Romanticism

Often capital the theory, practice, and style of the romantic art ,music, and literature of the late 18th century and the early 198th centuries, usually opposed to classicism. Also is romantic attitudes, ideals or qualities. Also, the movement of art and literature. ​

What was Romanticism a reaction against?

Romanticism grew due to the reaction to the effects of the social transformation caused by the Revolution. It was against the industrial revolution because  the movement idealized nature, emotion, and individualism, but the ideas clashed with the rapid changes brought about by the Industrial Revolution.

Enlightenment

It started in 1685 and ended in 1815. Enlightenment, is a European intellectual movement of the 17th and 18th centuries in which ideas concerning God, reason, nature, and humanity were synthesized into a worldview that gained wide assent in the West and that instigated revolutionary developments in art, philosophy, and politics.

 How did the Industrial Revolution have an impact on Romanticism?​

The Industrial Revolution had an impact on the Romantic movement, shaping its themes, concerns, and artistic expressions. The loss of connection with nature and the critique of industrial capitalism all influenced the works of Romantic poets and artists.

John Constable 

John Constable (11 June 1776 – 31 March 1837) was an English landscape painter in the Romantic tradition. He was born in Suffolk, he is known for revolutionising the genre of landscape painting with his pictures of Dedham Vale, the area surrounding his home – now known as “Constable Country” – which he invested with an intensity of devotion. “I should paint my own places best”, he wrote to his friend John Fisher in 1821, “painting is but another word for feeling”.​

Constable’s most famous painting includes The Hay Wain (1821). Even though his paintings are now amongst the most popular and valuable in British art, he was never financially successful. He was elected to the Royal Academy of Arts (RAA) at the age of 52. His work was accessible in France, where he sold more than in his native England and inspired the Barbizon school.​

Notes

Classical landscapes were made to be special and legendary due to arcadia in Greece, this is due to ancient Greek.

Loneliest subjects, meaning it wasn’t seen as a genre. Landscape painted on a large canvas unlike other paintings. The Hay wain has farmers, clouds, features of nature. The rough texture will capture nature so you could feel it. Landscapes are meant to be classical. legendary not mundane. The Hay Wain used to be called Noon. In the Hay-Wain you don’t see the workers faces.

The Machines were taken taking jobs away in the countryside.

Constable love these paintings. Constable has created a fiction.

Romanticism Examples

What Is The Sublime?

A theory which was developed by Edmund Burke in the mid eighteenth century, where he defined sublime art as ‘art that refers to a greatness beyond all possibility of calculation, measurement or imitation‘. John Martin. The Great Day of His Wrath (1851–3) Tate. In the “sublime”,  in the sublime ‘vast and big horizons, towering mountains, and plunging chasm‘.

Sublime Examples

Edmund Burke

A famous quote he said was ‘The truly sublime is always easy. and always natural’.

This quote suggests that the sublime is dangerous and its full of terror and it easy to be surrounded by nature. Its also where a fear is in place of a sense of well-being and security.

 How Are Sublime Landscapes Depicted?

Edmund Burke said that the sublime from the beautiful for its capacity to evoke intense emotions and inspire awe through experiences of nature’s vastness. it also includes  vast horizons, towering mountains, and plunging chasms.

J.M.W Turner

J.M.W Turner was an important figure for the romantic movement, which was from the 18th to 19th century. His work was important during these times . He achieved these goals by painting intense contrasts of extreme light and dull clouds with energetic brushstrokes. He created man oil paintings and watercolours which illustrating the compelling forces which also supplied as settings for historical and modern dramas. He caught events such as the slow creep of glaciers in the Alps, the immediate fall of an avalanche and the swell of the ocean. Human transition is presented as well, with images of steamships and other suggestions of industry building the predominant machine age.

What does Landscapes Mean?

A landscape is the visible features of an area of land, it’s landforms, and how they integrate with  natural  or human-made features, and are mainly considered in terms of their aesthetic appeal.

When Did Landscape Emerge As A Genre In Western Culture?

After the Roman Empire fell, the tradition of picturing pure landscapes declined, and the landscape was only seen as setting for religious and figural scenes. This tradition continued until the 16th century when artists began to view the landscape as a subject in its own right.

