#FurtherResearch

[gambinijournal]

While writing my dissertation I have so many questions towards photography. One of the questions which always been there and it has never been answer is What is Photography? Many writers, philosophers and photographers challenged themselves to interrogate the medium. Some of them even stopped calling Photography photography and gave it a new name Post-photography. Some said that photography is not a medium anymore but it is an interface for visual communication. First years of digital photography with the invention of Internet did not make nothing easier, but even more complicated. Then the question was posed, is the Photography going through the revolution or digital form is just a continuum of the analog form? The opinions were divided. Till 2010 cameras where separated from the main computers in terms of distribution online. Cameras were computers but the editing and sharing was not as simple as now. The photographer/operator still had to use home based computer or laptop to edit and share images online.These action were limited. Is the smartphone who changed the game. 

“They have altered the texture of everyday life just about everywhere, digesting many longstanding space and rituals in their entirety, and transforming others beyond recognition. At this juncture in history, it simply isn’t possible to understand the ways in which we know and use the world around us without having some sense for the way the smartphone works, and the various infrastructures it depends on.

For all its ubiquity, though, the smartphone is not a simple thing. We use it so often that we don't  see it clearly; it appeared in our lives so suddenly and totally that the scale and force of the changes it has occasioned have largely receded from conscious awareness. (...) (p.9)

(...) As we’ve seen, the smartphone handset brings together in a single package several different sensing and presentation technologies, which can be recombined to produce distinctly different ways of engaging networked information. Bundle a camera, accelerometer/gyroscope, and display screen in a single networked handset, and what you have in your hands is something that can sustain at least rudimentary augmentative overlay. Add GPS functionality and a high-resolution three-dimensional model of the world - either maintained onboard the device, or resident in the cloud - and a viewer can be offered location-specific information, register with a mapped onto the surrounding environment.” (p.67)

 Radical Technologies: Design of Everyday Life, Adam Greenfield, 2017.

https://www.irishexaminer.com/breakingnews/world/test-using-smartphone-camera-can-diagnose-utis-in-25-minutes-973769.html

[capturingmaya]

Exhibition: London Culture x British Fashion

As influence: see what the models are wearing off duty - in Paris.

Main influence: see what the models are wearing off duty - in London.

Jess Maybury

Jill Kortleve

These images are a visual representation of the aesthetic for Maya’s series to be exhibited as part of the London Culture Exhibition. This series is shot by Melodie Jeng between west to central to east London capturing models daily between LFW shows.

The portraits she takes give a subtle idea of candidness, but they are mostly posed street photographs. The frame, perspective or crop she has used for each individual seems unique. As she doesn’t follow a repetitive technique, her portraits give an idea of character and personification to the models. Her concept for the series is clearly outlined to the audience, in the title and the photographs create a relationship between fashion and the sitter. Throughout the series you begin to see re-occurring fashion statements/ styles, which for every viewer could mean a different thing: for me I noticed a casual/ comfy aesthetic that started to pop up multiple times through out the series, which began to show me something about the models that are highly glamed up for the catwalk - everyone likes to be comfortable. I began to reflect on my own fashion sense and how comfortable I wanted to be in my own clothes and I started to see a true or deeper representation of the person behind the ‘model’.

I noticed within these large number of models who dressed stylishly comfortable, there was a hand full of unique/ fashionable outfits. These images of models who had a unique over the top fashion outfit, also told me a lot about there character indivually. But over all the theme that most stood out was that London is filled with a large amount of diverse fashion.

[hannahsalvidgephotography-blog]

Yesterday I visited the Alison Jacques Gallery to see the new solo exhibition of the work of Juergen Teller. The exhibition includes images from three bodies of work: Go-Sees; Enjoy Your Life!, Junior, and a ‘visual essay’ depicting a modern fairy tale about a boy who became a king.

When looking at the images in this exhibition, I felt that it could in fact link quite well to the advanced research module and identity in particular. Many of the images, although posed, looked quite raw in terms of the clothing and the environments in which they were taken, which I think are two things that can say quite a lot about the identity of an individual. With the images of the primary school children for example, it could be said that the images are documenting the development of their identities as they grow and begin to be shaped by influences in society, those around them and also their own desires.

