Susan Meiselas

1. Read interview, make notes and identify 3 quotes (that are thought-provoking, revealing or contentious

“Even when revisiting Carnival Strippers I had to think back to the context at the time – the debates in feminism about such women, the idea of giving voice to the women from the inside, and so on” I think this quote is thought-provoking because Meiselas uses her work to provide an alternative perspective on a group of women who many would argue project many negative stereotypes about women. However Meiselas proves these stereotypes wrong.

“I don’t go in with a concept; the concept evolves and becomes self-evident at a certain moment in the process.” I think Susan Meiselas’ method of production is interesting because she doesn’t necessarily plan her shoots before she does them, and it is more of an ‘in the moment’ process.

“Many of my projects live in more than one community simultaneously and the challenge becomes slightly different.” I liked this quote from Meiselas because she states that her work is rather universal and can be seen as relatable by different communities, which I think is a difficult process as you have to have a strong idea of other cultures or communities to do this.

1. Select one image from the photographer and analyse in depth following this method: TECHNICAL, VISUAL, CONTEXTUAL, CONCEPTUAL – focus on the last two aspects of analysis to achieve highest marks

This image, titled “Lulu, Tunbridge, Vermont” was taken by Susan Meiselas in 1974 as part of her series; “Carnival Strippers”. This series became the spark of Meiselas’ photography career, and even became the reason that she fell in love with photography. She became intrigued by these women and wanted to know why they did what they did and how it affected their private life, so she began this series photographing the girls both on stage and off stage, including moments of their private lives.

The lighting in this image is harsh and intense. It creates dark, gloomy shadows compared to radiant highlights. The shadows can be seen in the sunken parts of the face, especially around the eyes and around the nose of the woman’s face. The lightest sections of the image can be seen in the highlights of the face, such as the cheekbones and tip of the nose, as well as the bright blonde hair. Despite the lighting producing harsh shadows and highlights, the lighting is natural daylight. Due to the lighting appearing predominantly on the high points of the face, the direction of the sunlight seems to be coming from above the model.

There is a sense of line within the photograph, with the thick, folded lines of the circus curtains behind the model. These lines create an upwards direction which influences the viewer to look at the model from bottom to top, these also create the leading lines for the photograph. There is also a sense of line with the direction and bending of the model’s arms, this bending sends the viewers eyes towards the direction the flower in the hands of the model, which then directs the viewers eyes to the face.

There is no real sense of repetition in this image, due to the organic and candid nature in which it has been taken in. The image is taken in black and white also, so it is impossible to tell whether there is a repetition of colour.

The shapes within this image are purely organic. Despite the image featuring artificial shapes, they are bent and folded in order to create curved and distorted lines rather than straight-edged, geometric lines.

There is a strong sense of depth within this image, as the model is in clear focus compared to the blurred background of the curtains. There is no negative space in this photograph, as all sections of the image contain a pattern or subject of some sort.

There is a range of tones from dark to light within this photograph. The darkest area of the image can be seen in the gaps of the curtains, as well as around the eyes of the model. The lightest areas of the image can be seen in the white segments of the curtain, the blonde hair of the model and the model’s fair skin. Overall, the image tends towards darkness, which creates a dark and almost sinister atmosphere.

There is a lack of colour in this image. Because of this, an intense juxtaposition has been created when comparing light and dark, and shadows and highlights.

The composition of the image can be said to follow the rule of thirds, as the model has been placed in between the three vertical thirds. The image is balanced due to the lack of negative space, and with the subject being placed central of the image. The distinctive focal point of the image is the model holding the flower to her face.

Statement of Intent

For this project, I want to focus on the theme of identity, and display my identity in a deeper sense. I want to show how my life has changed based on events that have happened in my life so far and how they have shaped me into who I am today. I also want to show how my family have influenced me throughout my life, and how different parts of my personality are shaped from them. This idea is important to me because it explains how events in my life have affected me and is more personal than other work I have made before. I think presenting my life through photos also leaves an aspect of ambiguity to anyone else, as the photos without context allow for alternate viewpoints of meaning. I want to develop this project into a photobook, as I didn’t find making films as interesting as making a physical piece. I feel like making a photobook would be more interesting because I can alter the images as well as the physical pages, which adds another level of personalisation. I may begin my study by looking through family albums to get more of a sense of my life when I was younger, and especially the times that I don’t remember. As I have lived in the same house surrounded by my family all my life, I could take my images in my house or my neighbourhood, as it is a big part of my life. I enjoyed making one of my final projects in year 12, influenced by the artist Carolle Benitah, so I may do something similar for this project. Since my family has a very interesting and extended heritage, I want to include aspects of this too. I may write about Lillie Langtry, who’s maiden name was Lillie Le Breton, or Fletcher Christian who was a mutineer on the HMS Bounty and a relative on my grandmothers side of the family. I want to do more research on these figures and maybe work out direct relations and asking older relatives in my family about these topics.

Throughout year 12, I have learnt how to use studio lighting, how to alter settings on a camera to achieve different results, and how to use photoshop and lightroom to edit my photographs. A theme I have found interesting this year is the study of Anthropocene. Within this theme I have studied multiple artists, including Darian Mederos and Naomi White, I also enjoyed making more creative edits on photoshop with these images. I found this project interesting because it combines human and nature in our current world. For this project I focused on landscape and abstract photography. I also combined the two in some of my edits to create a juxtaposition. I prefer the theme of identity over the theme of community as I can make a project that is more personal to me and my own identity, as well as my family or friends.

