The Photographers Gallery
Before beginning my investigation I went to the Photographer's Gallery to see how artists create a cohesive project and how I could achieve a similar effect with my work.
'A brief moment' by Zineb Sedira depicts political change and the media's effect on families like her own. Sedira does this by framing this change through her family's experiences and archives spanning across cultures. I thought Sedira's use of space was interesting as pieces were often layered and created more space which mirrored their historical significance such as the Black Panthers and the growth of resistance in the '60s. I found this exhibition interesting as the thought of a reflection on society through the eyes of an intimate space creates a feeling of encroaching violence as the movement becomes personal.
Cao Fei explores photography itself as they explore the strange reality we create within a photo and how photos act as a window, used to subvert our thoughts on our world, ever-changing and moving to an automated society that orbits around a worldliness. My favourite part of this series was the use of light, often being held above the subject which seems to tempt the idea of an alternate reality within Fei's dystopian dreamscape making them and their world seem dispensable.
Alejandro Cartagena documents how Mexico's urban sprawl has developed an uninspired landscape supported by infrastructure which provides a circular economy for its residents which seems adopted when paired with the bureaucratic nature of home buying in comparison with Mexico's government encroachment on personal freedoms creating a social divide that leads to such communities feeling lifeless. My favourite part of this exhibition is the use of space often placing themselves away from the subject in a way to place the people in an unearthly space which contains their lives and status. I also found this in the way objects are contained surrounding the subjects which is relative to the closeness of nature and personhood.
Visitors to the Gallery were invited to vote for their favourite exhibition and I selected Poulomi Basu as I believe their use of depth, lines and composition created an altered sense of reality that comes from being in opposition and finding escape in religion, culture and violence. This manifests itself in the development of a climax depicted by the fighters being restrained as they transcend their physical pain. I also noticed a theme of being caught. This is seen by depth as there is a lack of intimacy, however the fighters stand in clear view as if they are in opposition to the camera.
I think these images have a universal theme of development as social change and evolution is documented by light and space that punctures the perceived reality creating a false reality that witnesses these moments, groups and changes as singular.
Beginning my project
Commercial photography, for my generation, has centred around fashion photography that subverted old marketing ideas by introducing personality and culture into the work. I initially researched fashion photographers that stylise the world surrounding the clothing.
After some experimentation I found that I preferred photos that were more abstract yet used similar lighting, This led me to think about surrealism. Considering the surrealist's use of photographing the unreal and the haunting nature of my photos led me to research the use of religious imagery. When put together in my Photobook these photographs go well together and the book seems to have a cohesive idea to the viewer.
After some experimentation I found that I preferred photos that were more abstract yet used similar lighting, This led me to think about surrealism. Considering the surrealist's use of photographing the unreal and the haunting nature of my photos led me to research the use of religious imagery. When put together in my Photobook these photographs go well together and the book seems to have a cohesive idea to the viewer.
Jack Bridgland- the metamorphosis of Robert Pattinson
Edward cook's mentee Bridgland has a almost cartoonish style with its vibrancy and gradient styles of light being inspired by Looney Tunes. The first two photos are editorial in style, in a studio with unnatural poses. The others are sets that remind the viewer of real places but are surreal. They seem to parody unglamorous spaces with Pattinson pretending to be a criminal.
Viviane Sassen
Sassen is a fashion photographer who uses many styles such as editorial (third image) but also uses nostalgia from the 90s and 00s by using family homes and flash photography(first image). Sassen rarely photographs her subjects up close in order to use their bodies as structures with strong sharp lines, using tall thin models. Sassen was inspired by Araki, Nan Goldin, Thomas Ruff, Andres Serrano and Wolfgang Tillmans, and worked for designers such as Miu Miu, Viktor & Rolf, Diesel. Adidas and Stella McCartney. Her work has faced much criticism due to her objectification of black people and her removing their person hood only to show their bodies as she herself is a wealthy white person from a post -colonial country. A critic wrote that Sassen liked to photograph black skin, “and made it her life’s work, so that black people are once again reduced to their skin colour.”