Below are extracts taken from the exhibition’s press release:

The Go-Sees is a seminal work from Teller’s early career. Produced over the course of one year from May 1998, and shot from the threshold to Teller’s West London studio, the title of this series documents an industry term for a photographer’s first meeting with a new model. Unlike a casting, the ‘Go-See’ is a model’s testing ground; an open-ended encounter between the photographer and model, without the prospect of a definite commission. Like casting appointments, these events determine the potential career success for the model. Teller’s series obliquely interrogates the fashion industry with which he is involved.

‘The models in Go-Sees become much more than bearers of externally directed aesthetic values. While the photographic gaze is shaped by and reciprocally shapes the convention of the go-see, Teller suggests that even within these parameters it is possible to find new ways of seeing.’ Shannan Peckham, Juergen Teller Go-Sees, published by Scalo, 1999.

Framed by the doorway of Teller’s studio, the Go-Sees are depicted in many guises: shy, confident, hopeful, disengaged, energetic, relaxed, and in casual clothing. Transgressing fine art and fashion photography, the portraits, as with all of Teller’s other work, are never retouched. Teller’s snapshot style and spontaneous and unusual angles defer from the polished visual protocols so closely associated with the luxury world.

Shown concurrently in the smaller exhibition room, Enjoy Your Life! Junior is the result of a school-led outing by 6 and 7-year-old students of Bubenreuth Primary to see Teller’s exhibition Juergen Teller at Kunstpalais in Erlangen (2017). An unusual exhibition to take primary school students to, the children were surprised and inspired by the honesty in Teller’s work. Reversing the situation of Go-Sees, Teller responded to the students’ enthusiasm with a spontaneous visit to the school during which he encouraged them to take photographs of each other and the artist himself. Subverting the conventional relationship of the artist and model, the children playfully re-enact some of Teller’s most iconic images.

Teller’s display of the Bubenreuth Primary kids’ photographs invites viewers to play a role in recollection, as one body of work develops from another and remind us of Teller’s humour, self-mockery and emotional honesty.

This exhibition explores the development of Teller’s work over the last two decades and its ability to change the perception of stereotypical ideals of beauty and aesthetics within present-time. The exhibition culminates in the upstairs gallery where a new body of work, shown for the first time, creates a visual narrative of a modern fairy tale; a portrait of a man born in London, a boy who became a king.

https://www.alisonjacquesgallery.com/exhibitions/158/overview/

[hannahsommerbaphotog]

From Friday’s group critique

I have struggled to maintain the context of my project. I have related it to the female gaze and have been trying to decide in which context of the female gaze to present it. My initial idea was to display the range of images with a text written under each girl that would read together as a prose poem about femininity and identity, since each portrait is specific and a personal interpretation of the subjects who I know personally. However, I couldn’t find a way to shape it that felt right. It didn’t feel cohesive enough. I’ve decided now to take a completely different, and almost scientific approach to the context of the images. I am planning on displaying a grid selection of images (ex. the nude set) of 3 different subjects I have photographed where they are photographed moving around their environments. I will then label them with the latin names of moth species with a embosser label used for lab equipment and scientific display. Why moths? It’s a personal connection I have with the insect and have researched it’s spiritual meaning in various cultures. I grew up living in the woods, and every night in the summers I would sit on my front porch and look out at all the fireflies and moths dancing around in the night. There would always be an abundance of moths on my roof and huddled around the lights. If you were lucky, some nights the gracious Luna Moth would come out and sit patiently in the same spot until the next morning. In Appalachian folklore (the cultural region of the Appalachian mountains where I was raised) a Moth is a sign of good omens of the occult. They are a symbol of light and darkness, for they are attracted to what kills them, sources of light. They are symbols of transformation, for they take different forms throughout their life. I felt this was symbolic on how I view the sacredness of women and how we are spiritual messengers and symbols of complexity and change. 

[hannahmatthewswestminster]

greta thungberg, no one is too small to make a difference

in an attempt to understand the environmental theory, i purchased the book by greta thunberg named ‘no one is too small to make a difference’. It is an inspirational and shiveringly eyeopening book full of her speeches she has given throughout her time protesting for the climate. The speeches are well informed and full of scientifically proven facts, even when asked whether she should become a climate scientist instead, she states that “we already have all the facts and solutions. All we have to do is wake up and change” It is hugely empowering to see how one small girl can have such a huge impact nationwide, showing exactly what can be achieved if we all come together and act now. So little is being done as “no one talks about it. there are no headlines, no emergency meetings, no breaking news. No one is acting as if we were in a crisis”. Some emotionally fuelled, researched and inspirational quotes from the book, to help gain an insight into environmental theory:

“We are about to sacrifice our civilisation for the opportunity of a very small number of people to continue to make enormous amounts of money”

“If solutions within this system are impossible to find then maybe we should change the system itself?”

“The real power belongs to the people”

“Air pollution is hiding a warming, so when we stop burning fossil fuels, we already have an extra 0.5-1.1 degrees guaranteed”

“According to the IPCC, we are less than twelve years away from not being able to undo our mistakes”

“Solving the climate crisis is the greatest and most complex challenge that homo sapiens have ever faced... either we avoid setting off that irreversible chain reaction beyond human control - or we don’t”

“I don’t want your hope. I don’t want you to be hopeful. I want you to panic. I want you to feel the fear I feel every day. And then I want you to act. I want you to act as you would in a crisis. I want you to act as if your house is on fire. Because it is.”

“All that will remain of our political leaders’ legacy will be the greatest failure of human history”

“According to the IPCC report we are about eleven years away from being in a position where we set off an irreversible chain reaction beyond human control”

“If the EU is to make its fair contribution to staying within the carbon budget for the 2 degree limit, then it means a minimum of 80 percent reduction by 2030... so, it is around twice as ambitious as the current proposal”

“Our political leaders have wasted decades through denial and inaction”

[jade-chopra]

BIRGIT JÜRGENSSEN

Birgit Jürgenssen was a notable artist from the 1970s. Her work, alongside a circle of other Austrian female artists, sparked conversations of the view of women in the art world, through exploration of the female body and gender identity. Jürgenssen wanted to challenge the gender roles that society held for women, “I wanted to show the common prejudices against women, the role models that society ascribed to them, the ones with which I was always confronted, I wanted to depict everyday misunderstandings.”

"HOUSEWIVES’ KITCHEN APRON" (1974-75)

Her well-known works were clear to many to be riddled with political messages. For example, in "I Want Out of Here!" (1976), she portrays an everyday housewife, pushing on the confinement of her home. This self portrait gives an uneasy feeling for us as the viewer. Although she doesn't look visible afraid or uncomfortable, the eyes, her hands and cheek pushed against the glass creates the narrative of helplessness.

ICH MÖCHTE HIER RAUS! (I WANT OUT OF HERE!), 1976

Her work moved onto depicting herself fully camouflaged wearing fur, masks and completely disguised. This could suggest the narrative of women being reduced to a fetish within the male gaze.

OHNE TITEL (SELBST MIT FELLCHEN) [UNTITLED (SELF WITH LITTLE FUR)], 1974/1977

[jacquelinemulvaney]

Presentation and reflection

2.12.20

 Preparation 

For my presentation group I  choose history. I like looking at history to be able to understand the why, how and when. By asking these questions I am  able to understand why something came about and it gives me a deeper meaning and appreciation of what I am investigating. My group choose The Russian Revolution Avant Garde Photography. This was not a subject that I had looked at before in regards to photography, I did cover Tsarist Russia for my O level history, but that was a long time ago! So I was happy for the new experience. We meet online many times to discuss how we were going to approach this together and decided that the best way would for us to each research an important exhibition in the rise of Avant Garde photography in Russia. I was giving ‘The Masters of Soviet Photographic Art’ an exhibition that took place in  1935 in Mosco. The exhibition made a major Impact on Russian Photography. I did most of my research online through various sources of  information to be able to present my part of the presentation.  I was very anxious about having to speak in front of people as it is not something that I would choose to do, as I am a background person. However, I was very happy with how the whole presentation came together as a group, I felt that we had all put in a lot of work in our research and in time getting together to ensure the presentation run smoothly together and did not have overlaps o information. My only criticism of myself was that I did not look at the political situation of Russia at the time of the exhibition. This would have added more depth to what I was presenting had I done this and would have explained more about what photographers were experiencing and reacting to at the time. The reason I did not do this was for time reasons, we were only doing a twenty minute presentation between four of us, five minutes each so there was not time to talk about the exhibition and the politics of Russia. 

The Presentation

In 1935 an exhibition took place in the exhibition hall in Moscow. ‘Master of Soviet Photographic Art’. It was a rare selection of vintage gelatin -silver prints. The exhibition presented a special selection of work by leading practitioners of Russian Avant Garde photography. Most of the artists reached the heights of their careers after the 1917 Russian Revolution, after which came a historic time where they were able to experience more freedom and creative development. The exhibition was able to reflect a collection of photographs that were no longer restricted to displaying a service to a soviet agenda. Photographs presented featured photographers who were now able to challenge the restrictions of the soviet socialist group. The works left a mark on the history of their medium, by introducing fresh perspectives and experimental forms that reflected the radical changes and transforming the world around them

Soviet photographers played a major role in the history of modern photography. They acted as leaders of social change and radical political engagement while energizing and expanding the nature of the medium.  

There were many photographers who were now feeling encouraged from the works of Alexander Rodchenko. They saw that his work was now facing less objections from authorities and felt empowered to try new ways of Avant Garde photography they were seeing from the west.

Artist could submit up to twenty images, for selection, some of the artists that contributed were -;

Dmitrii Debabov -; A photographer known for his collaboration with photography and film, his involvement with the Avant Garde and part of the October group.

Boris Ignatovich -; He was one of the first photojournalist of the USSR, who left a significant mark on the soviet photography of the 1920s and 30s He worked as a photojournalist for the magazine ‘Construction of Moscow’.  He was a leading hand for the October group and considered a pioneer of Avant Garde photography at its beginnings in the soviet. He also worked on documentary films.

Abram Shternburg-; A photojournalist who worked with photo collage, landscape, still life, but predominately portraiture, which he was a master of.

Boris Kudoiarov -; He had a brilliant knowledge of different approaches to photographic transformation of reality, however he barely used them. The only methods that came to define his work and influenced his style were the ones he considered efficient mediums of expression capable of revealing the essence of his subject.

Georgii Petrusov -; This was his first time Georgii had exhibited his work, he photographs were striking for their well-organized space and deep perspective.

Semeon Fridlyard -; A socially grounded photographer who made most of his income as photojournalist who was, he was known for his exceptional eye for colour.

Arkadii Shaikhet -; He a prominent soviet photojournalist and photograph. He was known for his photographs of the industrialization in the 1920s and 30s.

Eleazer Langman -; Of all the October group Langman was considered the most extreme, candid and a bold experimenter. His images are distinguished by their internal saturations and deliberateness. They were created intentionally and are remembered as such.

Mosei Napple’baum -; He was a master of studio portrait photography and created many well-known portraits of prominent revolutionaries, scientist and cultural figures.

Maks Al’pert -; A photojournalist from Moscow who was a member of the ’Russian Association of proletarian photographer’, (ROPF) which was a group whose work emphasized the importance of the photograph as a document, a means of capturing reality.

Rodchenko as a member of the jury enabled him to present twenty-four images for selection. One of his entries was as experimental printed negative from a film footage.

He said ‘I want to take some quite incredible photographs that have never been taken before….. Pictures which are simple and complex at the same time, which will amaze and overwhelm people…. I must achieve this so that photography can begin to be considered a form of art.’  

;Divers,

He presented -:

Rochenco was known to have said ‘The most important thing for us to attempt to create our own artist language’. After the works were exhibited it made way for the start of ‘Creative Discussion’. The groups embraced Rodchenkos aesthetic and used it to develop through photo reportage. By using this along with other elements and approaches that could be applied and used with any subjects. Framing, slanting concentrating on extremes of composition became basic techniques of the group. They became the new approach and provided a practice for taking photographs adopted by the group. Which now started to become more important than the subjects.

However, one of the conditions that Rodcheko could display his work was on the condition that he publicly denounced his ‘formalist’ errors.

 His confession was printed in ‘Soviet Photo’. And once this was known he was virtually ignored. He was then plagued with poverty and ill health and further attacked politically.

This Exhibition had a major impact on photography forming its own language, compositional forms and way of representation of reality.

 Final Reflection

I feel that I have made a good progress and achievement with this project, I learnt how to prepare a power point, something I have never done before, and also I have spoken publicly for the first time, all be it behind a camera in my own home, but for me that is a great progress. I have enjoyed seeing everyone's presentations and found it fascinating to see  all the different presentation styles. It was good to learn about different methods of research and to see how they could be applied, by seeing them in the presentations it strengthened my understanding of them and I can see the value of all the different methods. I will now be applying these methods to my research and feel they will add a richness to the results of my research.    

[gambinijournal]

Between painting and photography.

Gregory Crewdson, Untitled, 2001.

John Everett Millais, Ophelia, 1852.

Henry Peach Robinson, The Lady of Shallot, 1862

It does not matter what kind of medium you are using. If you feel like to hold the brush and hand painted every detail on canvas it is fine. If you use the black box and press the button to make picture it is also fine. Both mediums with different ways of making visual image have the same aim,  say the story or either pass the message to a viewers.

[maxodinson]

GROUP PRESENTATION  ( BLOG TASK) PHOTOGRAPHY THEORY, 

Blog task for seminars

Reflecting on my groups presentation. I would say that overall it went very well. We each set ourselves different aspects of photography theory, to research and write/ talk about.

 The information that we provided in our PowerPoint was extensive, our PowerPoint ran smoothly and the performance was great. 

My part of the presentation was focused on the importance of both lighting and framing in photography theory. Highlighting how lighting can convey moods, atmospheres and even time; whilst framing defines the photographs form, and in most cases categorises the "type "of photograph it is. All of which I found very useful in my project. 

The only aspect  that I would want to improve on, is my part of the presentation. As I got a bit of stage fright, and my stammer got the better of me. I feel I could've done better. 

However you learn from your experiences, and I feel as if I've learnt a lot due to this presentation task. So much so, that a significant amount of work that I put into the presentation, has proved very useful in the writing of my essay. 

[capturingmaya]

Advanced Research Methods

Essay Notes:

For my essay I have considered using  deontology as the main theory of ethics and focus on Immanuel Kant’s philosophy of ethics. 

    Deontology – you have to do your duty (deon derived from Greek language- duty). You have to do what is right in the first place, because it’s the right thing to do regardless. 

Then discuss three images in relation to the theme of ethics using philosophy as method to analyse the images. One image I want to discuss in this essay is Starving Child and Vulture Kevin Carter, 1993.

...tutorial to help understanding and relation. 

Layout: (approximately)

Intro - 250 

Theory of Ethics/ Kant - 650 

Photographic Case Studies - 500 words each 

Summary - 300 

Conclusion - 300

Bibliography 

[hannahsalvidgephotography-blog]

Taylor Wessing Photographic Portrait Prize 2017

After the seminar on portrait photography and identity, I thought it would be useful to visit the Taylor Wessing Portrait Prize 2017 at The National Portrait Gallery, to try and apply some of the topics and ideas we had discussed on to works being exhibited. I also thought it would help with thinking about my identity and gender essay, which I am part way through writing. Below are some images from the exhibition:

I think all of the above images say something about the identity of each individual, whether that be their clothing, ethnicity or gender. The image of the young boy for example (second to bottom) perhaps says something about his changing identity as he is growing up, and the way that he is beginning to develop his own style and personality. The final image could say something about the girl’s identity through what she is wearing and the way she is clearly posing, as well as her culture due to the setting in which the portrait has been taken.

[pravjotkumar10]

Presentation seminar 1- Week 9

This was also the week that my group presented our method of research other than my group. Methods brought up in this seminar which I particularly took an interest towards was photo theory.

Photo theory from the get go talking from the technology of how such phones such as iPhone cameras are seen in today’s society as an alternative to using a DSLR because of the way the growth of the quality has significantly changed from the iPhone 4 to the latest iPhone XR and able to access these phones in this day and age due to the fact that we can get more for our money in terms of quality. This enables people to take photos whenever they want when they want and have access to the world in a more technological way. From this apps have become bigger in the modern day of now such social media platforms Instagram, Facebook and more, the algorithm patterns that take place without the acknowledgement of humans leading back to photos on social media’s platforms entails a version of what you believe to be the truth in a photo but is not necessarily the actual truth of that one photo. Posting a life that you don’t live in reality, faking/the recollection of the truth to a certain extent and for those who are posting how easy it is to fake a life on social media with the use of photoshop and other face tuning software. In the words of many bloggers, ‘ you can't always believe what you see on Instagram’

This is an example that I collected to show the prices of the latest set of iPhones compared to some of the later models and to also show what you can get for your money/ quality.

