This photobook, published in 2016 and created by Carolle Benitah, displays reworked, archival photographs taken from the the artists Moroccan childhood and adolescence. These images that Benitah used here are have been taken in a mostly candid manner. However, some of which also being tableau, as the family has been placed and arranged in the frame for a group portrait. With these photographs she uses methods such as embroidery, beading and some other forms of multi-media to produce a new meaning from these old and forgotten images.
Carolle Benitah, born in 1965, Casablanca, is a 57 year old artist and previous fashion designer that explores the theme of identity through family photographs through her work. Benitah states in her photobook ‘Photo Souvenirs’ that she created this series to construct a fantasy album, which deconstructs the myth of the ideal family to produce a more nuanced image. In addition, Benitah uses needlework as a method in which to create a sense of drama, conflict and pain that is lacking in these photographs that do not display the whole truth. The artist has claimed that this slow and precise process is a metaphor for the shaping of one’s identity and for the passage of time. As well as this, needlework is often related to women and motherly duties, meaning this may be a protest of the expectations of woman’s roles in a family and regaining a sense of power for Benitah herself, subverting ideologies that claim women must not show characteristics such as anger. This photobook may have originally only served the purpose of acting as a kind of therapy for Benitah, but could also be argued to provide a service to an audience with complicated and difficult families, which many have, in particular women who find themselves in these places of familial untruthfulness. This book was received positively by many and named one of 2016’s best books by international curator/essayist Yumi Goto.
The photobook itself is a 21×24 cm printed hard-cover, presenting an image of one of Benitah’s pieces from the centre of her book. Containing 112 pages and 53 images, the paper used to display these photographs on are glossy throughout, kept together with a red running stitch binding. Although some of the archived images Benitah used here are black and white, there are elements of juxtaposing colour throughout, that bring new life and messages to the forgotten photographs, this usually being red embroidery or beading. The narrative of Bentiah’s Photo Souvenirs centres around her family archives, focusing on her childhood and selecting images which relate to memory and loss. This is emphasised by the chronological order in which the photographs are placed. The first image showcased in the photobook showcases Benitah as a child within a black and white family portrait and the final image displaying her and her son in a colour photograph. This progression of time is not only displayed through the growth of Benitah herself, but also in the development of photographic technology as the images slowly posses a higher quality as the book progresses. The title ‘Photo Souvenirs’ suggests that these photographs are a way of holding onto and remembering the past for Benitah’s family, which could also mean that these images were originally a façade, before Benitah’s manipulation of them, concealing the truth of what is often a complicated and messy reality. The design and layout of this photobook mostly presents one image within every double page, leaving a large amount of empty space around it and often a blank page next to it. This choice of layout could be a choice to bring attention to one image at a time, allowing it to resonate and connect with the viewer more. Benitah does not accompany these photographs with pieces of text throughout her photobook, but only features text in the final pages with mentions and a description of the series.
Alexander is an American photographer from Louisville, with a degree in philosophy, he turned to photography after realizing he would need a creative outlet along side his career in corporate.
‘Since picking up a camera, I’ve worked with numerous magazines to highlight, document, and promote individuals within the community, businesses, and over 100 restaurants. I’ve completed several projects which have been featured on websites such as The Phoblographer, won several awards, and in 2016 I became a semi-finalist for Adorama’s Top Photographer reality show competition.’
Danny has completed several projects including the year long 52 Portrait Project and, more recently, a tattoo portrait series entitled Skin as Canvas. Of which Danny calls an “intimate representation of some aspect of that person’s life.” He started this project due to finding body art and those who dedicate their bodies to it fascinating. The idea of permanently modifying their bodies for art and offer this intimate insight that is on display to the public. ‘I wanted to highlight this in the series by removing all other possible tells of that person’s character, like clothing and environment, and have the viewer look past just the aesthetics of tattoos and try to decipher its meaning.’
This photo by Alexander demonstrates model with an aline spine tattoo as the main focus.
The light source is positioned in a way to extenuate the tattoo and draw the viewers attention to the focus. The little soft lighting seen gives an unusual innocence that isn’t usually associated with tattoos, challenging the negative view points and allowing the subjectivity of body art.
The studio lighting causes a contrast as it allows the photographer to move and angle the light however he wants. Lighting only on the tattoo represents the darkness of space around the solar system and how broad it can be / how small we are to our surroundings beyond earth. This could possibly be a reflection of how we see others around us and how we don’t know the depth of all the identities around us.