My reactions
I wanted my images to exist outside of reality and be disorientating. I asked my model to wear black and white and turned overhead lights off to create contrast. i asked her to play with shiny silver and purple fabric while standing on white boxes. I think this shoot went well as the images were bright and her body made shadows that distorted her shape making her seem slightly inhumane. My main problem with this shoot was encouraging her to move freely and be less posed.
This is my favourite photo as my model felt calmer, suiting the space.
the light in this image is a secondary subject as the highlights against the wall follow her shape. The light, box and her trousers create bright negative space, drawing attention and altering the composition. This photo was taken with a fish eye lens bending the background and creating a line of light that goes through the image. |
I did another, similar shoot. These are some test shoots:
I then used a black background and purple gels which created a purple orb. These photos seemed more playful as I photographed the model talking and moving to get comfortable. I also over exposed some images which led to motion blur. This combined with the light created the non-human out-of-reality sense that I prefer over more traditional fashion photography.
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This photo achieved my goal for this shoot as I was able to create an aura-like light feature and represent my model in a way that removed herself and prioritised her body and clothing making the image resemble fashion photography. as her face is turned down and not clear it contains some negative space making the light on her shoulders and chest seem separate from the rest of her body. |
My work has become less about clothes and more about the feelings and the presence within a photo. This led me to research surrealist artist who dealt with the ineffable.
Duane Michaels
Michaels is my favourite surrealist photographer. Utilising double exposures text and long shutter speeds Michaels produced images that expand photography into being able to capture the unreal. Beginning with street photography he lost interest in documentation and instead focused on myths and metaphysics as well as ideas around death and sexuality. His staged photos are products of his interest in the works of Balthus and René Magritte as influences on his art. In turn, he has influenced photographers such as Francesca Woodman whose work contained political context and formal elements much like the surrealists of the early 20th century.
The first image is normal in composition and tone. The man is perfectly in focus, and is in the middle and the light is not over exposed. In the second photo the light is even but is affecting the passengers around them. In the third image the light has intensified, disturbing even the edges of the film. In photo 4 the light shrinks as if it were a star or universe collapsing in on itself and what we thought were flicks of light become stars. In the 5th image the constellation moves closer to us and the frame of the image is restored, once again being bound. in the 6th image the negative space in the right bottom corner is restored and we see the orb as part of a larger space. |
As Michaels tends to photograph the unreal or a memory I decided to do the same. I used a memory from when i was a child about looking at my mum late at night in bed. I made a bed-like structure lit from far above and then below with foam pieces underneath. I also threw a sheet over the top and used a fish eye lens during the shoot. I think this was incredibly successful as unlike Michaels I don't usually take portraits yet these photos represent my memory well and the tone and composition make it clear this is not a real representation of a bed but a memory of one. I also like that the light seemed to radiate from the 'bed' to the wall.
i then edited some of them to make them more dream-like in a traditional sense, completely distorting the structure.
I wanted to use what I had learnt in this and make my images more abstract by trying to show a feeling rather than a memory. I wanted to suggest confusion and panic as I began exploring religious imagery and guilt. i used mesh with lights inside a structure shaped like an hourglass which diffused the lights. I used light orange gels then discovered cool tones better create feelings of fear and anxiety.
Next I wanted to show erratic movements as I thought about how fallen angels behave. Me and a model moved around an upside down table with a light on the ground to the side. My favourite part of these photos is the shadows made in the background as they make the subject larger and more surreal.
I edited the images in order to make them strange rather than creepy. I think this was successful as many of the lines became blown out and the colours became vibrant.
While exploring surrealism I became interested in ideas about photographing fantasies, specifically Christian religious imagery. Many of my previous photos remind me of a state of purgatory. irrespective of the photographer’s background, it can sometimes come across as provocative and scandalous.
