I have also previously explored this topic of women and their role in the world whilst researching Cindy Sherman. Cindy Sherman is an independent photographer who took photographs in the 70’s. Something I find particularly admiring, is how she she took her camera and pointed it at HERSELF, instead of photographing someone else. I find this very unique and actually brings more meaning and creativity to the photos she created. This gesture then became her signature thing and showed her strong views on gender and the construction of identity through key times when opinions and personalities where particularly changing in history. She also mad many different character that she would pretend to being her photos and experiment with makeup, hairstyles and costume to demonstrate these characters.

I really like the idea of femininity and women in todays age as it is a subject that I, myself live through and endure. I can also use other young women enduring this in order to convey my message. I hope to express my theories on gender and identity and how women can be interpreted in different ways and do not need to fit a specific narrative. Analysing Cindy Sherman has aided this idea as she, herself has worked om how women can be interpreted in different ways and all the multiple narratives they can fit. Although, a difference I would like to express Is a positive light on women and how they can in, fact be strong and independent compared to an idealised view of being helpless and dependent on men.

Cindy Sherman originally studied painting and began by painting self portraits of her, in which she was herself, as characters which she would see in magazines and photographs. She then began to work on altering her face with makeup and different costume and first produced 5 images of different personas such as a clown and a young girl and many others. These photos helped to soar her fascination for impersonation and self transformation.

She then began to visit thrift stores to purchase new outfits for specific characters. She quoted “So it just grew and grew until I was buying and collecting more and more of these things, and suddenly the characters came together just because I had so much of the detritus from them. She then began to wear these different characters and at as them whilst attending different gallery openings.

Cindy Sherman’s work which was her most famous, was her Untitled Film Stills which are small black and white photos where Cindy has impersonated different female characters through glamourous and meaningful images. Throughout these film stills Cindy Sherman imitated different lifestyles and character stereotypes which shows how women and women’s bodies are perceived by the mass media and by the male gender. Whilst moving to New York, Cindy Sherman continued to role play in disguises and characters and photographed her imitations as the Untitled Film Stills. Although she took many of her own photographs, some photos were shot by family and friends. The voyeuristic perspective of Cindy’s work creates an imposing feeling on the viewer, as if you are secretly observing the character and she is always the subject of the controlling male gaze instead of the object of masculine desire.

Cindy Sherman’s Inspiration for Untitled Film Stills.

Eleanor Antin is an inspiration to Cindy Sherman’s work and she has said herself hat her Untitled Film Stills are related to the feminist performance work of the 1970s. Eleanor was an early influence to Cindy Sherman as she herself used to dress up and transform herself into multiple characters. s Her works are are considered conceptual, feminist classics such as “CARVING: A Traditional Sculpture”, “100 BOOTS”, where she created her 3 personas: The King, the Ballerina and the Nurse. Which he became particularly known for and helped her to gain fame and acknowledgement to express her message. Her multitude of characters explored the idea of roles and power, including how the artist is a subject in society. Eleanor critiques historical narratives and gendered power structures through fictional personas such as the three characters as they highlight different roles in society and hierarchies. This came in favour to Cindy as she took inspiration and decided to transform herself into different characters also. These two artists work are similar as they both use their bodies and self-representation as tools to critique identity, gender, and the roles women are assigned in society.

Eleanor Antin’s work themes consist of Identity, gender, history, the body, power, social roles, self-representation.

Cindy Sherman’s work themes consist of Gender, identity, representation, the male gaze, stereotypes, popular culture, societal roles.

Although these two artists also differ as Cindy Sherman’s work mainly focuses on deconstructing media representations of women, whereas Eleanor Antin’s work focuses more on exploring historical and social roles. I feel both these artists are essential to have knowledge on throughout this personal study as I have gained knowledge on different peoples interpretations on gender, identity and feminist views throughout history in order to create my own vision and my own message in response to other peoples work from the past.

Film Stills.

I really like Cindy Sherman’s work and I hope to find similar photographers to her to demonstrate my vision. Although In my personal study I would not include pictures of only myself but also of other women. I really like how Cindy Sherman experimented with hair, makeup and costume to portray different characters and I would like to do the same. Researching Cindy Sherman’s work has helped me to understand a historical side to the male gaze and how times have changed, but not really. Society has still created an inaccurate.