As the model is wearing all black clothing, it leaves viewers focus to the tattoo. This also means that the dull clothes give no insight to the viewer seeing their personalities or styles, leaving tattoo meaning up for interpretation by the viewer. This gives the opportunity for them to connect to the model based on the own interpretation and therefore viewing it more personally.
Opening Quote – “The whole point of photographing people is that you are not intervening in their lives, only visiting them. The photographer is a supertourist, an extension of the anthropologist.” – Diane Arbus
Introduction (250-500 words): What is your area study? Documentary photography centred around exploring the theme of identity. Which artists will you be analysing and why? Doug Dubois, his narrative style and inspiration around documentary photography and capturing the emotionof a subject. Tom Jenkins for his technical ability regarding sports photography. How will you be responding to their work and essay question? Through the medium of photography. Specifically a photobook, in which a narrative response is presented through the use of an essay and sequential imagery.
Conclusion (250-500 words): Draw parallels, explore differences/ similarities between artists/photographers and that of your own work that you have produced
What is the relationship between photography and memory?
One way in which photography and memory are linked is through the thought that photographs are a way of storing memories. For example, if you take a photograph of a special event like your wedding, you are essentially holding that as a memory and when later you look back through the photos, you will recall various events that happened that day. This may serve as a reason as to why people tend to commission professional photographs on such special days; to have a physical memory of the best day of your life, forever.
Science is on our side on this. A study conducted by Microsoft on individuals with a damaged hippocampus (autobiographical memory deficit) showed that, “photos of life events helps bypass the hippocampus and undergo processing in a different brain region or regions.” (Joshua) This suggests how photographs help enhance recall of events which is a very personal experience for the individual. Being able to recall moments in life is a divine experience since they are a tangible way to connect us to the past, feelings and stories which, again, is a very private and sometimes emotional experience. Since photographs help us connect us to the past, it’s interesting to also mention how photography is important for history. This links in with memory since historical photographs are instrumental in recording what happened in the past to people and how we got here. For example:
1918: Spanish flu. National Museum of Health / AP
This photograph powerfully depicts the state in which humanity was at in terms of medical advancements. This photograph was taken during the 1918 Spanish flu pandemic and successfully portrays a quarantine centre with hundreds of patients showing to the viewer how deadly that pandemic was. Not only that but as Stacker states, “Not only have these photographs captured our attention visually, but they’ve prompted action at times—even occasionally changing the course of history. During the 1960s, for example, images of Black children being sprayed with fire hoses brought attention to the civil rights movement.” (Cavanaugh, R. and E. Ciano 27 Aug 2020)
Black children being sprayed with fire hoses – 1960s
Photographs are typically kept either in a frame, album or archive. All alike in history but different for each individual. ? For this essay I’ll be focusing more on archival images and artists who have portrayed memories in different ways like Broomberg and Chanarin (archives) and Carole Benitah (personal memories.) For this Identity project I would like to explore my own identity. Unlike my mock project where I talked about the confusion one may have finding their sexual identity, I would like to talk about my past life before finding hope in God. To achieve this I will follow a similar approach to Broomberg and Chanarin and select biblical quotes which I keep in mind and “illustrate, contradict or subvert the text of the Bible”, (Bright and Van Erp 2019: 100).
History of Photography
In my opinion, the Shroud of Turin is the first recorded image. This is because the shroud is a long linen cloth containing a negative image of a man believed by the Catholic Church to be Jesus Christ, and in my opinion is one of the first images that did not fade quickly. How it was produced however is a mystery. Some believe the Shroud is a perfect example of Camera Obscura since some theorise that in the 13th Century men would pose in the camera obscura, have linen cloth at the back of the wall and if you waited long enough, sun rays would burn the image into the linen, i.e. The wave of the hypothetical UV radiation would have been of varying phase at the surface of the skin, yet the negative image demands the image is a minimum at the skin surface. Therefore, this links with memory because, since people believe the Shroud is the real image of Christ, believers who look at it will remember of the sacrifice Jesus made for not just them but us all. In turn, serving as a reminder that Jesus did exist and was the Son Of God.
