• Essay question:
• 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 powerpoints about isms andmovements M:\Departments\Photography\Students\Resources\Personal Study
• Pg 2 (500 words): Analyse first artist/photographer in relation to your essay question. Present and evaluate your own images and responses.
• Pg 3 (500 words): Analyse second artist/photographer in relation to your essay question. Present and evaluate your own images and responses.
• Conclusion (250-500 words): Draw parallels, explore differences/ similarities between artists/photographers and that of your own work that you have produced
• Bibliography: List all relevant sources used

First overview

Flicking briefly through the pages of Raised By Wolves, I am instantly drawn to the design and layout of the photobook, With the book consisting of images, with recorded dialogue and hand written, grungy letters accompanying the images. from a first look, the book appears to be about the 90’s punk/grunge culture of the USA, with many images relating to street culture, depicting scenes such as raves, skateboarding and working class life.

Jim Goldberg

Jim Goldberg is an American Photographer whom focuses on exploring populations of people whom are deemed to be out of the view of the mainstream media/press. Examples of these such groups include those in poverty, the homeless and those associated to punk/ grunge culture, the main focus in Raised By Wolves.

Gold Berg is associated with the social aims movement in photography, Taking a narrative approach to highlight issues within society and tell the stories of people from all different backgrounds. His ability to interact with his subjects is seen throughout his works, As his unique approach allows him to delve deep into the lives of his subjects and explore them and show them in a new light that may have been previously unseen by other members of society

Raised By Wolves

Raised by Wolves, Is an extremely moving photobook that details the lives of homeless young adults in Los Angeles. The book consists of multiple images, accompanied by handwritten messages from the subjects themselves, as well as dialogues of stories and encounters as told by the subjects themselves. The book itself aims to explore the issue of homelessness in Los Angeles, a city seen by the world as the home of Hollywood and infinite luxuries. Goldberg aimed to produce this piece of work to show the world that despite the luxurious draw of Los Angeles, many thousands of people were suffering from poverty and homelessness in underdeveloped and under looked communities, thus inspiring an atmosphere of rebellion and dissent towards law and order, An atmosphere that was felt across the vast majority of the western world at the time, Spawning the “Punk” movement. Often associated with loud, vicious rock and the iconic Mohawk haircut, The Punk movement coined its name from a term used to describe a person who was seen as worthless and of no importance in the world. Punk culture revolves around the ideas of rebellion, self freedom and anti establishment views.

Raised By Wolves consists of striking imagery depicting daily life for young adults left homeless within Los Angeles. Many of these youths managed to form communities of fellow homeless adolescents and inhabit abandoned buildings. AS typical with young people, Partying was common among these communities, and It is widely depicted within the book, with themes of addiction and trauma also incorporated to further tell the stories of those on the streets.

Book Design

The book is presented with a glossy cover, With the silhouetted outline of a female with the main title written in a graffiti style. The image of the young woman is laid over the top of an image of an adolescent male in an urban environment. The rear cover of the book includes a written letter from a subject Goldberg photographed, reminding him to publish the book to show the world who the people of the streets really are. The pages themselves are of a semi gloss finish and the book is bound by stitching, Which is visible when turning the pages of the book itself. Images usually take up a full page, however there are also a few full bleed images included. One of the unique characteristics of the book itself is the incorporation of handwritten notes from the subjects themselves, talking about aspirations, their lives and attitudes towards society. There are also recorded dialogues within the books, straight from conversations with subjects themselves which I find adds a real interactive element to the photobook as it allows us to not only explore the physical lives of those that Goldberg decided to photograph, but it also allows us an insight into the mentality and mind of those photographed.

Image Analysis

For my project, I will focus on how the bunkers are currently portrayed as on Jersey as a remnant of the German occupation; I was inspired by a book by Robert Hackman called Metamorphosis which I came across while at the photo fair in Paris. This book documents Albanian bunkers from the soviet era which had been reused as homes for people, places for businesses, or abandoned. For my photoshoots I will document abandoned bunkers and island defenses which have been re-purposed for use by the Germans during the occupation. I will then make my own altered landscapes inspired by Andreas Gursky.

Occupation – Mental illness – Depression/Anxiety – Surrealism – Francesca Woodman – Mary Ellen Mark.

Compare Francesca Woodman and Mary Ellen Mark’s representation/documentation of mental illness.

To what extent is Francesca Woodman’s photography a visual representation of her mental health?

Harvard system of referencing:

Bibliography:

Sherman, C, Published: 2006, Retrospective, New York: Thames & Hudson Inc.

~~~~~own writing~~~~~ (critic/art historian etc.) says: “Drawing on feminism as well as phenomenology, I also suggest here that Sherman’s work participates in a particular mode….” (Sherman, 2006, 33 (page No.)), ~~~~~comment/state opinion on what the author has said~~~~~

if longer than 4 lines:

~~~~~own writing~~~~~ (critic/art historian etc.)

