‘To photograph is to appropriate the thing photographed‘ Susan Sontag (1971), On Photography
For my personal study I want to follow the theme of architecture through nostalgia with different buildings from old to modern. Through this I want to show the evolution of architecture and how is has changed from what I used to see when I was younger to what I see now becoming more and more modern. Within this I may photography different houses or buildings that have been damaged due to the storm to develop my study as well as the environmental side of building in Jersey and whether or not our heritage is keeping its legacy or if it is slowly disappearing being a main reason to keep my images untouched. ‘Photographs, which fiddle with the scale of the world, themselves get reduced, blown up, cropped, retouched, doctored, tricked out.‘ Susan Sontag (1971), On Photography. Previously I have studied Anthropocene which I feel may fit into my personal study slightly as I photographed some buildings during that topic as well as used it as a way of awareness about the environment and how the use of plastic has rapidly increased. To develop my project I am going to visit the different parts of the island to find building that have been here for a while to newer builds or ones that have been done up to show modern building that are becoming more and more common. I have chosen to focus on two artists, Eugene Atget and Ezra Stoller. I have picked these two because one of them focused on older pieces of architecture whilst the other focuses on modern pieces. As I want to show the evolution of architecture, I thought they fit in well. In response to their work, I am going to capture images of many different buildings all over Jersey from old historical buildings to new modern ones. I aim for my personal study to represent the theme of nostalgia from how the building have developed from building that have been on the island for a very long time or even listed buildings to buildings that are more for the looks or being very modern which are becoming more popular these days. Whilst photography has been developing architecture has too, almost alongside it and that is what I aim to show.
Within Photography, its relationship with architecture is immense. It is said that they are both on the verge of art and a service. I think that this is very clear in more modern buildings that we see these days as they are almost more about how they look as opposed to how they function, they are there to please the human eye and catch your attention as you drive or walk past. In architecture one of the main isms is functionalism. It focuses on the emphasis of the shape, size, materials and its aesthetic etc. This inspires many architects to this day, from recreating shapes, particular features, materials used, and techniques, etc. Functionalism in architecture is all about what the pieces provided us with whether is it natural light, a cosy, safe place that you live in, or something that provided you with a space to sleep. Whilst it will be different for everyone architecture is a massive part of all of our lives even though we may not all realise it, not only does it effect how we live but also how we act alongside our emotions. Another ism that is very involved in architecture is culturalism. Culturalism has a big effect on architecture and has for a many many years. Lots of places all around the world are well known for pieces of architecture like Big Ben in London, the rock houses in Turkey or the Taj Mahal in India. They are all influenced by the culture of the location and how each style of living is very different to each other. I think that they all ‘fit in’ as such with their country/city etc and if we were to swap them they would become out of place and almost lose their meaning and value as different cultures worship different things following into architecture. ‘Architecture belongs to culture, not to civilization’ Alvar Aalto. I think that this is a very influential part to architecture and is what make the buildings etc so special to some people and makes them gain a deep value that so many of us treasure. Finally, the last ism that I am going to talk about is surrealism. Surrealism wants us to get us to think about what the architecture is representing, and its purpose of being created. Whilst in photography surrealism now means a dreamy like photography containing things that feel unreal or representing unconscious ideas it didn’t always mean that. It is thought to be ordinary sights that sparked the appearance of surrealism. Within architecture it shows that buildings can be much more that bricks layered on top of one another. They have a much deeper meaning that many of us do not perceive, and is often only revealed when we have some sort of relationship with the architecture its self. Overall, I think that architecture has become a very influential aspect to photography. Not only has it made us photograph more but also architecture has gone from a backdrop in images to the main focal point or the protagonist. Visa versa, photography has changed how we perceive buildings etc in images and has adapted how we design future pieces, filling our minds with ideas.
