name and the full stop
2. Year/time/date published
3. Title of article/review, always in italics
4. Where it was published (if possible to find)
5. Semi colon
6. Who it was punished by (if possible to find)
7. Reference the url link (cut and past in)
8. Date you accessed it

How to incorporate a quote inside my own writing

Blah blah blah critic … says; ‘text from article referenced’

1. Last name
2. Year or date published

The book ‘Photography Decoded’ authored by curator and writer Susan Bright and curator, writer and photo-historian Hedy van Erp.

IS IT REAL?

BIBLIOGRAPHY:

Bright, S and Van Evp, H. (2019) Photography decoded, London; Octopus publishing house

‘Photography emerged into a 19-th-century world that was undergoing rapid transformation on almost every aspect’ (Bright and Van Evp, 2019; 17)

‘The daguerreotype had aspirations to both the realistic and the theatrical, as well as to the commercial. The ‘mirror’ can serve as a metaphor for reality, whereas the red velevt evokes theatre curtains, within which the beautiful drama would unfold’ (Bright and Van Evp, 2019; 17)

‘The question arises: if manipulation is the first thing someone thinks of in connection to photography, what des that say about the value of photography as a reflection of reality?’ (Bright and Van Evp, 2019; 17)

‘Daguerreotype didn’t make up what was in front of the camera, as a mirror doesn’t lie’- Louis Daguerre (1787-1851). (Bright and Van Evp, 2019; 17)

‘the lack of human subjectivity makes it an example ofg ‘true reality’.’ (Bright and Van Evp, 2019; 18)

‘the process of manipulation starts as soon as we frame a person, landscape, an object or a scene with out camera: we choose a portrait or landscape format. What often follow is the addition of non-realistic filters, editing, altering and cropping. The binding principle of photography, however remains its relationship to reality, especially when at question is documentary photography or a picture in the news media: we are convinced that ‘it happened’- that the events they represent were real, that they actually took place’ (Bright and Van Evp, 2019; 18)

‘One can the ask: what are the difference between reality and witness and points of view’ (Bright and Van Evp, 2019; 18)

‘reality, witness and point of view can actually blend into on other’ (Bright and Van Evp, 2019; 18)

‘obscure the lines between fact and fiction’ (Bright and Van Evp, 2019; 18)

‘documentary elements in combination with the artists obsession and the sense of voyeurism that this evokes’ (Bright and Van Evp, 2019; 18)

photography has undergone a transformation, not only technologically but conceptual’ (Bright and Van Evp, 2019; 18)

‘We know that if ten people were asked to take a photograph of the same scene, this would result in ten different photographers, with as many dissimilar points of view. On’ (Bright and Van Evp, 2019; 18)

WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE?

BIBLIOGRAPHY:

Bright, S and Van Evp, H. (2019) Photography decoded, London; Octopus publishing house

‘in today’s culture, photographing oneself or being photographed has become almost as common as eating and sleeping’ (Bright and Van Evp, 2019; 149)

‘out online identity is more commonly seen as an outward gesture of our personality and identity and of how we wish to present ourselves in the wider world’ (Bright and Van Evp, 2019; 149

‘the mirror in the frame is part of photographic self-portrait and its history’ (Bright and Van Evp, 2019; 149)

‘Questions of self and identity have long concerned artists and are intensified as digital lives become ubiquitous and an aspect of performance becomes the norm in terms of modes of behaviour’ (Bright and Van Evp, 2019; 150)

TIME PERIOD

1960s/ 1970s

WHAT IS POSTMODERNISM

Postmodernism developed on the themes and conceptual ideas than began during the period where modernism first grew. This particular type of photography features surrealism, expressionism and other themes that relate to this point and values. As well as this there is also a movement away from traditional rules of art, adventuring away from the norm. Artists may diverge away from the norm by placing subjects in odd arrangement or displays and in some cases there may even be an absence of a definitive subjects, which allows new contextual feelings and idea to grow.

ROOTS AND INFLUENCES

1. World war II (1939-1945),
2. The revolution in science and technology since the 1950s

From Modernism to Postmodernism: The relationship
There are mainly two viewpoints on the relationship between modernism and postmodernism:
1. Postmodernism is a reaction to or even rejection of modernism.
2. Postmodernism is the development and new generation of modernism and they are two aspects of the same thing.

KEY CONVERSATIONS

• Postmodernism is the relation between shifting away from the norm of photography and real world situations. For example, social aspect, historical, political, psychological and many others.
• It considers what the audience believe and feels like when they see the photography
• Relate to the hidden agendas of the art markets and references to art museums and critics of the photography art world

METHOD AND TECHNIQUE

Photographs can be present in a wide range of ways for example blown up, blurred, focused, cropped etc, basically allows artist to express their feeling and thoughts of the topic that they are trying to represent. A popular technique is using repetition of the same image to project even more emphasis on key concepts.

