The New Topographics

New Topographics was a term coined by William Jenkins in 1975 to describe a group of American photographers (such as Robert Adams and Lewis Baltz) whose pictures had a similar banal aesthetic, in that they were formal, mostly black and white prints of the urban landscape…

The beginning of the death of “The American Dream”

Many of the photographers associated with The New Topographics including Robert Adams, Lewis Baltz, Nicholas Nixon and Bernd and Hiller Becher, were inspired by the man-made…selecting subject matter that was matter-of-fact.

New Topographics inspired by the likes of Albert Renger Patszch and the notion of The New Objectivity

Parking lots, suburban housing and warehouses were all depicted with a beautiful stark austerity, almost in the way early photographers documented the natural landscape. An exhibition at the International Museum of Photography in Rochester, New York featuring these photographers also revealed the growing unease about how the natural landscape was being eroded by industrial development.

The New Topographics were to have a decisive influence on later photographers including those artists who became known as the Düsseldorf School of Photography.

History and Theory

1. Research and explore The New Topographics and how photographers have responded to man’s impact on the land, and how they found a sense of beauty in the banal ugliness of functional land use… 
2. Then : create a blog post that defines and explains The New Topographics and the key features and artists of the movement.
3. ANSWER : what was the new topographics a reaction to?
4. Choose from…ROBERT ADAMS, STEPHEN SHORE, JOE DEAL, FRANK GOLKHE, NICHOLAS NIXON, LEWIS BALTZ, THE BECHERS, HENRY WESSEL JR, JOHN SCHOTT ETC to write up a case study that will inspire your own photography.
5. Analyse some key imagery carefully and show your understanding of the  TECHNICAL / VISUAL / CONCEPTUAL AND CONTEXTUAL ATTRIBUTES OF THE IMAGES YOU HAVE CHOSEN TO DISCUSS

Practical Responses…

1. Here are some other suggestions that may stimulate your imagination  and provide starting points for YOUR OWN photo-assignments THIS WEEK…
2. Scrapyards, building sites, cranes, restoration yards, derelict ruins, car parks, underpass, harbours and dockyards, industrial centres, retail parks
   • Stadiums, floodlight arenas, staircases
   • Motorways, road systems, railways, runways, dockyards
   • Circuit boards, pipework, telephone poles, towers, pylons, skyscrapers
   • Shop displays, escalators, bars, libraries, theatres and cinemas
   • Gardens, parks, playgrounds, swimming pools, man-made beaches
3. Possible titles to inspire you and choose from… Dereliction / Isolation / Lonely Places / Open Spaces / Close ups / Freedom / Juxtaposition / Old and new / Erosion / Altered Landscapes / Utopia / Dystopia / Wastelands / Barren / Skyscapes / Urban Decay / Former Glories / Habitats / Social Hierarchies / Entrances and Exits / Storage / Car Parks / Looking out and Looking in / Territory / Domain / Concealed and Revealed

Urban Photoshoot Due Date Wednesday 23rd October

150-200 images that reflect your understanding of The New Topographics ( reference at least 1 x artist)

You may choose to focus on areas that have a direct link to Occupation / Liberation

Look at how the New Topographics approach has inspired landscape photography and the way we document our surroundings / the way we are using and transforming the land.

You should look at photographers such as…

• Joel Sternfeld
• Gabriel Basilico
• Andreas Gursky
• Edward Burtynsky
• Richard Misrach
• Sze Tsung-Leong
• Thomas Struth
• Peter Mitchell
• Paul Graham
• Donovan Wylie
• Ed Ruscha
• Rut Blees Luxemburg

Research a selection of these photographers and respond with…

• similar imagery from your own photo-shoots / image library
• analytical comparisons and contrasts
• a presentation of final images

Stephen Shore, Beverly Boulevard and La Brea Avenue, Los Angeles, California, June 21, 1975, 1975, chromogenic color print

Analysis and discussion… starting points and key features of The New Topographics

