EXAM: FILM DRAFT

This is a first draft for the beginning of my final piece. For this sequence I used the same shots and looped them repeatedly. I also increased the speed adding to the cut up effect, as well as this I also played around with the effects on iMovie, making the shot look a lot more sinister and it almost makes the shot look completely new. 

I am pleased with how its starting to turn out and I think with the addition of sound it will start to come together. 

ANALYSIS: SOPHIE CALLE

Sophie Calle is a French writer, photographer, conceptual artist and installation artist. Calle's work is distinguished by its use of irrational sets of constraints and it also evokes the French literary movement of the 60's known as Oulipo. Calle's work often depicts human vulnerability and explores identity and intimacy. She is most famously recognised by her 'detective-like' ability to peruse strangers and take a look in on their private life. Her photography work usually includes small panels of text written by Calle herself. Calle also imposes elements of her own life onto public places creating a personal narrative where she is both the character and narrator. Her pieces include serious investigations as well as natural curiosity. 

The piece I've chosen to analyse is 'The Hotel, Room 47' which is part of Calle's Hotel series. Calle was offered a temporary job as a chambermaid in Venice. She created a piece of work of who she imagined the hotel guests to be, based on their personal belongings. 
The whole piece is made up of a two part frame. The first frame consists of a colour photograph of a expertly craved wooden bed, covered in brown satin sheets. Below the photograph are three columns of text, which are diary entries describing Calle's findings in the room. In the frame below it is is a grid made up on nine black and white images showing the things Called listed in her text. "On Monday, February 16, 1981, I was hired as a temporary chambermaid for three weeks in a Venetian hotel. I was assigned twelve bedrooms on the fourth floor. In the course of my cleaning duties, I examined the personal belongings of the hotel guests and observed through details lives which remained unknown to me."
I really liked this series by Calle. It's very intrusive and very personal as she is essentially invading these people's rooms and documenting their personal belongings. Although she does have authority to be there,it's not as if she is an ordinary maid who simply does her job absent-mindedly and leaves not thinking twice about who occupies these rooms. However Calle took the time to examine these people's belongings, their environment and tried to come up with some form of idea as to who these people where and what they did.
I find the concept so simple, yet it reveals so much. The absent occupants who are described in Room 47 are a family of four, two and parents and their two children as is shown by their four pairs of slippers. From their passports, she discovered that the parents were a married couple from Geneva and she copied out four postcards one of them has written. The words on one of the postcard suggested that perhaps there were problems within the family. It's amazing how much she managed to find out about this family by simply rummaging through their belongings and not once having to speak to a member of the family. 
Calle's descriptions of the rooms and their contents are a combination of factual documentation and her own personal response to the people whose lives she peeked. Each of the texts begins with the artist's first entry into the room and a note on which bed/beds have been slept in along with a description of the nightwear the guests left. A list of objects usually followed. Calle had no shame in reading diaries, letters, postcards and notes written or kept by the room's occupiers, looking into wardrobes and drawers. She sprayed herself with their perfume, used their makeup, ate food left behind and she even salvaged a pair of women's shoes left in a bin. Outside these rooms she listened at behind the doors, recording the guests conversations or any other sounds she may overhear and even glanced into the room when the floor-waiter would open the door in an attempt to cash a glimpse of the unknown guests.
Calle is unashamedly voyeuristic with her approach to some of her photographs and this is what I really enjoy about her photography. She gets so involved with her photographs they become very personal and I find these photographs to have the biggest impact.

ANALYSIS: EDWARD BURTYNSKY

Edward Burtynsky is a Canadian photographer and is most formally known for his large format photograph of industrial landscapes. 

Burtynsky's work depict how nature has been transformed through industry. He gives a contemporary view of the 'great ages of man' from stone,to minerals oil transpiration, mine and things of that nature. To make these ideas known to the audience Burtynsky states that "I search for subjects that are rich in detail and scale yet open in their meaning. Recycling yards, mine tailings, quarries and refineries are all places that are outside of our normal experience, yet we partake of their output on a daily basis."