Shroud of Turin, unknown artist and date
Contrastingly, George Eastman started a company in 1880 called Kodak. Eastman created a roll of film that did not require constantly changing the solid plates, such as, the dry plates (dry gelatine plates that were equal to wet plates, had a decrease in exposure times and meant the plates could be stored rather than made). Eastman therefore created a self-contained box camera that held 100 film exposures, the camera had a small single lens with no focusing adjustment. With Kodak, the consumer would take pictures and send the camera back to the factory where the film would be developed, printed and have a new roll of film fitted. All this while being affordable by average people costing around $1 per camera, allowing people to have a physical picture of a time they will cherish. As we can see, photography is a way for people to recall the past events they cherish (memory) and even find religious hope. In a similar fashion, Broomberg and Chanarin have found links between photography and religion.
Kodak ‘Brownie’ box camera, 1900
Broomberg and Chanarin
Graduates in sociology, history, and theologyseeks to interpret and validate contemporary literal events. Adam Broomberg (South Africa, 1976) and Oliver Chanarin (UK, 1971) are two London photographers who combine archival imagery and fine art documentary photography with the visual trades. Broomberg and Chanarin travelled to Afghanistan to shoot the British Army and lived in small communities in Tanzania, where they shared in photographic peregrinations. From then, they created a series of projects. For example, Broomberg and Chanarin created a project involving the King James Bible, taking the viewer on a different kind of pilgrimage through the Bible. In it, they relate biblical quotes to images from the archive of modern conflict. The idea started with the quote from Israeli philosopher Adi Ophir, “Right from the start, almost every appearance he (God) made was catastrophic… Catastrophe is his means of operation, and his central instrument of governance.” This quote suggests that, “the idea when God reveals himself, it is often to catastrophic effect for the world and humankind.” (Bright and Van Erp 2019: 100). This relates to memory since Broomberg and Chanarin are using images from the archive which, as mentioned above, is a way to tap into the past.
Broomberg and Chanarin, Holy Bible, year
Due to the time the photographer existed; we can assume that this image was originally in a digital format since it is printed in high resolution. The image of the bible seems to be taken in a studio since it is professionally digitalised with a white background. The images in the bible however are recorded extensively within The Archive of Modern Conflict, the largest photographic collection of its kind in the world, and considering the images are quite old, we can assume that a mix between film and digital cameras were used to record the images in the archive. Broomberg and Chanarin did this for personal work. This is evident because in a review on the online platform Lenscultre it says, “Broomberg and Chanarin mined this archive with philosopher Adi Ophir’s central tenet in mind: that God reveals himself predominantly through catastrophe and that power structures within the Bible correlate with those within modern systems of governance…it must be viewed in multifaceted contexts: violence, catastrophe, global and regional politics, religion, power, corruption, greed, propaganda, consumer advertising, human conflict, nature, sex, life, death…and photography as a powerful visual language that can used and abused for multiple purposes.” (Casper)
The main focal point of this image is obviously the catastrophic images of a kid acting as police pretending to hit a man with a small batting stick, and of a child holding a snake. The other main focus of the image is the Bible, which is opened in Ecclesiastes chapters 3-8 with the following quotes underlined in red: “on the side of their oppressors [there was] power, but they had no comforter”, “better is the ending of a thing than the beginning” and “for who can make [that] straight.” This quote from the Bible may suggest that it is best when something ends because, that’s it, there is no turning back, it’s ended. However, at the beginning of things, you have to go through a lot of stressful life events, hence why the author for Ecclesiastes stated that.
Author? has powerfully used the rule of thirds to compose this image as the archival images and the bible are positioned in the centre. The main colours of this image are black and white tones. They purposely used the black and white technique to create this image to create a sense of light vs dark and may also have used it to show Divine (light) vs Violence (dark).
The light in this image seems to be coming from the top and from the sides as every aspect of the image is lit perfectly. Evidently, the light seems to be quite artificial as everything is well lit, there is a white background allowing for a better exposure of colours. In the image of a child holding a snake and the child pretending to be a policeman however, the images are quite underexposed as it seems the camera is facing away from the sun. I know this because the camera was able to focus on the subject, otherwise, the image would be pure white. The artists may have purposely naturally underexposed the image to keep it in focus and so it isn’t too bright or too dark just natural. The camera is still as this is a portrait and all the details are in focus suggesting that the camera was stationary; a tripod was likely used.
The way this image makes me feel is quite uneasy because the Bible is a book of hope and light but when you present the viewer with a set of unpleasant images like this one. The Guardian states, “there is a pornographic portrait of a naked young man with an erection and others of couples having sex, as well as photographs of suicide victims, Nazis in uniform, deformities and disfigurements” (O’Hagan). This serves as a way to help the viewer think that life is not a sea of roses, there’s more we can do to make the world a better place to live in, and Thomas Hirschhorn agrees with me on this since he says, “images of destroyed bodies need to be looked at. It is our duty to look at them.” This clearly shows that these images need to be looked at for people to be enlightened and realise the wickedness of the world.
It may be argued that actually, Broomberg and Chanarin’s project, The Holy Bible, may serve as a visual way for the viewer to see things from God’s point of view. God has stated many times in the Bible that the world is wicked, the human heart is born wicked and we take pleasure in doing evil. Once we start seeing it from God’s point of view, we’ll begin to understand his behaviours in certain parts of the Bible like the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. So to an extent, this project by Broomberg and Chanarin could be seen as raising awareness to the evil events of this world and to enable the user to see the world from God’s point of view.
However, linking back to my key theme, memory, we can powerfully see how archival imagery are a collection of “memories” in a sense since they are visual stimuli to trigger memories. Therefore, by using archival imagery in their project they are allowing people to recall information of the event which is being portrayed and trigger other memories.
Finally, I will follow a similar approach in my project using bible quotes that impacted me along with images I find relate to the text as well as who I am and gone through and an explanation on a separate page illustrating what the images and quotes mean to me and how they have influenced me, especially in my past romantic dates.
Carole Benitah
Carolle Bénitah, a French Moroccan photographer who was a fashion designer for ten years until 2001 where she found her love for photography. When she found photography, she started getting involved with the themes of memory, family and the passage of time. She did this through embroidery on old family photographs in an attempt to reinterpret her history as, not only a daughter but also a wife and mother. She reflects on memory by creating embroidery using images from old family albums. Bénitah states, “there is nothing subversive about embroidering, but I corrupt it through my intentions…I use its falsely decorative artifices to reinterpret my history and to denounce its failings.” She continues, “each photograph lifts the veil from the past. It is a story of revelation. It is work related to emotions.” (Bénitah) Through this deeply personal re-examination of family ties and childhood memory, which according to the artist can be likened to archaeological work of the soul, Bénitah seeks to discover more of her identity and uncover a history of family secrets.” (Bénitah)
artist, title, year
The main focal point of the image is the family posing for the picture. The photographer has clearly composed the image using the rule of thirds in order to keep the family at the centre of the image. The one thing that is singled out and catches my eye, personally, is the red outline and filling on the shadows. Considering Benitah has stated before that she wanted to portray how she felt as a daughter, wife and mother, the viewer can powerfully interpret that she feels connected to her siblings and father. I think this is because she outlines them in red, leaving everyone behind which may also be suggested that she prioritises family over anyone.
The main colours the photographer has used are black and white but this may be due to the common film used at the time since the image is part of the family album. Apart from that, red is the main colour of the image. Red represents love (pain, hurt?) and health (and family bond/ blood). Knowing this we can assume that she wishes her family nothing but goodness and health, but also that she loves her family. Another perspective which links to the key theme of memory in this essay is that red may signify her nostalgia. I believe this because she specifically outlined her family in red in this image. Anyhow, this successfully links back to the key theme of memory since these are family photos and Benitah has used embroidery to show how she misses old times and how much she loves her family.
However, in her photo-book, Photos-souvenirs, she states that her “needlework, which suggests conflict, drama and pain, evokes the dark matter of family history that is precisely absent from photographs…” (Benitah) This suggests that the threads may not be about her having nostalgia over her family but rather serves as a coping mechanism for Carole since she also mentions that the “precise and slow process is a metaphor for the shaping of one’s identity and for the passage of time.” This completely contradicts my claim. This being said, the viewer may interpret that maybe her family has mistreated Carole since she’s highlighted them in thread, or maybe she felt left out; like she did not fit in.
Conclusion
In conclusion, I agree to a large extent that there is a correlation between photography and memory. Not only is it a way for people to recall moments in their life and “relive” in a way and have that feeling of nostalgia but also serves as a way to recall past events in history as a way to explain what we see in the present and helps give hope to believers. Through Broomberg and Chanarin we could powerfully see the usage of archival imagery (recall of events from the past which links to memory) and the bible as a duo to show why God sometimes acted in ways which make no sense to us because we have never been assigned the position of “god”. Through the project we could see through God’s eyes in a way, seeing the wickedness of this world. You may however argue that if “God so loved the world that he gave his only and begotten son” (John 3:16) for us then evil would not exist. On the other hand, God gave us free will so most of the evil that happens are because of human greed and power. So, you can see how Broomberg and Chanarin’s project, The Bible, can be seen as “seeing through God’s eyes”.
Similarly, as mentioned above, Carole Benitah “…reflects on memory by creating embroidery using images from old family albums. Bénitah states, “there is nothing subversive about embroidering, but I corrupt it through my intentions…I use its falsely decorative artifices to reinterpret my history and to denounce its failings.” She continues, “each photograph lifts the veil from the past. It is a story of revelation. It is work related to emotions.” (Bénitah) Through this deeply personal re-examination of family ties and childhood memory, which according to the artist can be likened to archaeological work of the soul, Bénitah seeks to discover more of her identity and uncover a history of family secrets.” (Bénitah)”
As a response, I will attempt to recreate some memories from my past love experiences using biblical quotes that have helped and influenced my decisions in these experiences and use archival images to reflect these quotes. This links to Broomberg and Chanarin since I am using archival images and I am talking about my own, personal experiences which links to Bénitah.
shoot 1- the first shoot I’ll be doing is using the studio and a model. I want to take some clear shots, close ups and full body shots of my model with clear two point lighting and a white backdrop with no backgrounds. I want these images to be simple and in the style of Gabriel Isaks work, so that the model is facing different sides and I want these images to be simple in order to edit a lot over them on photoshop to get clear black and white silhouette figures like Gabriels work.
shoot 2- I want my second shoot to be based in a home, I want to photograph my model facing a mirror and then edit and blur out the face. I also want to take photos of the model laying on her bed and alone in a room to show how you may spend most of your time when dealing with mental health issues. This will be more inspired in the way of Edward as most of his images are taken of himself at home.
shoot 3- my final and last shoot I want to do in a very open natural space, like a field or open beach. Taking inspiration from Gabriel Isak’s work this will represent the mental state of the individual once again. In a very large open space the individual will look quite small and alone which is how you may feel when dealing with your issues. Then i will edit them and turn the silhouettes into dark outlines
What is the relationship between photography and memory?
Barthes, R (1982) Camera Lucida, London: Jonathan Cape https://monoskop.org/images/c/c5/Barthes_Roland_Camera_Lucida_Reflections_on_Photography.pdf
Overview of Barthes book Camera Lucida in Photo Pedagogy The first half of this article talks about Barthes theory of a studium and punctum. The latter part about a photograph of his dead mother which allows him to think about memory. Commentary on Barthes book https://www.photopedagogy.com/roland-barthes.html
Rereading: Camera Lucida by Roland Barthes Article by Brian Dillon in the Guardian, 26 March 2011 Grieving for his mother, Roland Barthes looked for her in old photos – and wrote a curious, moving book that became one of the most influential studies of photography https://www.theguardian.com/books/2011/mar/26/roland-barthes-camera-lucida-rereading
DEATH IN THE PHOTOGRAPH – critical article in response to Roland Barthes seminal book ‘Camera Lucida’ reflecting on photography. https://www.nytimes.com/1981/08/23/books/death-in-the-photograph.html?pagewanted=all
Other key texts for you to read around family and memory
What do I remember? https://hautlieucreative.co.uk/photo20al/wp-content/uploads/sites/33/2019/11/What-do-I-remember.pdf
How can you tell a story? https://hautlieucreative.co.uk/photo20al/wp-content/uploads/sites/33/2019/11/How-can-you-tell-a-story.pdf
Kuhn, A. Remembrance: The Child I Never Was in Wells, L. (ed) (2003) The Photography Reader. London: Routledge https://hautlieucreative.co.uk/photo21al/wp-content/uploads/sites/41/2021/01/Annette-Kuhn_Remembrance_the-child-I-never-was.pdf
Colberg, J (May 28, 2012) Photography and Memory blogger on Conscientious http://jmcolberg.com/weblog/extended/archives/photography_and_memory/
This book was created because Mary Ellen Mark was hired to work on Milos Forman’s “One flew over the cuckoo’s nest“. The set was filmed in Oregon State Mental Hospital, Salem, in 1975. This is how Mary Ellen Mark came to know the ward, she was given a tour of a Dr. Dean Brooks who was the director of the hospital at the time. Ward 81 was a maximum security ward for women, this meant that the women she photographed were either a danger to themselves or others. Once her work was completed, she returned to Oregon State Mental Hospital in 1976, however this time she stayed for 6 weeks in an empty ward next to ward 81. This way she was able to get to know the women in the ward well.
Layout
Ward 81’s layout is one that was used a lot during exhibitions in the 1970s. This was with a white border as the images displayed were often mounted. However the images throughout are different sizes and seem to have no particular pattern, this could have been done intentionally to help represent the instability of the women in the ward. As you flick through the book, the images become progressively more graphic and traumatic.
Once the final images have been shown, the editing notes can be seen, this helps the viewer understand Mary Ellen Mark’s thought process when bringing all the images together. Her main inspiration was W. E. Smith, he is seen by many as one of the most important photographers in the development of the editorial photo essay. The work that inspired Mark was the “Country Doctor”, one of W. E. Smith’s famous pieces of work.
By studying this analysis, it allows a broader scope of interpretation of Doug’s work to be considered rather than my own biased opinion.
Matt Day uses Dubois’ work to talk about the responsibility photographers carry, specifically the role of considering what story you are trying to tell. Matt talks about how the sequence of a foreword from Donald Antrim followed by the photographic progressive arrangement concluded by the afterword by Doug himself created a huge impact and delivered emotion effectively. This is something I want to perfect by including an essay and a sequential photographic arrangement in my personal study to also effectively entice emotion from an audience. Matt talks about the effectiveness of Doug’s method of shooting over a long period of time in terms of bettering a narrative. The introduction talks about the role of a memoirist in terms of documentation and how photo selection, especially when shooting over a long period of time, plays a role in how we understand a story. He talks about the use of light alongside the detail of the subjects facial expression that Doug uses to capture a mood.
NOVEL: A Forum on Fiction – Pg 70 -76 Tzvetan Todarov – Structural analysis of narrative
Tzvetan Todarov was a Bulgarian-French historian, philosopher, structuralist literary critic, sociologist and essayist. He was the author of many books and essays, which have had a significant influence in anthropology, sociology, semiotics, literary theory, intellectual history and culture theory. I want to apply his work on narratology to my personal study. His study’s on the structural analysis of narrative would be beneficial to apply to my project as I want to emphasise an impactful narrative through the medium of photography. Todarov states that all effective narratives share a structure that involves movement of one state of equilibrium to another. He describes the notion that two states of equilibrium are separated by a disruption in the narrative. Referencing my photo-shoot-plans I have implemented this idea of disrupted equilibrium – https://hautlieucreative.co.uk/photo22al/wp-admin/post.php?post=42513&action=edit. This idea is also presented by Kurt Vonnegut – Shape of a story – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oP3c1h8v2ZQ
Useful Quote from this piece of literature:
“The object of our study must be narrative mood, or point of view, or sequence, and not this or that story in and for itself. […] The minimal complete plot can be seen as the shift from one equilibrium to another. This term “equilibrium,” which I am borrowing from genetic psychology, means the existence of a stable but not static relation between the members of a society; it is a social law, a rule of the game, a particular system of exchange. The two moments of equilibrium, similar and different, are separated by a period of imbalance, which is composed of a process of degeneration and a process of improvement.”
Judith Butler – Gender trouble
Judith Butler is an American philosopher and gender theorist whose work has influenced political philosophy, ethics, and the fields of third-wave feminism, queer theory, and literary theory.
Her work on the gender performativity theory is what I am interested in. This theory presents the idea that “identity is performatively constructed by the very ‘expressions’ that are said to be its results (it is manufactured through a set of acts)”. This can be applied to my project where I will be documenting an individual struggling with performing identity in different environments, overall aiding in answering: How can the medium of photography interrogate the notion of adopted hypermasculinity by individuals who are part of a sporting community, specifically rugby? Judith describes gender as a social construct – masculine and feminine are created through repetition.
“To operate within the matrix of power is not the same as to replicate uncritically relations of domination.” ― Judith Butler, Gender Trouble
“As a result, gender is not to culture as sex is to nature; gender is also the discursive/cultural means by which “sexed nature” or “a natural sex” is produced and established as “prediscursive,” prior to culture, a politically neutral surface on which culture acts” ― Judith Butler, Gender Trouble
“On the one hand, we frequently assume authenticity and truth to be located on the inside (the truth of the subject), and, at the same time, we routinely – culturally – locate and define objectivity (as in repertorial, journalistic or juridical objectivity) in conditions of exteriority, of noncomplication.” – Abigail Solomon-Godeau
“The whole point of photographing people is that you are not intervening in their lives, only visiting them. The photographer is a supertourist, an extension of the anthropologist.” – Diane Arbus
1. Literary Sources 2. Essay Question 3. Essay Plan
Research and identify 3-5 literary sources from a variety of media such as books, journal/magazines, internet, Youtube/video that relates to your personal study and artists references .
Begin to read essay, texts and interviews with your chosen artists as well as commentary from critics, historians and others.
It’s important that you show evidence of reading and draw upon different pints of view – not only your own.
Take notes when you’re reading…key words, concepts, passages
Write down page number, author, year, title, publisher, place of publication so you can list source in a bibliography
Harvard System of Referencing
Bibliography: Roberts, P. (2007), The genius of colour photography: from the autochrome to the digital age. London: Goodman
List all the sources that you have identified above as literary sources. Where there are two or more works by one author in the same year distinguish them as 1988a, 1988b etc. Arrange literature in alphabetical order by author, or where no author is named, by the name of the museum or other organisation which produced the text. Apart from listing literature you must also list all other sources in alphabetical order e.g. websites/online sources, YouTube/ DVD/TV.
In-text referencing:
In The genius of colour photography it states that Vogue ‘had determinedly set publishing trends before and after that date [1932]’ (Roberts 2007,126)
Use quotes to support or disprove your argument
Use quotes to show evidence of reading
Use Harvard System of Referencing…see Powerpoint: harvard system of referencing for further details on how to use it.
Given Plan:
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 and resources above about art movements and isms.
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
My Plan:
Essay Question:
Explain how the photographers Mary Ellen Mark and Laia Abril portray women’s mental and physical health.
“the repercussions are most of the time psychological, so it’s very difficult to visualise it.” In response to how rape is a tricky thing to capture due to it being stigmatised
“Countries which restrict contraception, what about rape, what about accidents, what about whatever? What when people have problems and cannot even have abortions when they have problems with the foetus, it is connected, being able to choose when you are able to be a mother or not. “- in response to abortion.
“I remember learning that society had mandated that getting my period should remain a secret. The same ritual that was supposed to symbolize that I had “become a woman,”“- Menstruation myths (2021)
My Introduction
What topic I am focusing (women’s mental and physical health)
Introduction to photographers
Include quotes from both photographers
Paragraph 1
History on using photography as therapy as well as a documentary
link to the feminist movement and #me-too movement. E.g Emmeline Pankhurst and Tarana Burke. Link to how they could have inspired other women in the world.
Paragraph 2
Analyse Mary Ellen Mark’s Ward 81 as well as her work from Streetwise.
Emphasise the fact that she was unable to control what she took images of as she was in a ward full of women who were only there due to the fact that they are unpredictable.
Mention the fact that the women in streetwise look slightly unphased by everything that has happened to them.
Paragraph 3
Analyse the work of Laia Abril (on rape, thinspiration and menstruation myths )
List similarities between both artists even though Laia mainly used images of objects and not as much of people.
Conclusion
Explain own images and how they link to both artists
Bibliography
PLAN TAKEN FROM BLOG
Open a new Word document > SAVE AS: Essay draft
Copy essay question into Essay title: Hypothesis > if you don’t have one yet, make one!
Copy your essay introduction (from Essay Plan) which will give you a framework to build upon and also copy your Statement of Intent.
Identify 2 quotes from sources identified in an earlier task using Harvard System of Referencing.
Use one quote as an opening quote:Choose a quote from either one of your photographers or critics. It has to be something that relates to your investigation.
Begin to write a paragraph (250-500 words) answering the following questions below.
You got 45 mins to write and upload to the blog!
Think about an opening that will draw your reader in e.g. you can use an opening quote that sets the scene. Or think more philosophically about the nature of photography and and feeble relationship with reality.
You should include in your introduction an outline of your intention of your study e.g.
What are you going to investigate.
How does this area/ work interest you?