When Did Classical Landscapes Emerge As A Genre?​

In the 17th century the classical landscape was born. These landscapes were formed by a classical antiquity and were needed to illustrate an ideal landscape recalling Arcadia, a legendary place in ancient Greece known for its quiet pastoral beauty.

What Prompted The Rise Of Landscape Art During The Late 18th / 19th Century?

 Religious painting was limited throughout the rest of Europe in the 18th and 19th centuries. Romanticism prompted the rise of art during theses centuries. Romanticism — which emphasized emotion, individualism, and the glorification of nature.

When Did Landscape Photography Originate?

The earliest known information of a landscape photograph was taken between the years of 1826 and 1827. It was an urban landscape photo taken by a French inventor by the name of Nicephore Niepce. He took the earliest surviving image of a view of his house it was from a window. His house was called Chalons-sur-Saone, need an exposure of 8 hours.

Image Selection For Photoshoot N01

As you can see above I pressed P to keep the images I wanted to use for my final photos. I used X to get rid of the images I didn’t wanted to use for the future. Then I gave a rating for the images, they all had a rating out of 5.The images with 4 and 5 stars are the images I wanted to use for my final photos. The photos I didn’t like I rated 1-3 stars. Finally I gave them the colour yellow or green, green being the best and yellow being average. Red was for the photos that didn’t work out. I will edit the images so I will present final photos.

Photos I Didn’t Like From Photoshoot N01

Photo N01

I didn’t like this photo due to not having a neutral facial expression, this feature ruined the photo and hasn’t really replicated Clare Rae’s environment and it wasn’t taken with the right pose. This pose has ruined the real meaning of the photo and doesn’t replicate what Clare Rae took. This is a facial expression that Clare Rae wouldn’t use in her photos, so it will ruin the photo.

Photo N02

I also didn’t like this photo due to the subject not being positioned properly in the middle and the rule of thirds wasn’t used to scale this photo.

Another reason why I don’t like this photo is due to lots of negative space. In Clare Rae’s photos she doesn’t really show negative space. This is only present in some photos, she has taken. Instead Clare Rae does close up shots from different angles.

Also in the background where the trees are they are overexposed, which means means there was to much light in the photo and Clare Rae doesn’t use this in her photos. By the image being overexposed it will limit the detail that is present in the photo and will reduce any opportunity for shadowing or any noticeable highlights in the image. It give the image a very poor quality.

Photo N03

I didn’t like this photo due to the angle. This photo wasn’t framed correctly so a good photo wasn’t executed. In Clare Rae’s photos her framing is taken on a tripod which will allow no movement the camera will the photo is being taken. Also Rae’s photos where taken with a straight-on angle. By having the photo at this angle means that some of the photo is cut out and gets rid of the important features that are present.

Also this image is overexposed as well. Overexposure is where there is too much lighting hitting the film or ,in a digital camera or a sensor. Overexposed photos are too bright, have very little detail in their highlights, and appear washed out and have lots of blurriness present. It would also give the image a very poor quality.

Image Selection For Photoshoot N02

The photos flagged or selected green is what I’m to develop and use as my final photos. I chose these because they have the perfect lighting and are a perfect replication of Clare Rae’s photos. The photos coloured red or yellow are ones I’m not going to use due to blurriness and to much sunlight, due to being too sunny.

Photos I Didn’t Like

Photo N01

I didn’t like this image due to being very overexposed in the top half of the image. Overexposure is where there is too much lighting hitting the film or ,in a digital camera or a sensor. Overexposed photos are too bright, have very little detail in their highlights, and appear washed out and have lots of blurriness present. It also give the image a poor quality.

There are also too much shadows in this image. In the image Rae did I only spotted one shadow in the image. shadows draw attention to a particular part of the image. This isn’t need in this photo due to the only part needing attention is the subject and the way its positioned.

Photo N02

Another reason why I didn’t like this photo is due to the blurriness. Even though the ISO was set at 100, the camera might of been on Auto Focus which will automatically adjust what’s happening of the camera. Clare Rae’s photo didn’t include blurriness which makes the photo more clear to see.

I didn’t like this photo due to the extra artificial light in this photo. This is why it has an overexposed quality in the background behind the Faldouet Dolmen (La Pouquelaye de Faldouet). By the photo being over exposed it means that the photo is too bright, has very little detail and the image will come out looking faded and of a poor quality.

Photo N03

I didn’t like this image because of the angle. This photo wasn’t framed correctly so a good photo wasn’t executed. In Clare Rae’s photos her framing is taken on a tripod which will allow no movement the camera will the photo is being taken. Also Rae’s photos where taken with a straight-on angle. By having the photo at this angle means that some of the photo is cut out and gets rid of the important features that are present.

I also didn’t like the subjects position due to the hand not being directly placed on the rock. This doesn’t replicate Clare Rae’s Image. By the hand not being on the rock it ruins the final image and it will become a failed photo.

Also Rae’s image has lots of negative space where as mine doesn’t, which means I haven’t scaled the photo correctly while taken it.

 This is Idea 1

I like this image because it makes an upside down dolmen.

This is Idea 2

I like this idea because in the middle of the image this is where the top and the bottom of the rocks meet. This creates a pattern in both of the images.

This is how I want to present my final photos.

Virtual Gallery Presentation

I have presented these images like this with the same frames so they all look neat and tidy and these photos go together as well.

Portraits Final Images Presented

Best Images From Creative Portraits

I like these photos because they all have a unique feature about them and they are all in proportion.

Best Images From Studio Portraits

I like images because they have no negative space and they aren’t blurry.

Best Images From Environmental Portraits

I like these photos because they represent two different sports in the outside environment. Both images look very nice next to each other.

Virtual Gallery for Environmental Portraits, Creative and Studio Portraits.

My Final Images as a layout

These are my final photos from my two identity photoshoots, these are my favourite photos from across both photoshoots.

Evaluation

How Successful Was Your Final Outcome ?

My final outcome was very successful because I achieved what I wanted to do and I made similarities between my images and my artist reference. It was also a successful outcome because this is the most photos I have taken for a project. I took 121 photos, which gave more variety with my images.

Did You Realise Your Intentions?

Yes I did because I made a plan before the project what I wanted to do and went through with it and I eventually came out to be successful.

What References Did You Make To Your Artist Reference?

I made reference to the visual, technical and the conceptual ideas. I did this by looking through Rae’s photos and seeing what elements I need to include to replicate certain photos that she photographed. I have linked to conceptual because this includes her body and I’ve achieved this in may photos. I’ve linked it to visual because I have used negative space in my photos because Rae doe this as well. Lastly ,I’ve linked it to technical because it used natural lighting instead of artificial. I have used natural lighting because Clare Rae does this in her photos/Images.

Is There Anything To Change?

Yes there is. If I could do this again would have more variety of photos, I would take more photos. I also would take more photos so I would have lots to chose from.

My Final Images

Image NO1

Unedited

This is the original photo that I took to replicate Clare Rae’s ‘Prison Break’ photo. I like the how well the lens of my camera captured my subject, as its in the middle of the foreground so it will be proportional. I also like the type of rock used due tot the texture and it makes the photo look similar to Clare Rae’s original one.

Above the type of filter I used is BW01, I chose this filter because it exactly matches the dark shade of Clare Rae image called ‘Prison Break’.

I edited the contrast and the exposure, so the image didn’t look to dark, so the photo wasn’t impossible to see. If this had happened this photo would have been ruined and ruined the meaning of the photo.

My Experimentation Of This Particular Photo

To create the perfect final image I had to take the exact same photo 10 times to get an image I would like.

Image N02

I like this photo due to the arm hugging the rock, this means that the subject is connected and feels valued with Jersey’s geology and coastline and connected to certain rocks. I also like how the background is slightly blurred because it makes the rock in the foreground to be the main focus. I like how similar this is to Clare Rae’s images as well.

In this photo, there are trees in the background and this is same in Clare Rae’s photo. Also, there trees are slightly blurred and its also like this in Clare Rae’s photo. This means that the photo was taken in an environment where the Dolmen is. She also uses rocks in the background of her photo, which is similar in mine, this means that more texture is automatically created in the photo. My favourite part of this photo is the hugging of the rock, this implies that the rock is in safe hands and its also very protected.

These are a list of filters I used before I finally picked one that I like. I tried to pick the exact one that Clare Rae might have picked during her editing process. I think the filter that I picked is quite accurate. The filter is used was called BW07 which gave m the exact shade of the black and white filter.

In this image I adjusted the texture ,exposure ,contrast and the shadows. I did this because it would help recover details of the photo in the bright and dark parts. I adjusted contrast more due to creating a balance in the photo and it can brig elements out such as dark, light and shadows.

My Experimentation Of This Particular Photo

To create the perfect final image I had to take the exact same photo 14 times to get an image I would like.

Image N03

In this photo the hands that are above the rock are in line with the trees, This means that the rule of thirds are present in this photo. There are trees in this image. Also, there trees are slightly blurred and its also like this in Clare Rae’s photo. This means that the photo was taken in an environment where the Dolmen is. This perfectly replicates Clare Rae’s environment. My favourite part of this photo is the hands in the air because it represents freedom.

These are a list of filters I used before I finally picked one that I like. I tried to pick the exact one that Clare Rae might have picked during her editing process. I think the filter that I picked is quite accurate. The filter is used was called BW01 which gave me the exact shade of the black and white filter.

These are the settings for the BW01 filter, this is how I’ve achieved this particular image.

My Experimentation Of This Particular Photo

To create the perfect final image I had to take the exact same photo 8 times to get an image I would like.

Image N04

This is the original image I took to try and replicate one of the images from ‘Never Standing On Two Feet’ collection. I like the how well the lens of my camera captured my subject, as its in the middle of the foreground so it will be proportional.

In this photo, there are trees in the background which means that the photo was taken in an environment where the Dolmen is. In the original photo Rae is balancing on shelves ,which means it in an indoor environment. I haven’t replicated this in my photos.

Above the type of filter I used is BW01, I chose this filter because its similar to what she uses in her photo.

This is an extended version of the settings for BW01 Filter, this is how I’ve achieved this particular image.

My Experimentation Of This Particular Photo

Although, I like these images they aren’t that similar to Clare Rae’s photo because the arms aren’t leaning on something so its quite different from the original Clare Rae photo.

Clare Rae Comparison

I think that this image is very similar to Clare Rae’s. it is similar due to the environment its taken in, because there are plants and trees in the background of both photos. Another similarity is that there are rock in the foreground, this means that there is some linking done back to the artist, so it will create a successful image.

Comparison 2

I think this image is slightly similar to care Rae’s due to being taken in the same environment it was taken in. Even though it was taken in the same environment I was taken in a completely different rock, this is why both images aren’t at the same angle.

My first contact sheet -for my first Photoshoot.

This is my Second Contact Sheet.

In total for this project I took 169 photos in total. This was across two photoshoots. These photos were in various different places such as A Dolmen , Noirmont Point and some taken at Anne Port Beach. I took 169 photos to experiment with the lighting in the outside environments and to also try different poses with the rocks and the landscapes. I tried to replicate the project ‘never standing on two feet’.

Ideas For Photos

A Mood Board For Inspiration

This is what I am going to achieve during the identity project. I’m inspired by Clare Rae.

Clare Rae is an artist from Melbourne, Australia who makes photographs and moving image works that examine representations of the female body via an exploration of the physical environment. Rae came to see Jersey as part of the Archaise international artist-in-residence programme in 2017. She was researching the Claude Cahun archive .Rae is very inspired by Cahun. She was shooting new photography and film in Jersey, as well as doing workshops. 

From her research she produced a new body of work, Entre Nous (between us);Claude Cahun and Clare Rae. That was exhibited at the Centre for Contemporary Photography, Melbourne Australia 22 March – 6 May 2018, and subsequently at CCA Galleries  in Jersey, UK, 7–28 September 2018.

This is from her series Standing On Her Own Two Feet.

In her series, Never standing on two feet, Rae considers Cahun’s commitment with the physical and cultural landscapes of Jersey, an aspect of her work that has received not a lot of analysis to date.  Rae writes:

Like Cahun’s, my photographs illustrate my body in relation to a place; in these instances sites of coastal geology and Jersey’s Neolithic ritual monuments. I will use a visual dialogue between the body and these environments, and will trial how their photographic histories impact upon contemporary engagements. Cahun used self-portraiture to overthrow the dominance of the male gaze in photographic representation of the female body in the landscape of Jersey .

My practice is invested in the feminist act of self-representation and I draw parallels between my performances of increasing vocabulary of gesture and Cahun’s overtly performative images of the body expressing a multiplicity of identity. In this series, I tease out the interpretations inherent in landscape photography. I will be using gestures and the performing body to contrast and unsettle traditional representations of the female figure in the landscape.

Image Analysis

Visual

In the image there is a large rock covering Rae’s face. I think these rocks are granites, gabbros and diorites, since Jersey is very famous for these rocks and they are the most common rocks as well. One leg is straight which is the left and the right leg is slightly bent to create this pose. In this angle it looks like a skirt is being worn from the waist down. In this image they are holding a rock which my show the connection to family.

Technical

This photo is a half body shot due to her face not being present. In this image there is little to no lighting due to the image being very black and white, so there is no colour present. In the background there is no focus which means the aperture is very large, with a large hole in the middle of the camera and a very shallow depth of field.

Contextual

Some types are connected to rocks and buildings which suggest attachment. I utilise gesture and the performing body to contrast and unsettle traditional representations of the female figure in the landscape. This may suggest rocks are too heavy for women. This was influenced by Claude Cahun.

Conceptual

Through my photographic performances I will research specific gestures and movements undertaken within public and private spaces, considering the impacts on the body by educational and institutional authority. This is linking to Morden day portraits.

Artist Number 2

Claude Cahun

Claude Cahun (born October 25, 1894, Nantes, France—died December 8, 1954, St. Helier, Jersey) was a  French writer ,photographer, surrealist and a performance artist. Who was largely written out of art history until the late 1980s, when her photographs were included in an exhibition of Surrealist photography in 1986.

In early-20th-century France, when society were normally considered women to be women and men to be men, Lucy Schwob decided she would rather be called Claude Cahun. It was her way of protesting gender and sexual norms.

One of the most interesting figures to emerge from the island’s artistic community is Claude Cahun, a ground-breaking artist whose work challenged traditional gender roles and explored themes of identity, resistance, and self-expression. Surrealism will aims to revolutionise human experience.

She used self-portraiture as a tool to deconstruct and explore various personas, often presenting herself in androgynous or fragmented forms. Through costumes, makeup, and props, Cahun blurred the lines between masculinity and femininity, demonstrating that identity is not fixed but rather fluid and performative. Her work aimed to provoke viewers to rethink conventional notions of gender and self-expression.

Cahun’s relationship with Jersey began extremely early, with childhood holidays spent in Jersey and Brittany. They were born Lucy Schwob in Nantes, France to a wealthy and well off Jewish family. In 1937, Cahun moved to Jersey with her partner, Marcel Moore. But in their late teens and early twenties Cahun had been looking for a new, gender-neutral name for a while.

A Mood-board of Cahun’s work

Image Analysis

Visual

In the image there may be a man or a woman due to Cahun becoming gender neutral later in life. . In this photograph, Cahun is posed facing to the camera, yet her gaze is directed downward, with her face isn’t obscured by any part of her body. This creates a sense of mystery and ambiguity, which makes the viewer’s ability quite hard to categorize her into a traditional gender role. The obscured face also speaks to Cahun’s exploration of the fluidity of identity, rejecting fixed, conventional representations.

The object Cahun holds in her hands is a dumbbell, was not something a female figure would usually have in the 1920s considering, it was made for men because they are classed as “strong”. A time when women were often portrayed as delicate and gentle. The dumbbell implies strength, power, and physicality, which is in contrast to the more elegant, ornamental role which was often assigned to women. The choice of this object reinforces Cahun’s rejection of gender norms and her embrace of physicality, autonomy, and control over her identity.

Technical

The photograph used artificial lighting, likely studio lighting, given the sharp contrast between light and shadow. The light contours Cahun’s face and hands , which means the viewers eye is getting immediate attention to where the face and hands are positioned.

The background is blurred which will give a shallow depth of field, which suggests that a wide aperture (low f-stop) was being used. This sharp focus on Cahun’s figure, contrasted with the soft and out-of-focus background, which will direct the viewer’s eyes on her and the symbolic elements she presents, such as the dumbbell and the sign.

The image is caught from a straight-on or slightly elevated angle. This neutral and original angle will emphasize the subject’s self rule and implies that Cahun is presenting herself on her own terms, without depending on traditional hierarchical positioning.

The image was taken at a three-quarter body shot, focusing on Cahun’s torso, waist and hands. This framing allows for a accurate examination of the subject and the symbolic elements that will make up the image ,while also depending on the performative nature of Cahun’s self-presentation. The three-quarter shot also will allow for a sense of confidence while keeping the viewer at a slight distance, which keeps the public a certain distance away so thy can’t interfere.

