This is the final layout I have decided on for my prints. I have chosen to have the bottom image and the top image laid out like this because the bottom image is much darker while the top half of the top image shows as white, so it blends in better at the top with the board in the background. I then decided to leave the two smaller A5 images within the center as a sort of in between in contrast of the two other images, while also showing bunkers in a much further away and broader look rather than the close ups or specific parts of the bunkers.
This is my final photobook design, without the added essay yet. I have decided to use a pretty simple layout with my images. I have started and ended with similar images, taken of the same thing. I have made some images small on some pages to emphasise the images on the other page or if they’re on their own on a page to create a break between larger sets of images or double page spread images.
I have also used a few double page spread images along with three quarter images. These are used because these are what I saw as the most important and the best of the images I have taken within the photoshoots.
With a few of the smaller images that are opposite larger full bleed images, I have added black backgrounds to carry over the contrast between the images and give a clear definition of where one image ends, due to the sky in most of the images being very white due to the time they were taken along with contrast and exposure settings making it seem whiter.
I have also added a couple of 3D maps of small bunkers within the photobook. I have used the black background around these again so that the white of the model in the center of the screen is a lot more visible and can’t be missed.
Lastly, I have added two sections of text within the photobook to separate off the images of each bunker, the text depicts the equipment within the bunkers during The Occupation.
Above are the initial images I have picked to be in my photobook. I have decided to make my images all black and white with high contrast options up. I have placed them in quite a random order initially and have tried to use different formatting options for the images on the pages to see how different images work with different formatting options on the pages.
I have decided to put similar imagery together in a sequence and use the more dominant images on the right side as full bleed images to show this. I have also made the images on the left side smaller within a page, this is so that these images don’t take away from the other better images. I have also added a black background around this one to create a definitive edge to each image, because the image on the right may look like it bleeds onto the left due to the amount of white within the sky and the image on the left with the white in the sky too. I have also added the black background to contrast and make the black within the center of the other image stand out more.
I have found 3D scans of different bunkers around Jersey. So I am going to use some of these within my photobook so I can get a clear view of them within my work rather than just showing the outside architectural view.
I have now added information about the different equipment that was used at Batterie Lothringen. I have also added a map to show where it was and where each weapon within the area was. I have done this to add more information within my photobook, which I have taken a more architectural view with than previously planned.
I have then done similar with Batterie Moltke. Which is the other main area I took images for this photobook.
I have started grouping images that are similarly shaped or work well together. Such as these which both have lots of sharp and straight edges.
How have artists such as Toroptsov shown memory and remembrance through their use of photography.
“I have no personal memories of him.” (Toroptsov Y. Deleted scene;). Links to my work as I have no personal memories of The Nazi Occupation of Jersey 1939 – 1945. Within my work I am going to try and begin through the use of landscape photography. Though I am mainly focusing on the bunkers and fortifications, I am also going to try and commemorate those that died during war and those that had interesting stories that occurred due to war around the island. Many artists such as Paul Virilio have explored this concept before, and generally have gotten to the conclusion that we build structures as some kind of tomb or mausoleum for those who lived at a time. We often look at these buildings, re-use them, admire them and often, allow them to become a permanent part of our landscape. Which can ultimately shape peoples lives and history.
Lots of interesting stories happened within the occupation and liberation phases of the war in Jersey. I am going to try and find out about lots of these things and try to reflect that and tell a story using photography to show things people have gone through within Jersey during the period of war. With this work my main goal is to show remembrance and to commemorate those soldiers and people in Jersey who were affected by the effects the occupation and liberation would have had on them.
The main photographer I am going to analyse is Yury Toroptsov and his deleted scene project which shows Toroptsov challenging himself by trying to commemorate and show his family memories of his father who passed away when Toroptsov was young. This will also help me as it gives me a way to receive inspiration for different things I am able to do to show memory of war, even though I did not live through it. Photographing something that has already happened throws up many challenges, but is something that I am interested in doing.
I am also going to analyse work by Chris Dorley-Brown. I am mainly going to focus on his work within his project The Longest Way Round. This project focuses on his parents within the war (unlike Toropstovs project.) Though it is still used to commemorate and remember what happened to his parents within the war, and how they ended up together at the end of the war. This will help me get inspiration for the kind of work I need to do to display memory of war and occupation, likely more so than from Toroptsovs work due to the fact this project links directly to war rather than just to memory.
The quote “it is not just photography that is complicated, but the concepts of realism and reality too.” (Bright. S. and Van Erp. H. is it real?; 18), relates well to the work I am going to create, this is because this quote is not just saying that photography is difficult but is saying that everything you catch on photograph can be altered or changed, though may be unable to capture the full picture of what has happened in an area. This quote allows me to question my work and helped me realise, no matter what imagery I take, It will be near impossible to show the full story of any story I decide to try and show, from a time period such as The Occupation.
