This book is a tough read. Although the ideas are intriguing:
'In Societies where modern conditions of production prevail, all life presents as an immense accumulation of spectacles. Everything that was directly lived has moved away into a representation.' Debord (2009).
In other words our society is over saturated with images churned out by the media; that we can no longer see ourselves, and mediate with each other through a set of image-based cliches and stereotypes.
The book reads as statement after statement without pause to clarify, reflect, or give examples. I think I got the gist of Debord's argument but another read through is required - if not multiple reads over time. I also looked online for further clarification. I came across a Guardian review that neatly clarified some of the books concepts and helped to cement the various ideas that are thrown up - putting them into a more simpler form than I could manage.
'All told, the book is full of sentences that describe something simple, but profound: the way that just about everything that we consume - and, if we're not careful, most of what we do - embodies a mixture of distraction and reinforcement that serves to reproduce the mode of society and economy that has taken the idea of the spectacle to an almost surreal extreme.' Harris (2012).
So, we're just a bunch of factory worker drones that produce and consume in equal measure. We are kept at peace by shiny things (celebrity culture, passive consumption of television) waved in our faces as a method of distraction so that we don't become too aware of our enslavement. I use the term 'factory worker drones' merely as a euphemism for everyone that has a salaried job and works within Capitalist commodity culture. Debord points out that we actively participate in the spectacle. Even our leisure time that has expanded greatly in the last century is focused into shopping, eating out, exercising, holidaying - all of these activities are designed to make us consume. The system reinforces itself.
I'm not even pretending to fully understand this book. I'm sure some of my points don't quite hit target with the book's core ideas. But I will give it another read soon - after I've had time to ponder and maybe do some more research.
References:
Debord, G. (2009) Society of the Spectacle. London, UK: Anthony Rowe, CPI Group
Harris, J. (2012) Guy Debord predicted our distracted society. The Guardian. Ed: 30th March 2012.
Wednesday, 10 September 2014
Wednesday, 3 September 2014
Assignment 1 - I make myself in your meme
My artistic practise involves looking at memory from my own past or doing research into cultural themes that I want to explore further. My photographic and creative output is then formed into narrative sequences, of found objects, places, people, that say something to me. I also incorporate constructed scenes or portraits that enhance the narrative in some way. Although the narrative is usually linear in format I've lately been trying to develop a more non-linear narrative style. This allows for a more conceptual outlook by de-centering the subject and making the viewer more able to follow different narrative pathways of their own. I do find this quite hard to do as storytelling feels quite natural to me. For this project I have used a dual narrative that links in some way. There are also a number of images that are more a conceptual comment on the narrative theme than part of the narrative themselves.
I am aware that I am pushing at the boundaries of what is essentially a documentary assignment with my work. But, the research that I've recently done into documentary photographers such as Richard Mosse, Broomberg and Chanarin, etc, means that I am more than comfortable with my interpretation of the documentary brief.
Some of my images are appropriated from the Internet and adapted or cropped to suit my purposes. So, unfortunately, because of copyright constraints, I am not able to publish the full sequence here.
Note: Since this initial posting the working title of 'Gay4pay pornstar boat-trip' has changed to 'I make myself in your meme'.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
By looking at the images here the viewer will be unaware of the dual narrative element to my sequence. It is just unfortunate that copyright restrictions stop me from posting all of the work. The essence of my project is to take a look at sexuality, and how difficult it can be for a non-heterosexual person to adjust to a society that is not only Patriarchal, but aligned to a Heterosexual Binary Gender Matrix. I've tried to make the work from both a narrative and conceptual viewpoint. Construction of identity features highly in the work and tries to show how all of us are subject to family, cultural, societal and political influences - all of that comes together and forms who we are and ultimately the masks, both public and private, that we wear.
The assignment is now posted to my tutor so I await my feedback.
Edit 7th October:
I've had my feedback for a while now and haven't got around to updating my blog. The feedback was good in general, stating that I was clear in my approach to research and conceptualisation of ideas. I backed up my ideas and explained what I wanted to achieve well. The academic side of my studies is on track basically, with a few tweaks needed to improve my analysis of my own work and more contextualisation in regard to other practitioners. I'm working on this and will make a conscious effort to cover these areas more in the future.
The not so good news was that my tutor found my assignment images to be somewhat confused. He felt that I had tried to cover too many topics and that I need to reign it in. There is a danger that the viewer would get lost in the work with no real sense of what I was trying to say. He advises that I re-look at the work with the intention of focusing more narrowly on fewer topics.
He does have a point. I'd been reading a lot of critical theory lately around representation of minorities and had expanded my initial thoughts to much wider concerns on how we are all affected by cultural representation in our society. I think I took on a bit more than I could deal with in an assignment that required only twelve images. I provided double that. I've had time to ponder all this and think I know how I want to amend the assignment. I am behind with my studies at present so need to move on with my coursework and assignment 2, so this one will be on the back burner for a while.
I also had some suggestions on photographers to look up that my tutor thinks will be of benefit. I will come back and post the links to my analysis here when it is written.