“~~~~~indented work of author~~~~~”

online sources:

authors name, year of publish, title of the article/work, place of publication (websites place of operation i.e London), URL address

Essay question:

Compare Francesca Woodman and Mary Ellen Mark’s representation/documentation of mental illness.

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?

• Mental illness.
• Surrealism (Francesca Woodman).
• Francesca Woodman (Surrealism, Long exposure, Self-portrait, feminism, depression).
• Mary Ellen Mark (Ward 81, Karen Jacobs, documentation, 1970s mental hospital).
• Compare a personal view and ‘outsider’s perspective.’

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. 

• Surrealism.
• Staged.
• Documentary.

Pg 2 (500 words): Analyse first artist/photographer in relation to your essay question. Present and evaluate your own images and responses.

• Francesca Woodman.
• On Being An Angel.

Pg 3 (500 words): Analyse second artist/photographer in relation to your essay question. Present and evaluate your own images and responses.

• Mary Ellen Mark.
• Ward 81.

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.

Shoot 1: Bright

Sheila Pree uses dolls to comment on and explore cultural beauty standards. She took images of dolls and real women and digitally edits them together to show how unrealistic dolls are compared to what a real roman looks like.

My Photoshoot Plan

My plan is to use this as inspiration but to edit them differently to get my point of view across about unrealistic body and beauty expectations. I plan on taking the images in the studio in order to get well-lit portraits and I’ll be taking direct inspiration from this image of Bright’s (bellow) but editing it in my own way.

Shoot 2: Trophy Wife Barbie

This is the image I have been inspired by for my second shoot. It’s by an Instagram account called Trophy Wife Barbie. Her images are have an adult humor to them and are very feminist in the way that she’s documenting what she a real life woman is like but using Barbie. This image is meant to represent how she feels taking off make-up.

My plan is to take images of a doll with her hands out and then use Photoshop to copy the face and make it look like she holding her face and then remove her facial features where her face used to be. It will be like Trophy Wife Barbie’s but her face will be completely gone.

Shoot 3: Sheila Pree Bright

For my third shoot I’m going to look at Bright’s work again however this time not only focusing on portraits but on the bodies of the Doll’s. I plan on editing them with typography like i have done with previous projects in order to incorporate my own style. I plan of writing things like ‘Plastic Fantastic,’ ‘Is this real to you,’ and ‘am I perfect yet?’

Shoot 4: Bright

For this shoot I’ going to do more portraits in the style of Bright however, I plan of taking well lit images of the doll’s faces and then using nail varnish to remove the painted on make up dolls have. I then plan on editing them together and having one half of the face with the painted on make up and the other half without.

Shoot 5: Simmons

For this shoot I’ve had multiple inspirations. My main inspiration is the Early Interior Series by Laurie Simmons. I have ordered a doll kitchen and I have some miniature dolls and things for the kitchen. I plan on taking images of the doll in the kitchen, which is meant to represent stereotypical gender roles, but then add a twist. After taking some normal images, I plan on taking some but inspired by Instagram account Mariel Clayton (@psycho.barbies). I plan on using fake blood and face paint to give the kitchen images a bit of a comedic but frighting twist. This is meant to represent how some women fight back against these stereotypical roles and beauty representations. It’s also meant to represent how all the generations of girls since the suffragette movement have strove to fight the inequality of the generation before them.

Shoot 6:

This shoot was inspired by the two image bellow which I found when brainstorming ideas. The point is not the shame people out of plastic surgery but to show the fact that some woman feel like they have to chemically and physically become like plastic in order to think they are beautiful because of the world we live in. I’m going to set up a tale for the doll to like on and a white tissue to go over her to make it simulate being in the clinic and draw the markings from the bellow images onto their faces.

My personal study will focus on mental illness and the different areas that it can affect, such as; education, home life, work, whilst also capturing the different 'levels' in a sense, from somewhat mild emotional distress, to more severe issues that sometimes require hospitalisation. Throughout this project I am going to investigate how not only the effects of mental illness affect the sufferer, but also how they are portrayed to the people surrounding them. I feel that this fits the stimulus of 'Occupation v Liberation' as people can often be overtaken by these illnesses, but CAN be 'liberated' through recovery, likewise they could be occupied by the stigma of mental illness, more than the illness it self. 

The reason I chose mental illness as my personal study was based on my own journey with it. I have spent over two and a half years known to Jerseys mental health services, and hospitalised numerous times, but despite this, between age 15, and my 18th birthday, the 17th August 2019, I had gained a childcare qualification, volunteered at 6 different places, worked 5 different jobs and made it through my first a level year. Recovery was made a very real possibility. Liberation.

During this I am going to use a mixture of self portraits, both on my own and including some of the people closest to me, and old archival imagery to show the progression of time, and how long, and how hard, this 'occupation' is. In order to do this so that I too am in the image I am going to have to put my camera on to the self timer setting, adjusting the shutter speed and iso to the type of lighting i am using, and how bright it is. I am also going to try to take inspiration from Francesca Woodman and manipulate my images to try to convey emotional state.  