• Foreground vs background | Dominant features
• Composition | low horizon line | Square format
• Perspective and detail / cluttering
• Wide depth of field | Large Format Camera
• Colour | impact and relevance
• Nationalism vs mobility vs isolation
• Social commentary | The American Dream ?
• An appreciation of the formal elements : line, shape, form, texture, pattern, tone etc

Remember to use this

Follow this 10 Step Process and create multiple blog posts for each unit to ensure you tackle all Assessment Objectives thoroughly :

1. Mood-board, definition and introduction (AO1)
2. Mind-map of ideas (AO1)
3. Artist References / Case Studies (must include image analysis) (AO1)
4. Photo-shoot Action Plan (AO3)
5. Multiple Photoshoots + contact sheets (AO3)
6. Image Selection, sub selection (AO2)
7. Image Editing/ manipulation / experimentation (AO2)
8. Presentation of final outcomes (AO4)
9. Compare and contrast your work to your artist reference(AO1)
10. Evaluation and Critique (AO1+AO4)

This week we will be looking more closely at the concept of altered landscapes.

You will be developing a set, sequence or group of final images to print and display

You can choose from natural, romanticised, urban and altered landscapes for your final outcomes

You may choose to employ a range of creative techniques (digital and traditional) to create your environments…

• Photographing changed, changing or altered landscapes
• Creating altered landscapes by combining a range of images in Adobe Photoshop
• Explore panoramic landscapes
• Using cut-n-paste techniques and printed matter (from photos, magazines, print-outs, newspapers etc)

You may already have a range of suitable images to start your designs…but will need to conduct a range of photo-shoots to ensure that you have enough high quality images to work from:

Here are some examples to help inspire your ideas…

Paint directly onto photographs, as in these works by Gerhard Richter:

Combine paint and photographs digitally, like Fabienne Rivory‘s LaBokoff project:

Overlay multiple photos from slightly different angles, like these experimental photographs by Stephanie Jung:

Cut out shapes and insert coloured paper, as in these photographs by Micah Danges:

Make an photography collage using masking tape, like Iosif Kiraly:

Photograph a single scene over time and join the pieces in sequence, like these composite photographs by Fong Qi Wei:

Inset scenes within other scenes, as in these photographs by Richard Koenig:

Take close-up, tightly cropped scenes, creating abstract photography from surfaces and pattern, like these works by Frank Hallam Day:

Experiment with slow shutter speeds at night, blurring lights, as in the abstract ‘Sightseeing Tunnel’ series by Jakob Wagner:

Essential Blog Posts This Week…

• Research Altered Landscapes…
• Develop a Case Study about a chosen photographer (plus analysis of a key image)…show how this has inspired your final ideas and process
• Your images, process, editing, selection, final outcomes and evaluation

Click this link below for more resources…

Remember to follow the 10 Step Process and create multiple blog posts for each unit to ensure you tackle all Assessment Objectives thoroughly :

1. Mood-board, definition and introduction (AO1)
2. Mind-map of ideas (AO1)
3. Artist References / Case Studies (must include image analysis) (AO1)
4. Photo-shoot Action Plan (AO3)
5. Multiple Photoshoots + contact sheets (AO3)
6. Image Selection, sub selection (AO2)
7. Image Editing/ manipulation / experimentation (AO2)
8. Presentation of final outcomes (AO4)
9. Compare and contrast your work to your artist reference(AO1)
10. Evaluation and Critique (AO1+AO4)

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

What will you see on your journey…and how will  you respond and adapt to it ???

Koyaanisqati : Drawing its title from the Hopi word meaning “life out of balance,” this renowned documentary reveals how humanity has grown apart from nature. Featuring extensive footage of natural landscapes and elemental forces, the film gives way to many scenes of modern civilization and technology.

Superflux : explore over-surveillance and the prospect of intrusion in our everyday lives…has the concept of psycho-geographies evolved into something dystopian-like and Orwellian (1984- “Big brother”)…governments, town planners and the authorities design how we live, where we live and essentially control popluations of towns and cities.