‘To edit these images I will enhance the muted tones in my photographs, in a similar way to the artwork by Mederos, and also darken the tones in order to provide a deeper, menacing message in relation to the theme of Anthropocene.‘

First, I lowered the brightness of my image and increased the contrast in order to create a stronger contrast between the different colours and provide darker tones to the image .I then altered the curves setting of the image to darken the shadows of the image, and to increase the brightness of the highlights within the photo. I increased the hue of the image to a blue-tone to enhance the blue hues of the image. I also increased the saturation and decreased the lightness to make the colours more vibrant and contrasting. To further bring out the blue and red tones of the image, I altered the colour balance to increase cyan-toned colours and magenta-toned colours. This makes both the blues and the reds more vibrant, creating a more juxtaposing contrast.

I also enjoyed making my final project in year 12, where I got to further explore my own identity within my family. I found it interesting to look through old family photo albums and comparing them to current times and showing the clear contrast in time. Because of this I want to make my photobook personal to me and my identity.

Identity Mindmap

I decided to create a basic mind map on the things that I think help to develop an individuals identity, such as family, appearance and hobbies. I did this to create a basic visual representation of ideas to focus on when looking deeper into my project.

Identity Moodboard

I have also made a mood board to help understand what section of identity I want to focus on for my project. When looking at my mind map and mood board, I decided to focus on family and heritage, as they have influenced other parts of my identity such as beliefs and hobbies.

What makes Jersey special and why does it matter to you?

In my opinion, Jersey is unique because the community is really close due to the small population. The scenery of Jersey has a big impact to the community, especially in summer as there is a variety of beaches and parks. Jersey also has an extensive history, such as the Occupation and the Liberation. Jersey is important to me as I grew up here along with all my family, making it a big part of my identity.

What does it mean to be ‘Jersey’ now and in the future

Those who were born and raised in Jersey would be the only residents considered as ‘Jersey’ in the past, with a lack of diversity in the island at the time. Majority of residents in the past were white, English, French or Jèrriais speakers. The concept of being ‘Jersey’ has changed drastically since then and has become a lot more diverse throughout the years. Despite not being born in Jersey or moving away from Jersey at a young age, many might still consider themselves as ‘Jersey’ in more recent times. However, many people may not consider themselves as ‘Jersey’ despite being born and raised in the island, due to having a multicultural family. This proves that the definition of being ‘Jersey’ has become an almost vague concept.

What can we all do to solidify a cohesive and positive Island identity?

Despite the closeness of the Jersey community, there is still disagreements between citizens, which prevents a cohesive environment for many. For example, protests around Jersey have caused disruption to the positive outlook for the community, such as the concept of low income for teachers, debating Covid restrictions as well as those protesting against the Covid vaccination. In order for Jersey to solidify a cohesive and positive island identity, the community needs to work together to form agreements and compromise to create a fair environment to everyone. Furthermore, helping those in need will assist in solidifying a positive Island identity.

Are there barriers to a positive and inclusive Island identity? (What requires a greater focus and what is being missed?)

Due to the Jersey population consisting of the same nationalities of people for such an extensive time, some have taken a negative outlook onto those who have immigrated to the Island since, especially people of colour and non-English speakers. Despite most not having an issue with a more diverse community, some still have a traditional view on the Island’s identity and will try to preserve that traditional ‘Jersey’ identity. For this reason, I believe that racism is still a big issue within the Island and the increase in diversity to the island is inevitable, meaning racism to minority groups in Jersey require severe punishment in order for the community to live in peace, despite the nationality of the citizens.

Jersey’s identity and photography

Photography has played a huge part of Jersey’s unique identity since the first developed photographic techniques. Due to the extended history of Jersey, many have relied on photography to re-tell these stories. These important photographs are now held in museums for further generations to see both the celebrations and hardships of the history of Jersey in a physical form

Contextual Study – The Bayeux Tapestry

The Bayeux Tapestry is an embroidered cloth measuring nearly 70 metres long and 50 centimetres high. The tapestry depicts the events leading up to the Norman conquest of England, specifically between William, Duke of Normandy and Harold, Earl of Wessex. This is better known as the Battle of Hastings. The piece of art tells the historical event from the point of view of the Normans, although it was discovered to be made in England. It was commissioned by Bishop Odo, William’s half-brother in the 1070’s, just a few years after the Battle of Hastings. The piece begins with a prelude to Harold’s visit to Bosham on his way to Normandy (est.1064) and ends with the flight of Harold’s English forces from Hastings (October 1066).

https://www.britannica.com/topic/Bayeux-Tapestry

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bayeux_Tapestry

Artist Study – Inge Jacobsen

Inge Jacobsen is an Irish-born artist who is now based in Sussex. Jacobsen attended Kingston University, London, Where she studied photography. She graduated in 2011 and has been working as a professional artist since then. Jacobsen’s work has been exhibited in multiple shows around the world, and has won many awards such as the Director’s choice award at the final Cork Street Exhibition in 2013, as well as being featured on countless websites, blogs and worldwide publications. These publications include mainstream media such as Vogue, Juxtapoz Magazine and FAD. She was also included in a list of the top 20 rising talents by a prominent Danish lifestyle magazine.

https://www.asicentral.com/news/web-exclusive/april-2016/embroidery-artist-qa-inge-jacobsen/

Experimenting with tapestry/embroidery

In our embroidery workshop, we experimented with embroidery with cutting sections of material out and sewing them together. I used two tones of background material that were both neutral, but used a darker thread to contrast this. Since our project is based on identity and community, I cut out sections of a poster from the ‘People Make Jersey’ exhibition, specifically the section that explains the history of my surname.