Overall the photobook has gone very well, my idea for it was to follow a narrative sequence of a person’s journey through mental deterioration, it starts with the protagonist going through mental health and personal problems, they then attempt to find a resolution to their pain through the supernatural and religion, they feel a calling, in the end their mental health becomes more severe as if they’ve been possessed by their obsession with the unknown.
The reason I made this photobook and the images within was to visually interpret hidden feelings and portray how they can feel. My intention was to make my images look chaotic and dramatic to try and capture strong emotions such as dread, anger and frustration which are common feelings associated with mental health problems like depression. The subject of depression in particular was my main inspiration when making this project.
A sentence – Someone seeking help from the supernatural and religion.
A paragraph – My story is about someone suffering from severe mental health issues, it starts with them breaking down, it then moves onto them looking for answers in object that may represent the supernatural or a deity. The story ends with them losing control and their sense of self after dedicating the rest of their mental sanity towards pleasing the beings in order to receive their help.
Design: Consider the following
How you want your book to look and feel – I want my book to maintain a unsettling vibe
Paper and ink – Matte paper with black and white ink
Format, size and orientation – Small 7 x 7 square format with around 60 pages or less
Binding and cover – Hardcover with image wrap
Title – “Phantasmagoria”
Structure and architecture – Unsure
Design and layout – Chaotic but uniform
Editing and sequencing – Follows a narrative story
Images and text – Images conveying what the selected words and definitions may look like in reality, e.g., mental deterioration with images following of what this may look like
Instead of gong through all the 5 stages, the protagonist gets stuck at stages 2-3 where they unable to fight back with their thoughts or “demons” which then causes them to fall back to the start of where they began.
By the 2nd stage, the protagonist thinks they have become an “enlightened being” however that is not the case.
1. Research a photo-book and describe the story it is communicating with reference to subject-matter, genre and approach to image-making.
2. Who is the photographer? Why did he/she make it? (intentions/ reasons) Who is it for? (audience) How was it received? (any press, reviews, awards, legacy etc.)
3. Deconstruct the narrative, concept and design of the book and apply theory above when considering:
Book in hand: how does it feel? Smell, sniff the paper.
Paper and ink: use of different paper/ textures/ colour or B&W or both.
Format, size and orientation: portraiture/ landscape/ square/ A5, A4, A3 / number of pages.
Literary sources: Go to this blog post here: Theory: Literary Sources and copy relevant key texts relating to the subject of your essay and list in alphabetical order in your bibliography. In addition, find your own key texts in relation to artists selected for in-depth analysis in your essay and list these too. These texts could be interviews with the artist, or reviews/ critique’s written by others. See useful online sites/ sources here .
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, page number to be used for in-text referencing etc.
Think of a hypothesis and list possible essay questions
Below is a list of possible essay questions that may help you to formulate your own.
Some examples of Personal Study essays from previous students:
How is ‘narrative’ used in Tableaux Photography?
In what way does Francasca Woodman and Yury Toroptsov use a narrative response to portray their story?
Can personality and identity be expressed in a portrait?
How Can Photography Reflect Inner Emotions Such As Fear and Isolation?
Does a portrait tell us more about the person portrayed or the photographer?
‘How do Paul M Smith, Ben Zank and Rut Blees display emotions through self- portraiture and environmental photography?’
In what way is movement captured in surf photography?
Can photography truly capture the essence of a moment, ultimately questioning why we take photographs?
Edits of questions suited for my project:
How do Shannon Taggart, Lieko Shiga and Ralph Eugene Meatyard display emotions through self-portraiture and environmental photography?’
In what way does Shannon Taggart, Lieko Shiga and/or Ralph Eugene Meatyard use a narrative response to portray their story?
In what way is movement captured in Surreal photography?
Essay Plan Make a plan that lists what you are going to write about in each paragraph
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? Think about an opening that will draw your reader in e.g. you can re-formulate the essay question. You should include in your introduction an outline of your intention of your study, e.g. what area of photography, or subject-matter are you exploring? Which artists/ photographers are you going to investigate/ analyse/ interpret? Why does this subject/ work interest you? What are you trying to prove/challenge, argument/ counter-argument? What historical or theoretical context is the work situated within? Include at least 1 or 2 quotes for or against. What links are there with your previous studies, if any? How has this subject and chosen artists/ photographers inspired your own images/ responses? How will your work develop? What camera skills, photographic techniques or processes have you experimented with, or are you going to experiment with?
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.
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
Essay question:
Opening quote:
‘To photograph is to appropriate the thing photographed.’ (Sontag 1977:4)
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.
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
More Notes
shapes society and reflection not just mood
what if the moment was staged? would that still be a true captured moment or a fake one? does the mood change?
essence – mood of the moment
taggarts reason for taking photographs is due to her deep curiosity about the mysteries of life, death and the unseen – documenting spiritualism and these themes.
photographs only vaguely preserve the full depth experience of that moment. however people still take photos as a record of these experiences for personal or historical reasons. they also use it as a way to express their ideas, thoughts and feelings
images help convey messages and tell stories which words alone might be hard to describe with.
photography reflects a human desire to document, share, and interpret experiences even with it’s limitations
an essence of a moment is accompanied by emotions, sounds and other sensory experiences.
its mood also depends on subjective interpretation
susan sontag says images are mere shadows of reality – Medium article
Memorabilia – Things that stir recollection or are valued or collected for their association with a particular field or interest : mementos.
Spiritualism photography was a way to document visual evidence of the supernatural.
It’s this occult perspective she tries to capture in her images of spirit visitation. “It’s impossible to photograph this stuff conventionally because the interior element is so huge,” she said. “It’s unphotographable.” Nonetheless, lengthening exposures and allowing other products of “accident and error,” into the work allowed Taggart to photograph it. “I’m not really looking for proof,” she said. “I’m looking to go deep into the experience.” Think of Garforth and the big hand — whatever explanation you prefer, Taggart’s images capture her experience precisely. I found them deeply unnerving.
1950
Meatyard haunted the world of inner experience, continually posing unsettling questions about our emotional realities through his pictures.
A desire to document his growing family led to his purchase of a camera in 1950. From the 1950s onward, he would photograph exclusively in his hometown of Lexington, Kentucky and the surrounding countryside. – Meatyard
Born in 1975, Shannon Taggart is an American photographer known for her compelling and thought-provoking work which focuses on the themes of Spiritualism, the supernatural and the paranormal.
Spiritualism is a religious movement that emerged in the 19th century. This movement believes in the possibility of communicating with spirits, mainly the deceased.
Taggart had first became aware of Spiritualism as a teenager when her cousin received a message from a medium that gave details about her grandfather’s death. In 2001, she began taking photos in Lily Dale, New York, where her cousin had received the message. Lily Dale is home to the world’s largest Spiritualist community. Taggart was inspired by Spiritualism’s processes, earnest practitioners, and neglected photographic history. This project evolved into an 16 year journey that ended up taking her around the world in search of ‘ectoplasm‘.
Ectoplasm, in occultism, is a mysterious, usually light-coloured, viscous substance that is said to exude from the body of a spiritualist medium in trance and may then take the shape of a face, a hand, or a complete body. It is normally visible only in the darkened atmosphere of a séance.
Taggart’s work is not only artistic but also ethnographic. She immerses herself in the communities she photographs by participating in their rituals and gaining the trust of her subjects. This allows her to document spiritualist practices with both sensitivity and insight.
Ethnographic is a method of research and a style of study that involves observing, describing and analysing the cultural practices, behaviours, beliefs and interactions of a particular group of people.
Her book “SÉANCE” (2019) is a visual journey through spiritualist practices, specifically in Lily Dale. The book includes a mix of both black-and-white and colour photographs. She captured mediums in trance, spiritual gatherings and ghost apparitions.
Lieko Shiga
Born in 1980, Lieko Shiga is a Japanese contemporary photographer known for her surreal, poetic and haunting imagery. She has studied photography in London at the Chelsea College of Art and Design, as well as at the Royal College of Art. She is well known for her “Rasen Kaigan” Series and is recognised by a blur between documentary and staged photography which results in her personal, unique style.
Shiga’s work explores the themes of memory, trauma and the passage of time especially in relation to local communities. Her projects are often based in places she lives in and the people she encounters. She often immerses herself in rural Japanese communities where she collaborates with the local residents.
Shiga’s “Rasen Kaigan” series was created while she was living in Kitakama. It explores the themes of disaster, loss and the resilience of the human spirit, originally it focused on reflecting the dreams, lives and traditions of the villages in Kitakama, however, this project was impacted by the aftermath of the Tōhoku 2011 earthquake and tsunami which destroyed a large majority of her previous work, however it helped to reshape her artistic vision. Her work seen in this series often features distorted human figures, eerie landscapes and a strong sense of narrative.
Shiga is inspired by numerous subjects, one of them being Japanese Folklore and Mythology. Because of this her work often evokes a sense of the supernatural and blends reality with this. She views photography as both a way to capture moments but to also tell stories that transcend time and space which draws on the mythic and spiritual dimensions of the human experience.
Ralph Eugene Meatyard
“Creative pictures must be felt in a similar way as one listens to music, emotionally, without expecting a story, information or facts.”
Ralph Eugene Meatyard
Born in 1925, Ralph Eugene Meatyard was an American photographer known for his enigmatic, surreal and haunting black-and-white images. His work is often associated with the Southern Gothic tradition as well as elements of avant-garde and experimental photography.
Because Meatyard grew up in Lexington, Kentucky, he was influenced by the Southern Gothic Tradition which captured a sense of decay, mystery and the macabre.
Meatyard was deeply influenced by his interest in philosophy, literature and the arts. His interest in photography began in the early 1950s after purchasing a camera to photograph his newborn son. He is known for his surreal, dreamlike work which often features family members and friends in staged scenes.
Meatyard’s work featured a frequent use of masks, dolls and props which created images that were both unsettling and poetic. Because his subjects wore masks they ended up looking like ghostly anonymous figures. He often took photographs in abandoned buildings, overgrown woods and rural settings, these helped to add to the already eerie atmosphere to his work. His work often evokes the uncanny which creates a sense of discomfort and challenges his viewers to question the nature of reality and perception.
The uncanny was a concept popularised by Sigmund Freud which describes something both familiar and alien.
Short Statement of Intent
I have chosen to study all three of these photographers, especially Shannon Taggart, because I believe that their work shows strong elements of my own intentions and what I want to achieve with my own project.
Taggart’s work focuses on the themes of Spiritualism, the supernatural and the paranormal which are some of the themes I would like to focus on within my project. Elements of her style, such as her lighting techniques and editing, are something I would like to incorporate into my work as it creates a sense of mystery and makes the viewer question what they are looking at.
My inspiration comes from my own struggles with mental health so I’ve decided to base my project on creating a narrative about someone who is stuck in the worst parts of their life and feel lost, because their mental health has been severely declining, they start to believe they are seeing and getting signs from some supernatural beings as a way of coping. They believe that these beings are the only way they can escape their reality. They start to respond to these beings by preforming rituals and giving them everything they ask, this then leads to them becoming very unstable. I’ve chosen to go with this idea because I find the supernatural very interesting and fascinating as well as my own experience with slowly becoming like the protagonist in the narrative.
In order to respond to the theme of “Observe, Seek, Challenge” I have come up with some rough ideas (inspired by my previous work as well as photographers I have found)
Brain Storm of Ideas
Name of book Ideas:
“Vocation”
“Succumb”
“Supernaturalism“
“Conversion”
“Epiphany”
“Mysticism”
“Aureole”
“unknown”
“Clairaudience“
“Hermeticism”
“Ephemeral”
“Pareidolia”
“Phantasmagoria”
Vocation – A calling (In religious terms).
Supernaturalism – A belief in an otherworldly realm or reality that, in one way or another, is commonly associated with all forms of religion.
Epiphany – A sudden realisation or insight, especially one that leads to a spiritual or religious awakening.
Trance – A state of mind in which someone seems to be asleep and to have no conscious control over their thoughts or actions, but in which they can see and hear things and respond to commands given by other people.
Ephemeral – Lasting for a short time.
Phantasmagoria – A sequence of real or imaginary images like that seen in a dream.
Mysticism – Becoming one with God or the Absolute, but may refer to any kind of ecstasy or altered state of consciousness which is given a religious or spiritual meaning.
Pareidolia – A psychological phenomenon that causes people to see patterns in a random stimulus. This often leads to people assigning human characteristics to objects. Usually this is simplified to people seeing faces in objects where there isn’t one.
“The Five Stages of the Path of the Mystic“
1) A catalytic event, such as a personal tragedy, illness or insight that sets the person off on his or her mystical search for meaning in life.
2) Initial experiences of illumination
3) The “dark night of the soul”
4) Stable enlightenment
5) A return to the marketplace
Aureole – A bright circle of light, especially around the head.
Clairaudience – The power or faculty of hearing something not present to the ear but regarded as having objective reality.
Hermeticism/Hermetism – A dualistic faith that portrays the body of men and their interactions with the material world as being antagonistic to the soul.
Kirlian Photography – A way to create images of coronal discharges around an object. A coronal discharge is an electrical discharge caused by the ionization of gas or fluid surrounding an object.
Orb – (In terms relating to the supernatural) A type of anomaly that appears in photographs, especially digital flash photography, in which mysterious objects appear floating in the air.
Pentagram – A symbol of protection and invocation. Always depicted point-up. Symbolizes the union of the five basic elements.
Pseudoscience – Any system that tries to explain physical phenomena but cannot be proved by the scientific method.
Magic Action Ritual – Rituals invoking supernatural forces or energies to achieve desired outcomes.
Urban Exploration/Urbex – A recreational activity in which people explore derelict urban structures such as abandoned sewers or underground railways or attempt to access areas which are closed to the public such as the roofs of skyscrapers.
Sanewashing – is the act of minimizing the perceived radical aspects of a person or idea in order to make them appear more acceptable to a wider audience.
Surrealism – is an art and cultural movement that developed in Europe in the aftermath of World War I in which artists aimed to allow the unconscious mind to express itself, often resulting in the depiction of illogical or dreamlike scenes and ideas.
Dilapidated – (of a building or object) in a state of disrepair or ruin as a result of age or neglect.
Mental Deterioration
Use coloured gels and spray water onto them to get a water droplet or misty affect.
Do what I did previously in studio but with a swinging cross or symbol.
Experiment by drawing over some images with symbols to convey chaos.
Uncanny – The term was first used by German psychiatrist Ernst Jentsch in his essay On the Psychology of the Uncanny, 1906. Jentsch describes the uncanny – in German ‘unheimlich’ (unhomely) – as something new and unknown that can often be seen as negative at first.
Sigmund Freud’s essay The Uncanny (1919) however repositioned the idea as the instance when something can be familiar and yet alien at the same time. He suggested that ‘unheimlich’ was specifically in opposition to ‘heimlich’, which can mean homely and familiar but also secret and concealed or private. ‘Unheimlich’ therefore was not just unknown, but also, he argued, bringing out something that was hidden or repressed. He called it ‘that class of frightening which leads back to what is known of old and long familiar.’
Artists, including some associated with the surrealist movement drew on this description and made artworks that combined familiar things in unexpected ways to create uncanny feelings.
Now, the term ‘uncanny valley’ is also applied to artworks and animation or video games that that reproduce places and people so closely that they create a similar eerie feeling.
Over the past few weeks I’ve taken example photos of what type of images I might make(I may include these in my actual photoshoot)
Review & Reflect
Throughout my projects I have experimented with both documentary and tableaux images responding to different themes. I have gone back through these images and selected ones that may help inspire or give ideas of what kind of work I’d like to produce.
In 1822, Joseph Nicéphore Niépce created the first photograph using a Camera Obscura. This was an early photographic method that used a pitch-dark room or box with a small slit letting only a small ray of light, this developed into an upside-down image of the outside area parallel from the room/box. Later in 1839, Louis-Jacques-Mandé Daguerre invented a new process called the “Daguerreotype”. This tedious process involved a polished sheet of silver-plated copper that was treated with iodine to make it light-sensitive, which was then exposed for several minutes, salt water was then used to fix it. A few years later, in 1841 Henry Talbot introduced the “Calotype”, This process was much easier than the Daguerreotype because it used a negative which could produce multiple prints of images and took less time to reproduce. The process involved a sheet of paper that was coated with silver chloride, this was then exposed to light in a Camera Obscura, areas that were hit by light became dark, this then created a negative image. According to a theorist named John Szarkowski, there are two groups of photographs that can be made, “the photograph is seen either as a mirror–a romantic expression of the photographer’s sensibility as it projects itself on the things and sights of this world; or as a window–through which the exterior world is explored in all its presence and reality.” Or in short “Windows” and “Mirrors”, Window images are documentary and raw while Mirror images are staged and personal. Applying this theory to the Calotype and Daguerreotype, I believe that both of these processes can be seen as both a Window and Mirror, the Daguerreotype is more of a window, this is because the process itself was more exclusive and expensive which meant it was only accessible to those in the upper class, this then resulted in most Daguerreotype images to reflect social status and power, these images were documentary of the social hierarchy at the time. On the other hand, the Calotype is more of a mirror. Unlike the Daguerreotype, this process was much cheaper and accessible to a wide range of people, people used this method to present everyday life and offered a glimpse of reality through people’s lives and experiences.
Jeff Wall “Invisible Man” 1996
Responding to Szarkowski’s idea of a “Mirror” image, I have chosen to analyse this specific image because of Jeff Wall’s ability to take a concept and turn it into a visual representation. This staged image is a reworking of Ralph Ellison’s novel “Invisible Man” which describes the protagonist’s feelings and experience of being metaphorically invisible due to being a black man in a hostile and oppressive society. This image supports Szarkowski’s thesis because it fits into his two categories of images, in this case a Mirror. I believe it is a Mirror because it gives a sense of self-exploration, not for Jeff Wall himself but marginalised people such as the protagonist in the novel, the image presents a staged reality which symbolises a harsh and common feeling among a variety of people, in other words it’s a representation of reality through a staged one. “This thesis suggests that there is a fundamental dichotomy in contemporary photography between those who think of photography as a means of self-expression…” – Szarkowski. Although Szarkowski’s theory helps understand photographs a bit better, it disregards and oversimplifies photography, just as Jed Perl says in “Mirrors and Windows: Messages from MoMA”, Szarkowski’s theory is too broad and that it is more of a narrative than a critical framework. “Szarkowski’s thesis is a simplification, a reduction of the complexities of photography to a single, overarching narrative.”
Dorothea Lange “The Grapes of Wrath” 1935 – 1940
I have chosen to analyse this photograph responding to Szarkowski’s theory of “Window” images because of its unedited and pure nature. This image is one of Lange’s many works that documents the lives of migrant workers and their families during the Great Depression. This image is a great representation of what Szarkowski calls a “Window” image, “…a window–through which the exterior world is explored in all its presence and reality”, because it is a fixed and objective snapshot of a moment in reality. However, like mentioned before, Szarkowski’s theory is too broad and doesn’t give full context into what type of documentary photograph this or other photographs may be, it doesn’t consider the different contexts. “Szarkowski’s theory oversimplifies the complex relationship between the photographer, the viewer, and the image”.
In conclusion, both images give a glimpse into reality and the personal struggles of those effected by extreme issues, However Wall’s image shows a more private reality of one specific subject, his image shows reality through romanticism and staging, it allows interpretation and makes viewers think about what the actual context of the image is. On the other hand, Lange’s image is more objective and public, it shows us a pure in the moment image of reality during a decisive event that happened. So although I agree that photographs can be categorised into two groups like Szarkowski suggests, I fully agree with Jed Perl’s review that says Szarkowski’s theory doesn’t emphasize the importance of context and that the theory has limitations when focusing on the photographer’s perspective.
Read two texts above (John Szarkowski’s introduction and review by Jed Perl) and select 3 quotes form each that is relevant to your essay.
Select two images, one that represent a mirror and another that represents a window as examples to use in your essay.
Use some of the key words that you listed above to describe what the mirrors and windows suggest.
Notes
Quote 1 – This thesis suggests that there is a fundamental dichotomy in contemporary photography between those who think of photography as a means of self-expression and those who think of it as a method of exploration – John Szarkowski
Quote 2 – the photograph is seen either as a mirror–a romantic expression of the photographer’s sensibility as it projects itself on the things and sights of this world; or as a window–through which the exterior world is explored in all its presence and reality. – Original press release 1978
Jed Perl’s Review on Szarkowski’s Thesis In his review of Mirrors and Windows: Messages from MoMA, Jed Perl critiques John Szarkowski’s thesis on the shift in American photography from public to private concerns. Perl argues that Szarkowski’s framework oversimplifies the complexities of the medium. “Szarkowski’s thesis is a simplification, a reduction of the complexities of photography to a single, overarching narrative.” – Jed Perl Perl suggests that Szarkowski’s focus on the private sphere neglects the public and social aspects of photography, which are equally important in understanding the medium. Key points: Perl argues that Szarkowski’s thesis oversimplifies the complexities of photography Perl suggests that the private sphere is not the only aspect of photography Perl critiques Szarkowski’s reduction of photography to a single narrative Note: I couldn’t find any online sources with direct links to Jed Perl’s review. If you have access to the original review, please provide the publication and page numbers for further context.
Dorothea Lange’s Work on “The Grapes of Wrath”
Dorothea Lange’s photographs were not directly used in John Steinbeck’s novel “The Grapes of Wrath”. However, her work did document the lives of migrant workers, including those who were affected by the Dust Bowl and the Great Depression, which was the same era and theme that Steinbeck’s novel addressed.
Lange’s photographs were published in various publications, including the Farm Security Administration (FSA) collection, which was a government program that documented the lives of rural Americans during the 1930s and 1940s.
John Szarkowski’s Theory
John Szarkowski was a renowned American photographer and curator who served as the director of the Museum of Modern Art’s photography department from 1962 to 1980. His theory on photography is centered around the idea that photography is a medium that can be used to explore the relationship between the individual and the environment.
Key Points of Szarkowski’s Theory:
The Camera as a Tool for Exploration: Szarkowski believed that the camera allows the photographer to explore and understand the world around them, and that this exploration is a key aspect of the medium.
The Importance of Context: Szarkowski emphasized the importance of considering the context in which a photograph is taken, including the social, cultural, and historical context.
The Role of the Photographer as an Observer: Szarkowski saw the photographer as an observer who can capture the world in a unique and personal way, but also as someone who is influenced by their own biases and perspectives.
Jed Perl’s Review of Szarkowski’s Theory
Jed Perl, an American art critic and historian, has written extensively on Szarkowski’s theory and its impact on the field of photography. In his review, Perl highlights the following key points:
Szarkowski’s Influence on the Field: Perl notes that Szarkowski’s theory had a profound impact on the way photographers think about their work and the medium as a whole.
The Importance of Contextualizing Photography: Perl emphasizes the importance of considering the context in which a photograph is taken, as Szarkowski advocated for.
The Limitations of Szarkowski’s Theory: Perl also notes that Szarkowski’s theory has its limitations, particularly in its emphasis on the individual photographer’s perspective, which can overlook the role of power dynamics and social structures in shaping the photograph.
