We started of the OCCUPATION vs LIBERATION with a visit to the Societe Jersiase learning about the historical importance of photo-graphical archives and they role they play within preserving memories and evidence of the Jersey occupation. We were able to do our own research too by looking through the abundance of photo albums which are kept in the archives. The overall experience at the archives was very informative yet interesting at the same time, we started of with a small introduction to the archives and what they were all about, giving a brief history and the intended purpose of them. We then proceeded to do various activities relating to the occupation and the archives, we were able to choose a variety of images for out own personal use which can be seen down below. The sheer size of the archives is huge and is a very useful resource for students and the public alike who want to explore more about the occupation and want to see a photographic resources.

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In terms of starting my OCCUPATION vs LIBERATION project I started by looking back at my own personal history and family archives which I squired during a trip back to my home country Latvia. This was extremely interesting to me as I was not only able to reflect back on my own family heritage but gain more general knowledge abut WW2 and the Jersey occupation. During this project I also learnt about an abundance of other photographers which correlate to the theme of occupation vs liberation very well. For example the first photographer which we looked at, Michelle Sank, in one of her photo series looks at the life of her teenage daughter, documenting the differences in lifestyle which she observes between the youth and adult population of the country. This allowed me to gain more insight about contextual information about Sank and allowed me to explore other photography styles in the ‘Home Sweet Home’ unit as she has a very particular and consistent manner in which she shoots her models and photographs, making very direct and obvious eye contact with the camera.

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We also invested a considerable time into hearing the story of Bob Le Sueur. A 99 year old an who lived through the occupation in his teen years. We we were able to hear about the real life stories of a regular man living through some of the toughest times of the last millennia. The hardships. the struggle and adversity which he faced. During Bob’s time at Hautlieu, we were able to capture images of him in the studio using a professional set up. Using an infinity screen, fixed camera lens, flash trigger and soft box lights. All of these elements coming together to create refined and professional imagery which showcased the aging process of Bob beautifully. With his textured skin, abundant wrinkles and age spots. I was able to learn more about professional studio set ups and the correct manual set ups for the camera when using a flash trigger to illuminate the image.

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We then went on to looking more closely at still life imagery. researching a variety of artists and learning about the classical art style. I was able to get a gain a deeper understanding about the variety of symbolism which are portrayed through still life, and how it all ties together to encompass traditional and modem techniques of photography. Overall this was my favorite section of work as this was a topic I have been interested personally for quite a while as I am very interested in other art mediums other than photography. Even though it is seems to be a purely aesthetic art from, the symbolism which is conveyed through each object within the paintings has it’s own unique meaning. For example the depiction of a skull could represent several things,perhaps the most obvious option and universal is death. This positioning of the skull can alter how the painting is read; for example if the skull is displayed in the foreground of the painting it could be read as warning. Also musical instruments, these items were considered to be extremely luxurious, therefore if an instrument in excellent condition (such as a flute) was depicted, it would be read a symbol of wealth – this would certainly be more prevalent in more historical 18^th century still life art. On the other hand, a damaged or old musical instrument could represent loss of wealth or be representative of a family heirloom. Through the inspiration of the classical still life which we looked at, I was able to create my very own photography using the techniques and symbolism which I learned.

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In conclusion, I was able to learn a variety of skills through this focused topic. Learning about the importance of photographic archives which later inspired me to go out and conduct my own research in my family archives. Talking to my mum about these and finding out insightful information which I never even knew myself. I carried this curiosity about my family forward when exploring my current family and the dynamics of their daily lives through candid photography. Later carrying forward the theme of war, looking at the life story of Bob and the various interesting stories he had made me learn about why it is importance to remember war and cherish the people who still live on to tell the tale. Lastly looking at still life and learning about very important technical skills which we were able to use when photographing in the studio and use items which carried deep symbolic meaning.

Task 1 : occupation x liberation

As a response to work, ideas and installations that you experienced in Paris you must create a detailed blog post that explores the work of one of the artists below.

You may be influenced to the point of basing your Personal Study on what you have experienced, seen and understood…and should aim to respond with this in mind.

Ensure that you add a clear understanding of both the concept and context of the work that you choose to focus on.

1 . Zineb Sedira : Maison Europeene De Photographie

Sedira’s work has often been largely identified with postcolonial issues and in particular with her family history, closely linked to Algeria, “A brief moment” also highlights the manner in which she explores the exponential devastation of the environment through over-production and universal circulation of people and goods.

Zineb Sedira was born in Paris to Algerian parents, and moved to London to study art. Her works are often autobiographical, addressing issues of cultural identity and the personal consequences of migration.

In Mother Tongue, 2002 the artist appears alongside her mother and daughter to show the shifts in cultural identities that have happened within her own family.

More recent works include Shipwrecks, 2008, highlighting the dangers of transit and immigration, and Sugar Routes, 2013, documenting the movement of a global commodity.

2. Yury Toroptsov

https://www.toroptsov.com/deleted-scene

3. Hassan Hajjaj : MEP Paris

HASSAN HAJJAJ is an Anglo-Moroccan photographer. He explores various aspects of tradition, heritage, identity, culture and politics via fashion, and often incorporates furniture, vehicles and more in his portraits.

His work embraces the eclectic street style of London’s most vibrant characters, whilst incorporating elements of his own North African heritage.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE

https://www.parisphoto.com/en/interviews/

Task 2 : psychogeographies

You must reflect on your experiences in Paris whilst working with Yury, and create a blog post that explores and articulates how you as a photographer can develop a connection with a place and it’s people, it’s history and innate stories.