One of the many photographs which stood out to me in Burtynsky's 'Oil' series was this photograph titled 'Breezewood' taken in 
Pennsylvania, USA. I was instantly drawn to this photograph as it was sort of the 'odd one out' amongst the other photographs in the series. The others were very industrial, consisting of mainly of colours such as browns,greens,greys and blues. However this was the most colourful with all its contrasting colours.
At first I could not actually believe that the photograph was real because of the mass amount of gas stations, shops and restaurants all crammed together along this one road. This photograph single-handedly shows how much we have evolved from having one little corner shop which sold everything from, your daily butter and bread to socks. Now we have massive franchises and everything is very fast paced. I feel very overwhelmed by on looking at this image, there is so much choice and variety that we tend to get in over our heads and this photograph demonstrates that perfectly.
The whole series 'Oil' is about one of man's most significant invention, the car. Burtynsky states, "The auto-mobile is the main basis for our modern industrial world, giving us a certain freedom and changing our world dramatically. The automobile was made possible because of the invention of the internal combustion engine and its utilization of both oil and gasoline. The raw material and the refining process contained both the idea and an interesting visual component for me." 
These are very clear ideas which are found in his work. The photograph depicts around 5 gas stations all within seconds of driving distance between them. 
What I get from this series is that as humans once we find something that essentially works or does really well we tend to over do things. We create replicates of these things in mass amounts (which in this case is the excessive amounts of gas stations) because we are either fear of them running out or there not being enough. There's a great sense of repetition in Burtynsky's work and I think that is one of the main themes across his whole body of work.
I found Burtynsky's work very interesting, and is a different and refreshing outlook on our world as it is today. His work give a real sense of perspective and quantity and they contain some sense of pattern throughout. What draws my attention the most about his work is the scale, this a quite large photographs ranging from 18 X 22 inches to 60 X 80 inches,allowing the viewer to see every small detail and I think this allows you to put yourself into the actual photograph and experience it for yourself.

ANALYSIS: JOHN STEZAKER

John Stezaker is a British conceptual artist. In the early 70's  Stezaker was among the first of many British conceptual artists to rebel against what was then the predominance of Pop art. Stezaker's work is very surreal in tone and is most often created using collage and the juxtaposition of pre-existing photographs such as postcards, film stills and other forms of photographs. Using these, Stezaker creates collages to give old photographs a whole new meaning. By inverting, adjusting, slicing and compositing different images together to create new unique pieces. 

The photograph I chose to analyse is named 'Bridge' and is part of Stezaker's Masks series. Stezaker’s famous Mask series fuses the profiles of glamorous sitters with caves, hamlets, or waterfalls, making for images of 'eerie beauty.'

Whilst looking at Stezaker's work, my most preferred pieces where the ones which created metaphors, due to the composition of the collage. This is why I chose 'Bridge'. 

The photograph seems to depict the relationship between the child and the man, whom I assume to be the boy's father; as the boy seems to be demonstrating something and he attentively watches. I instantly make the assumption that the boy and the man are related due to their positioning- the boy sitting on the bed whilst the father sits on a stool, their proximity towards one another, as they are quite close and also because they seem to be in the little boys room; due to the leaf printed matters on the bed and also perhaps the fact that the room contains small chairs. Stezaker's placement of the bridge just reinforces this assumption.

I think that Stezaker's choice of using this particular bridge image for this specific photograph work really well, and the images play off each other. The photograph is very appealing and it's colours very vibrant but I think there is a much deeper meaning behind the choice of this photograph.

 The end of the bridge which points to the father is a little more complex in structure, maybe more for safety reasons rather than aesthetic ones. However I think it could also be a reflection of the father's or just fathers in general, as they are very complex creatures and have possibly had to endure a lot and therefore have built more of a foundation. in turn, the bridge going in the sons direction is a lot simpler, as he has yet to face these hardships as he is only a child. He does not yet have any responsibilities and therefore does not need this extra support. 

The photograph could also represent a shared memory between father and son, a holiday perhaps. They seem to be from quite wealthy family as both a dressed very formally and appear to live in a nice home. A bond between a father and his son is something quite strong and usually starts from an early age. The bond one would have with their father would be completely different to the one had with a mother. And I feel the photograph touches on that subject of bonding and appreciating time together. 

I also thought the choice of using a bridge to represent the relationship between father and son is very unexpected. As bridges tend to remind us of horrific accidents, countless hours stuck in traffic, but Stezaker took this pretty mundane concept and turned it into something completely different. 

The two images work really well with each other as if they were some form of a lost piece from a puzzle. The contrast between the black and white image and the coloured photograph which adds a pop of colour really helps to make the piece stand out as a whole.

When I first explored his work I thought he simply placed one image on top of the other and was done. However upon looking at the photographs more closely I found that was not the case at all. I enjoy the way in which he represents his point of view, and the way in which he has chosen to combine old, perhaps even forgotten images with different aspects of nature, or architecture. Though at first glance it seems like they are just two separate images, you come to realise that the images fit together perfectly. 

PERSONAL STUDY: EVALUATION

The personal project was the final coursework project we were going to get, therefore it was expected to be our best project in both concept and technical ability.

The brief asked us to ‘submit supporting studies, a linked personal study of 1000-3000 words and practical outcomes from personal starting points. The outcomes were to be ‘sophisticated’ and ‘mature’ whilst also showcasing technical abilities.