I would possibly like to do a ‘Modern Day’ take on this or maybe choose a more ‘Past’ approach, or do a comparison of them both and include different interpretations of past times and modern times and show how different females live different lives according to identity, sexuality, wealth and lifestyle.

Photo Analysis.

Technical:

The soft and naturalistic lighting in this photograph demonstrates that it is a photo from the past and is meant to display the time of the late 1970s. Which explains the low quality and slightly pixelated camera settings that are not very focused. I think that high contrast lighting, with a wide difference between highlights and shadows, brings a sense of intensity and depth to an image with dramatic qualities, which is what Cindy Sherman has done with her lots of her work. The aperture is also slightly blurred and has a higher sensitivity ISO which causes a grainier image with a lighter grey monochrome tone rather than cool colours. This black and white tonal structure has a colder impression which displays a sense of loneliness and emptiness in the image. The use of shadow and light in the Untitled Film Stills, heightens mood and tension, which isolates the subject within the frame. This dramatic lighting also helps to portray a specific genre of film such as drama, mystery or even horror. I think that Cindy Sherman’s use black and white photography is significant as it gives the images a sense of timelessness and universality, which provides the aesthetic of classic cinema.

Visual:

Accompanied with the black and white colour, this staged cinematic scene has meaning to it within its 2D format. The image has a woman as the central figure in the middle of the image with a door behind her stood in the corner of a room. There is also coats and clothing hung up to the left of the woman which has a dark black colour which attracts the viewers eyes towards the middle of the photograph, right next to the characters face. The photograph has a portrait angle which has been cropped into a tight famed rectangle shape. This framing of the images creates a cinematic feel to the photo and Her work mimics a multitude of low-budget narratives of different characters from 1950s-1960s television. Having settings such as homes, bedrooms, kitchens or streets conveys the message of domestic housewives living stereotypical lifestyles. The characters Cindy Sherman portrays are also seen as mid motion and candid to give a ‘frozen-in-time’ impression, this adds to the mystery and explains the deliberately vague stories that are without a clear plot. This frozen moment in time makes the viewer question the context, time-period and situation the character may be in whilst the photo is being taken. This image has no clear narrative unless the photo is deeply looked at and questioned. After establishing her outfit and role, the viewer is able to create an assumption on what the woman’s purpose is and it is then established that this is a small section of a much larger story.

Contextual:

Cindy Sherman’s Untitled Film Stills includes contextual layers that address essential historical issues of gender, identity, and media representation. She created these photographs throughout 1977-80s, however they are based on the 1950/60s. During this period of the 70s, second-wave feminism was arising and women were beginning to challenge gender roles and opinions on women in media products were being raised as women began to question and challenge their portrayal and how they were being objectified and seen as an object to please the male gender. The “male gaze” refers to the way women are depicted in visual culture for males, Cindy Sherman chose to display her cultural and social concerns about the roles and representations of women in tv, cinema and media products. This work is technically ‘mocking’ the media as the series of images contains a female subject that is both the object and the creator of her image. The roles she portrays are characters which may demonstrate a victim, an innocent woman or a seductress. This creates a way for Cindy Sherman to control the portrayal of female objectification as the turning the camera on herself to expose the true meaning behind these roles. In this image her portrayal of a working class woman can be seen by her outfit and demonstrates the time period this photo is alluding to and women’s’ role during this time.

Conceptual:

This photo explores the male gaze. As number 80 film stills, became iconic. Chose herself for the model. Washerwoman maid in a feminist move way to redirect the male gaze to show she was in charge. Her angry expression by looking over her shoulder at us to show she is ‘done‘ and wants to find an escape from her current position as a housewife or domestic worker and move onto bigger dreams. She is stood slightly hunched and is wearing an apron and a blouse which shows the viewer that she is lower class and is ‘insignificant’. She is mid- movement and has a slightly distracted expression on her face whilst not making direct eye-contact with the camera which demonstrates her vulnerability and distraction. The message from Cindy Sherman portrays the reality of a ‘happy housewife’ who is safe and content at home when in reality, they are lonely and struggling mentally. The lack of context to this images, causes the reader to assume and create their own interpretations on the photo. The vulnerability, beauty and individuality of the character makes the audience feel sorry for the woman and feel a sense of reflection and remorse for women during this period.

Justine Kurland

Justine Kurland was born in 1969 and is an American fine art photographer, based in New York City. She first gained public notice with her work in the group show, called Another Girl, Another Planet (1999), at New York’s Van Doren Waxter gallery.  The show included her large c-print staged tableaux pictures of landscapes inhabited by young adolescent girls, half-sprites, half juvenile delinquents. This was her first exhibition of a photographic interest that lasted from 1997, when she began taking pictures of her mentor Laurie Simmons’s babysitter and her friends, to 2002. Altogether, Kurland published 69 pictures of girls in a series called “Girl Pictures.” The staged photos take place in urban and wilderness settings, with girls depicted as though to imply they are runaways, hopeful and independent. As landscapes she chose the ‘secret places’ of late childhood; wasteland on the edges of suburbia, ‘owned’ only by a feral nature and unsupervised children. Her book Spirit West (2000) featured similar work on a more ambitious scale. In early 2001 Kurland spent several months in New Zealand, where she created similar work with school girls there.

About ‘Girl Pictures’

‘The girls were rebelling. The girls were acting out. The girls had run away from home, that much was clear. They were trying on a version of themselves that the world has thus far shown them was boy.’ Floating a raft down the Mississippi. Tucking smokes into the sleeve of a T-shirt. Having a rumble. Living off land. Cowboys, sailors, pirates, hitchhikers, hobos, train hoppers, explorers, catchers in the rye, lords of the flies- you name it, all the dominion of boys. If you wanted a place in the narrative, you had to imagine yourself inside of it. – Justine Kurland.

This is the first paragraph in Justine Kurland’s book, where she sets the narrative of her ‘Girl Pictures’ for the viewers. The narrative of this story is that these girls have ran away from home, so that they can explore and have fun and be whoever they wish to be. She sets this narrative in these tableaux images, by having the girls pose doing all these different activities, such as swimming in rivers, or camping in forests.

She also explains what she wants the viewers to take in from this book and from her images, which is that you too can be anything you dream of in your imagination. She states that they are pirates, cowboys etc, because in ‘Girl Pictures’ these girls aren’t just girls, they are whoever they want to be, as they are finding their true identity during their youth. She also states that they are trying on ‘boy,’ because in society standards it is more socially acceptable for boys to act in this rambunctious manor, rather than girls. This is due to gender stereotypes, which have been seen through many centuries. I feel like in this book ‘Girl Pictures’ she is trying to fight against these stereotypes of young girls, and this is an important matter to her and all other girls, because they have grown up being told what they should be or how they should behave a certain way due to their gender. She is fighting against these stereotypes, by having these young girls act in a way that is seen as more masculine and not socially acceptable for these girls.

Kurland also began dating women shortly after completing her ‘Girls’ series, working with an undercurrent of sex and female sexuality. As of 2018 she had been dating her current female partner for three years. I think that, because of her work fighting against stereotypes and researching identity, it has impacted her and also allowed her to fight stereotypes and socials norms in her own personal life and help her find her true identity.

‘Girl Pictures’ is also about finding your identity and exploring youth as ‘girls’, because during youth you do not know who you fully are yet and being able to explore every aspect of your youth, even if it does not comply with social ‘norms’ allows you get the truest sense of your identity possible. Justine Kurland presents the girls finding their identity throughout the the book, because she states and presents, ‘Cowboys, sailors, pirates, hitchhikers, hobos, train hoppers, explorers, catchers in the rye, lords of the flies- you name it, all the dominion of boys. If you wanted a place in the narrative, you had to imagine yourself inside of it.’ This quote states that the girls could be anything they wanted to be even if it was the boys ‘dominion.’

Importance of the Topic

This topic of girlhood is really important to me and all other girls, because it explores our identity and youth. The way Justine Kurland opposed social norms in this book is important for girls all over the world, especially young girls that are exploring their identity, because this may influence people to decide their own identity, instead of following social standards.

Justine Kurland also explores opposing female stereotypes, which is really important to women and girls all around the world, because this will allow and influence other women and girls to oppose these stereotypes as well, so that they can be anything they want to be, instead of just confined to a certain range of lifestyles and careers.

The importance of this topic for me during my personal study, is that I can relate to Justine Kurland’s work, as well as adding my own experience, as I have experienced girlhood and youth. This will allow to me explore my youth and see how my identity has changed through the course of my life. I really want to explore this, so that I can figure out my own identity.

Girl Pictures

Analysis of one image

The lighting used in this image is artificial lighting, because the image is taken inside. The image also has a high level of control, because it is a staged tableaux image, where the girls position, distance and location was manipulated the way Justine Kurland thought best fitted. This image is a colour image and has quite warm tones throughout out, because of the warmness of the light (not a harsh florescent light). The layout of these girls was manipulated, so that there was a foreground, middle ground, and background, which leads the viewers eye around the page from front to back. This make the girls the main viewpoint of this image.

This photograph displays ‘run away’ girls living out of public restrooms, as they are exploring their sexuality and ‘trying on boy.’ This photo is largely about fighting against stereotypes, as they are acting in a way that is seen as more masculine. These images are also about exploring identity, because in these images the girls can be anything they want and desire, from princesses to cowboys and more.

What I am taking Inspiration from

I am taking inspiration from the way Justine Kurland takes her images. She takes tableaux staged images, that look like candid shots, which is what I am going to replicate for my own personal study. She also takes pictures of young girls doing a range of activities, ranging from camping to shooting. I am also going to be taking pictures of a group of young girls (my friends) doing a range of similar activities, but I am also going to include a few different activities that are feminine according to society, because Justine Kurland only explored the girls ‘trying on boy,‘ so she only explored opposing female stereotypes. In my study I am also going to explore opposing female stereotypes, but I am also going to present female stereotypes, so I can present a larger range of identity in my study. Justine Kurland also has a distinctive outdoor setting in her images, including places such as the woods, rivers or roads, which I am also going to use for the setting of my images. However, I may take a few images inside, as a few of my youth memories were inside and I also want to explore these.

Our first visit was Jersey Art centre to see Marc Medland.

We next moved to the CCA Gallery to see Glenn Perotte

Glen Perotte has been photographing Jersey for a decade, mixing commercial work with his creative photographic projects. His ‘2020:A Year in Vision’ portrait exhibition saw him capture us islanders and his 2021 ‘Remnants of Life’ saw him turn his hand to hyper-detailed still life of dream-like plants. Building on that foundation, Glen got in shape both physically and mentally to take his work to a new level this year. His subject this time couldn’t be captured in Jersey, but only at the heady heights of Mount Kenya, where Glen had been captivated by the flora and fauna on a previous visit tow years before. The landscape is hauntingly beautiful.

Glen tells us “I wanted to explore the flora of Mount Kenya, Africa’s second highest mountain after Kilimanjaro and a uniquely special place. More than a visually striking landmark, Mount Kenya is steeped in spiritual significance, revered as a sacred site by East African communities and beyond. The mountain is seen as a divine presence, drawing people for prayer, meditation, and reflection”. The focus for him was the astonishing plant life that manages to take root in this volcanic and harsh landscape of thin air and rocky terrain, sometimes by banding together and at other times finding a small niche to settle in alone. “Strange, yet wonderfully captivating, these botanical wonders exhibit adaptations honed over millennia to survive the harsh mountain environment. From bizarrely shaped succulents clinging to rocky crevices to peculiar, other-worldly ferns thriving in mist-shrouded valleys, each species tells a tale of resilience and ingenuity”. 

Then we went to ArtHouse Jersey.

At the Jersey Art Centre we saw a project by Marc Medland who creates absurdist collages with different materials. Many were 3D to create depth. One of his projects were creating crime scenes with floor plans to map out the crime, a visual collage to represent the nature of the crime and a description of the actual crime too.

At the CCA Gallery we saw Glenn Perotte who photographed plant life on his journey up a mountain named: Mount Kenya’s Rooted Resilience. These images used a HDR approach to achieve much richer depth and colour.

At Arthouse Jersey we saw two projects:

Dancing Together: A Ballad by Kaarina Kaikkonen. She arranged tops to create works of art. The exhibition we saw moved the shirts from outside into a small gallery room to create a totally different sculpture.

And the sound of colour which projected a story onto a church ceiling. There were two parts, one being the history which is the one we saw.