However, due to the subject of mental health, and mental illness being extremely sensitive subjects I am going to have to ensure that with every photoshoot, and every justification of my images, I keep to the forefront of my mind that there is an extremely thin line between representative and offensive.  

Niall McDiarmid:

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Niall McDiarmid’s use of vibrant colour in some photos, in direct contrast to the lack of colour in others tells a very interesting story. Combine this with clear shapes and an incredibly effective use of shadows, and the result is images with a real sense of both abstraction and realism at the same time. McDiarmid primarily focuses on documenting the people and places of the UK. McDiarmid said in an interview with Wobneb Magazine, “I didn’t have the intention of using colours as a base for the work. However after a few weeks, I realized that it was something I had an eye for.”

Image Analysis:

McDiarmid’s has said in the past that colour is a very influential part of his photographs, and that basing his images around shapes and colours influence his style of photography. This is especially evident in my chosen photograph, as it ties shapes and colours together very well. All of the vibrant colours play on one another, and even though the yellows are slightly different shades, there is enough similarity to tie the whole image together. For instance, even though the trees are not completely yellow, the autumnal oranges in the trees make the image seem much more complete, as the way the image has been composed to feature a yellow/orange detail in the top, bottom, left and right of the image. It is clear that McDiarmid as meticulously thought about the composition of his shot, even down to the yellow packet of cigarettes next to the subject. This is more evident when you consider the way the image makes you look at the subjects face using the leading lines in a slightly more abstract way through colour, drawing the viewers eye to the center of the image, with the yellow items around him acting like arrows pointing at the face of the subject.

leif sandberg

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Leif Sandberg lives in Stockholm, Sweden and work as an art photographer. His photography have been showed in several exhibitions, at Gallery Ralf, Landskrona Fotofestival and Fotografiska, Stockholm. The first book Ending (2017) dealt with panic and getting old and the latest book, Beyond the Mirror (2018), continues where Ending ends and moves into unknown territories. His photography is self reflective and explores ones inner self and is open for interpretations by the viewer. He has studied Art, History & Art Philosophy at the Stockholm University and participated in workshops with Anders Petersen, JH Engström, Margot Wallard, Antoine D’Agata and Roger Ballen.

Image Analysis:

Sandberg’s Image definitely follows in line with his style and recurring themes of reflection self-exploration. Here he uses a slow shutter speed combined with multiple exposures to create a ghostly reinterpretation of himself. This technique is very effective in creating the high contrast, low key atmosphere that Sandberg is known for. The way that Sandberg has used lighting to create the dark shadows over his eyes also adds to the idea of aging and the thoughts that surround it, making the subject look decayed and rotting. However, this technique also slightly dehumanizes the subject (Something that I think Sandberg has done intentionally) to show that this could be anyone, and shows the inevitability of death, similar to that of Vanitas still-life paintings of 17th century. Sandberg’s images feature many elements of surrealism, which is especially clear, especially in this image which Sandberg named “Before Take Off”, and is part of a collection which Sandberg made into his first book called “Beyond The Mirror”. He has since made another book which continued the themes of aging, death and self-reflection called “Ending”. Sandberg’s concepts around the inevitability of death, futility of life and the unwavering nature of aging are all shown in this one specific image. It’s surrealist nature makes it eerily unsettling to observe, and to me represents how people can still be ghosts without necessarily dying, which only strengthens his concepts mentioned earlier.

At the Jersey Arts Centre there was a recent show of the exhibition “Invisable Hands” by Alicja Rogalska. The exhibition is known as being associated with migrant workers as well as The Morning Boat whilst it tries to show Jersey through the perspective of migrant workers. This has shown to be important due to migrant workers being a large part but not being known much about due to the lack of knowledge on the past.

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Looking through this exhibition allowed main parts in the agriculture sector in Jersey to be seen which has proven to needing to be more attention due to its importance with the living/ working conditions which people experience everyday and which most middle class people would be appalled by if they saw and if they were educated. Looking through, I liked how Rogalska captured the images as it allowed for a clearer concept to be shown as well allowing more emotion. She also has a video playing which explored the visuals of context towards the images as well as adding emotion which images cannot do in some cases. The video also allowed for us to use more senses such as listening adding a personal effect. The highlights allowed to show the importance of being aware of your surroundings, as well as knowledgeable as to what other go through and how they live which I found was very effective.

Carrying on with the subject of videos, a video was played at the exhibition which was taken of migrant workers in creating clay figures, the most well recognised being a potato which represents their culture as well as helping to symbolise what they do. In order to create the video, the workers were interviewed which was also put into the video where we could see them creating the potatoes out of slay along with the way in which they do it. The title of ‘Invisable Hands’ is shown clearly as we can see that their faces are not shown in the video, only the actions they are doing with their hands.

As seen from the images above the images have been taken in poor quality helping to images to have an interesting back story as it could be possible that they are self taken images, explaining the low level of technique in the actual images.

My personal opinion on this exhibition is that it successfully shows viewers the true aspects of being a migrant worker through both their living and working conditions reflecting social as well as political issues with our government. The use of both imagery and media helps for viewers to gain understanding of the overall concept.