Edit 21st October:
This past weekend I attended the Brighton Biennial two day study visit. I found inspiration both in the work exhibited and in the review/crit session that was held for the students on the Sunday morning. I took along this piece of work in the hope that I would be able to make more sense of it and move it forward.
I made some notes and have outlined some of the thoughts that came out and my subsequent response to them:
I was inspired to use the Leporello book format when I saw a piece of work at Vantage Point by one of the exhibitors. I have all the details collected in various notes and postcards and will have to come back here to update this post.
Edit 22nd Oct:
Although this project should be on the back burner so that I can continue to push ahead with the next section of the coursework I couldn't help but want to have a stab at making a basic Leporello. I had some index cards that I sellotaped together and printed out some small versions of my assignment images. I played around with the positioning of the images for a while and printed out some larger ones too, so that there would be variety of size to create a more dynamic feel to the book.
I made what could only be considered a very rough first draft. There is so much more to think about. The sizing is not right of either the white Leporello card or the images themselves. Then there is still the issue of sequencing. I thought I had it more or less sorted but now the images are finally in book form I can see that there are problems to be resolved.
I also need to think about the issue of printing. How exactly do I get a Leporello printed? I want the finished version to look as professional as possible - not hand made. I have plenty of time yet to think about these issues but I must really place this work on hold now and just get on with my studies.
A VERY rough draft of 'fantasy gay4pay pornstar boat-trip'.
Edit 27th Oct:
I'm thinking about pairing selections of images on pages. They seem to work much better as a narrative when there is juxtaposition to reinforce the groupings. This will make the Leporello shorter too - no bad thing. The image sizes need adjusting in relation to each other though. They can't all be the same size. One image needs to be visually dominant with the others having a subordinate role.
Edit 28th Jan:
My tutor feedback for this assignment suggested I look at a number of sources. I will post a link here as and when I've completed a review of each one.
Alan Clarke - Elephant
Philip-Lorca diCorcia - Hustlers
Edit 9th Jan:
Wow, it has been almost a year since I last updated this assignment! I've been working towards the final output and even taken a one day course on bookbinding. I learnt how to make a Leporello (concertina book) and a couple of pamphlets with different types of binding. The course was most enjoyable and enlightening. I got to be hands on with bookbinding tools and glue and cover fabric and papers. Although fiddly (and neatness isn't my strong point) it wasn't too difficult to put a book together. I can thoroughly recommend the course to anyone that wants to learn the techniques for making handmade books.
London Centre for Book Arts
Edit 15th Jan:
So today I pulled some sheets of cartridge paper together and tried to work out what the dimensions of my Leporello were going to be. I thought that the height needed to be taller than the average greetings card as I didn't want the images inside to be too small. This is because I might lose detail with smaller images. I began with card that was 10 inches high. I made up three separate strips and taped them together to make a long strip.
I laid the strip out on the bed and then began placing my images to try and arrive at a sequence. The narrative already directs this to a certain extent but I do have too many images at the moment. After some time and a bit of shuffling I was able to drop the image count from 23 to 15. The sequence is much tighter now and anyway the final Leporello would have been too unwieldy to accommodate so many images.
Once I had the sequence more or less set I began to look at image sizing. I need to make the images smaller or larger depending on their juxtaposition to other images. They can't all be the same size as they will compete with one another. Each set of three needs to have a dominant image that dictates the intent of the narrative.
I began making changes to the image sizes and stuck them to the cartridge paper with tape. It was at this point that I realised that the 10 inches height parameter that I'd begun with made the book look too cumbersome. So I cut off a strip at the top to lose 2 inches. I'd already made folds to create concertina pages in the cartridge strip. With the shortened height the page widths now looked too wide so the width needs adjusting.
I've made a lot of progress today but I need a break. Tomorrow I will remake a new strip from cartridge paper with the new height and width in place. Then I will continue working on image sizing and placement.
Edit 25th:
I made up my new Leporello in the size and began making small adjustments to the sequencing and image size and placement on the page. Once I was happy I began translating the physical book to Adobe's inDesign application ready for digital upload to my online printer.
Edit 28th:
To accompany this book there will be an artist statement to contextualise the work around identity politics. But on reflection when perusing the actual book I wanted to add an element that humanises those concepts in some way. I've decided to add text to the work. I've spent some time thinking about this; working the flow of text and placement; swapped words around and writing them on my physical copy of the Leporello to see how they fit. I think I've arrived at text that I'm happy with and have even managed to take a line from one of the pages to make a new title for the work. The work is now called 'I make myself in your meme' and I'm very happy with my new title!
I just have the text placement to put into inDesign now and it will be ready for printing! The whole process has been quite difficult because I've had to plan the work on three sheets of A2 that, once printed, I will need to cut and fold into the form of my book. This means that it has been quite tricky to ensure that the images are placed correctly and once folded will not appear on the wrong page or even across folds!
Edit 4th Feb:
A very busy week with lots of progress made! I've received the A2 sheets back and I'm very happy with both the paper and print quality. A couple of prints are a little dark but it's all a learning curve. I've not used hand pressed fine art paper before. It also looks like my image and text placement is correct. I won't find out until I start cutting.