Since this was a ‘self-devised’ brief it meant that you would write it yourself giving an areas of focus that you would personally like to develop after thorough research.

For my outcome I produced a series of three photographs I took myself with my chosen pathway of ‘documentary’ and done embroidery work onto them.  For my photographs I used my previous learnt technique of dodging and burning and I also used some skills I learned whilst doing textiles and applied those to my embroidery work.

To help me come with this idea, I first looked at how I could turn a pretty simple photograph and make it into a piece of art. I looked at drawing and writing on top of the photographs and found various different artists that took this approach. I then decided that I still wanted to enhance my photographs in some way, and then I found an artist ‘Maria Aparicio’ which inspired me to start to play with the ideas of embroidery. 

I met my deadline by ensuring I had enough time to experiment with my ideas and managing my time efficiently.

I think the experimenting process really helped me come with ideas on how I would begin to embroider onto my final photographs.  I thought my outcome was a success because I did enough research into my ideas to know exactly where I was going. Each of my photographs also have a meaning and the embroidery helped to convey that meaning; perhaps a little more clearly.

I think that I met the brief as I applied various skills that I had previously learnt, and applied them to Personal Project.

If I had more time I would definitely do more photographs and made it into a body of work. I would also give a little more thought into how I will present the photographs in a unique way. 

PHOTOGRAPHERS GALLERY REVIEW

Home Truths:

The Home Truths exhibition aimed to challenge societies perception of 'motherhood' and what exactly means to be a mother in today's day and age. The exhibition was made up by the work of eight contemporary photographers- Janine Antoni, Elina Brotherus, Elinor Carucci, Ana Casas Broda, Fred Hüning, Leigh Ledare, Katie Murray and Hanna Putz. The photographs addressed issues such as gender roles, domesticity, the body and the identity of the individual in a family unit. 

Fred Huning

Fred Huning- 'Einer' 

One of pieces which I found really touching was done by German photograph Fred Huning- a father, not a mother. Huning's work consisted of three small books which documented the journey of Huning and his wife, through their love and loss combined with tragic family events. 'Einer' tells the story of the birth and death of their first child and the struggle which followed as they try to cope with their loss. 'Zwei' shows the couple's healing process, in their attempts to rebuild their relationship and Huning's wife discovers she is pregnant again. And lastly, 'Drei' is the celebration of new life and love as the family is once again made whole by the arrival of their second son.

This piece really touched me, and I felt almost connected to the artist as he shares a massive part of his life with the viewer, it is hard not to. The photographs seem like everyday moments and events that should be documented which again makes me feel a lot more connected to the work.

Katie Murray

 

'Gazelle' 

The second piece which I found completely refreshing was the piece done by American photographer Katie Murray. 'Gazelle' is a video which showcases the artists attempts to get in shape. After the birth of her second child, Murray set out to lose weight by using the Gazelle- a total body workout machine she bought in a garage sale. Fearing that she may harm one of her children whilst they run around the living room, Murray decided the only logical answer was to strap two children to her back and front. All whilst the voice of Tony Little- America's Personal Trainer, shouted out 'motivational' clichés. The video also kept cutting between a nature footage of a mother Gazelle suckling her young and escaping an attack by a pair of cheetah cubs, another concept of the video which made it all that much more 'exciting'.

Murray's piece had a very simple concept but it represented a struggle that many mother's face in today's society- the attempt to balance the demands of a wife, mother and also an artist all at the same time. I thought this piece was not only amusing but also very inspiring in that it shows, that women are always under constant pressure to look a certain way, and mother's are no exception.

Jacques Henri Lartigue: Bibi

The exhibition Bibi showcased the journey of Lartigue and his first wife Madeleine Messager- Bibi. Lartigue's photographs are presented in chronological order and divided into three sections. Starting off in 1918 when he met his future wife Bibi, the exhibition ends in 1930 the year before the couple's divorce. The years in between capture the young couple enjoying their life of travelling both alone and with friends.

In the first section includes Lartigue's wedding and the birth of their only son Dani, the second section beginning in 1922, when the couple slowly become part of the bustling scene of art and high society in Paris- an image of Bibi on a boat in Cannes. Up until that point Bibi was Lartigue's muse and was always the subject of his photographs. In the third section however, that , the couple's distance is clearly witnessed. Bibi is no longer the main subject in Lartigue’s photographs; instead, she is often in the background, represented with other women or in the middle of a crowd. 

  Bibi et Michèle Verly, Lac d’Aix-les-Bains, mai 1928

This is one of my favourite photographs from the exhibition. I found this image to be very calming and it shows the cheap thrills of the era. One woman completely lost in her book, whilst the other naps letting the sun warm her skin. To me, this would be a perfect way of a spending a summer day and it gives you a great insight on how Jacques and his wife spent their time.