Historical/Theoretical Context:
Modernism was a broad term used that encompassed all the avant-garde movements, such as; dadaism, constructivism, expressionism and straight photography. Modernism was named and used mainly within the first half of the twentieth century. There were lots of different well-known artists that took a modernist approach, and though most of them such as Salvador Dali were still painting, there were a few like Alfred Stieglitz and Paul Strand that moved to modernist photography not only because it was different and new, but also because photography was accepted a lot more within this movement and not just thought of as a tool for science. Modernism has influenced my work and so I have tried to take a modernist approach, this is because this has allowed me to experiment with lots of different ways I can approach my photography and edit the work. It lets me decide from lots of different art movements to see how images will look in loads of different styles. Unlike approaches before modernism, such as pictorialism, which normally uses photographs with filters over them to make them seem as though they are paintings, modernism is based a lot more with the idea of photography in mind and normally rejects the ideas of religion within its imagery, which is why my images generally don’t have obvious religious aspects within them, unless they link directly to the idea of remembrance I am trying to portray. Modernism normally experiments with different forms to create an unusual look. My initial work has mirrored this idea by using images taken from unusual angles to create an idea of different shapes and lines going into unusual places.
The bunkers and other fortifications created by the Germans, tended to have a modernist edge to them. This was influenced by The Bauhaus Movement (Germany). Though, the quote, “Housing schemes, factories and office blocks designed by modernist architects were clear-headed and geometric, suggesting clean and unembellished lives for the people inside them.” (Ballard, JG. (2006) A handful of dust;). Gives us context to why the Bauhaus was shut down, this is through the fact that Hitler would have been weary of clear-headed people and wanted people to blindly follow him. So when the Nazis came into power they quickly closed the Bauhaus and turned it into an SS training school.
Artist:
The artist I have chosen to analyse is Yury Toroptsov. Toroptsov is a well known photographer, whose most well known project would likely be his project named Deleted Scene. Toroptsov began this project in order to relive memories of his father and commemorate him through his work. This links well with the work I have done because, I have also tried to commemorate and create a feeling of remembrance, but for those who were involved within the war and the occupation of Jersey. Below is an image from Yury Toroptsovs, Deleted Scene.
This image shows a small room containing lots of different books. This image is important as it can directly link to the quote “his camera. When I was nine I found it in the wardrobe where mother kept it safely for years. I dismantled it to the last screw as if looking for something hidden inside. By my own unaware hand I destroyed the last personal item connected to my father.” (Toroptsov, Y. Deleted scene). This image likely depicts where he found it or somewhere similar to show something from his past and his fathers past, when he was still alive. This can be used to link them together and show that they are and have been connected even though Toroptsov states that he has no personal memories of his father.
The image is taken at an angle and has been taken as a portrait image. This means we are able to see the whole door and entrance to the room within the image properly. The door looks very old and has cracks in it. This could also link back to memory of his father as it looks as though it has aged and been untouched for years between his death, the camera incident and now.
Lastly, the image is taken in very dim lighting using only the lights within the room and what looks to be natural lighting. This kind of lighting creates a focus on the room and may make people wonder what has happened inside, while also creating a sense of remorse in those reading for Toroptsov and his loss.
Artist 2:
Chris Dorley-Brown and his book The Longest Way Round. He shows the story of his fathers capture and eventual release from Stalag VIII B. Which is a German prison camp his father was captured and sent in 1941 while fighting in Crete. During his time in the war camp he befriended his jailer. Whose name was Conrad Barnack.
The book is also a love story between Chris’ father Peter and his mother Brenda, which is shown alongside Peters time in the war camp.It gives us a glimpse into Brenda’s lead-up to marrying Peter. Firstly, by showing us that her first husband had been killed in war and that the second had returned to America after the war. Leaving her with Peter after the war.
This is an image that Chris Dorley-Brown has taken as a part of his project the longest way round. This image depicts a part of the story of the book. He has taken this image to further the story of the project, without using more archival material. Even though he often used archival material. He still used a lot of his own images. These images he has taken are very important to the project as it creates a much clearer and very personal connection between Chris and his parents past.
This image shows an area of land full of trees and bushes surrounding lots of rocks extruding from the ground. rocky parts are likely apart of some kind of World War 2, German fortifications. This can link back to remembrance for Chris because it shows that he has been able to experience where family members have been. Nature has reclaimed this land, possibly a metaphor for time and inevitability.
This is another one of the images within Chris Dorley-Browns book. It is one of the archival images within the book. It like the other image creates a very personal connection for Chris, but this time towards his mother, Brenda, as the image shows her smiling in a car. The image is also in black and white, which would have been standard at the time the image was taken during the second world war. The image due to being in black and white, creates a lot of contrast between Brenda and the vehicle and her surroundings. This means a lot of the detail is taken out of her face and clothing, but highlights her out a lot more and makes her into the focus point of the image. Glamorous and light-hearted, this image betrays war time tragedy and circumstance.