I started by cutting the three A2 sheets in half. This gave me six strips that would need to be glued together to make one long strip. So far so good!
The strips had a noticeable paper curl so they had to be pressed for 24 hours to get them as flat as possible before folding and gluing.
The folding required concentration and constant re-checking to ensure a seam wasn't folded the wrong way. Luckily I had the paper maquette to refer to as I went along. I was pleased to see that my measurements had worked successfully. My images and text were all in the correct places! The paper was quite difficult to handle and very easy to crease if handled clumsily.
On each of the strips I'd allowed for an extended edge so that they could be glued together. It is all the measuring at the planning stage that is so crucial to get right. It is no good spending £70 on expensive paper to realise the images are misaligned or there is not enough space for joining edges together.
The gluing was the most worrying part. So easy to get glue everywhere. A top tip I learned on the recent bookbinding workshop was to wear an apron! This isn't just to stay clean but very useful to quickly rub the glue from sticky fingers! Having a cloth lying around means that with all the other tools lying around it can easily come into contact with clean paper and cause marks. Lining up the glued edges to join the pieces was fraught with worry. So easy to make a mistake at this stage.
It's all coming together! Very pleased with the result! Only two small minor mistakes made that I'm sure can be rectified at the tidying up stage.
Once glued and folded and with loads of blotting and greaseproof sheets added for protection it was all back into the press (a pile of heavy books on a hard flat surface) for another 24 hours.
Edit 12th Feb:
My trip to the bookbinders was successful. I'd planned in advance the cover material I needed for both this book and for assignment 2 as well. Although it would have been easy to get carried away with fancy cloth and elaborately designed paper I need to remember that it is the work that has to be the primary concern. It mustn't be overshadowed by other design elements. So for assignment 1 I've chosen white bookcloth material. This is to match the white paper of the interior pages. Hopefully the images inside will then stand out.
Compared to making the book pages, the covers were easy. Well, they would have been a lot easier if I hadn't decided to print my titles using my crappy inkjet printer! My test piece using a scrap of coloured bookcloth went well. Printing my title using black ink on a white piece of bookcloth was a whole other matter! The curl in the material was a problem and I resorted to dry ironing it, which seemed to work. Although the small piece of fabric still kept touching the rollers, and collecting ink splodges. It took quite a few attempts to get it right. Once the printing was sorted it was a relief to start making the covers.
I used special board from the London Centre for the Book Arts for the stiff covers. I made sure there was enough space on my bookcloth to wrap around and then glued the cloth to the board. Once the covers were made they were pressed under weighted books and left to dry for 24 hours.
The finished covers were then glued to the interior concertina pages. This stage was also fraught with worry. It would have been so easy to get glue everywhere or make a mistake when attaching the pages to the covers and ruin the whole book. Thankfully it is now finished - with some minor errors. But it was a positive experience, and for a first attempt at making a handmade book, went well. I'm very pleased with the results.
I am aware that I am pushing at the boundaries of what is essentially a documentary assignment with my work. But, the research that I've recently done into documentary photographers such as Richard Mosse, Broomberg and Chanarin, etc, means that I am more than comfortable with my interpretation of the documentary brief.
Some of my images are appropriated from the Internet and adapted or cropped to suit my purposes. So, unfortunately, because of copyright constraints, I am not able to publish the full sequence here.
Note: Since this initial posting the working title of 'Gay4pay pornstar boat-trip' has changed to 'I make myself in your meme'.
1.
By looking at the images here the viewer will be unaware of the dual narrative element to my sequence. It is just unfortunate that copyright restrictions stop me from posting all of the work. The essence of my project is to take a look at sexuality, and how difficult it can be for a non-heterosexual person to adjust to a society that is not only Patriarchal, but aligned to a Heterosexual Binary Gender Matrix. I've tried to make the work from both a narrative and conceptual viewpoint. Construction of identity features highly in the work and tries to show how all of us are subject to family, cultural, societal and political influences - all of that comes together and forms who we are and ultimately the masks, both public and private, that we wear.
The assignment is now posted to my tutor so I await my feedback.
Edit 7th October:
I've had my feedback for a while now and haven't got around to updating my blog. The feedback was good in general, stating that I was clear in my approach to research and conceptualisation of ideas. I backed up my ideas and explained what I wanted to achieve well. The academic side of my studies is on track basically, with a few tweaks needed to improve my analysis of my own work and more contextualisation in regard to other practitioners. I'm working on this and will make a conscious effort to cover these areas more in the future.
The not so good news was that my tutor found my assignment images to be somewhat confused. He felt that I had tried to cover too many topics and that I need to reign it in. There is a danger that the viewer would get lost in the work with no real sense of what I was trying to say. He advises that I re-look at the work with the intention of focusing more narrowly on fewer topics.
He does have a point. I'd been reading a lot of critical theory lately around representation of minorities and had expanded my initial thoughts to much wider concerns on how we are all affected by cultural representation in our society. I think I took on a bit more than I could deal with in an assignment that required only twelve images. I provided double that. I've had time to ponder all this and think I know how I want to amend the assignment. I am behind with my studies at present so need to move on with my coursework and assignment 2, so this one will be on the back burner for a while.
