Covid has changed all our lives, forcing us to adapt to the new measures. Simple things we had previously taken for granted have become limited, restricted or altered, making it hard to continue as we once were. Even our education has been affected with school closures and restrictions on how we move around the buildings. However despite these negative effects, the impact of Covid can bring creative solutions, such as introducing a new dimension to photography. The obligatory wearing of masks, for instance, can be incorporated into our photography in different ways. Also the fact that COVID has narrowed down our creative freedom might force us to be more imaginative in how we make art.
Instructions
When we take a photograph, we make a series of deliberate choices, such as:
1. What equipment to use
2. What angle to take the photo from
3. The lighting
4. The subject matter of the photo
5. The composition: landscape or portrait
6. What to focus on, what to leave out of focus.
Removing some of these choices and being given a deliberate instruction might force us to be more creative in our photography. In class we gave each other instructions.
1. What equipment to use
2. What angle to take the photo from
3. The lighting
4. The subject matter of the photo
5. The composition: landscape or portrait
6. What to focus on, what to leave out of focus.
Removing some of these choices and being given a deliberate instruction might force us to be more creative in our photography. In class we gave each other instructions.
My instruction was to take a picture of the moon:
Marcel Duchamp & The Ready-made
Duchamp proved that in order to make art you don't necessarily need to produce something from scratch that is 100% your own creation and that you can just add or alter aspects of existing works of art to create a new and maybe more dynamic visual experience. In 1919, Marcel Duchamp added a controversial moustache above the smile on the most famous and celebrated painting in the world: the Mona Lisa. The painting was originally painted in the 16th century and has become iconic due to Mona Lisa's captivating, mysterious smile. By adding the male facial hair to the female portrait, I think that Duchamp was mocking the seriousness of the painting and the high regard with which is held. Duchamp gave his Mona Lisa the title L.H.O.O.Q which when said out loud sounds like the French: "Elle a chaud au cul", which means "she has a hot ass"! Rather than trying to say that he thinks Mona Lisa is beautiful, I think Duchamp was trying to shock and cause controversy. Duchamps's idea of the 'readymade' was a revolutionary idea in the art world because it introduced a whole new style and changed people's idea about what art could be.
In the style of Marcel Duchamp, I have taken a famous historical portrait and tried to change aspects of it to create something new. The painting I chose is by the Dutch artist Johannes Vermeer from around 1665. I have used washi tape to create a medical face mask which has now become the main feature instead of the famous pearl earring. I've also added the obligatory 10 badge that we have to wear at school. This puts the girl in our contemporary setting - she is wearing the accessories for Covid 19. I like the way the washi tape stands out - it adds a new texture to the old painting and it looks totally wrong which highlights the modern day contrast with the original painting. The badge is wrong too - it's far too big and so obviously doesn't belong but I like the way it changes the painting. Weirdly, the girl's expression suits the face-mask as her eyes look serious and sad, like she knows she's in a global pandemic.
Kensuke Koike
The images above are some of my favourite Kensuke Koike 'readymades'. In class we have been inspired by the work of Kensuke Koike, a Japanese artist currently living in Italy. Kensuke Koike makes surrealist images by cutting up and reassembling vintage photographs. The original pictures are often very ordinary (e.g. traditional portraits) but Kensuke Koike recycles the original, by deconstructing it and creating a far more extraordinary piece of art.
The image on the right is a readymade that I have made, inspired by Kensuke Koike. I cut up pictures from old postcards and brought them together to make a new image. I enjoyed the process of rearranging the images imaginatively, and placing things outside of their normal context. Overall, I don't really like the final outcome as I think it looks too messy and busy. It would have been better if I'd taken a more simplistic approach, by limiting the images that I brought together.
The image on the right is a readymade that I have made, inspired by Kensuke Koike. I cut up pictures from old postcards and brought them together to make a new image. I enjoyed the process of rearranging the images imaginatively, and placing things outside of their normal context. Overall, I don't really like the final outcome as I think it looks too messy and busy. It would have been better if I'd taken a more simplistic approach, by limiting the images that I brought together.
In class we also used portaits from the Black Chronicles archive to create more readymade inspired art. I used a scalpel and mat to carve out spaces in the original photographs. Then I placed the cut photograph on top of different coloured card. I really like the way the vibrant background totally transforms and contrast with the black and white images. I liked selecting which parts of the original to remove so that the colours would have most effect. I think the 2nd one is the best because its got the best balance between the original black and white portrait and the vibrant background showing through.
Hannah Höch collage analysis
The collage is arranged randomly with different pieces of picture overlapping in unconventional ways. I can see bits of machinery overlapping many BMW badges and a face in the top right corner. It seems as if the pictures have come from different sources, for example a fashion magazine and possibly a car advertisement. There is also big puff of hair which almost looks like an explosion coming out of the light bulb below. Furthermore, the light bulb is emerging from a woman's body, which may suggest that women are smart too even though it is men being sent out to the front lines during the war. There is a clock being held which I think holds many meanings behind it. This is the part of the image that strikes me most because it firstly represents the speed of the car and it being timed in a race or something. Furthermore, it is being held by the hand which implies that the hand is in complete control of the clock and this implies that they can control the time. I also find the light bulb interesting because it suggests the idea of an idea.
I think that the name the “beautiful girl” is very interesting because everyone has different perceptions on what is beautiful, so this title is quite a bold statement. If I were to rename it, I would call it ‘Time Control’ because I think that the clock represents the human's control over the time.
I think that the name the “beautiful girl” is very interesting because everyone has different perceptions on what is beautiful, so this title is quite a bold statement. If I were to rename it, I would call it ‘Time Control’ because I think that the clock represents the human's control over the time.
Matt Lipps
Matt Lipps is a California based artist who was born in 1975. He is known for his unique photographic collaging style. He cuts out pictures from books and magazines and then arranges them as 3D standing models. He then re-photographs them against very modern and vibrantly coloured backdrops. By doing this, Matt Lipps is taking old,unknown and forgotten photographs and bringing them into the present and giving them new meaning.
In, with and alongside photography
This is how Matt Lipps describes his work. This sums up his unique way of dissecting, mounting and re-assembling old, found images to create new, meaningful art.
Abigail Hunt
Abigail Hunt is a visual artist whose work includes the use of physical objects that she finds visually exciting. She is interested in using found objects and exploring how an object can become something visually interesting and separate from its original purpose. I personally really like her work because it is unique in the way that she takes old physical objects and transforms them into abstract art arrangements.
My response to Matt Lipps
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EBI: |
I am really pleased with the layered presentation of my end product. Also, I like the fact that the focus is on the woman at the front and the background is softer. I like the contrast in the subject matter - the juxtaposition between the older, self-important, regal looking woman and the younger, quirky looking girl behind. It looks like the girl is laughing behind the older woman's back.
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I think it would look even better if the book were disguised so you couldn't see it holding the front picture up. I would rather have added more content so there was less white background or thought more carefully about the composition of the end-product. Next time I'd like to experiment with using more images.
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My Attempt at a Sculptural Arrangement
After taking these photos, I decided to experiment with an editing app and made the images below. I really like the way the different coloured filters add a whole new visual dimension which makes them so much more exciting to look at. The distortion tool allowed me to exaggerate the most interesting aspects of the kitchen utensils - e.g. the holes in the potato masher and the prongs on the fork. Combined with the aqua/ blue filters, it looks like these could be underwater photos. I think its quite cool how you can take ordinary household objects and turn them into a form of art and it's been a good thing for me to do while I'm stuck at home, self-isolating for the 3rd week running.
Collaborative Construction Collage
You will need a pair of scissors, a glue stick, a camera phone, a piece of A3 cartridge paper and a magazine (containing interesting photos).
- Cut or tear out 5 pages from your magazine. Choose pages with interesting images.
- Make a pile of these 5 pages on your desk.
- Take the top page and cut a hole in it (Note: it doesn't have to be perfect).
- Pass this cut out image to your neighbour (the person sitting nearest to you in class).
- Put the page with the hole in it at the bottom of your pile.
- Take the (new) top page and tear it in half. Pass one half to your neighbour (the same one as before) and put the other half at the bottom of your pile.
- Take the (new) top page and cut out a shape (Note: you could cut round an object or simply cut a random shape of your own choosing).
- Keep the cut-out shape, putting it at the bottom of your pile, and pass the page that remains to someone 3 places away (Note: make sure you don't end up with your own page).
- Take the (new) top page and tear a strip from the (top or bottom) edge. Keep the strip and pass the remaining page to someone else in the room.
- Place the A3 sheet of cartridge paper in front of you (portrait format).
- Without altering them, arrange the pieces of paper from your pile on the A3 sheet to create a pleasing collage. Carefully photograph your first arrangement.
- Again, without altering them, repeat this process, re-arranging the various elements on the A3 sheet until you are happy with the results. Photograph carefully.
- You may now swap 1 or 2 elements with your neighbour. Make a new arrangement and photograph carefully.
- You may now adapt the pieces in any way you like - cutting, tearing etc. Make a new collage, this time sticking them to the A3 sheet of cartridge paper.
- Photograph your finished collage carefully.
Today I followed a set of instructions to create a collaborative collage using a couple of magazines. As I'm at home self-isolating, I had to do this with my mum. It was quite easy to find striking photos as we used fashion magazines (Vogue & Elle). Probably the most challenging part of this task was being able to let go of images that I thought looked good individually and accepting that they were going to be covered up or obscured in some way. I think I got better at this task as time went on because the more time I got and the more I played around with the pictures, the more I started to see the overall outcome rather than concentrating on individual photos. I am most happy with the last image because there are so many clashing and conflicting patterns - it's quite chaotic but also interesting to look at as you can hardly make out where one image ends and another begins.
Prison Photography
The video below explains how Klavdij Sluban set up photography workshops for young prisoners in juvenile detention centres. One of the major benefits of sharing the art of photography with the teenage prisoners was that it gave them a way of expressing themselves and therefore a way to reclaim their freedom. Klavdij Sluban told the prisoners, "photography is a language" and that every photograph should have meaning. He taught the students that it didn't matter if their was apparently nothing to photograph, that what was actually important was the composition - this was what made the subject matter meaningful and interesting . The prisoners' response was extremely enthusiastic - they clearly enjoyed using the disposable cameras that they were given and finding new ways to express themselves creatively in such restricted and limited conditions.
Six Frames
Having watched the video above, I went through and made screenshots of six images that I thought best portrayed the experience of experimenting with photography in a juvenile detention centre.
Nicolo Digiorgis' Prison Photography
Between 2013-2017 the photographer Nicolo Digiorgis worked with inmates at the Penal Institution of Bolzanio in Italy. He spent this time teaching the prisoners how to take photographs and encouraged them to think about the genre of photograph they were taking. The result was a book of 137 images all taken within the prison grounds.The challenge for Nicolo Digiorgi and the inmates was to find ways to express themselves creatively in a place that is designed to limit and restrict the existence of all those inside it.
Genre Photography Treasure Hunt
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WWW: Because we were given exact rules for each photo's subject matter, I enjoyed finding the most interesting aspect of those subjects. For example, I chose a really old sketch book for the spine of a book because I liked how weathered and vintage it looked. Also, I like the photo for the sole of a shoe because it focuses in on the pattern and you wouldn't know otherwise what it was. We had to publish the photos in a set order in the grid and I liked how randomly arranged the pictures were.
EBI: Sometimes I found it hard to find to take an interesting photograph because the subject matter was challenging - for example, I struggled to find an interesting way to capture the ceiling of my bedroom. It was hard to be creative when the rules were so specific. I would like to re-do my photo of a photo because I think it was less thoughtful than some of the other images - it followed the rules, but it wasn't very imaginative.
EBI: Sometimes I found it hard to find to take an interesting photograph because the subject matter was challenging - for example, I struggled to find an interesting way to capture the ceiling of my bedroom. It was hard to be creative when the rules were so specific. I would like to re-do my photo of a photo because I think it was less thoughtful than some of the other images - it followed the rules, but it wasn't very imaginative.
Multi-genre photo
- Still life: kitchen utensils on tray
- Selfie: photo booth picture
- Portrait: black and white framed photo of man
- Landscape: large framed photo at back
- Nature: cactus
- Travel: globe & figurine from India
- Sport: trophy & football album
- War/Photojournalism: WW2 b&w photos
- Advertising/Nature: hens on egg carton
Google Street View bingo
Today we used Google street view to take photographs in a game of bingo. Each round lasted 5 minutes and a city and subject was chosen at random.
- Taipei - Fruit
- Rome - Graffiti
- Nairobi - Sport
- Brasilia - Water
- Athens - Yellow Car
- Kingston - Arrow
- Taipei - Tall Building
- Helsinki - Animal
- Asmara - Person Pointing
- Paris- Coca Cola sign
- Lima - Bridge
Personal Projects
I really liked focusing on the study we did around Marcel Duchamp's 'readymade' and because of this I've decided I'd like to incorporate the idea of collage into my personal project. This will make it more personal as I will adapt it to fit my ideas as well as following the 'readymade' theme.
Blindfold collages
The task was to create a collage whilst being blidfolded. This was extremely hard because sight is on of the most essential senses in photography so when its taken you are forced to utilse your other senses.
Chance Collage Experiment
This experiment was based around chance- i cut the magazines blindfolded and selected a random soundtrack to go along side it. I think that this experiment was interesting because it shows that you can . make really cool art without even trying to. In addition to further increase the amount of chance I could throw the pieces from the walkway which would make then spread out further .
Final EvaluationFor my personal project i explored the theme of random/chance photography. I did this because i found the idea of photography which is mostly out of your control interesting. Furthermore i was very intrested in the work of john balldesari who also incorporated the theme of randomistion to his work.In his 1973 series Throwing Three Balls in the Air to Get a Straight Line (Best of Thirty-Six Attempts), John Baldessari experimented with chance photography. He threw three balls in the air in hopes that he could capture the three balls aloft and alined. This variation of random photography was extremely infuential and inpiratyional to my main project. For example i incorprated the idea of throwing things in the air to make it random similar to john balldesaries work.
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