Remember to …

• discuss the use of archival material
• question the validity / purpose of any pre-existing material you use
• articulate how prior knowledge of an area and it’s history (research) can lead to certain pre-conceptions
• argue that focusing on the problematic / negative aspects of a topic or area of exploration will yield more interesting results
• include your images in a sequence that matches your experiences
• include reference to psychogeographies in your blog post

YURY’S PRESENTATION…(it has been emailed to you!)

PSYCHO-GEOGRAPHY// SITUATIONISM

We have explored Psycho-geography as a concept and way of working before…during the AS Course. Many of you succeeded in developing strong ideas by following some of the ideas.

Psycho-geography is a hybrid of photography and geography that emphasizes playfulness and “drifting” around urban environments. It has links to the Situationist International.

Psychogeography was defined in 1955 by Guy Debord as “the study of the precise laws and specific effects of the geographical environment, consciously organized or not, on the emotions and behavior of individuals.”

Another definition is “a whole toy box full of playful, inventive strategies for exploring cities… just about anything that takes pedestrians off their predictable paths and jolts them into a new awareness of the urban landscape.

The originator of what became known as unitary urbanism, psychogeography, and the dérive was Ivan Chtcheglov, in his highly influential 1953 essay “Formulaire pour un urbanisme nouveau” (“Formulary for a New Urbanism”).

It has roots in Dadaism and Surrealism.

The idea of urban wandering relates to the older concept of the flâneur, theorized by Charles Baudelaire…and is similar to STREET PHOTOGRAPHY

PETAPIXEL definition of PsychoGeography CLICK HERE

I’ve decided to focus my personal project of Socio-political ideas.

Possible Photographers

Peter Kennard

Kennard’s images focus on politics and the environment. He uses his work to criticise the Britsh government and other countries along with criticises armaments.

Sheila Pree Bright

Bright focuses on unrealistic body and beauty expectations specifically the unrealistic and lack of representation of Africa American women in dolls. She uses editing to combine images of dolls and real images to highlight the obvious unrealisticness of the doll and to show how unrealistic the proportions of the dolls are.

Laurie Simmons

Simmons uses her photography to comment on the patriarchy and the role of women in the eyes of society. The specific image above was taken in the ’70s during the second wave feminist movements.

Which Photographers should I take inspiration from and analyse in my essay?

I’ve decided I’m going to look at Bright and Simmons rather than Kennard because they have similar feminist messages that they try to convey through their work. Also, the ways that they try to convey their message is similar in the way that they set up dolls and take images. However, Simmons sets up a whole dollhouse setting with a narrative whereas bright using her editing more to convey her message. If I combine both ways I should have an eclectic mix of images with a lot of variety.

Henri Cartier-Bresson

Henri Cartier-Bresson was a french photographer whom many have credited as being one of the founding fathers of street photography. Born on the 22nd February 1908, Bresson came from a wealthy family, with his father being a wealthy textile owner and his mother a landowner herself. This in turn allowed for his education and pursuit of photography to be entirely funded by his parents.

in 1929 after being placed under house arrest for hunting without a license, Bresson was introduced to an American Expatriate by the name of Harry Crosby. Crosby learned of Bressons interest and passion for photography, and therefore issued him with his first camera. Bresson had a long term affair with Crosby’s wife, which, upon ending in 1931 two years after Crosby committed suicide, made him move to Cote D’ivoire in West Africa where he lived for several years hunting and selling game to locals. Upon returning to france in late 1931, Bresson found insipration from the surrealist movement and this sparked his desire to take photography seriously and persue his career as a professional

Notable Works

Here is how I did my layout for my newspaper spread:

For my first page I wanted to use a picture I took in the war tunnels of a hallway as I want to show one aspect of occupation vs liberation.

For my second and third pages, I used pictures from two different photo shoots. I wanted to show how the German soldiers were working and fighting. I used photos of a WW2 helmet, a bunker and bunker stairs.

For my fourth page, I used an image from my bunker photo shoot to show again how German soldiers worked and fought, which portrays the occupation side.

For my fifth page, I used images from my bunker and WW2 photo shoots to show again how German soldiers worked and fought and what objects they used. This again portrays the occupation side.

As part of our photography course work we were asked to produce a Newspaper spread to go into the Jersey Evening Post to showcase the Year 13s Photography work at Hautlieu School. The images i can see been to use have been from previous photo shoots in the project which have been landscape, portrait and objects. I have tried to use as different images as possible in order to showcase all my photographic skills.

To make my Newspaper spread i used Adobe InDesign which allows me to make my spread digitally, I also used Adobe Photoshop to create further edits to my images. I used the dimensions 420mm(h) x 280.5mm(w) to create the overall layout of the book and then used Photoshop to save my images as high resolution ‘Tiff Files’ (4000 pixels) which allowed my images to print out as high quality as possible. There was a requirment to have one image a ‘ full bleed image’ which can be seen as included in the book and I also chose my own layout of the spread myself.

My Newspaper Spread

As seen below I have created my spread which includes a mixture of Landscape, Portrait and Object images which have all been taken with a Canon camera and edited on Photoshop. I enjoyed making this spread as there wern’t much instructions to making your piece which meant you were allowed to be as creative as wanted. I made my spread very simplistic and didn’t include any text or quotes as i didn’t want to distract from my pieces.