Andres Serrano
Serrano is known for his graphic and controversial images using his own bodily fluids/faeces to create his work and he is synonymous with religious photography His most known work “Immersion (Piss Christ),” has been criticised by religious groups for its depiction of Christ being defiled by Serrano who urinated on a plastic figure of christ. The piece was so hated that it has been vandalised many times. “Creativity is a subconscious process and it’s not always possible to know where it will lead you." “You can’t have the sacred without the profane." |
What we do in the Shadows
When watching the program 'What we do in the Shadows' I noticed their use of paintings of the devil and other satanic creatures to explain the actions of people in the present. They also appropriate art works for the characters (see the website of design director John Likens for more images.) . I chose to focus on Catholic imagery due to the historic art, as European art tends to accept using terrifying subjects when the subject is religion. I also used to this imagery as most of my family is Catholic and I have seen the use of horror in church services.
David LaChapelle - Paradise
'I just got up in the middle of the night with a picture in my head after praying for inspiration." LaChapelle became famous for portraying celebrities as gods and oddities and turned to remaking religious paintings and concepts from the Old Masters using pop culture references and 90s techniques. His use of colour is derived from painter Odilon Redon. In his work 'The rape of Africa' LaChapelle explores religious views towards non-white people and references Sandro Botticelli’s painting Venus and Mars (1485). He also used non-white models to portray Jesus.
Fire in My Belly - David Wojnarowicz
Made notorious because of its removal from an exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery at the Smithsonian after the Catholic League and Conservative members of the House of Representatives complained that a scene depicting ants crawling on a crucifix amounted to anti-Christian hate speech. The film is also understood to be mis-presented as Wojnarowicz never completed or exhibited the work. The film includes the photographer Peter Hujar on his deathbed; ants crawling on coins and on a crucifix; and Wojnarowicz sewing his mouth shut. The project explores ideas of colonial exploitation and religious hypocrisy with much of the film being made in Mexico and Puerto Rico.
Jake and Dinos Chapman
The Chapman brothers are known mainly for their appropriations of Hitler's water colours along with S.S. uniforms in strange spaces and positions. The series 'Fucking Hell' and 'Hellscape' build dystopian worlds that don't claim to be a natural god-made space for the damned but man-made cities built for everyone. They were influenced by their Greek Orthodox mother's faith.
My reactions
I felt my images were haunted and I began to look at the idea of a fallen angel. I first took photos of myself. I think these went well as the light in these images are simple which makes them feel like documentary photos.
I then asked someone else to be the angel which allowed me to move closer. I used a black background so that she couldn't be compared to reality in terms of her size.
Editing the colour of the images worked well when putting together my book as they were able to break apart sequences of the darker images.
I took photos of myself with a dark background with the intention of being something that would appear in a nightmare. I used large white boards to create negative space and moved them during exposure to break up the sharp lines so that they were not based in reality. I then covered my face with cloth to utilise the unknown in horror. I also chose to wear a black dress so that i could easily detatch parts of my body and change their shape.
I then edited them into colour. I felt this modernised ideas I had of satanic beings. These are some:
'Lucifer', 1890 , by Franz von Stuck (the image to the right) . This is my favourite painting of Satan. 'Lucifer' is similar to how I want to represent religious figures, with no period signifiers and with no explicit violent characteristics - he is simply the devil and feared for that fact alone.
i attempted to recreate this image. I think this went well as I found the model to look powerful as he is lit from below and leaning forward.
This is the best image and it also most closely resembles the painting. The light in the bottom left of the image is the best part as it looks strange and unreal. The light is contained to a small area with defined lines. The image is split diagonally as the top half is completely black this negative space helps the idea that he is not in the real world. |
I took some other more natural photos :
Making the book
I wanted the book to fold in on itself in some way and the images not fully visible like in a codex. Due to the nature of the book the viewer must take care of the book, looking closely at the photos. These scrolls are also what many religious texts were first written on. I think the book is successful as it is not easy to flip through and care must be taken with the paper. It can be laid out or used as a scroll. and due to the length of the scroll the Photobook always becomes public. In the photos of the unravelled book you can see people walking through the corridor. I found they mainly focused on the size of the piece rather than the images.
These are the photos I chose for the book:
These are the photos I chose for the book: