Weekly Update #2

Walls 

I have been shooting recently, if just on the whim of attention or the things I have been actively seeking out, but I have been very interested in images of trees, plants, shrubs and other things sourced with nature.

Cherry Blossom, June, 2011

I came across a photograph I took in the early part of June last year of a pink blossom tree, full bloom. An image that I liked back then when I developed it and one I still enjoy looking at today. 

It was only when I begun to look at hanging plates that my attention moved on to wreathes and flowers in arrangements. But, really, what does it all mean? 

Hanging plates themselves hold this kitsch, increasing their value. These plates which originated in China, can be seen everywhere, from Europe to North America. They have purposes as ideal gifts, and for household decorations. The ones I am more interesting in though, are the ones that carry a motif, almost a moral motif. In themes of relationships, life morals, and so forth. 

These kitsch designs are interesting, there form and structure relates to the ideas of my work.

The plate as an object is surrounded by a golden edge, the first barrier. Within that is the second barrier, the wreath of flowers, and inside that are the some-what special words.

It was from this I begun noticing the involvement of nature with the portraits used in Walls. Now I have also been shooting portraits for a different series of work that looks at males in their own ephemeral landscape that has been on going for over a year Liam #1, June 2011 and Carter, 2011. 

So I want to get out and photograph more images similar to Cherry Blossom, June 2011, and see how they look visually alongside my portrait work, as a trial. 

Liam #1, June, 2011

Carter, 2011

Around the same time I  was discussing work from Canadian photographer or more correctly artist Jeff Wall. In the past he has made images such as The Crooked Path, 1991. A photograph that is a study of human understanding in the simplest forms of how we read a landscape. How do we get from point A to point B?
Not to mention with my previous post looking at the work from Photographer Maureen Drennan, you can see now why I connect with her work so well. There are visual similarities that I enjoyed reading, the colours, the composition and the eye for detail. 

The Crooked Path, 1991, Jeff Wall

And so, these are some of the things I have found myself looking at, and being highly interested in, no matter how visually mundane they may appear. 

Forest, Dovestone, 2012

 Dried Stems, March, 2012

Tangled Shrubs, 2012

Finally I even have this image, which I haven’t scanned in correctly at the right size, or sorted the colour balance correctly, but I wanted to just be able to see if it had any qualities I wanted to keep. I suppose I like the variation within it.  

Untitled, Houldsworth, 2012

Untitled #2 Houldsworth, 2011

'Vacancy' contribution

I’ve got the opportunity to have some work displayed in the Holden Gallery, if I can get the print done and framed in time. I have had this image for about one year now, and I have not used it for anything. However, I now have a book in progress entitled 'Vacancy' which I will elaborate later that I'm keen on including it in.

I particularly like it for the way you get this descending level of contrast. The location of the image as well is something I like about it, I have been there a number of times and this image looks nothing like it should on a clear day. Everything about the location has changed in this image.

I have included these videos on the blog as a personal reminder to keep revising ideas on future work. I will be working with possibly three Polish friends on creating a portrait series that looks at life as an immigrant in this country. I do not want to create this work as a pathetic excuse to make work as just a personal response, but rather to make work that still possesses the methodology I have begun working with of late that is spurred on by an emotive reaction to recent events.

Agreement - Draft

Moving on from my previous work that explored themes of young male adulthood, the physical form of body and landscape, I have now begun exploring ideas that work with and advance my own personal interests, such as intimacy in relationships, relationships, human connections, passion, trust, truth and openness. I believe this exploration is just as much a personal learning experience to my subjects as it will be to me. 

I have been motivated to carry out this practice work from previous experiences and the focus comes from where my own life is at the moment, the people that surround it, the relationships built and the ones lost, the obstacles and trials and other moments. I have the desire to not just photograph the body this time, nor the aim to solely look at the male body but to just observe humans in general, and to take note of their opinions on areas such as censorship through males, females, old and young individuals, and sexual orientation. 

This will be one project with two outcomes, I want to work within the studio; an area I can only describe as a ‘non-place’, and secondly a home (my flat). I somehow consider a flat - though it is not their home - is a home, it is a place where life exists, and takes place, a studio is not.

I want to photograph couples together in the flat, and photograph them individually at separate times in the studio, whilst all the time offering conversation in a informal interview way. 

I want to use the time I spend with each couple and individual to find out what their relationship is like by allowing them to explain by any means whether it be with physicality or by words, what it is to them. I want to experiment with giving them words, such as ‘trust’ and see if they have different ideas on what that means and who they lay that word on to.

I have drawn inspiration on ways to do it from artists such as Hellen van Meene for the technical way she has managed to, through portraiture work capture and recreate special moments in young adults and children. Koos Breukel for his work on a specially designed large format camera, making stunning portraits of individuals and couples come to life. Rineke Dijkstra, David Bailey, and Richard Kern for their strict methodology when creating their series of work (Bailey – Bailey’s Democracy, Kern – Couples and Class Photos)

The methodology will be very strict, the only changing thing will be the participants. Shooting on medium format for both locations I aim to keep the framing identical for each location. 

The end result? I would hopefully like to achieve a series of 16 individual people, a total of 8 couples to study, all shot on colour film. To then be able to juxtapose these prints onto walls will complete the series.