FLAWS, PERFECTIONS, IDEALS OR COMPROMISES
brainstorm
I began my exam unit by recording a brain storm of all my initial ideas that related to flaws, perfections, ideals or compromises. The tangent that caught my focus was accidents, e.g. spills, cracks, stains and so on.
facial flaws
TASK: Take a portrait in the the studio and then find an image on the internet of an old face. Try to make sure the poses are similar.Using the photoshop tutorial opposite merge the two pictures and create an aged portrait.
Ulric Collette
Ulric Collette is a self-taught photographer who was born in 1979, whom studied art and graphic design in Quebec. I focused on his project 'Genetic Portraits - a photographic research on the genetic similarities between family members' in which he merged family members faces together on photoshop. His subjects vary from siblings of the same generation, to parents and more elderly relatives, combining them on photoshop creating a new perceptive of the similarities and differences between relatives. The use of experimenting with photoshop and age interested me, therefore I responded by editing portraits on photoshop in order to cause them to look older.
Using the video tutorial above, I created an aged portrait. Firstly I took portraits of my friends in the studio, which I then edited on photoshop into black and white. Next, I googled images of elderly portraiture and merged the two together using the tutorial above. I found that my first attempt was more successful than the second as the face of the elderly woman successfully blended into the portrait I took. My second attempt wasn't as successful as it was difficult to line up the chins of both portraits due to the difference in jawline and face shape resulting in the right side of my edit to not blend it well and appear jagged and unsmooth.
capturing beauty
TASK: Look for items of beauty in the world around you spend time simply looking at everyday places and objects in your local area. Capture on film cameras images of beauty that require the viewer to look deeper and beyond the apparent imperfection of the object before them to realise its inherent perfection. These images will then be developed and printed using different darkroom techniques.
I took the overground from Crouch Hill to Gospel Oak, and walked from there to Camden town, capturing beauty from traditionally plain objects/landscapes. I edited the images I found most successful which are below the contact sheet. In most of these images I used the macro setting, focusing on the object and blurring out the background, causing a shallow depth of field.
I took the overground from Crouch Hill to Gospel Oak, and walked from there to Camden town, capturing beauty from traditionally plain objects/landscapes. I edited the images I found most successful which are below the contact sheet. In most of these images I used the macro setting, focusing on the object and blurring out the background, causing a shallow depth of field.
edits
artist research: Irving penn
Irving Penn (June 16, 1916 - October 7, 2009) was an American photographer known for his fashion photography, portraits and still lifes. From the 1930s he took a particular interest in still life. He presented everyday objects in a way that captured the beauty out of traditionally standard items. One of his most reknown series is of cigarette butts which he literally found on the streets and arranged in his studio. This minimalistic approach transforms one of the most subconsciously disregarded objects into something of beauty. After editing these photos, Penn printed this series using the platinum palladium process (which he tended to use for his projects that meant most to him). Out of all the photographic techniques, this is one of the most challenging, but does provide the greatest tonal range. Most of the photos in this series were edited into black and white, or used a low saturation. This reduction of colour emphasised the texture and depth of the cigarette butts, brining out the beauty of such a disregarded object.
digital studio work
TASK: Hidden Beauty,perfection in the inperfect.- Using the work of Penn and Mendes as inspiration create a series of images that create beauty out of the everyday objects that you have brought into the studio. Think about the lighting colour of the background and the relationship between the objects in your set up. Shoot the work both on digital and anologe cameras in colour and B/W.
In the studio, I photographed objects ranging from cigarette butt's, to dead flowers, and a skull, capturing the beauty out of the imperfections.
In the studio, I photographed objects ranging from cigarette butt's, to dead flowers, and a skull, capturing the beauty out of the imperfections.
edits
artist and me
Similarly to Irving Penn, I attempted to capture the beauty out of such widely regarded negatively viewed objects (cigarette butts). By finding these cigarette butt's off the floor, I brought them into the studio and photographed them against a white background, giving them an aesthetic yet appealing context. On one hand, Penn laid the butts together in an un-symmetrical format, whereas I laid them in line from the longest to shortest. Penn keeps all the cigarette's in focus, whereas I focused merely on the one closest to the lens, gradually fading out the rest.
|
Mariah Robertson
Mariah Robertson, born in 1975, is an artist living and working in Brooklyn. Her primary medium is photography but she also experiments with installations and sculpture. I took particular interest in her project 'chemical reactions', in which she experiments with photographic chemistry in her darkroom, causing a series of abstract colourful pieces. Robertson accidentally exposed a roll of paper, causing her to start experimenting with the ruined paper saying “I always enjoy trying to make something out of the unwanted thing and go deeper into the disaster." She plays around with different mixtures and combinations of developer, fixer and water which in turn creates vibrant images that appear to look as if ink or paint are dripping off the canvas when it fact its a series of chemical reactions. She sprays these darkroom liquids on to metallic photo paper which comes in coiled rolls, leading her create 100 feet length of sculptural ribbons. When do the rules that govern photography actually limit creativity?, asks Mariah Robertson, who “likes to find the point at which the little mediocre photographer [in me] gets its feathers ruffled”. Who said a print had to meekly accept being confined to a frame? Why can’t it ripple along a floor, up a wall and across a ceiling? Why does photographic paper have to be cut here and not there, especially if “the rough edges turned out to be the best part”? Her experimental view on photography is new and inspiring causing me to respond my experimenting with dark room liquids and film pictures.
film EXPERIMENTATIONs
Below are all my film strips of the same subjects photographed previously when responding to Irving Penn's work. I experimented with spraying on developer and fix. I found it interesting how making 'mistakes' can create such compelling outcomes.
These first two images are test strips to test how long I should expose the image for.
In these two images I sprayed developer onto the photographic paper before exposing it. Although the image from the film strip didn't show through, the end result is effective as the developer has caused a rippling pattern over the image.
My next task was to capture stereotypical beautiful landscape photos. I walked from Primrose Hill, along the canal to Camden town, photographing the landscape along the way. During this walk the sun was setting which caused the sky to appear with purple and orange tones.
glitch photography
mathieu st pierre
Mathieu St Pierre is a Canadian mixed media artist who focuses on distortion through media and computer programmes. Using his background in the film industry he demonstrates his skills and interest through video manipulation leading him to produce digital glitches and generative art. He used film stills to document the fragility of virtual data and introduce a new pathway of the digital canvas. Pierre effortlessly transforms portraiture into glitched images conveying the extent of how society has been brainwashed by the universal increase of technology, and how that influences our view of the perfection. Using a technological malfunction, he transforms an imperfection into art.
how to create glitch photo's using textedit:
Firstly, drag your chosen image to the desktop.
|
Then right click the image, go to 'open with' then 'other'.
|
It will then open applications so find 'textedit' and open it.
|
It will then open the image in a coded form, so you can experiment with this by deleting sections and adding new words to see what the end result will be.
|
how to create glitch photo's using audacity:
Firstly, load the chosen image into photoshop and save it again.
Then select your chosen image and load into audcity.
Once you've highlighted the sections, click effects then experiment with the various ones (I tended to use 'Wahwah').
|
When you save it again, change the format from 'JPEG' into 'TIFF'
Change encoding into 'U-Law' and the byte order into 'little-endian'.
When you've clicked on the effect, you can then change different aspects of it. This process can be done to different parts of the song.
|
Now open audacity, and click 'file', 'import', 'raw data'.
The image will then be loaded into this form, then you can highlight different sections to edit them individually.
Finally, click on 'file', 'export audio', then change the format into 'other compressed file' and it will be saved.
|
set 1
For my first strand, I responded to the title 'flaws perfections ideals' by capturing the flaws of decay and erosion, editing them on photoshop to capture the beauty from items that are anaesthetically unpleasing to the eye. I came across an area in Queens Wood which was run down and filled with rubbish and rustic abandoned objects. This work was similar to previous work of capturing beauty in stereotypically unappealing settings.
colin winterbottom
Above are images from Colin Winterbottom's series elegant corrosion, in which he photographs various textures, rusting and corroding objects. His images capture the beauty to corrosive, man made objects. As opposed to documenting cities as we see it everyday, he offers a new perspective of compelling composition's and interesting perspectives to transform urban landscape into colourful abstractions. His photos invite the viewer to comprehend how it must feel to be in the landscape where the photos taken. It's as if the viewer 'feels' the texture with their sight. In many of his photos he uses film, emphasising the texture he's photographing. Colin Winterbottom scans his film and makes his own large formant prints using archival digital methods. His combination of traditional and contemporary methods, juxtaposes the combination of tradition, plain landscapes that he transforms into something of beauty. Below I responded by photographing eroding objects.
edits
set 2
For my second strand I began to experiment with manipulating the 'perfect' portrait image. Inspired by Maurizo Anzeri's use of threading over portraits I decided to use the same technique. The addition of thread adds a new depth and meaning behind a traditionally standard head shot. The 'messy' finish presents an engaging yet compelling perceptive of portraiture.
maurizio anzeri
Maurizio Anzeri is an Italian-born, British-based photographer/mixed media artist. He searches vintage markets and junk shops for vintage portraits and views them as 'landscapes on which to map out his own unique geography of suggestion.' He sews on top of portraits. He sews layers of thread on top of portraits embroidering them with a mask. Not only does it appear to be an elaborate costume, it also suggests a psychological aura, as if Anzeri is portraying the individuals personality through the use of colours and patterns. The antique appearance of the old photographs portrays a juxtaposition of the bright colours and sharp angles that the thread creates. The use of found images from vintage shops combined with his untraditional technique of sewing on to photo's gives the effect of a dimension where history and the future converge. Anzeri has said that his embroidered images suggest "other possible evolutionary dimensions for the people pictured", but his work tended to have a surrealist undertow. What was initially a traditional portrait image has been transformed is into something special and unique.
artist and me
I responded to Maurizio Anzeri's style of portraits by taking my own portraits and sewing on to them. Initially, I took portraits of my peers looking directly at the camera or to the side and edited them into black and white using photoshop. I printed out two copies of my chosen photos onto A4 sized card (as opposed to paper in order for the thread to hold). On one of the copies I planned out where I would sew, by drawing on the lines. After the plan, I then starting threading in to the other copy of the portraits using different colours of thread. I tended to use the model's facial features as the focal point, for example sewing around an eye or the lips. However, in the bottom left image I went for a messier finish by sewing different colours of thread in a random arrangement causing it too appear tangled and miscellaneous. Similarly to Anzeri, I sewed on to the faces of black and white portraits using coloured thread. However, mines differs from Maurizio's style as he sews several layers on top of his portraits with the threads crossing over tightly and in more detail, whereas I kept my response more simplistic with less layers and more spread out. I believe my responses are effective, as I've gained the idea from Anzeri but incorporated my own ideas by experimenting with the use of different threads emphasising my model's facial features.
set 3
For my third strand, I developed the idea of manipulating the 'perfect' image by experimenting with destroying the 'ideal' photo using untraditional techniques. I began by igniting disposables and photographing the outcome. This concept was inspired by Catherine Yass's series of buried images which are analysed below.
catherine yass - buried
Catherine Yass is an English photographer born in London 1963. In 2002 she was nominated for a Turner prize. She's well known for her films, brightly coloured photographs, and working with light boxes. She used a variety subjects from people to institutions such as mental hospitals and markets. In the images above, Catherine Yass has manipulated her images using one of the elements. The image on the left was put in a canal, and subjected to the element of water, causing the image to appear as if the an 'explosion' of colours has erupted from the centre. One side of the photo has been affected more than the other half, as it has a pink, saturated tone. The image on right was subjected to fire, as it was burnt. The fire has a caused a 'scale-like' effect. The colours have darkened to sepia/dark brown tones, and it appears are if there's bubbles across the image. The sides of the photo have crinkled inwards giving an antique feel. Below I responded to Catherine Yass by experimenting with destroying my own disposables.
artist and me
Similarly to Catherine Yass, I printed out images of landscapes introducing them to the element of fire. Likewise, the image bubbled over in certain areas causing a three-dimensional stance. Lighting this photo also caused some areas to darken and develop bleak patches. Adversely, my photo appears to have been set on fire for longer due to the missing parts around the edge of the image,where it's either curled in or been burnt off, whereas Yass's photo hasn't.
|
phillip stearns
Phillip Stearns is an artist who experiments with various household cleaning products such as; bleach, vinegar, baking soda, hydrogen peroxide, salt, and rubbing alcohol.
I’m unable to find the source of the sentiment that the camera is an extension of the eye, but it’s that very idea which I’ve intentionally taken literally, to an extreme. When looking through the datasheets on various instant color film, I was struck by the similarities between the layering of materials in the film and the layering of cells in the retinal. Though I’m not well versed in the history of film development as parallels the development in the understanding of the physiology of the retinal, the similarities were striking. We are situated in a place where the photograph as an object has lost its primacy to the digital image, and the whole discipline of photography has undergone fundamental technological changes without much consideration for how this alters our theoretical understanding of the role of the digital photographic image in society and cultural (re)production. Following my work with digital cameras, I felt compelled to explore, or rather challenge the ontology of post-digital photography using extended techniques—bending, cracking and breaking the medium—to not only produce a medium specific work, but something that is an absolutely unique image/object. Without a camera, images were produced through a combination of processes which parallel techniques utilized in previous experiments with low-resolution digital cameras. Various household chemicals are applied to the surface of the film both before and after exposure. Through symbolic act of cleansing, the fidelity of the film is compromised. The film is also subjected to 15,000 volts of alternating current. In a flash, arcs spread out across the surface, sometimes burning holes, even igniting the film. As in our eyes, images are conveyed in a stream of such electric impulses, only here amplified some 300,000 times. I find it curious and exhilarating that the impressions left behind after developing these extreme exposures so perfectly resemble networks of blood vessels in the retina.
I’m unable to find the source of the sentiment that the camera is an extension of the eye, but it’s that very idea which I’ve intentionally taken literally, to an extreme. When looking through the datasheets on various instant color film, I was struck by the similarities between the layering of materials in the film and the layering of cells in the retinal. Though I’m not well versed in the history of film development as parallels the development in the understanding of the physiology of the retinal, the similarities were striking. We are situated in a place where the photograph as an object has lost its primacy to the digital image, and the whole discipline of photography has undergone fundamental technological changes without much consideration for how this alters our theoretical understanding of the role of the digital photographic image in society and cultural (re)production. Following my work with digital cameras, I felt compelled to explore, or rather challenge the ontology of post-digital photography using extended techniques—bending, cracking and breaking the medium—to not only produce a medium specific work, but something that is an absolutely unique image/object. Without a camera, images were produced through a combination of processes which parallel techniques utilized in previous experiments with low-resolution digital cameras. Various household chemicals are applied to the surface of the film both before and after exposure. Through symbolic act of cleansing, the fidelity of the film is compromised. The film is also subjected to 15,000 volts of alternating current. In a flash, arcs spread out across the surface, sometimes burning holes, even igniting the film. As in our eyes, images are conveyed in a stream of such electric impulses, only here amplified some 300,000 times. I find it curious and exhilarating that the impressions left behind after developing these extreme exposures so perfectly resemble networks of blood vessels in the retina.
ajay malaghan
Ajay Malaghan is an artist, both in India and raised in America whom works and experiments with multiple mediums. He's a practising musician and visual artist, and a graduate of the Savannah College of Art and Design. I focused on his series 'Bleached' and 'Completely removed'. His series 'bleached' is imaged which he's taken and destroyed everyday liquids. He's used 35mm film and distresses them using basic kitchen items such as coffee, vinegar, soap, hydrogen peroxide and oven cleaner. Being interested into the corrosive effects of everyday acids, he began focusing on destroying film strips by bathing them in various liquids. “I can show one image to 10 different people and get 10 different responses,” he says. “For me, abstract art is the purest form of art since you can make it to be about anything you want.” In his series 'Naturally Modified', Malaghan causes ordinary food to look unrecognisable, with the image being seen in multiple different ways, e.g. a carrot than can be viewed as a silhouette. This series responds to his view on the vast increase of genetically modified and processed food products. As opposed to using a camera, he begins each print in the darkroom, where in he places a thin slice of food, mainly fruit, between two sheets of glass. He then exposes it through an enlargers, manipulating it with light and colour creating a photographic print. After doing this, he scans the print at a high resolution allowing him to print the image into the size 30 by 40 inches. Malghan writes, 'reveal layers beneath the surface of our food..these images extract the camera and allow us to see the ordinary in new ways, while blurring the lines between art and science.' This project initially began as a response to modified food as he believes as manufactures are removing parts of fruit, so should he. Although, now he has no specific goals in mind and enjoys experimenting with manipulating photos using untraditional methods. Below I responded to his close up images of fruit. I cut various pieces of fruit into thin slices, squashed it between two sheets of glass and scanned it. I then edited it into a high saturation and contrast on photoshop.
artist and me
I took interest in Ajay Malaghan's series of microscopic photos of squashed fruit and to the left in my response. Similarly, I squashed a piece of fruit between two thin sheets of glass and scanned it on to a computer. Malaghan zoomed in producing an extremely close up section of a piece of fruit causing the subject matter to not be clear to the viewer, whereas my images involve the whole image and is obvious what fruit it is.
|
bleach
|
I researched more of Ajay Malghan's work and took interest to his bleaching technique. He printed out images and submerged them into everyday cleaning products such as bleach causing an interesting, rustic effect. I combined my previous photos in response to his work of microscopic images of squashed fruit with his bleaching technique. I edited my photo's into a high saturation pronouncing the colours then printed them out onto glossy paper. I filled a tub with standard bleach and submerged my prints into it for a few seconds. The bleach instantly caused the colours to run and turn luminous. Below are my responses using the bleaching technique. I combined the photo's from my response of his fruit project, with his bleach technique.
bleached
In the following image I experimented with another cleaning product (bleach replacement) which caused the images to turn into a purple tone. In the top left photo I applied the bleach using a paintbrush causing purple streaks to appear on the image. In the top right image, interestingly, the bleach only affected the figure by making her turn purple, keeping the dark background it's original colour. In the bottom left image, I selotaped the figure and painted around it with bleach. This time, the bleach causes the background to turn into patchy tones of green and pink, again pronouncing the figure. In the bottom left image, I used the same photo without selotape, however this time it caused the figure to turn lighter with tones of purple and blue, leaving the background it's initial colour.
In the following photo's I used actual bleach which worked alot more effectively. The bleach caused the colours from the photograph to spread out and merge into each other. In the image on the top right of three people, I used selo tape to protect the individuals from the bleach. This caused the ink on the rest of the image to blur, around the indivudals. The ink created a yellow and red outline around the people, with the background creating a blurring blue effect, underneath I made a gif capturing this process. Another successful image, is the one underneath, on the right second row that focuses on an umbrella.
I used some photo's that I took in continuous shooting mood to create a gif's that captured the movement, and showed the process of the colours blurring. In my unit 2 section I've showed step by step how to make a gif.
The gif below was more successul. In these photo's I celo-taped the three figures causing the bleach to flow around the figures. This technique protects the figures from the bleach, but causes the background to blur and spread around the figures, causing emphasis.
citrus bleach
I further researched the products that Malghan uses to produce his images. I found out that he experimented using lemon juice with bleaching, leading me to purchase citrus bleach. This bleach had a different effect to the photos than ordinary bleach as it caused the photo to turn into tones of yellow and red. It affected the image alot faster than the other bleach, causing there to be several white patches in the photos below.
Somerset house - scarcity waste
'In a world of limited resources, scarcity and waste have become fundamental social, political and environmental issues of our time. In the past 50 years, the world's demand for natural resources has doubled. If we continue to use resources and generate waste at the current rate, by 2030 we will need the equivalent of two planets. But we only have one. Something needs to change.'
ICA exhibiton - viviane sassen
childhood places
I liked my previous bleached images of old childhood photos and decided to continue this. Combining childhood photos with Ajay Malaghan's technique causing the bleach to act as a metaphor for the fading of childhood memories over time. As the photo's I used earlier were old photographs, I developed this idea by returning to places of significance to my childhood and taking my own photographs. I went to parks that I spent a lot of my time at when I was a child, starting with Highgate and Queens Woods. I focused on capturing the beauty and innocence of nature aswell as playground equipment.
I printed these photos of childhood photos onto glossy photo paper, and then dipped them into bleach. This time it had a different effect than previously due to the use of glossy paper as opposed to matte paper. For some of the photos, it gave it a sepia tone, whereas it caused the ink in other photos to run and appear patchy. The aim of these photo's was to show the effect time has on the fading of memories.
scanography
Whilst I was photographing childhood places, I took interest in nature, leading me to photograph various flowers. I enjoyed previously use the medium of scanography, hence continued this technique with flowers being the subject. This caused me to conduct research on the use of a scanner and photography and found several artists that captured my attention. Here is a defintion of scanography from wikipedia: Scanography (also spelled scannography), more commonly referred to as scanner photography, is the process of capturing digitalised images of objects for the purpose of creating printable art using a flatbed 'photo' scanner with a CCD (charge-coupled device) array capturing device. Fine art scanography differs from traditional document scanning by using atypical objects, often three-dimensional, as well as from photography, due to the nature of the scanner's operation.
simon ward
Simon Ward is one of the artists I who uses the unconventional method of a scanner to capture a photo as opposed to a camera with his subjects varying from flowers, to skulls, to dead animals. The scanner allows every little detail of the object to be highlighted, causing a slightly three dimensional effect. The use of a black negative background emphasises the object, allowing it to be the main focul point of the picture allowing the viewer to focus on all the details. The dark tones, and use of skulls and still life animals creates an all round gothic tone to his work. His work captured my attention, and intrigued me to the use of a scanner.
toby braun - artist and me
Toby Braun is another artist I found whilst researching the art of scanography. He's an artist from Miami, whom specialises on flower scanography. To the left is one of my favourite images of his. This one stood out to me due to the intricate detail and focus on the lily. The black background produces an effective contrast to the pale colours of the flower. Additionally, the contrast give the illusion that the flower is floating. I responded by similarly scanning white flowers on to my computer. My image isn't as effective due to the lack of contrasting background colour, and the subject matter not being in same high focus. My scanner focused on the petals of the flower whilst blurring out sections of the stalk, causing the attention to be focused to the centre of the image.
|
bleached
Below I combined my work with bleach, with my scanography experimentations, by bleaching my scans of flowers. The bleach causes the photos to appear into sepia tones of pink and purple giving off an antique finish. I found these images to be effective, and wish to continue experimenting with the combination of bleach and flowers.
scanography experimentations
Fascinated by using a scanner as a camera, I continued to experiment with scanography. In the following photo's, instead of using flowers as the subject, I took unconventional self portraits of my face, and hands. In some of the images, I moved my face or hands causing a distorted finish. In some of the images I laid a sheet of cling film over the scanner and then scanning my face on top of it, creating even more distortion and imperfections. Even though I'm interested in using a scanner, I didn't feel as if these photos add much to my project, therefore decided not to continue with photos in this style.
artist and me - elena kropaneva
I found an artist who also gives an unconventional take on portraiture using a scanner. I responded to her work by capturing an image of my face and hands against the scanner, causing the illusion of being trapped in a scanner. Unlike Elena Kropaneva, I additionally used cling film to make the image appear more distorted.
|
bleached
seung hwan oh
Seung Hwan-Oh is a Korean artist who uses his background of microbiology to influence and guide his artwork. In 2012, he realised a series called 'Impermanence' which is about an idea that all the matter including all the life forms collapse in our spatial-temporal dimension we belong to, with the conceptual idea was inspired by the second law of thermodynamics. In this project, he exposes photos to microorganisms allowing them to devour the makeup of the film. The process involves the cultivation of microbes that consumed the chemicals of the portraits by submerging these film images in water. As the microbes consume the emulsion over the passing of several months, the colours appear to run and blot, giving the appearance that it's been exposed to rain, whilst keeping some of the image in tact. This technique conveys the superimposition of a moment in microbial growth upon a single moment in this superficial reality of an individuals life. This creates an aesthetic of entangled creation and destruction that inevitably is ephemeral, and results in complete disintegration of the film so that it can only be delicately digitized before it is consumed. Sueng Hwan-Oh has transformed something of destruction and waste, into a technique of art, presenting how 'flaws' can be made into beauty.
alexandra palace
I went back to my initial concept of the fading of childhood memories. I developed this idea, by visiting more childhood places such as Alexandra Palace and Cherry Tree woods. Below are contact sheets of the photos I took.
cherry tree
hackney flowers stephen gill
Stephen Gill is a British experimental, conceptual and documentary photographer, and artist who's well known for his photo's of East London. I took particular interest in series called 'Hackney Flowers' in which he used his East London surroundings as inspiration for his work. Gill captures the life of Hackney by using it's people and surroundings as his subjects. However, whilst he was taking these photos, he collected flowers, seeds, berries and other objects found scattered around Hackney. He brought these objects, most commonly flowers, into his studio, arranging them on-top his own photographs of Hackney's streets. He then re-photographed them creating a multi-layered, graphic finish. Similarly to his series 'Buried' he buried some of these photographs in the ground at Hackney Wick, letting nature imprint and decay on to his work, emphasising the collaboration with Hackney itself. The flowers juxtapose the stereotypically 'rough' area with the contrasting innocence that a flower represents. In some of his images, such as the top right image of the lorry, Gill plays with the arrangement of the flowers making it blend it with the initial surroundings of the background photo. I found Stephen Gill's Hackney flowers really captivating and inspiring, causing me to respond to his work below.
artist and me - stephen gill
Similarly to Stephen Gill, I took photos around the place where I live whilst collecting flowers and objects that I came across in the process. I then photographed the flowers lying on top of the printed image, causing an effective outcome. In Gill's pieces, his flowers are more eroded and pressed, whereas the flowers I used appear to be fresh from the overpowering force that decay and erosion entails. In some of his photos he further submerged them to nature by burying them in the ground, whereas I immersed my images in bleach presenting the imposing force of artificial products.
|
response to stephen gill's hackney flowers:
I responded to Stephen Gill's Hackney Flowers by photographing various places, printing these images, then placing flowers that I found at the place in question on top of the photo, and taking another photo with the flower placed alongside the photo. Gil brightened up plain/rough looking places in Hackney, whereas I photographed childhood places, hence combining my previous work of fading childhood memories with Gill's. I photographed parks and areas that I regularly visited as a child. Some of my images focus on the overgrowth of nature or addition of vandalism such as graffiti presenting the metaphorical decay of my childhood memories. The addition of the flowers on top of the photos juxtapose the contrast of the a childhoods innocence compared to the recent decay.
This response of my work ties in all aspects and techniques I have learnt from my previous strands. I've continued my technique of bleach acting as a metaphor for the decomposition of childhood memories, whilst incorporating the addition of flowers symbolising innocence. Below are my responses to Stephen Gills.
This response of my work ties in all aspects and techniques I have learnt from my previous strands. I've continued my technique of bleach acting as a metaphor for the decomposition of childhood memories, whilst incorporating the addition of flowers symbolising innocence. Below are my responses to Stephen Gills.
original version
bleached version
final images
CONclusion
For my final images, I selected the six most effective photos from my response to Stephen Gill's 'Hackney Flowers'. I printed these images again and submerged them into a diluted mix of bleach and water. I left these images in the solution for a couple of minutes until the ink from the image ran and turned into tones of red and yellow. I believe the outcome is effective due to the faded, antique feel to the images that I was aiming for, and successfully present the juxtaposition between childhood memories, and fading of time conclusively. In conclusion, I believe my final piece successfully conveys the theme 'flaws, perfections, ideals or compromises due to the unconventional technique of something that is most commonly used as a product to clean bacteria, as a means of art. Along this process I discovered unique techniques and methods of photography through process of a scanner and bleach