ARTIST ASSOCIATION

• Jean Baudrillard
• Gilles Deleuze
• Jacques Derrida
• Michel Foucault
• Pierre-Felix Guattari
• Fredric Jameson
• Emmanuel Levinas
• Jean-Francois Guattari
• Richard Rorty

MODERNISM

TIME PERIOD

1900s/1960s

WHAT IS MODERNISM

The invention of modernism photography posed a significant aesthetic change to photography artistic history and lead to a shift in the way in which the production of photography is made and utilised the overall forum. The overall movement from old photography into modern photography is defined by a departure of traditional artistic fronts, such as painting and the movement of continuous attitudes. Photographers began using the camera as a direct tool compared to the idea of manipulating the images, modern photographers eventually disrupted the wider conventions of the art world by expanding both what was considered art and what was deemed an acceptable subject matter for it.

ROOTS AND INFLUENCES

By the late 1930s, more experimental photography began to emerge, influenced by Pictorialism and avant-garde photography such as Surrealism, German New Objectivity, and the photograms of László Moholy-Nagy and Man Ray

KEY CONVERSATIONS

• Modernism can be projected through multiple smaller projects such as straight photography or realism photography.
• Modernism is the art movement which associates with cultural trends and changes which came from the transformations in Western society during the late 19th century.

METHODS/TECHNIQUES

It was common that photographers projected there images in a black and white form which believed to help emphasis the sharp details in the images and added more focus on different parts of the image, as well as large frames sizes, adding to the over picture.

ARTIST ASSOCIATION

• Alfred Stieglitz- The steerage (1907)
• Paul Strand- Blind (1916)
• Tina Modotti- Workers Parade (1926)
• Alexander Rodchenko (1891-1956)

As a side project that helped support our area of concentration of Liberation vs occupation, as a photography group we are producing a newspapers based around our current topic, I believe this to enables the opportunity to enhance a further understanding of the topic and make me think more in to detail about the structural aspect and looking closely at the creation of my pages by telling a story through just one image with how it links to others pages creating an other all story from the front page to the back page of the newspaper. We were told to create about 3 pages of image in a newspaper form and as a group we would select the best ones which would create the best structural and historical deeper meanings, which will help the viewer and audience understand the newspaper and the story we are trying to project.

My newspaper pages:

HOW DOES GJON MILI REFLECT DANCE MOVEMENT AND THE SIGNIFICANCE OF EMOTIONS BEING PORTRAYED THROUGH HIS PHOTOGRAPHY?

‘Questions of self and identity have long concerned artists and are intensified as digital lives become ubiquitous and an aspect of performance becomes the norm in terms of modes of behaviour’ (Bright and Van Evp, 2019; 150). In our lives we portray and represent ourselves among many others and highlight our passions and significant features that make us who we are, enabling to show our individualism. The world we live in is somewhat being taken over by the performing arts and takes up a huge amount of social and contextual importance, and is it portrayed to our society that these individuals who shine over others are one in a millions, that making to the top is a one in a billion chance, so why do people even bother trying? The dance industry is something I have always had a drive to be a part of and I believe that in myself its an area that helps me identify myself and show to others my deeper emotions and feelings that may not always be depicted through speech, therefore myself,  along with hundreds and thousands of people around the world use dance to do so. To use dance and movement to tell a story, to show a feeling, to show a concept, an idea. However, the idea that dance is just a ‘performance’ or a show rather than an expression, a place to hide away rather than flourish, a secret rather that a narrative is a consistent debate that continues to divide critics and our society. This therefore demonstrate that within a dancer there is a front, a side that they want to show the world, the side where they put themselves forward, contrasting with their hidden deeper meanings and insecurities that they hide away from the audience when they perform. Therefore ‘The question arises: 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 Evp, 2019; 17). This quotation is something I will keep in mind during my investigation; a reminder than I want the reality, the truth not a manipulation or a cover up to hide but the certainty of reality. For my personal study I will be investigating the idea of representing emotions that an individual feels through dance, however I want to diverge away from the norm and look at more uncomfortable subjects rather than the stereotypical face of dance. In my photography I want to show both sides of individuals in the dance community, I want to show the hard working, the blood, sweat and tears that goes into it, to show the love, the relief and the drive. I want my images to represent a narrative to its viewers, for them to see my images and ask more questions but most importantly I want to use my photography to highlight each emotion that someone feels when they dance and why they feel certain way, I want to exit the norm of dance photography and enter a new realm of ideas that reflect more than just a pointed toe, I want to show the vehemence of a dancers response to how they truly see themselves and the industry.  

Opening quote

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 pol erpoints 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

Bibliography: List all relevant sources used

NOTES TO CONSIDER WHEN EDITING AND CONTINUE WRITING ON:

• Next paragraph introduce the artist and his work
• Explain why you decided to choose his work to look at
• How does Mili help improve your personal study and ideas that you have?
• What other artists do you want to look and why? For example: Chino Otsuka
• Why do I want my personal study to be about this

PICTORIALISM

Pictorialism was first invented in the 1860s and has continued to be extensively popular till around 1910s, and initially began staging scenes which influenced Tableuax. Pictorialism is the development of photography into the reinvention of an art form placing beauty, tonality, and composition above creating an accurate visual record. This was where photography finally began to be fully accepted and began to be seen on the same line of painting and start to have it recognised as such by galleries and other artistic institutions. In the beginning of photography it was mainly for scientific and representational purposes. This soon shifted in the 1950s when advocates such as the English painter William John Newton who suggested that photography could also have huge artistic trait.

KEY CONVERSATIONS/CHARACTERISTICS

When photography first came about, and people first wanted it to be portrayed in the light of art and paintings photography was an entirely mechanical medium, its common that labour-intensive darkroom processes to produce unique prints. when printing the images it was common that other colours were used other than black and white ranging from warm brown to deep blue and may present visible brush strokes or other manipulation of the surface. Photograph was a way of projecting an emotional intent into the viewer’s realm of imagination.

METHODS/TECHNIQUES/PROCESSES

• Involved experimenting with chemicals in the dark room, and placing Vaseline on the lens, for effectiveness in final production
  

ARTIST ASSOCIATION

• F. Holland Day (1864-1933),
• Alfred Stieglitz (1864-1946),
• Clarence H. White (1871-1925),
• Edward Steichen (1879-1973)
• Paul L. Anderson (1880-1956),
• Charles Sheeler (1883-1965),
• Edward Weston (1886-1958),
• Man Ray (1890-1976) and
• Paul Strand (1890-1976);
• Julia Margaret Cameron (1885-1915)

REALISM

Photo realism which now also know as super-realism, was first invented in America as an art movement in the 1960s, and used photography as its basis for inspiration. Photo realism developed over time out of pop and minimalism movements that preceded it. Photo realism looked at breaking down hierarchies of popular topics where people what to present a view on a particular subject, for example cars, shops etc. It is presented in the genre of art that encompasses painting, drawing and other graphic media, this is where artist studies a photograph and the attempts to reproduce and recreate the as realistically as possible in another medium.

KEY CONVERSATIONS/CHARACTERISTICS

Photo realism is all about creating and producing photographs which are representable of something else and shows a real life situation, focuses a lot of little detail and shapes within the picture. As well as this it try’s to project a motion of feeling or an impact on our lives- documentary photography.

ARTSIST ASSOCIATION

• Thomas Eakins (1844-1916)
• Willy Ronis (1910-2009)
• Edouard Boubat (1923-1999)
• Charles Sheeler (1883-1965)
• Gustave Courbet (1856)

Key concepts

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

From my mind map I wanted to explore further in depth the idea of investigating Occupation Vs Liberation, to see where it could take me and enable me to represent and portray something personal and something that I would be able to develop and grow ideas off. However I decided to branch away from the idea of Occupation as it would limit me in aspect of having to concentrate on the Jersey island itself, as well as this factor the Occupation of Jersey is already an area that I have deeply explored and investigated in previous work. Therefore, I wanted to take this opportunity to try something different and possibly an area that i had a great passion for which would allow me to satisfy my fascination for the topic itself.

From this first mind map and mood board, it has allowed me to begin to grasp my initial ideas and have a concept of where I want to go with the project in the future linking to the final outcomes. For this project I have decided to look closer to my dance background and placing it with the idea of feeling liberated through dancing and further connotation that may come along with this aspect. This is a topic that hugely interests me as it is a huge part of my life and a big commitment. As well as dancing myself since a young age, I have an even bigger love of watching it and seeing the development and movement of individual dancers, following there careers, to me this adds inspiration and motivations. For this project I have decided to project my enthusiasm and liberation of dance through other dancers history, background, love and other factors that I might find along the way. Furthermore, I will use archival photos from each individuals dance albums and that shows images from when they were younger to help project the journey they have gone through to where they are now in their dancing history. Finally, I will discover the deeper meaning and feeling that presents dancers on a daily and the concept of what dance means to them, this will allow me to look closely at the conceptual and contextual aspects of the individual and the liberation of dance.