quotes and comments from photographer, reference sources
For my research into archival photographers that worked in Jersey, I selected Francis Foot to be the subject of my case study. Foot was born in 1885, and soon developed a fascination with photography. Foot focused a lot of his work on producing portraits of the people of Jersey, many of which include multiple subjects and families. Below is a mood-board reflecting some of his work:
Foot’s work focused a lot on using posed subjects in their natural environment, to give a relatable yet formal sense to his images. |Foot often used props such as cars, buggies and other common objects to show more of the personalities of the subjects, and to reflect what they used and did in their daily lives. Through this, Foot was able to establish a unique style of portraiture, combining both relatable, every day life scenery with formal, posed subjects and props to create eye catching portraits. In addition to this, Foot would often take portraits of his own family, in and around their shop and at times, Francis himself would appear in the images.
I have chosen this particular image to further analyse, as I feel that the style and contents of the image itself is interesting, and the scenery helps to tell a story. Like many of Foots works, this image contains a number of subjects, including a mother and two children. The poses of the subjects are reflective of the formalities associated with portrait photography of the time, as the subjects are relatively neutral in their expressions, and pose in a formal, simple manner. In terms of the technical aspects of this image, the image is shown in black and white (the only available colour format in the time the image was taken). Although there was no alternative to grey scale in the early 20th century, the black and white coloring of this image allows for contrast between shapes and shades to be emphasized, and overall allows to show the vintage time which it represents (and originates from). The image as a whole has experienced very little, if no editing, and this allows for the real, original feel of the image to show through, giving the viewer a genuine look into the time in which Foot lived.
Francis work on portraiture during this time, especially during the beginning of the 20th century, helps to show the cultural norms and society during this time. Although the photographer himself left very little in terms of letters, interviews and diaries explicitly reporting on his own opinions and meanings behind his work, it can be inferred that much of Foots work was focused on documenting the journey of his family, and the people who lived around him, as they lived, occasionally experienced well known historical and local occasions, such as the visit from King George V and Queen Mary, and the Battle of the Flowers in Jersey.
To evaluate my zine design, I believe I have produced a strong outcome which showcases my work following my intended narrative. To begin with my front cover takes inspiration from the bunker green books made by the German’s during the second world war, which showcases my ability to take inspiration and implement said inspiration into my work for an intended affect. The sequencing of my imagery within my photographic zine works well, as it clearly showcases my narrative, the decay of Jersey’s bunker’s and how nature is taking back its land, and each image compliments one another with not having any miss fits within the design. My layouts are well thought out, as I have considered contrast, shape and how the images compliment each other, and work at different sizes. This process was not easy and my experimentation can be seen on previous blog posts, were I explored the layouts of different images. In my final design I decided to include text, which I believed to help convey my narrative, supporting the images in the story. I experimented with different fonts till I was happy with one which fit well with my images and presents an older time frame within my images. To conclude, I am very happy with my final design, as it showcases my strongest outcomes from my work so far, and shows my understanding of what makes a successful zine, which shows how I have acted upon my research.
For my first design I followed the sequence which I outlined on my previous blog post. Having the start and finish have imagery of landscapes of and around the bunkers, and the middle pages containing images of the bunkers, showcasing their decay. To create this layout I used InDesign, I set up my page to be portrait and the size of A5 paper and in the style of a photo book. In this attempt I looked at different page spreads, what works and what does not look as effective. Within this initial design and experimentation I managed to produce spreads which work well in showcasing my narrative. However, some pages need to be reconsidered and the sequencing of my images could also be reconsidered in order to produce a stronger outcome.
For my front cover, I took inspiration from the archival green books found at Society Jersiase. Below is an example of the green book cover.
Societe Jersiaise – Photo Archive & Lord Coutanche Library.
The ideology behind replicating this, was that the green books were created by the German’s during the war, showcasing the defence systems in the area on the front cover. Due to them being archival material it begins to suggest that the defence systems have changed due to the abandonment, thus it begins to present my narrative of the decay of Jersey Bunkers. For my cover I used a dark green to cover the back and black text. Although the two covers are very different, I wanted it to be a ‘modern’ version of the green book, thus this simplistic design clearly showcases this. The title of the Zine is ‘Bunker-Archäologie’, it translate to Bunker archeology in English. Deciding to have my title in German, reminds us of how the bunker’s were built for German soldiers to prevent people getting into the Island, thus it showcases how the Germans have left their mark on the island and allowing it to decay. The font used for the title is bold and has a rigid structure, which represents what the bunkers once were.
For my second page of the Zine, I used a full page spread of the landscape photograph, looking out from the Noirmont point, a location of one of Jersey’s bunkers. I kept this image in colour to showcase that the image is recent and reinforces the idea of a modern green book. In addition, it showcases the beauty of Jersey, and although the bunker’s are decaying on the top, it is not forcing the rest of the island to decay with them. The full page spread clearly showcases the sea line, and beauty of the nature, which creates a sense of space and a peaceful mood, which holds a ameliorative tone towards the photograph.
For my next page, I wanted to start showcasing the decay of the bunker’s, this layout clearly emphasises this. The juxtaposing colours, showcases the abandonment of the bunkers, which is reinforced by the formal elements of space and texture. The image on the left is a half page spread, filling the screen creating the sense of space. The image on the right is much smaller and located in the centre of the page, producing juxtaposing colours which helps the photographs to compliment one another. I believe that this layout is my strongest page spread, and is unlikely to be changed.
In my next page spread, I used a 3/4 page spread to showcase this macro image of the bottom of the gun. This layout allows the formal elements of texture and shape to clearly be showcased, reinforcing the narrative of the decay of the bunker. This photograph is strong enough to be alone and is busy, allowing viewers to be drawn into the image. In my opinion this page works well within my design.
For my middle page spread I decided to repeat the idea of have a landscape image looking out in colour. I used a full page spread, for the same reasoning as the first page. This artistic design worked well, as it reinforces the idea that the bunker’s are decaying but the island will not decay with the bunker. The image works well as it uses the technique of framing to enclose a bunker type building out at sea, leaving the rest of landscape to be free. Although I like the way in which this page turned out, I do not believe that having a colour image in the centre of the zine is the best idea, as it almost distracts viewers from the actual narrative, decay of the bunkers.
For my next page spread I decided to go with a half page spread for the image, and leave the other half blank. Creating this blank page takes a break from the action, allowing the information and concept of the zine to settle into viewers heads, it can also be used represent the idea that one day the bunkers will be gone, due to them decaying so rapidly. The image is placed on the right side of the page, as the structure is cut off on the right, so the edge of the zine acts as the end of the bunker.
In my next page, I decided to use the 3/4 page spread again, due to me liking the way in which the other 3/4 page spread look. The image used suits being a larger image, due to the texture being presented through the raindrops and decaying of the bunker.
For my final page spread I wanted to use another landscape image, to create a circular plot and allowing it to follow my intended sequence stated in a previous blog post. I used a full page spread, and a colour image. This time the landscape photograph is looking back at the bunker, which nicely brings the zine to an end, as we can see how the bunkers are decaying the but what surrounds is not decaying. Although this image works well on a full page spread, I do not believe that it is the strongest finish to my zine, thus I will look at changing this.
The back page of my zine is simply the same colour green as the front cover, which refers to the archival green books which showcase the layout of the bunkers, made by the German’s.
Design 2:
In my second design I looked at alternative ways in displaying my images, by changing the spreads and adding in text in my zine. I explored a different front cover option as well as different layout options. I intend to use my best page spreads, from this design and my previous design, to create my final sequence and make my final zine design. Doing this further exploration of page layouts has allowed me to develop my skills within InDesign and has allowed me to show development within my work.
In this front cover design, I decided to use my strongest image produced in my photoshoot, It clearly showcases the decay of the bunkers, thus bringing my narrative from the get go. In addition, I used the same title and font as I did in my first design, but set the colouring to white. The placement of the text is in the top left corner, which is a little hidden, but is placed with in a completely black are making it work successfully. Although I like the way in which this front cover looks, I think this image would work better in the spread created in the previous design. Needless to say, it was well worth doing this experimentation as it confirms that I like the way in which my original front cover looks, and the conceptual and contextual factors it holds.
In my next layout I wanted to experiment with adding text into my work, in order to clearly outline the historical factors of the Second World War in Jersey. With this I simply added a title and text which outlines the liberation of the island and how the bunkers have been left to decay. The short text allows my narrative to be presented, and works well with the one page image spread next to it. I really like the way in which this spread looks, thus I am planning on implementing it in my final design. However, I will develop the font and layout of the text, as I do not believe it is having maximum impact within the zine.
My next layout, I looked at placing two landscape images on a page. I selected two images which juxtapose the sense of space. One image is placed at the top and the other at the bottom. For the narrative I am going for I do not believe that this spread is effective, or fits in with the other layouts within my zine. Therefore, I will not be further developing this layout.
I then decided to look at another alternative for a middle page spread as I was not happy with the one created in my initial design. I decided to use this photograph, which was originally a 3/4 page spread, and made the black and white photograph a full page spread in the middle. I much prefer this layout, as it does not disturb viewers from the narrative with a colour photograph in the middle, thus fitting my sequence more appropriately.
Changes:
After developing my two design idea, I still had pages which I liked but still needed developing in order to have maximum impact. Below are the three main changes I made. This shows my further development and me critiquing my work from an artistic perspective.
Font:
As mentioned earlier I was not happy with the font I used to create the page spread which included information about the decay of Jersey’s bunker’s. I decided to change the font to one which is similar to my title, keeping my work consistent. I also decreased the size so my title fitted on one line as well as getting rid of the hyphens within the paragraph. In addition, I moved all my text down to the bottom of the page, which is a typical design layout for a zine when the text does not fill the whole page. I am much happier with this change in design, as it allows the zine to flow more fluidly now and presents my narrative well.
First and Last Page Design:
My next major change was the two images I would use as my first and last page. I still stuck with the idea of looking out on the first page, thus keeping the same image as it had the intended meaning. For the last page I used a different image which looked up at a bunker with nature surrounding it, I believe that this image presents the concept of the bunker decay but nature is not much better than the original image used. Moreover, it fits my intended sequence much better.
Colour Changing:
My last major change was the colouring and positing of the image above. Originally this image was in colour and a full page spread in the centre of my zine. As mentioned, I did not think this was an affective look as disturbed the rhythm within my zine so I created a new centre page. I still wanted to include this image somewhere in my final produce. I decided to turn it black and white and have it as a 3/4 spread, taking the position of where the wheel image was. I believe that this image is better suited in black and white and in this layout, as it showcases the decay more appropriately.
Action Plan:
As an action plan I will now combine my favourite spreads onto one document, creating my final design for my zine. I will then place them in the appropriate sequence and evaluate my final outcome on another blog post, which shows my final design page by page.
Narrative: A narrative is a story which is being told through writing, speech or photographs. Many times a narrative can be presented through all three forms. Usually the narrative is clear and easy to follow through out. Putting this in terms with a zine, the narrative of my zine should clearly showcase the storyline I am telling from the first page, and should consistently tell this story till the last page.
Describing my Zine’s Narrative:
3 words:
Jersey’s Bunker Decay
A sentence:
My rational for my zine is to tell the story of how the Jersey’s bunkers have been untouched since the war and has decayed over time, allowing us to constantly be reminded about this key period in Jersey’s history.
A paragraph:
My zine aims to showcase the decay of the war and the imprint it has left on the island. I intend to use images which focus on the formal elements of texture, shape and line in order to clearly present the decay and the abandonment of the bunkers, which will present different viewpoints towards the decay. The story being told will not just be focused on bunker’s, but also the scenery and landscapes around the bunkers in order to showcase how that area of land has been affected, as well as bringing in contextual factors of the war and Jersey. In addition, the story will follow a linear narrative (chronological order) and will have a clear start, middle and end. Following this narrative structure should clearly show the decay of Jersey’s bunkers and how the island was heavily impacted during the 5 years of the German Occupation.
Sequencing: Sequencing is the order in which images are placed in a zine or photobook in order to present the intended narrative.
At the beginning the zine will showcase the effect of the war on the landscape with an introduction paragraph which will contain information of the war. The middle will have different styles of images (macro, different angles and focus points) showcasing the decay of the bunkers, and it will end with the way it begins, almost like a circular plot, having a landscape image looking out at the scenery. This is a brief overview of the order in which I would like my images in order to present the narrative of the decay of the bunkers.
Action Plan:
I will now produce a new blog post which will show my first attempt at placing my chosen images into a sequence which should clearly portray my narrative. I will discuss my thought process as to why I selected the chosen order and creative thoughts towards laying out the image. Furthermore, I will use this first layout as an experimentation, allowing me to evaluate my work as to what went well and what should be changed, which should then lead me on to creating a second draft.
Working with archival work, I decided to creatively explore and experiment with the imagery to create photomontages. Due to previously looking at photomontages, I knew that I could successfully produce imagery which holds many conceptual factors as we as historical. My previous work can be found here :
With my exploration with war archive I decided to take more of a surrelasism approach, presenting a new way to look at the material. I experimented with handcrafts (cutting, sticking etc) images and within photoshop in order to create outcomes which I believe present a new way with looking at the war.
Photoshop Outcomes:
For my first experimentation I looked at the idea of silhouettes and the meaning behind them. This was inspired from the black metal cut out (outline) of soldiers which were spread across the UK, in order to remember those we lost during the war. This lead to the conceptual reasoning of the image above, I created a silhouette in the centre of the picture of the abandoned bunker to get viewers to not only remember the soldiers we lost, but also remind them that the bunkers had a massive impact on these people’s lives. In order to create this I found a cut out of a solider on google, and placed it onto of my image of the bunker. Then using the quick selection tool I outlines the solider, then on the layer with my image on I right clicked the selection and pressed layer via cut. I then deleted the layer with the solider on, and turned down the opacity of the outline I just cut out, creating a silhouette. This simplistic design works well as it clearly showcases the conceptual meaning, with still presenting history of the bunkers. It clearly takes the format of a surrealism photomontage and is an interesting piece for viewers to look at. I think that this outcome has turned out well, but is not the strongest one I produced.
For my second experimentation I wanted to look at exploring with the formal element shape, considering my photograph was a wheel of a gun, found on a bunker site, I decided to use circles in order to manipulate this image. This contemporary final design conceptually presents the idea that although the bunkers are abandoned, and been left alone to rot, they will continue to stand there, reminding us of the horrors of the war. I believe this is mainly shown through the faded circles. Again this image presents the historical factors of the uses of the bunkers in Jersey during this time in history. To achieve this effect I used the circular marquee tool and created circles, adjusting the size by using the transformation tool (ctrl + t), and cut them out of the original layer. Then I turned down the opacity, randomly on each new layer creating the decay effect, reinforcing the conceptual factors of the image. I really like the way in which the outcome turned out, as it really emphasise the formal element of shape, creating and unique and interesting design for viewers to look at. The contemporary design, makes the concept more disguised, but needless to say it is still effective. To critique the design I would make the circles more central, to make them more ascetically pleasing.
Artist Research:
Sky-Alling Phillips Photography
Sky-Alling Phillips created a series of photographs called ‘Paper’, in this she cut out parts of a war archival image and placed floral prints behind it, creating a unique and juxtaposing design. Although this series can not be found online, I captured a photograph of her work, when looking through different Zines. Contextually, this photograph is showcasing solider at a bunker, who seem to be off duty and socialising, making it seem like war was not all that bad as it was said to be. This further reinforced by the background, the structure of the bunker looks strong standing which creates a sense of comfort. Conceptually, Phillips is trying to showcase that those who died at war are still with us. The person in the centre of the frame, made out of the floral design, represents a solider who has been killed but is still with his ‘friends’, creating the sense that we never forget those we loved. To technically analyse this work I will explore the camera settings of the archival image. The camera settings would have been very basic, due to camera’s not being as advanced during the war as they are know. The image would have been taken outside, using natural lighting of the sun to illuminate the subjects, this creates a sense of warmth which is then juxtaposed by turning the image into black and white. The quality of the photograph is poor, which could suggest it has been enlarged to big, or that the shutter speed was slightly slow, creating movement, alongside the ISO being high due to a sense of noise being shown within the image. In addition, the soldiers seem to be in focus with the background being slightly out of focus, suggesting a narrow depth of field being used to capture the image. Visually, the photograph has many elements which makes it pleasing to look at. It uses the formal elements of space, show through the floral patter in the space of a solider as well as a sense of space between the for and background; form, shown through the structure of the bunker and the pattern of the flowers. Having the colourful flowers in the middle of a black and white photo, makes the viewers eye initially draw the there, main focus point, and juxtaposes the black and white creating intrigue and allows the conceptual factors to be presented. In conclusion, I like the simplistic design of Phillips work, as it holds a lot of meanings and is shown in a creative and successful way. The floral pattern in the shape of a solider is a cleaver design creates a sense of separation, even though the cut out is close in proxemics to the other soldiers, making it interesting to view.
My final experimentation on photoshop was inspired by Sky-Alling Phillips. I found an online image of solider’s walking with weapons, as if they are ready to go into battle. I then decided to use the solider who was closest to the front of the frame, as the effect will stand out more, to cut out using the quick selection tool. I then found a floral pattern online and created a new layer on photoshop, placing it behind the original image, creating this effect. To make it stand out more I decided to add a drop shadow, which outlines the solider and makes the floral patter darker, creating a more subtle blend between the archival image and floral design. I am very happy with the way it turned out as it is very similar to Phillip’s photography, and represents the same conceptual factors. I believe this is my most successful outcome, as it has the strongest conceptual factor, and the design works and is ascetically pleasing to look at.
Craft Experimentations:
For my first experimentation I weaved two war archival images, one image of a landscape and an image of people, together in order to create a unique and abstract design. Due to the nature of the craft, viewers eyes are constantly looking round the image to try and make sense of what is happening, presenting the conceptual factor of the war was not as simple as it is told to be and there are many layers to what actual happened. Intertwining the two images clearly represents this as it is creating those layers. This outcome experiments with the formal elements of shape and space, which work together to create a eye catching image. Overall, I am pleased with the way in which this outcome has turned out, as the confusing design allows viewers to explore the concept of the overall image.
For my final hand craft experimentation, I kept it very simple, due to the simplicity of the image itself. The archival image used had a large sense of space, thus I wanted to utilise this. I decided to cut out man in the centre of the frame, but left bits of him still connected onto the image. I then placed a light behind him lighting his up and making him stand out from the rest, main focus point of the image. Conceptually, I am trying to showcase the light that each solider had but was eventually turned off as they were murdered fighting for their country. This is a more subtle concept, but can still successfully be told by the simplicity of my design. I prefer the outcome above compared to this, only because the design above is more interesting for viewers to look at due to the busyness of the frame, however this outcome is still successful.
Evaluation:
To evaluate my outcomes of my photomontages, I believe that I have managed to produce a strong set of designs. I have been able to showcases my competence in manipulating images on photoshop and give reasoning as to why I did what I did. I have also been able to utilise the main formal elements within an image, making more ascetically pleasing final outcomes. In addition, I have not only manipulated images on photoshop but also by hand to, showcasing the importance of experimenting by hand and computer. If I was to create more photomontages I would look at creating outcomes which take the form of dadaism making it easier to work out what concept is being presented within each design.
On the 4th June 2019 we visited the ‘Societe Jersiase’ where we were introduced to theme of our A2 project ‘Occupation’. During this introduction we where told about key dates and events during the occupation of Jersey (such as the time frame of the occupation form 1939-1945, for more information about the key dates can be seen on this blog post)and Key photographers who captured images within the second world war. These artists included Henry Mullins (portrait photographer), William Collie (Fox Talbet and calotype photography) and Thomas Sutton (panoramic photography).
Societe Jersiase is well known for their private photo archive, which explores Jersey’s historical, cultural and social over a large period of time. Thankfully, the archive has numerous of albums containing images taken during the occupation of Jersey, allowing me to explore different aspects of Jersey’s war. All images where placed in plastic covers to ensure our hands do not ruin the photographs which have been preserved over a longitudinal period of time. To further explore these images workers within the archive made some of the images digital and printed them off, allowing us to begin to explore narratives. We had to select our favorite images and order them in order to storyteling and create a narrative, and meaning towards the collection of images. With in depth exploration into the archive and the activity of creating a narrative allowed me to gain a better understanding of what life was like for people living through this time, and how Jersey has changed and developed since the second world war.
As our final activity we were given the opportunity to explore town, now understanding the history of the war, and capture one landscape, one portrait and one picture of an object. Doing this allowed to think and explore creatively trying to capture Jersey’s war or what is left from the war in today’s society. Below are the top images produced:
Our Narrative
Within our narrative we told the story of how the occupation effected different aspects of the island. The story starts on the left, like a book, which showcases the shore of Jersey and how highly protected it was, so that no one entered or left the country. It then followed through to a portrait of a man with different locations and items which were personal to him showcasing a personal effect the war had on someone. Moving over Jersey’s town is presented, which showcases the social and cultural aspects of Jersey during that time. In addition, we used a lot of photographs to make it a chaotic looking narrative which is symbolic for the chaos Jersey experienced during the occupation of Jersey.
After that task we were then allowed to take photographs using our cameras. Our brief was to try and capture the Occupation of Jersey, including a landscape, portrait and photograph of an object. My initial ideas was to walk to the Bunker located on Mount Bingham, for the other two types of images I was unsure what to capture but experimented with different things around town as I wondered around. My camera settings where kept normal, with a quick shutter speed, low ISO, automatic white balance and varied my aperture as well as experimenting with depth of field. My outcomes and editing process can be seen below:
1st edit – Flagging2nd edit – Star Rating3rd edit – Color Rating
Outcomes:
To create these outcomes I used the develop section in Lightroom, where I adjusted the contrast, exposure, highlights, black and white, curves, cropping and other elements which slightly adjusted the images. I am very happy with these outcomes as they showcase how Jersey has been left since the war has ended and how Jersey is out growing these abandoned bunkers, due to the over grow and nature taking back that land. All four images clearly show my competence in taking images and my ability to accurately adjust and edit images to showcase a theme or story in a creative manor.
To conclude this outline was successful, I learnt the importance of photo archives, I learnt more about the history of Jersey and have a more in-depth understanding about the occupation of Jersey, as well as how photography has developed on the island. Moreover, I have been able to begin to look at narratives and was able to capture images in town relating to Jersey’s war which creates a narrative in itself. In addition, I have had a successful first attempt at editing and experimenting with the images on Lightroom in order to clearly present the historical and cultural elements towards the images.
Before starting my experimentation on designing and creating a series of photo-montages using the images I collected from the archives, my own images from bunker trips, and images found online, I did some research into the process of creating photo-montages, and the history behind them. Although I already developed an overall understanding of photo-montage during my AS photography course, I did some more in depth research, and decided to take inspiration from a range of war-focused photo-montage works in order to relate my research to my current work.
The above images are examples or war-related photo-montages created by various artists including Peter Keenan and Michael Dmitriev. I have taken inspiration from their work and will be developing experimental photo-montages around the same theme: war and its effects, in order to keep with my overall project of bunker archaeology.
On the 30th of June 1940, German forces invaded the island of Jersey, Channel Islands. They continued to occupy the island until its Liberation in May 1945. The Channel Islands were the only parts of the British Isles that were occupied by the German armed forces during the Second World War, and during the 5 years of occupation, both islanders and occupiers dealt with increasingly poor living and working conditions. Many of these poor conditions were reported on by inhabitants of the islands, and can be read and seen through photography, diary entries and letters, encapsulating the theme of hardship and distress that plagued the island at the time.
The British Government declared that the Channel Islands were of little to no strategic importance during the summer of 1940, and made the decision to demilitarize the islands in order to spread resources and arms more effectively over areas that they thought were of more importance. This left the islands of Jersey and Guernsey with no military defense, and so during the invasion, Jersey was very much at the mercy of the German forces.
The German forces began to construct fortifications, bunkers and artillery outposts across Jersey as part of the Atlantic Wall (a system of coastal defenses across Nazi occupied areas of Europe, built to defend against an impending Allied invasion). Numerous concrete bunkers and walls were constructed along the coastlines of Jersey in order to defend against a possible attack, although this attack never came, and the island was eventually liberated in 1945.
The Germans occupation of Jersey changed a lot about the daily life of inhabitants of the island for the 5 years that the occupation lasted. Radios, cameras and boats were confiscated, there were strict restrictions placed on exporting goods, freedom of speech and access to healthcare and medicine, and the people of Jersey were forced to change to German time, driving on the right side of the road, and accepting forced rations. A curfew was established to limit the populations movement in the evening and night hours, and censorship of the media was strict.
The drastic changes made to the lives of the people of Jersey, the defensive structures built by the Germans, and the effects that the occupation had on the landscape of the island, have all been documented in a variety of detailed ways, from photographs to diary entries. The occupation of Jersey had a huge impact on civilian and military personnel alike, and various archives and museum exhibits around the Island document the struggles of the inhabitants of Jersey, through this time. The occupation of Jersey shaped how the island is seen to this day, from the memories of the older generations still living on the island, to the marks left in the physical landscape; the occupation of Jersey changed the island indefinitely.
An archive is an institution designed to hold a wide range of historical documents, texts, photographs and records. Archives are important in keeping these records safe when they are no longer in active use. Archives typically group records together that follow a particular theme, or originate from a specific point in history (such as images from World War 1 being stored together, or documentation recording certain government policies from the past). In this way, an archive is often able to build a narrative of the time that the records display, with the multiple records (often hundreds of thousands) showing different perspectives and aspects of the time.
An archives main purpose is to house historical documentation, and in this way, they are very useful when it comes to reflecting on events that occurred in the past, and to allow for the education of future generations on important historical affairs. The original documentation that is kept inside of archives often encapsulate the events of the time period that they originate from; a unique perspective that would be lost if the records content was simply copied or re-created. An archive serves the purpose of both safely storing important historical documentation for future reference and research, while also providing a less formal role, in which generations to come can explore and learn about the events of the past, that shaped the present in which they live.
During our class visit to the Jersey archives (Societe Jersiaise), we were able to get a glimpse into the inner workings of the archives, and discovered how they operated and the kinds of documents that they held. Photographers from the late 19th century, such as Thomas Sutton, had a huge amount of influence over the art produced in Jersey during their time, and have helped to preserve the history of Jersey through the medium of photography. Sutton opened a photographic studio in Jersey during the 1840’s, and is well known in the world of photography for having invented the first panoramic camera with a wide angled lens, thus revolutionizing photography in his century, and for century’s to come. The original work of such an influential photographer can be found in the Jersey archives, thus stressing the importance of archives as a place where some of the the most meaningful and life-changing documents can be safely stored for future reference and education.
Another relevant example of the importance of holding historical documentation and photographs inside of archives, is the sheer number of accounts and records found in the Jersey archives, telling the story of Jerseys Occupation during WW2, from initial invasion, to liberation. Emille Guiton (born 1979) was one of the few photographers permitted to take images during the occupation of Jersey. His dedication to his craft allowed him to encapsulate the atmosphere of this uncertain time, through hundreds of images. His images depict the life of every day inhabitants of the island, as well as the influence that the Germans had over life during this time. Photographers such as Guiton have allowed current generations to understand historical events such as the occupation, from the perspective of individuals who actually lived during the period itself; a perspective that cannot be gained from simply reading a textbook. In this sense, archives allow current generations to gain an understanding of the hardships and joys felt by the people living during the time in which the photographs were taken, and allows them to experience the rich history of their nation/country/island from a new and different perspective.
During my research into archives, I have discovered that they are in fact of monumental importance when it comes to storing the works of the past, in order to better understand how out present (and future) has developed. Archives enable us to create a timeline of the past, merging different perspectives together to create a detailed, in depth story of the events that occurred hundreds of years ago, with the influence that certain individuals and groups had on the shaping of our present forever secured in the documents and photographs saved in the hundreds archives around the world. Archives act as fountains of knowledge for the current generation, allowing us to learn from the mistakes and successes of the generations before us through first hand accounts, images and factual evidence, allowing us to shape out future accordingly.
As my project is called Bunker Archaeology, I decided to do more research into photographers who have also focused their work around documenting bunkers and war relics, in order to take inspiration from them that I can use in my own work.
The first photographer that I researched was Jonathan Andrew, a UK born photographer who’s Abandoned WWII Bunker series has showcased a range of war relics, left over from the second world war:
Andrews project has inspired me in my own work, as his approach towards taking images with high levels of contrast, using mainly dark colours and textures to emphasise the harsh shapes of the bunkers. As well as displaying these structures as harsh and menacing, the use of texture and dark colour palette also helps to reflect the dark atmosphere and hopeless attitudes that WWII brought about, and thus I believe the use of shadows and harsh texture is fitting. Furthermore, I feel like Andrew’s use of a small amount of light highlighting certain areas of the bunkers is effective, as it allows for contrast between shadows and lighter areas, which in turn makes the images seem even more menacing, and highlights that each structure stands alone, representing the left overs from one of the most deadly wars in human history.
I took inspiration from Andrew, as I feel that during y own project, I will be editing images in order to emphasise the texture of the images. which I feel will give the images a harsher appearance, thus reflecting the harsh atmosphere of the occupation (during which the structures were built). Furthermore, I will be taking inspiration from Andrew’s work in terms of his use of shade and light, and will be using the same concept during my editing process, in which I will make some images black and white in order to show the contrast between light and dark areas, allowing shadows to appear darker and more menacing, while also allowing the images to remain timeless due to the lack of colour, and thus they can easily be associated with the time period in which the original bunkers/war structures were built.
After finalizing and editing my final images, I re-visited the work of Jonathan Andrews to compare it to my own, and found that I had taken inspiration from a range of his images, especially with aspects such as the texture and contrasting colours:
For the above images, mine are seen on the left, and Andrew’s on the right. There are similarities between the images in terms of texture, colour themes and overall atmospheres (harsh, cold and menacing).
Link to Jonathan Andrew’s Bunker Project: www.jonathanandrewphotography.com/Projects/WWII-Relics/9