Conclusion:
I have taken inspiration from two main artists for my work within this photobook. Yury Toroptsov and Chris Dorley-Brown, which in each project, both are looking to remember and show memories of two different things, but do so in quite similar ways. Often using close up images of places and areas that represent or link to the people who they are being used to remember. I have tried to do similar to this within my work by using close up images of different bunkers and parts of bunkers that have been destroyed or eroded over the years since the occupation. Getting a lot closer rather than at a distance allowed me to capture a lot of the intricate detail in the bunkers and walls built and maintained by the forced workers during the war, and it also lets me see how they have held up since without very much maintenance since The Occupation. With the images from my photoshoots I have taken for this project, I have selected twenty eight images from these photoshoots to be in my photobook, along with a few maps and a few images of models of the inside of some bunker tunnels. With every single one of my images I have elected to go for a black and white approach with high contrast. I have done this to create a uniformed look throughout the whole photobook, and to draw peoples attention onto more detail within the darker areas than they may have noticed without. Most of the selected images are from two different areas in Jersey, Batterie Lothringen and Batterie Moltke. So I have also added information about the defenses in these areas of the island within the photobook. Overall, I believe I have followed both Chris Dorley-Brown and Yury Toroptsovs styles within my work and have created a photobook to show what the bunkers around Jersey look like now. Though, I have slightly moved away from my original idea of showing off the landscapes with the bunkers throughout, and have moved to more architectural and close-up view through using inspiration from these chosen artists and experimenting with how different images worked.
EXAMPLE: Sontag, S. (1979). On Photography. London; Penguin Books Ltd.
EXAMPLE: Quote inside your text: ——critic Susan Sontag says; ‘he tried to see beyond the difference between beauty and ugliness, importance and triviality.” (Sontag 1979: 27)
This website has lists of weaponary used within Batterie Lothringen. This could be useful for anotating my book and showing the importance of the bunkers at Batterie Lothringen during the occupation. These weapons were mostly used to take down planes during the war. Information about the command bunker is also shown. Mostly shows the information of things such as location rather than historical information.
This website has scans of the inside of lots of bunkers within Jersey. I may be able to use these within my photo book to show what they were used for and what they look like more closely.
A sentence – I am going to explore bunkers created during the occupation and try and show how they have changed since the occupation.
A paragraphs – With this project, I am going to explore the bunkers around Jersey. With the images I collect from doing this, I am going to show how they have changed since World War 2 and the German occupation of Jersey. Through this I am going to try and show the memory of those involved within the war, whether it be through forced labour during the creation of the bunkers, or soldiers used within the war.
Design: Consider the following
How you want your book to look and feel – I want the book to seem fairly obvious as to what it is.
Paper and ink – Standard ink, will likely use paper that will not reflect a lot of light back.
Format, size and orientation – It will likely be in a landscape format and I may have it quite small
Binding and cover – Hardback book, one of the images I take I will probably use as a double page spread over the front and back cover.
Title – “no personal memories” – may change later in the project
Structure and architecture – Will likely structure the photobook very simply. Using similar images together and sequencing the book in a layout that works best.
Design and layout – Going to design it in a uniformed fashion, so that it has similar images together or format them in a sequence. I will likely lay it out so images of different bunkers are separated.
Editing and sequencing – will experiment with both black and white and colour, if I decide to use black and white, I will likely try adding high contrast to the images.
Images and text – Images will be taken of bunkers and show erosion and what has happened to them since The Occupation. I may add text to the photobook, perhaps something to do with the equipment at some bunkers around the island.
Within this photoshoot, I have again gone to the south and west side of Jersey to take images of bunkers. In this photoshoot the main area I went to was Batterie Moltke, but again I went to other smaller bunkers within Jersey. I decided to also have these images in black and white due to the fact that it will fit nicely with any archive imagery I use. I have increased contrast a lot within these images to show the details within the darker areas of the image and create more focus on the main parts of these images, which are generally the darker parts. I have only used natural lighting to take these images. The cloudy and white background also creates a dull look looming over the image. This can be used to symbolize how terrifying the occupation could have been.
Below is a selection of the best images from the photoshoot:
In this photoshoot. I am going to go back to more bunkers on the south and west side of the island. I am going to look closely at the details within the bunkers of how they have eroded and at the architecture within the bunkers. This will allow me to show how they were built and how well they were built by the workers that the Germans commanded. I will likely wait for some amount of clear weather before going, but will likely go out while it is quite cloudy, like I have done in my previous photoshoot. This will give the images a dull look and make the occupation seem like a dull and potentially horrifying time for people who lived during it.
Within this photoshoot, as I said in my plan, I have taken different landscape images of bunkers. I have mostly taken images from Batterie Lothringen within this photoshoot, though have taken them from other smaller bunkers around the south side of the island too. I have also taken images from lots of different angles and from different distances away from each bunkers.
I have decided to put each image in black and white. This is because these images will likely fit better together which any archival imagery I opt to use later within the project.
I was also unable to do it on a sunny day like I said I was going to do within my plan. So I had to settle with doing it on a cloudy day. I think this came out better as it makes the images seem more simple initially and means that the sky can easily contrast with the black and grey below on the ground below and show the detail within the ground more as a result.
Below is a selection of my favourite images from the photoshoot:
