“Engulfed” from “Plastic Currents” series – Naomi White (2012)
In terms of similarities, Naomi White and Darian Mederos’ work both focus on the use of plastic in order to create a sense of mystery and abstraction. In both these images in particular the tones of both images are rather muted and subdued. The work by White and Mederos provide the theme of Anthropocene as they use man made, polluting materials to create their work by showing them in an artistic light.
On the other hand, the work by both artists are different in the sense that Darian Mederos’ work focuses more on portrait-based work when compared to Naomi White’s abstract-focused work. Also, Mederos’ work is a painting whereas White’s work is an edited photograph. The tones in White’s image are much warmer in comparison to Mederos’ work that provides a lot of cooler tones.
Despite both works having differences that contradict each other, I think they represent Anthropocene in a similar way, as they create ambiguity through the use of artificial materials.
“Sophia III” (From The Obscura Series” – Darian Mederos (2018)
Darian Mederos, born in Cuba in 1992, is an artist who focuses his work on studying the human emotion in a distorted way. Mederos believes emotion develops our human experience, ‘revealing everything at once or nothing at all’. Mederos attended the first two years of art school at Leopoldo Romañach in Cuba. He then applied to La Academia Nacional de Bellas Artes San Alejandro in Havana, Cuba, and was accepted into the school. Darian Mederos left Cuba by himself at age 22 and flew to Miami and in less than six weeks was picked up by his gallery of record Conde Contemporary. Mederos’ work has been shown in LA, New York, Shanghai and other cities around the world. His work also resides in private collections worldwide, including London, Malaysia and Italy. I believe Darian Mederos’ work can be an example of Anthropocene due to the human life being drowned out with the use of plastic.
“The Distortion of Adoration” – Darian Mederos (2019)
“Sophia I” (From The Obscura Series) – Darian Mederos (2018)
Analysis of Darian Mederos’ work
“Embracing Doubt” – Darian Mederos (2020)
This painting by Darian Mederos is labelled “Embracing Doubt”. This painting is part of a series developed by Mederos to prove that the human emotion cannot be concealed. I feel like this series can also be seen as representation for Anthropocene as it displays the human emotion being drowned out through the use of plastic.
The lighting in this image is soft and could either be seen as natural or artificial. There is no harsh shadows or highlights being represented in this painting, however the high points of the face such as the nose and chin are softly illuminated. The brightest sections of the painting are found in the woman’s white clothing as well as parts of the woman’s face that are highlighted, like the lips and the nose. I believe the lighting is being directed from straight in front of the face, as the shadows are not cast at a particular angle.
The use of bubble wrap over the model in the portrait creates a repetition of curved line, these thin lines distort the vision of the image creating a blurry effect. These lines do not create any sort of movement or direction, however they are used as a form of repetition.
The use of repetition can be seen in the form of repetition of shape and line through the use of the bubble wrap which conceals the portrait with the repeated small circles. The repeated circles can be seen as a form of echo also.
This painting consists of purely organic, curved shapes. This can be seen in the repetition of circles and the organic curves of the model’s face. This means that there is a lack of juxtaposition within shape as no straight-edged shapes can be seen.
The image contains a shallow depth of field as the minute circles of the bubble wrap are in focus when compared to the facial features of the model behind the plastic. The area around the model’s face can be seen as empty space due to the off-white colour of the clothing, which lacks detail. The rest of the image is positive space as it it detailed with the small circles or the model’s face.
The bubble wrap in the foreground of the image has been concealed by the bubble wrap, this creates a juxtaposing, bumpy texture which contrasts against the smooth texture of the model’s face. There is a rather strong focus on texture in this painting as bubble wrap has an iconic and recognisable texture.
There is little representation of darker tones in this painting, however dark can still be seen through the hair of the model and around the eyes of the woman’s face. The majority of the tones have lighter hues to them, for example the woman’s clothing and her fair skin. The image tends towards lightness, which creates a contrasting mood compared to the inferred dark message of the painting, that being the human emotion being concealed.
The colours of this image are rather muted with a hint of vibrancy. The muted and more dull colours are seen in the woman’s face with her pale skin and the cream-coloured clothing she is wearing. Alternatively, this is juxtaposed with the vibrant, red lipstick the woman is wearing, which can be used as a focal point as the contrast is rather extreme. If the image were in black and white I believe it would add a further level of seriousness and develop the darker message of concealed human emotion. On the other hand, a monochromatic version of this image would lose the high contrast of the muted and vibrant colours. This focus would be transferred more towards the contrasting light and dark tones of the image.
The image has a rather simple composition, as although the image is artificially set up, there is a calm atmosphere to the image as it is not too busy. The image does not follow then rule of thirds and there is a lack of a distinct focal point. The composition is balanced as the empty spaces are evenly distributed between the positive spaces.
To display these images I could print them onto clear or coloured acetate, which is similar to the material taken in the original image. I think clear acetate would keep the colours in the similar tones as they are in my final edits, whereas coloured acetate may alter the colours and tones of the final displayed image.
I could also print the images out onto printing paper and burn the edges of the paper. I feel like this would reinforce the original idea of Anthropocene, with humans causing more harm to the environment rather than helping it.
Andrew Moore is an American photographer, born in 1957, who documents the effect of time on natural and built landscapes. His series includes work made in Cuba, Russia, Bosnia, Times Square, Detroit, The Great Plains, and most recently, the American South. Moore was a lecturer on photography in the Visual Arts Program at Princeton University from 2001 to 2010. Presently he teaches a graduate seminar in the MFA Photography Video and Related Media program at the School of Visual Arts in New York City. He captures his images in a journalistic, documentary type fashion, photographing landscapes where man’s impact on the surroundings is being challenged by the power of nature. I felt drawn to Moore’s work due to his talent in capturing a sort of mid-stage between industrialization and natural landscapes, the observer can clearly see elements of nature in his images- however there is also a sense of impending urbanisation creeping into each image, may it be in the background or the main focus. I wish to take inspiration from this element of Moore’s work and portray the idea of ‘nature fighting back’ in one of my photoshoots.
Edward Burtynsky
Edward Burtynsky is a Canadian contemporary photographer, born in 1955 of Ukrainian heritage in St. Catharines, Ontario. He received his BAA in Photography/ Media Studies from Ryerson University in 1982, and in 1985 founded Toronto Image Works, a darkroom rental facility, custom photo laboratory, digital imaging and new media computer-training centre catering to all levels of Toronto’s art community. Early exposure to the sites and images of the General Motors plant in his hometown helped to formulate the development of his photographic work. His imagery explores the collective impact we as a species are having on the surface of the planet; an inspection of the human systems we’ve imposed onto natural landscapes. Burtynsky’s work really inspired me when researching different Anthropocene photographers as I enjoy the way he captures repetition throughout his images with an interesting camera point of view, I wish to reflect the way he captures our world’s rapid industrialization through landscape photography.
Burtynsky was part of the team with Nicholas de Pencier and Jennifer Baichwal who created ‘The Anthropocene Project’, in an extract from Burtynsky’s essay, “Life in the Anthropocene” he wrote “we hope to bring our audience to an awareness of the normally unseen result of civilization’s cumulative impact upon the planet. This is what propels us to continue making the work. We feel that by describing the problem vividly, by being revelatory and not accusatory, we can help spur a broader conversation about viable solutions. We hope that, through our contribution, today’s generation will be inspired to carry the momentum of this discussion forward, so that succeeding generations may continue to experience the wonder and magic of what life, and living on Earth, has to offer.”
Image Comparison
1 – Andrew Moore | 2 – Edward Burtynsky
I chose to compare this image taken by Andrew Moore to one of Edward Burtynsky’s images as I believe they both hold similarities and differences with their use of techniques in the formal elements. Moore’s image was captured at Via Blanca, Cuba in 2012 and Burtynsky’s was released in ‘The Anthropocene Project’ in 2018. The first clear similarity is that both photographers have captured leading lines produced by roads that draw the observer’s attention through the images, creating a sense of movement and energy. Moore’s leading line is straight and thick, guiding the observer’s eye into the distance and background of the photograph- Burtynsky’s image also leads them to the background, however his captured line is thin and curves around the top right of the photo. The comparison between these two uses of leading lines symbolizes how the industrialization of our planet will continue on into the future, becoming more and more accepted and normal- just as Burtynsky’s line bends and blends more into it’s surroundings than Moore’s earlier captured photograph. Furthermore, there is a similar grainy rough texture in both images, created by the busy amount of subject captured; the trees in Moore’s image create a spiky feeling however they also have a sense of serenity that produces a more calm atmosphere, which is juxtaposed greatly with the out-of-place motorway that cuts through them.
In addition, there are also several differences between each image, for example their composition and camera point of view. Moore has captured his landscape from a lower perspective, and while it is not at eye-level, it still creates a more grounded impression by bringing the observer closer to the subject. In comparison, Burtynsky’s photograph is captured with a birds-eye point of view, symbolizing the biblical connotations of man looking down on all he has created as if he were a God. Moreover, the actual location of each landscape image is a significant difference between the photographs, with Moore’s showing the woodlands and forests in Cuba being industrialized and Burtynsky’s demonstrating the mass industrialization of cities and towns. Burtynsky’s image holds zero negative space, it’s cramped composition creates an uneasy and overwhelming atmosphere as the repetition of buildings and structures surrounding the winding road connotes the idea of a dystopian, homogeneous society where everything and everyone is the same. The trees and nature which are reflected over and over again in Moore’s image suggests that the beauty in our natural environment is still trying to push against human impact and urbanization, connoting the idea that there may still be hope. Lastly, Moore’s image holds more vibrant and saturated colours than those seen in Burtynsky’s photograph, the blue sky in the background of the image gives the impression that if humans are still destroying the planet by using fossil fuels and increasing CO2 emissions, mass industrialization will continue on into the future, however if we do something about the destruction of our world now there is hope moving forward that the environment can be saved.
“Crescendo” part of “Plastic Currents” series – Naomi White (2012)
My work
The prominent similarities between my work and the work of Naomi White and my work is the use of plastic in order to create art. Furthermore, the colours in both photographs are vibrant and the tones are very contrasting within both images. Finally, there is a strong sense of contrasting shadows and highlights due to the use of studio lighting.
On the other hand, there is also visible differences between the image created by White and my own work. For example, White only uses one colour in her photos, which creates a jarring contrast against the white background. However, because I used coloured acetate over the studio lights, multiple tones and colours are projected onto the plastic. Furthermore, my image lacks the blinding, white background that White uses in order to create an intense juxtaposition between the coloured plastic.
Overall, I believe my recreation of Naomi White’s work was successful because they carry similar ideas and messages, however I altered specific aspects of Naomi White’s work in order to make my images more unique and prove that White’s work is an ideal influence in terms of Anthropocene.
I wanted to edit my photos to explore new ideas and meanings. To create a story between humans and nature. For that I used photoshop. I decided to use different special effects like black and white, blur… For the first picture I used the lasso tool to select the middle after that I inversed to select only the outside part of the it . I choose to put the outside in black and white because I wanted to give an more sad atmosphere to it. I highlighted the objects to show the waste. For the second picture I decided to use the lasso tool again to have two parts one that is full of rubbish and the other that is clean. To create the part full of waste I cut out parts of chairs from another photos then I pasted them on my image. With these effects I want to show a side that we could have if we do not pay attention to what surrounds us. The two tests represent the waste that we live with. For the third one I decided to do something simpler I use a picture from my second shoot because it had more nature to it. I just use the blur tool to demonstrate the nature vanishing bit by bit.
Edited using duplicating layers, lowering opacity and altering tones
Edited using iris blur tool
Experimenting with landscapes
“Shipwrecked V” – Naomi White (2017)
To edit these images, I cut out sections of my plastic bag images with the magnetic lasso tool and pasted them onto sections of my landscape images from one of my previous projects. I also changed the hues of the colours and tones of the sections of plastic bag in order for it to fit better into the environment. I think these images look at Anthropocene in a more obvious and direct way, in the sense that nature is being replaced by artificial materials.
More abstract exploration
“Shipwrecked III” – Naomi White (2017)
To edit this image, I used the magnetic lasso tool to cut out shapes of the plastic bags, and layered them onto one layer.
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 feel like the images highlighted in red are my least successful images as the contrast in tone and texture aren’t as prominent and I just think overall these images are not as interesting to look at.
In my opinion, the photographs highlighted in green are more successful images as the contrasting tones are more enhanced within these images, and there is also a strong juxtaposition in texture. I feel like these images overall are better recreations of Naomi White’s work compared to my other images.
To edit these images I will further enhance the vibrant, contrasting colours to create an intense juxtaposition between colours.
Camera and light settings
To achieve these results in my photoshoot, I used bright studio lighting to create harsh shadows and highlights within the photographs. I also covered the lights with a layer of coloured acetate which reflected the colour off the plastic in order to project the juxtaposing colours and create a clear contrast.
I kept the camera on it’s manual setting and adjusted the shutter speed to a faster speed of 1/1000, the aperture as f/32 and an ISO of 50 as I wanted the image to be still-life and I didn’t want to capture any blurry movements.
The word Anthropocene is largely used in science and was a word given to our current geological epoch, being the stage in the geological time scale where humans are having the greatest effect on the earth in an environmental and climate viewpoint.
This word was adapted by a group of photographers who began to take initiative into creating a visual perspective for how humans effect the earth.
Anthropocene focuses on concepts such as pollution, recourse mining, urbanisation, deforestation, climate change and so on, all as a result of human activity.