Eugene Atget was a French pioneer in documenting photography. He began making images in the 1880’s and did so to provide artists, painters and architects with studies. Many of his images are based on capturing the streets in Paris before they began to disappear into modernisation which gained admiration from big artists such as Man Ray, Henri Matisse and Pablo Picasso. Similarly, I feel deeply influenced by his motivation for his work as I wish to do the same with Jersey for my study, even thought it is much more modern than Paris was back in 1920. I also feel that Atget photographed to hold memories of living in Paris in his early twenties as he knew change was just over the horizon. ‘A good photograph is like a good hound dog, dumb, but eloquent.’ Eugene Atget. Whilst I don’t think Jersey’s architecture will develop much more rapidly in the next few years, I do believe that it eventually will and capturing it now will produce valuable memories for years to come. Atget was a very influential photographer. He played a large part in the founding of surrealism in photography and his work was inspirational and seen as a forerunner of Surrealism in the 1920’s. Surrealists found his work of empty streets in Paris deeply suggestive leading to the founding of the ism. Eugene’s work made a tremendous and sudden impact on the world of photography and ended up influencing many future photographers including me.
Whilst Ezra Stoller was also a documentary photographer however, he captured completely different buildings. He photographed the newer more modern buildings that had began popping up in developed countries. Stoller was American and had lots of opportunities to capture these developed buildings. As Jersey is not only less developed but also much smaller I have tried my best to capture the newer buildings that are appearing more and more after every building site. I have tried to convey the theme of focusing on the structure of the buildings, and how they please the human eye as well as how influential they are. Stoller has a keen eye for composition meaning that his images turn out to be very pleasing. I think that this means his images are very striking and engage the viewer into the image immediately. In Strollers work I feel that it shows that more developed structures appear more approachable and convey a more inviting effect. I think that I have been able to achieve this effect in my work in my more modern images, however, my more older images provide a more nostalgic feeling as they have been here for longer and are built in a very different way, maybe using older techniques etc.
New Topographics arose in 1975 and is where photographers capture contemporary, urban or suburban landscapes. The movements was a reaction to the increasingly suburbanised world and landscapes around them. People involved were trying to keep the world more natural and used photography to get their message across as opposed to words in the hope that they were more powerful. I think that this also contributes in my personal study as it shows that the world is changing not only in architecture but many other things. As this is one of my aims to show, I think it plays a big part. Another style I aim to show is the Bauhaus style. This style hold the characteristics of simplicity and functionality with the use of authentic materials whilst mass producing. Throughout my personal study I haven’t focused as such on this style but it may show through in some images. A photographer who focused on this style was Gabriele Basilico. Basilico was an Italian photographer who focused on the representation of the city. His photography was later used as a way of documenting the effects of war on the Lebanese capital of Beirut. Within this, he captured many apartment blocks/ complexes either that appear to have been newly built after the war or ones that were damaged and are falling to pieces. I think that his work is very effective in the architecture photography world and they hold great detail that many people may miss at first.
Eugene Atget and Ezra Stoller both created intriguing images within architecture photography leading to inspire me deeply. Whilst they photograph the the same area of photography, their images are very different but both hold great detail. Whilst one is trying to photograph the old street of Paris to produce treasurable memories for many people, the other is providing us with humanly aesthetic images of a world that we are seeing become more apparent everyday. I think that together they show how much the world is developing and what is becoming the new normality. I think that both these artists link to my projects as they show how much architecture has gone from being suitable and efficient to more about pleasing the human eye. In my project I have tried to capture how architecture isn’t just buildings etc but it also effects how we live our lives massively. I think that it influences human activity hugely from how we act and our behaviour, to communication and well-being within the world. It is proven that a well ventilated, greener area can contribute to our mental health and how we feel on a daily basis. Not only can it influence our well-being but also our happiness, being in a gloomy, noisy, dull environment can make us less productive and encouraged. ‘We shape our buildings: thereafter they shape us‘ Sir Winston Churchill (1943) His speech to the meeting in the House of Lords. The way I see it, architecture is much more than just a building. It is more like a frame work for our lives that keep stability and gives us guidance.
bibliography:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ezra_Stoller
https://utilitiesone.com/the-relationship-between-architecture-human-behavior-and-construction
https://www.icp.org/browse/archive/constituents/eug%C3%A8ne-atget?all/all/all/all/0