What are you trying to prove/challenge, argument/ counter-argument?
Whose work (artists/photographers) are you analysing and why?
What historical or theoretical context is the work situated within. Include 1 or 2 quotes for or against.
What links are there with your previous studies?
What have you explored so far in your Coursework or what are you going to photograph?
How did or will your work develop.
What camera skills, techniques or digital processes in Photoshop have or are you going to experiment with?
It was created because many people at the time believed that photography was not classed as art. This led to people manipulating their images to make their work look more like paintings/drawings. They did this by spreading Vaseline on the lens of their camera and also scratching the negatives of their images.
Vaseline on the camera’s lens meant that the image looked blurred creating a stroked effect. This blurred image mimicked the brush strokes of a paintbrush and therefore allowed people to see it as art.
Scratching the negatives gave the images more texture. This meant that the images looked a lot like drawings, the scratches mimicked pencil lines and made the images look like someone sat for hours on end perfecting this image when it was actually created by light and shadows.
Pictorialism was heavily inspired by romanticism. This meant that pictorial images were often made showing love, femininity or elegance.
Romanticism (noun)
A movement in the arts and literature that originated in the late 18th century, emphasizing inspiration, subjectivity, and the primacy of the individual.
Julia Margaret Cameron (1815-1879):
“Sadness” 1864
“The Echo” 1868
“Ellen Terry at age 16”
Julia’s photography has a running theme of showing women’s feelings and looks. She used Vaseline on the camera lens to give the women that she was photographing a more innocent look. She took images of women to show how sensitive they can be with their long hair and sullen facial expressions. The facial expressions make the viewer feel as though the women in the images are frail and vulnerable. This was a common thought towards women in England, during the 19th century.
As well as focusing on the beauty of women, she liked illustrating her views on religion and different literary works. This is shown with images such as “I Wait (R. Gurney), 1872” and “Beatrice, 1866“
Beatrice, 1866
The image above has been captured to make the model look like Mary, the mother of Jesus. There are many statues of our lady, yet it seems every single statue manages to capture the same gaze. The model in the image looks as though she is looking for hope just like the statues of our lady. Mary is looking to the sky for hope that God has kept her Son safe. Whereas the model seems as though she is looking for help from those on the earth.
This image is inspired by Beatrice Cenci:
“Beatrice Cenci was the daughter of Count Francesco Cenci, a tyrant who terrorized his wife and children. In retaliation for his abuse, Beatrice plotted with her stepmother and older brother to kill him. Though it’s not completely clear who committed the actual murder, an investigation uncovered the involvement of two men along with the three Cenci family members. The two men died before being brought to the gallows. Beatrice, her stepmother, and older brother Giacomo were all executed on the tenth of September 1599. Only Beatrice’s younger brother Bernardo was spared execution.”
The images back story works well with the theme of women’s mental health. It highlights the fact that women have faced domesticated violence and rape for centuries.
Quotes by Julia Margaret Cameron:
“I longed to arrest all beauty that came before me, and at length the longing has been satisfied.”–Julia Margaret Cameron
“When I have had such men before my camera my whole soul has endeavoured to do its duty towards them in recording faithfully the greatness of the inner as well as the features of the outer man. The photograph thus taken has been almost the embodiment of a prayer.” – Julia Margaret Cameron
My Research:
Feminism
The feminist movement has been around for hundreds of years.
The movement however took off when the Suffragettes began to fight for women being able too vote in the UK in the 1870s, this was known as first wave feminism. Once the First World War began, the men went off to war and the women had to stay behind and help work in factories and build bombs rather than staying in the house doing domestic work. This meant that when the war was over women wanted to have more independence and get their own job away from the house and their husbands. This became an popular opinion, the fact that women over the age of 30 in the UK in 1918 may have had a part in it also.
Both images taken by Christina Broom
The second wave in the feminist movement began in the 1960s and led to the 1990s during the anti-war protests. Instead of focusing purely on the gender inequalities, the second wave of feminists broadened those ideas onto sexuality, reproductive rights, domestic violence, marital rape etc. This was a huge deal as this time it was not only women protesting, men joined in as they saw the injustice in the world . This wave helped enforce the criminalisation of marital rape in 1994 (UK), in 1965 (USA) the Griswold v. Connecticut Supreme Court ruling of 1965 prevented anyone from limiting a woman’s access to contraception or other methods of birth control.