I also had some suggestions on photographers to look up that my tutor thinks will be of benefit. I will come back and post the links to my analysis here when it is written.
Edit 21st October:
This past weekend I attended the Brighton Biennial two day study visit. I found inspiration both in the work exhibited and in the review/crit session that was held for the students on the Sunday morning. I took along this piece of work in the hope that I would be able to make more sense of it and move it forward.
I made some notes and have outlined some of the thoughts that came out and my subsequent response to them:
- move image 12 (production assistant) to end of sequence to complete ending.
- will image 12 at end of sequence lessen impact of final porn image?
- this work needs to be a photo book
- work needs commonality of experience
- remove jarring key lines from images
- edit images - remove image 6 (tear sheet image)
- think about final format - print work as a Leporello - this will enable dual narrative to flow and cross over
- think about non standard aspect ratios of porn images - Leporello format will counter this issue
- re-investigate dots - look at recent work of Bloomberg and Chanarin
I was inspired to use the Leporello book format when I saw a piece of work at Vantage Point by one of the exhibitors. I have all the details collected in various notes and postcards and will have to come back here to update this post.
Edit 22nd Oct:
Although this project should be on the back burner so that I can continue to push ahead with the next section of the coursework I couldn't help but want to have a stab at making a basic Leporello. I had some index cards that I sellotaped together and printed out some small versions of my assignment images. I played around with the positioning of the images for a while and printed out some larger ones too, so that there would be variety of size to create a more dynamic feel to the book.
I made what could only be considered a very rough first draft. There is so much more to think about. The sizing is not right of either the white Leporello card or the images themselves. Then there is still the issue of sequencing. I thought I had it more or less sorted but now the images are finally in book form I can see that there are problems to be resolved.
I also need to think about the issue of printing. How exactly do I get a Leporello printed? I want the finished version to look as professional as possible - not hand made. I have plenty of time yet to think about these issues but I must really place this work on hold now and just get on with my studies.
A VERY rough draft of 'fantasy gay4pay pornstar boat-trip'.
Edit 27th Oct:
I'm thinking about pairing selections of images on pages. They seem to work much better as a narrative when there is juxtaposition to reinforce the groupings. This will make the Leporello shorter too - no bad thing. The image sizes need adjusting in relation to each other though. They can't all be the same size. One image needs to be visually dominant with the others having a subordinate role.
Edit 28th Jan:
My tutor feedback for this assignment suggested I look at a number of sources. I will post a link here as and when I've completed a review of each one.
Alan Clarke - Elephant
Philip-Lorca diCorcia - Hustlers
Edit 9th Jan:
Wow, it has been almost a year since I last updated this assignment! I've been working towards the final output and even taken a one day course on bookbinding. I learnt how to make a Leporello (concertina book) and a couple of pamphlets with different types of binding. The course was most enjoyable and enlightening. I got to be hands on with bookbinding tools and glue and cover fabric and papers. Although fiddly (and neatness isn't my strong point) it wasn't too difficult to put a book together. I can thoroughly recommend the course to anyone that wants to learn the techniques for making handmade books.
London Centre for Book Arts
Edit 15th Jan:
So today I pulled some sheets of cartridge paper together and tried to work out what the dimensions of my Leporello were going to be. I thought that the height needed to be taller than the average greetings card as I didn't want the images inside to be too small. This is because I might lose detail with smaller images. I began with card that was 10 inches high. I made up three separate strips and taped them together to make a long strip.
I laid the strip out on the bed and then began placing my images to try and arrive at a sequence. The narrative already directs this to a certain extent but I do have too many images at the moment. After some time and a bit of shuffling I was able to drop the image count from 23 to 15. The sequence is much tighter now and anyway the final Leporello would have been too unwieldy to accommodate so many images.
Once I had the sequence more or less set I began to look at image sizing. I need to make the images smaller or larger depending on their juxtaposition to other images. They can't all be the same size as they will compete with one another. Each set of three needs to have a dominant image that dictates the intent of the narrative.
I began making changes to the image sizes and stuck them to the cartridge paper with tape. It was at this point that I realised that the 10 inches height parameter that I'd begun with made the book look too cumbersome. So I cut off a strip at the top to lose 2 inches. I'd already made folds to create concertina pages in the cartridge strip. With the shortened height the page widths now looked too wide so the width needs adjusting.
I've made a lot of progress today but I need a break. Tomorrow I will remake a new strip from cartridge paper with the new height and width in place. Then I will continue working on image sizing and placement.
Edit 25th:
I made up my new Leporello in the size and began making small adjustments to the sequencing and image size and placement on the page. Once I was happy I began translating the physical book to Adobe's inDesign application ready for digital upload to my online printer.
Edit 28th:
To accompany this book there will be an artist statement to contextualise the work around identity politics. But on reflection when perusing the actual book I wanted to add an element that humanises those concepts in some way. I've decided to add text to the work. I've spent some time thinking about this; working the flow of text and placement; swapped words around and writing them on my physical copy of the Leporello to see how they fit. I think I've arrived at text that I'm happy with and have even managed to take a line from one of the pages to make a new title for the work. The work is now called 'I make myself in your meme' and I'm very happy with my new title!
I just have the text placement to put into inDesign now and it will be ready for printing! The whole process has been quite difficult because I've had to plan the work on three sheets of A2 that, once printed, I will need to cut and fold into the form of my book. This means that it has been quite tricky to ensure that the images are placed correctly and once folded will not appear on the wrong page or even across folds!
Edit 4th Feb:
A very busy week with lots of progress made! I've received the A2 sheets back and I'm very happy with both the paper and print quality. A couple of prints are a little dark but it's all a learning curve. I've not used hand pressed fine art paper before. It also looks like my image and text placement is correct. I won't find out until I start cutting.
I started by cutting the three A2 sheets in half. This gave me six strips that would need to be glued together to make one long strip. So far so good!
The strips had a noticeable paper curl so they had to be pressed for 24 hours to get them as flat as possible before folding and gluing.
The folding required concentration and constant re-checking to ensure a seam wasn't folded the wrong way. Luckily I had the paper maquette to refer to as I went along. I was pleased to see that my measurements had worked successfully. My images and text were all in the correct places! The paper was quite difficult to handle and very easy to crease if handled clumsily.
On each of the strips I'd allowed for an extended edge so that they could be glued together. It is all the measuring at the planning stage that is so crucial to get right. It is no good spending £70 on expensive paper to realise the images are misaligned or there is not enough space for joining edges together.
The gluing was the most worrying part. So easy to get glue everywhere. A top tip I learned on the recent bookbinding workshop was to wear an apron! This isn't just to stay clean but very useful to quickly rub the glue from sticky fingers! Having a cloth lying around means that with all the other tools lying around it can easily come into contact with clean paper and cause marks. Lining up the glued edges to join the pieces was fraught with worry. So easy to make a mistake at this stage.
It's all coming together! Very pleased with the result! Only two small minor mistakes made that I'm sure can be rectified at the tidying up stage.
Once glued and folded and with loads of blotting and greaseproof sheets added for protection it was all back into the press (a pile of heavy books on a hard flat surface) for another 24 hours.
Only the covers to make now! I've decided to use white buckram, as close to the paper colour as possible. This is so that the book's content will be the main focus. With my book drying my thoughts turned to how to put a title on the material cover. I'm visiting Shepherd's the bookbinding store in London for the materials. I checked on their website and was pleased to see that the buckram is suitable for inkjet printing. I did a test print on a small piece of buckram that I had handy and the results are good. Can't wait to visit their store on Monday. It is supposed to be an amazing place stocked with goodies!
My trip to the bookbinders was successful. I'd planned in advance the cover material I needed for both this book and for assignment 2 as well. Although it would have been easy to get carried away with fancy cloth and elaborately designed paper I need to remember that it is the work that has to be the primary concern. It mustn't be overshadowed by other design elements. So for assignment 1 I've chosen white bookcloth material. This is to match the white paper of the interior pages. Hopefully the images inside will then stand out.
Compared to making the book pages, the covers were easy. Well, they would have been a lot easier if I hadn't decided to print my titles using my crappy inkjet printer! My test piece using a scrap of coloured bookcloth went well. Printing my title using black ink on a white piece of bookcloth was a whole other matter! The curl in the material was a problem and I resorted to dry ironing it, which seemed to work. Although the small piece of fabric still kept touching the rollers, and collecting ink splodges. It took quite a few attempts to get it right. Once the printing was sorted it was a relief to start making the covers.
I used special board from the London Centre for the Book Arts for the stiff covers. I made sure there was enough space on my bookcloth to wrap around and then glued the cloth to the board. Once the covers were made they were pressed under weighted books and left to dry for 24 hours.
The finished covers were then glued to the interior concertina pages. This stage was also fraught with worry. It would have been so easy to get glue everywhere or make a mistake when attaching the pages to the covers and ruin the whole book. Thankfully it is now finished - with some minor errors. But it was a positive experience, and for a first attempt at making a handmade book, went well. I'm very pleased with the results.
Friday, 29 August 2014
Research Point - Diane Arbus
'A lot of nonsense is talked about Arbus's empathy with her subjects; what is mirrored on most of those faces is faint bewilderment and timid resentment. The subjects have no names because Arbus neither knew nor cared who they were.' Greer (2005).
Germaine Greer posed for Arbus in a hotel room in 1971. Arbus kneeled astride her, pinning Greer to the bed. With her lens just inches from Greer's face, Arbus waited for her moment.
'I understood that as soon as I exhibited any signs of distress, she would have her picture. Immobilised between her knees I denied her, for hour after hour. Arbus waited me out. Nothing would happen for minutes on end, until I sighed, or frowned, and then the flash would pop. Greer (2005).
The above snippets are from a Guardian article that Germaine Greer wrote in 2005, shortly after an Arbus retrospective in London. The piece gives an interesting insight into the methods Arbus used. I've read elsewhere that once she had permission to make a portrait she would follow her subject about for days - back and forth from their home to work until she had what she wanted.
From what I've read about Arbus she was a troubled person. She knew she had flaws and was able to easily detect them in others. Arbus manner was apparently quiet and non-confrontational. She would ingratiate herself with her subjects, use flattery and niceness, to disguise a ruthless streak. Arbus was always open to that moment when a person would briefly drop their public mask - and Arbus was ready with her camera.
From a moral standpoint I don't think Arbus really considered her subjects. Most of her images are captioned in a way that people are types rather than individuals. In my view she was making a kind of typology of the masks that people wore. This is why Arbus was so interested in 'freaks.' Being on the margins of society and cast as 'Others' their masks were easily discernible (and often worn with pride) and therefore of much value to her. I think in Arbus's view the gap between normalcy and 'freakdom' is not so great. She saw that in herself and looked for it in others.
Arbus also emphasised the oddness in people. We all know that the photographer can choose to flatter or insult their subject. One only has to take a look at the contact sheet for 'Child with Toy Hand Grenade in Central Park, New York City' Arbus (1962). The contact sheet shows a normal looking boy posing for the camera. Arbus specifically chooses one frame, the most oddball shot, because it fitted her intent - to find the oddness in everyone.
'The camera has the power to catch so called normal people in such a way as to make them look abnormal. The photographer chooses oddity, chases it, frames it, develops it, titles it.' Sontag (1977).
I think, like most of photography, it come down to intent. What was Arbus looking for when she took those photographs? Was she looking for the oddness in everyone - our flaws and insecurities in a damaged world of our own making? And If so, did she have the right to project her personal and creative view onto her subjects?
I agree that we all wear masks, both public and private. I think about this a lot with my own photography. I like to make work that highlights this in some way. But I don't think I could ever prowl around a subject, trying to get them to react or pose in a way that exposes them as Arbus work seems to do. The Greer article continued with her thoughts on her experience with Arbus in that hotel room in 1971.
"She may have thought she was getting the mask off, but what she was photographing was actually the clumsy ill-drawn mask itself." Greer (2005).
That's a view I find quite intruiging.
References:
Arbus, D. (1962) Child with Toy Hand Grenade in Central Park, New York City 1962.
Greer J. (2005) Wrestling With Diane Arbus. The Guardian. Ed: 8th October 2005.
Sontag, S. (1977) On Photography: America, Seen Through Photographs, Darkly. London, UK: Penguin Books Ltd.
Washington Post. (2005) [online] Available from: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/05/11/AR2005051102052.html [Accessed 29th August 2014]
Germaine Greer posed for Arbus in a hotel room in 1971. Arbus kneeled astride her, pinning Greer to the bed. With her lens just inches from Greer's face, Arbus waited for her moment.
'I understood that as soon as I exhibited any signs of distress, she would have her picture. Immobilised between her knees I denied her, for hour after hour. Arbus waited me out. Nothing would happen for minutes on end, until I sighed, or frowned, and then the flash would pop. Greer (2005).
The above snippets are from a Guardian article that Germaine Greer wrote in 2005, shortly after an Arbus retrospective in London. The piece gives an interesting insight into the methods Arbus used. I've read elsewhere that once she had permission to make a portrait she would follow her subject about for days - back and forth from their home to work until she had what she wanted.
From what I've read about Arbus she was a troubled person. She knew she had flaws and was able to easily detect them in others. Arbus manner was apparently quiet and non-confrontational. She would ingratiate herself with her subjects, use flattery and niceness, to disguise a ruthless streak. Arbus was always open to that moment when a person would briefly drop their public mask - and Arbus was ready with her camera.
From a moral standpoint I don't think Arbus really considered her subjects. Most of her images are captioned in a way that people are types rather than individuals. In my view she was making a kind of typology of the masks that people wore. This is why Arbus was so interested in 'freaks.' Being on the margins of society and cast as 'Others' their masks were easily discernible (and often worn with pride) and therefore of much value to her. I think in Arbus's view the gap between normalcy and 'freakdom' is not so great. She saw that in herself and looked for it in others.
Arbus also emphasised the oddness in people. We all know that the photographer can choose to flatter or insult their subject. One only has to take a look at the contact sheet for 'Child with Toy Hand Grenade in Central Park, New York City' Arbus (1962). The contact sheet shows a normal looking boy posing for the camera. Arbus specifically chooses one frame, the most oddball shot, because it fitted her intent - to find the oddness in everyone.
'The camera has the power to catch so called normal people in such a way as to make them look abnormal. The photographer chooses oddity, chases it, frames it, develops it, titles it.' Sontag (1977).
I think, like most of photography, it come down to intent. What was Arbus looking for when she took those photographs? Was she looking for the oddness in everyone - our flaws and insecurities in a damaged world of our own making? And If so, did she have the right to project her personal and creative view onto her subjects?
I agree that we all wear masks, both public and private. I think about this a lot with my own photography. I like to make work that highlights this in some way. But I don't think I could ever prowl around a subject, trying to get them to react or pose in a way that exposes them as Arbus work seems to do. The Greer article continued with her thoughts on her experience with Arbus in that hotel room in 1971.
"She may have thought she was getting the mask off, but what she was photographing was actually the clumsy ill-drawn mask itself." Greer (2005).
That's a view I find quite intruiging.
References:
Arbus, D. (1962) Child with Toy Hand Grenade in Central Park, New York City 1962.
Greer J. (2005) Wrestling With Diane Arbus. The Guardian. Ed: 8th October 2005.
Sontag, S. (1977) On Photography: America, Seen Through Photographs, Darkly. London, UK: Penguin Books Ltd.
Washington Post. (2005) [online] Available from: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/05/11/AR2005051102052.html [Accessed 29th August 2014]
Monday, 25 August 2014
Exercise - shooting from the hip
I chose Leysdown, a seaside town in Kent, that seems to attract a large number of Londoners for my shooting from the hip exercise. I'm not quite sure what the attraction is for so many Londoners to this place but it is very popular and compared to some south coast towns it is bustling with people and energy. I looked at the course notes for this exercise and followed some of the advice in the web links - mainly to take care and not appear too obvious. I wasn't going to be putting my camera in anybody's faces like Martin Parr or Gary Winogrand.
One useful tip was to put my camera on a strap and use the interval timer to take surreptitious photos. That was definitely more me. I set the camera to quiet mode too which stopped the tell-tale focus beep from going off. As it happens the biggest problem was hearing the shutter going off on the crowded town streets. I could turn and point the camera, strung sideways across my body, to point at interesting people or situations but I had no idea if the shutter was due to fire in the 40 second intervals selected. I overcame this by taking out my phone and using its stopwatch feature. Every 40 seconds or so I prepared to compose a picture and that helped a lot.
This exercise is quite hard to do. The images are all slanted so the camera needs adjusting for the next time I try this exercise. I don't mind that too much but for every image it can get a bit monotonous. I've found that street photography isn't really my thing anymore. I feel I've moved on from it. I did enjoy the exercise but I wasn't entirely comfortable photographing people without their knowledge to be honest. There are certain shots that I've left out because of this. A shot of a bare chested, overweight man with his dog, springs to mind.
I think the images are fairly honest. I have gone for an edit that shows colour and pattern by focusing on the slightly gaudy seaside surroundings. I can see that using this technique on multiple trips to the same location could be quite rewarding in terms of achieving a coherent photo-set for a project. It feels a bit like 'fishing' though? Going back again and again to capture compositions to fit a sequence is not something that particularly interests me. That is probably why I have moved more towards constructed imagery in my own work.
One useful tip was to put my camera on a strap and use the interval timer to take surreptitious photos. That was definitely more me. I set the camera to quiet mode too which stopped the tell-tale focus beep from going off. As it happens the biggest problem was hearing the shutter going off on the crowded town streets. I could turn and point the camera, strung sideways across my body, to point at interesting people or situations but I had no idea if the shutter was due to fire in the 40 second intervals selected. I overcame this by taking out my phone and using its stopwatch feature. Every 40 seconds or so I prepared to compose a picture and that helped a lot.
This exercise is quite hard to do. The images are all slanted so the camera needs adjusting for the next time I try this exercise. I don't mind that too much but for every image it can get a bit monotonous. I've found that street photography isn't really my thing anymore. I feel I've moved on from it. I did enjoy the exercise but I wasn't entirely comfortable photographing people without their knowledge to be honest. There are certain shots that I've left out because of this. A shot of a bare chested, overweight man with his dog, springs to mind.
I think the images are fairly honest. I have gone for an edit that shows colour and pattern by focusing on the slightly gaudy seaside surroundings. I can see that using this technique on multiple trips to the same location could be quite rewarding in terms of achieving a coherent photo-set for a project. It feels a bit like 'fishing' though? Going back again and again to capture compositions to fit a sequence is not something that particularly interests me. That is probably why I have moved more towards constructed imagery in my own work.
Thursday, 14 August 2014
The 'truth' of a photograph
I watched the above video of photographer, Gary Winogrand, as he shared his thoughts on the truth of street photography. I made some notes of his points below:
- Photographing something changes it.
- There is not a photograph in the world that has any narrative ability - any of them.
- Photographs are mute. They cannot tell you what is happening. They do not tell stories. They tell you what something looks like to a camera.
- The minute you relate this thing [an image] to what was photographed, it's a lie.
I do wonder about his point that photographs do not have a narrative ability. I am curious about what Winogrand would make of conceptual photography. In this genre images are often specifically made to convey a narrative message. I'm thinking here of photographers like Jeff Wall.
I think that because Winogrand is specifically speaking about street photography he is conflating narrative with truth. In his view the actual narrative events taking place in reality can be misrepresented by an image - a slice of time that is frozen can easily be used to deceive. In that sense he is right. But I do not think it is true that all photographs (I'm thinking of constructed images here) are without narrative ability.
Although it is also true that the reader of an image will add much more in a narrative sense to an image than may be there in truth or reality. The viewer can add many levels of denotation or even connotation and take the reading in a completely different or oppositional direction. In this respect Winogrand is right.
'All images are mute. They tell you what something looks like to a camera.'
It is only through reading the Semiotic signs and symbols correctly, based on mutual cultural assumptions, that an image creator can hope to convey an intended message.
Tuesday, 12 August 2014
Exercise: The Journey
'Go on a journey. This needn't be a long journey but make it a journey you haven't done before.'
This is my second attempt at this exercise. The first one to a local beauty spot was a bit of a failure in terms of a photo essay. I liked the images. I just couldn't find a narrative in them and they were all a bit too similar. Knowing when to put aside work is a valuable skill that I've acquired in the last module. It's all about confidence really, and having the strength to move on - even if a lot of work and emotional energy has been invested.
With my second attempt I decided to use Hastings as a location. I've been to the seafront here before and I wanted to see if I could look at the place with fresh eyes - find vistas and elements that were new to me. Hasting's seafront was easily a good choice to go on a journey. The British seaside is awash with sights and sounds to inspire a photographer - bright colours, crazy people behaving out of character etc. Once I had the images processed I analysed what I had and began to detect certain key elements to form a structure to my photo essay. I'd photographed a number of signs and symbols, most of them made out of brightly coloured plastic, such as the ice cream cone pictured below. In my sequencing I paired these up with other more explanatory images using long shots of the pier or landscape type images of the sea and beach. I've also included brightly coloured municipal flower beds and other detail shots that I found interesting.
I find that pairing them up with one another on a spread is a complex matter. There are a lot of elements in the design process that need to be taken into account. To keep it simple I decided to use a plain layout with centred images that match in either colour, style, or content. So, I looked at the sequence below and attempted to make matches using my planned strategy. The chosen sequence has a certain Martin Parr feel about it - although I have opted more for a 'sense of place' as denoted by the objects and street architecture than by the people themselves.
My discards from the contact sheet are below. I printed all my first selections out and cut them up to arrange on a table. I've probably mentioned this before but I find that the best way to sequence images is to physically move them around, sorting and re-sorting. I just cannot do this in the same way on a computer screen. Patterns and links between images are much more easily spotted when laid out like this.
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As you can see I photographed the area with a number of different concepts in mind. The easiest one to spot is the images of shop fronts. I was thinking about highlighting some of the quirky and more traditional business premises. Similarly I took a number of shots of the fire damaged pier and the construction work being undertaken. These were weeded out of my first selection and the remainder on subsequent revisions.
Monday, 4 August 2014
Spectacles and Illusions - Anandi Ramamurthy
I read this chapter of the course reader 'Photography - a critical Introduction' edited by Liz Wells, and found it to be very informative with regards to how advertising photography operates in a modern day capitalist society. The chapter begins by introducing Guy Debord, a Situationist, who has written on the nature of working class society in the industrialised world and how it has become passive and depoliticised. The means by which this has happened is, Debord states, by an ever encroaching society of spectacles in the mass media that holds our attention away from more extreme political acts or injustices. We become absorbed into this world into a state of false consciousness, thinking that we have choices and freedoms in a democratic society, but ultimately, we are slaves to a capitalist commodity culture. One that wants us to constantly consume products to make profit for corporations. Advertising photography plays a very large role in this practice.
Advertising photography is described in detail, breaking down its function and process. The history of photography and its popular appeal and how that has been subsumed into a means to make a profit in commodity culture is touched upon. By glamorising products using photography and advertising they have become fetishised and imbued with false meanings.
Semiotics is discussed and how signs and symbols play a part in the way that advertising images are encoded and decoded. It is possible for images to be interpreted in many different ways, because of cultural and other factors, and advertisers frequently use montage and text to try and lock down the meaning of their images.
Because advertising photography is used ultimately to sell products and make profit, by their nature they do not tend to challenge the status quo. This means that ideas in society that are dominant are perpetuated. This leads to the construction and reinforcing of stereotypes that has increased until they appear natural.
I have ordered the book 'Society of the Spectacle' by Guy Debord as it is referenced a lot during this chapter of the course reader. I imagine it is hard going but I think to try and understand some of the concepts of Marxist thinking about Capitalist society will prove very useful in my studies.
Advertising photography is described in detail, breaking down its function and process. The history of photography and its popular appeal and how that has been subsumed into a means to make a profit in commodity culture is touched upon. By glamorising products using photography and advertising they have become fetishised and imbued with false meanings.
Semiotics is discussed and how signs and symbols play a part in the way that advertising images are encoded and decoded. It is possible for images to be interpreted in many different ways, because of cultural and other factors, and advertisers frequently use montage and text to try and lock down the meaning of their images.
Because advertising photography is used ultimately to sell products and make profit, by their nature they do not tend to challenge the status quo. This means that ideas in society that are dominant are perpetuated. This leads to the construction and reinforcing of stereotypes that has increased until they appear natural.
I have ordered the book 'Society of the Spectacle' by Guy Debord as it is referenced a lot during this chapter of the course reader. I imagine it is hard going but I think to try and understand some of the concepts of Marxist thinking about Capitalist society will prove very useful in my studies.
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