Marcus Desieno creates de-humanised landscape photography by hacking surveillance camera networks…but avoids privacy problems normally associated with urban and residential areas…

What you need to do…(3-5 blog posts)

1. Research thenDefine, describe and explain what Psycho-Geography is…
2. Choose an (urban) area of Jersey that you are interested in exploring
3. Find the area on google maps and zoom in so that you can make a screen shot to add to your blog post.
4. Add the “street view” too if you can
5. Find as much information and images online as you can about the street / area you are exploring and include these in your blog post
6. Add any archival information that you can too (see below)
7. Then go to the area and explore on foot…photographing everything you can, and all that appears of interest to you at that time. Photograph up, down and across…creating a film or time-lapse is good too as is drone footage / imagery…
8. Record the time, date and place of your journey in your blog post
9. Add any thoughts, feelings or emotions you can about the place your are exploring…and as you develop a connection and familiarity with the place/ people / buildings etc.
10. Refer to Mishka Henner and Edward Burtynsky (aerial photographs) and The Boyle Family in your blog post…and discuss how they interact with an area and create art / photography inspired directly by the location and its uses / functions.
11. Analyse and evaluate your process…show your selection, editing and presentation of final images.

Using Photo-Archives

In the course of daily life, individuals and organizations create and keep information about their personal and business activities. Archivists identify and preserve these documents of lasting value.

These records — and the places they are kept — are called “archives.” Archival records take many forms, including correspondence, diaries, financial and legal documents, photographs, and moving image and sound recordings. All state governments as well as many local governments, schools, businesses, libraries, and historical societies, maintain archives.

Your task

The images above are Archival Images from iconic areas of Jersey…and these areas have changed over time.

• Find archival images that correspond to your own landscape photography and contrast and compare. Include any info you can find about the image itself / photographer / time period etc
• OR…you may find that you are intrigued by a particular landscape image and want to respond to it and create a comparison / composite image. For this you must conduct a photo-shoot aiming to document the area from a similar viewpoint and edit your images accordingly
• OR…you may want to explore the concept of JUXTAPOSING Old and new buildings / parts of Jersey…either by photographing them in situ, or creating a composite image using photoshop

Public archives in Jersey

Jersey Archives:  Since 1993 Jersey Archive has collected over 300,000 archival records and it is the island’s national repository holding archival material from public institutions as well as private businesses and individuals. To visit click here

Jersey Archive can offer guidance, information and documents that relate to all aspects of the Island’s History. It also holds the collections of the Channel Islands Family History Society.

Societe Jersiaise: Photographic archive of 80,000 images dating from the mid-1840s to the present day. 35,000 historical images in the Photographic Archive are searchable online here.

Societe Jersiaise also have an extensive library with access to may publications and records relating to the island’s history, identity and geography. Click here

Archisle: The Jersey Contemporary Photography Programme, hosted by the Société Jersiaise aims to promote contemporary photography through an ongoing programme of exhibitions, education and commissions.

The Jersey Evening Post Archives CLICK HERE

The Archisle project connects photographic archives, contemporary practice and experiences of island cultures and geographies through the development of a space for creative discourse between Jersey and international practitioners.

Link: http://www.archisle.org.je/

Extension Task

• Research and explore how Lewis Bush  engages with and photographs the city and its development  / over-development.
• Click  here to check out an interview as he explains how he uses aerial / satellite imagery to home in on secret data stations used in the Cold War and produce abstract imagery influenced by the radio waves of secret information being mysteriously broad-casted.

APERTURE refers to the opening of a lens’s diaphragm, which allows light to pass through the camera. It is calibrated in f/stops and is generally written as numbers like 1.4, 2, 2.8 etc. The higher the f/stop, the less light is allowed to pass through the camera.

DEPTH OF FIELD refers to the distance between the nearest and the farthest objects that are in acceptably sharp focus in an image. The depth of field can be calculated based on focal length, distance to subject, the acceptable circle of confusion size, and aperture. The more depth of field, the more focused the camera is to the foreground and the more blurred the background is.

Shoot 1-

Shoot 2-

Explanations for some images-