This is one of the newest smartphones out which as we can see has a combination of cameras working together in order to a capture a single image. it is also impressive to look at the camera as there are so many settings you would see on a DSLR such as aperture, ISO and a variety of more features.

[hannahmatthewswestminster]

Seminar Evaluation

I presented my seminar today on environmental theory, more specifically focusing on plastic pollution. I felt as though the presentation was well informed and researched in regards to the factual evidence about plastic, and photographers who had devoted their careers to raising awareness surrounding the issue. We chose photographers who each took a different approach, to present a wide variety of artists and their own individual take on the matter. We additionally related these photographers to ethics, and the question of suffering (due to our essay question). Whether these images achieve what they clearly set out to do (raise awareness and promote change), or whether they use the current state of the planet to create aesthetically pleasing and fearfully relatable images. However, through the feedback it was clear that we hadn't researched the environmental theory itself in depth, and related the photographers to this in order to successfully analyse their work. I realised through this feedback that I was unsure about the aspect of the theory and how one relates and uses it to investigate the work. This has shown me that it is important to fully understand what was expected, in order to additionally form my essay. This means it is essential to conduct in depth research on environmental theory, and what it entails. I aim to do just that, and obtain advise on how I would do, and understand this, so I can use this information within my advanced research methods essay

[carrals]

One of the images from my first artist shoot on November 1st. The idea was to photograph artists in their homes, because I'm really interested by how they decorate/inhabit their spaces. Usually, you walk into an artist’s room and you kind of just go, “oh, okay. this makes sense. this looks like you.” Unfortunately, this was the only successful image. there was really only one window in her studio flat, and it was a miserable day out. This corner of the room was the only place that got sufficient light. The pose seems a bit awkward, but she sat like that on her own. She also tended to zone out frequently while I was setting up the shot, which is what she was doing here. In a way, it’s actually a pretty natural/candid photograph even though she was aware of both me and my camera’s presence. Another thing that I was having trouble with was the lens. It wasn't quite wide enough to properly photograph such a tight living space. 

[jacquelinemulvaney]

Presentation groups

25.11.20

After a few online meetings my group ‘history’ have decided to work our presentation around Avant Garde Russian revolution photography. This is an area that I have not looked at before so it will be interesting g for me to work with my group to discover what I can find. We decided to take a part of the presentation each, my part is an exhibition’ Masters of Soviet Photographic Art’ The exhibition took place in 1935 and was well accepted as an important exhibition of its time.

I have enjoyed listening to other presentations and it nice to see how everyone has interpreted their subject.

[gambinijournal]

Vilém Flusser -  and his futuristic writing.

Vilém Flusser was born in Prague in 1920, he emigrated to Brazil and after 20 years later come back to Europe. He was an influential writer about many topics such a language, design, communication and photography. He died in 1991.

At the moment I’m reading his book Towards a Philosophy of Photography  and I cannot stop thinking about his reflections about photography! Traditional images, technical images, windows, surfaces, apparatuses, machines, cameras, photographers, capitalism, production, human beings, world out there… Many topics is covered in his essays which I am interested to. I would like leave one recent citation from the book, which I consider as a worth text to look into photography and its philosophy in reflection to our actions on this Planet. It is a pity that Flusser died in 1991 just before the blossom of World Wide Web period and explosion of development in communication like the smartphones for instance.

“In short: Apparatuses are black boxes that simulate thinking in the sense of a combinatory game using number-like symbols; at the same time, they mechanize this thinking in such a way that, in future, human beings will become less and less competent to deal with it and have to rely more and more on apparatuses. Apparatuses are scientific black boxes that carry out this type of thinking better than human beings because they are better at playing (more quickly and with fewer errors) with number-like symbols. Even apparatuses that are not fully automated (those that need human beings as players and functionaries) play and function better than the human beings that operate them. This has to be starting point for any consideration of the act of photography”                                      Vilém Flusser  “Towards a Philosophy of Photography”