Contextual

She wears a loose, neutral outfit, steering away from the traditional feminine dress of the time. This ambiguity in dress further tests the social expectations of how women were expected to look like in the 1920s.

In the 1920s and 1930s, women had to follow a strict dress presentation. The 1920s, known as the “Roaring Twenties,” saw the rise of the “New Woman,” which were more self-reliant, more mobile in public spaces, and more vocal about particular rights. This period also was a victory of women’s suffrage in many Western countries. However, many social pressures still remained, especially as the Great Depression in the 1930s was a return of the more traditional, conservative gender roles. In this context, Cahun’s work responds to these shifting dynamics, particularly the tensions between newfound freedoms and the persistent constraints on women’s roles.

Conceptual

Cahun’s works on the challenges of the rigid roles that were imposed on women between the 1920s and 1930s, using her art to critique both gender expectations and the broader societal limitations placed on individuals. By adopting an different appearance and rejecting the traditional representations of femininity, Cahun declines the traditional gender expectations in the 1920s-1930s.

The sign on Cahun’s chest, “I am training – don’t kiss me,” serves as a direct acknowledgement of the independence and autonomy. It suggests that Cahun is focused on her personal growth, which suggests this ants really expected from women because it implies using dumbbells in the gym.—whether intellectual, artistic, or physical—and rejects the idea of being defined by romantic or sexual attraction. The phrase “don’t kiss me” further suggests a refusal of being known as an object and a desire to assert control over how others interact with her.

Artist Number 3

Gillian Wearing

Gillian Wearing is a CBE, Who is an English conceptual artist, one of the Young British Artists, and winner of the 1997 Turner Prize. In 2007 Wearing was elected as lifetime member of the Royal Academy of Arts in London (RAAL).She was Born :December 10,1963,which will make her 61yrs.

Wearing was part of a movement where conceptual as very popular. This type is of art is from the mid-1960s to the mid-1970s. Conceptual is where the ideas are more important than the actual image.

Wearing, was initially inspired by fly on the wall documentaries such as Michael Apted’s Up series, which is about lives of others and her own family history; she uses photography, video and a range of devices to reveal and include personal details. Wearing also uses documentaries in her work.

A Gallery of Her Work

These images are from her ‘Signs that Say What You Want Them To Say and Not Signs that Say What Someone Else Wants You To Say’.

Image Analysis

Visual

In this image there is a man holding up a piece of paper saying ‘I’m Desperate’. ‘I’m Desperate’ may imply he may be in danger due to the environment he’s in The environment looks a bit run down due to slight bits of rubbish in the background. The man is standing straight up and straight on which means the man is clearly seen. This man is wearing a suit which suggests he may be rich and wealthy, since suits were expensive back in the 1990s.By wearing a suit may imply a certain amount of power.

Technical

In this image the aperture is a low F-number due to the shallow depth of field and the background has also been blurred by the camera. This photo was taken was taken in all natural lighting because it outside and there no other light sources appearing on it. If you look closely on the photo there may of been a slightly high ISO in some parts of the image due to some visual noise appearing which will give the image a degrading quality. The visual noise slightly appears on the Blue, navy blazer. This is three quarter shot due to the legs not being shown. This image is zoomed in which means you can see the finer details. The three quarter body shot will  highlight the facial characteristics while still giving a close view of the body.

Contextual

Lad culture (also the new lad, laddism) was a media-driven, principally British and Irish subculture of the 1990s and the early 2000s and it was the main culture. The statement lad culture continues to be used today to refer to collective, boorish or misogynistic behaviour by young heterosexual men, particularly university students.

By the 1990s the notion of a crisis of masculinity in con temporary life had begun to make news headlines. Concerns were raised about “deadbeat dads” and the increase of the “angry white man” as a voter type.

As the 90s dawned things were looking up for women. Daughters of second-wave feminism came of age and chose new paths unavailable to their mothers: delaying marriage and children, pursuing higher education, joining the workforce, and were assuming independence and identities outside of the home.

Conceptual

It also wasn’t traditional for women to go through to higher education until the late 90s.

It was right for men to wear proper suits and have only men jobs. E.G Builders and many more. Signs that say what you want them to say and not Signs that say what someone else wants you to say. HELP, 1992-1993. Gillian Wearing’s candid videos and photographs reveal the disconnection between inner lives and public personas.