The Decisive Moment

ART IN THE GARDEN

2012-10-05T09:44:00.001-07:00

Sir Harold Hillier Gardens

50/50 Photo and Paint Exhibition
Until the 28th October!
Art In The Garden
http://www3.hants.gov.uk/hilliergardens
Visit the address above for more information

'A garden paradise for every occasion'
A unique exhibition in which photographers and painters work together and take inspiration from each other, Hilliers Gardens colour in the landscape and the world around us.
(info from exhibition handout)

Exhibition opens daily from 10am to 5am
Free Admission
Garden hours, 10-6pm

I came to Gardens today surprised and delighted to find out this wonderful little exhibition was on show and it displays stunning work from many Artists, those of which stood out for me were, Roy Brophy, Sue Holness, Anne Ruffell and Paul Sansome, all were photographers with impressive work. I was fortunate enough to get these snapshots of the exhibition.

The Paintings on show were equally as beautiful, and if I had the money I would buy several all the pieces here. The skill of both photos and paintings were very inspirational and being an amateur myself in photography makes you admire wildlife, nature and Landscape photography in itself. These genres are a joy to practice in and many people enjoy viewing them also.

I would recommend anyone to go and see this exhibition before it closes on the 28th October, it's a little gem and anyone of any age and interest would enjoy it.

In it's thirteenth year the gardens of Hillier are showcasing an exciting exhibition of contemporary art and craft that is innovative and spectacular. around 100 sculptures are displayed here all around the garden appearing from the depth of this wonderful garden of unique interest. This years featured artist is Ian Marlow, who's work I have included below, (red flowers). All the artists are either new or established and work in a variety of materials, with them all available for sale. Curated by the Gardens and Underground Art + Design.

Mike Bigland

Hogweed, Stainless Steel

Mike Bigland

Dierama, Stainless Steel

Mike Bigland

Rudbeckia, Stainless Steel

Out of all of Bigland's pieces, this was the one that stood out most, because of its detail in the centre of the flower and how precise the design is. I would love to have one of these in my garden, they are unique and add something creative and interesting to the surroundings, a bit out of the ordinary shall we say.

Eucalypyus Dalrympleana

Mountain Gum

I made this image particularly because I was fascinated with its appearance and the texture of the tree. The trunk was quite smooth and unusual to feel and it just had the wow factor.

Steve Blaylock

Dragonfly

Ian Marlow
Red Flowers 3

Below is a few of my own images I took on the day, of the beautiful scenery and the plants and flowers around the garden.

CONTEMPORARY

2012-10-04T13:46:00.001-07:00

MUMMERY+SCHNELLE

EXHIBITION, VARIOUS ARTISTS

More info on this gallery visit: http://www.mummeryschnelle.com/index.htm

This was a unique little gallery, with very contemporary artists of mixed media and photography and some abstract some thought provoking. There wasn't a huge amount of work here but it was great to see something a little different out of the ordinary.

On the right is a piece by Paul Caffell, Painting, 2011

Oil on canvas, unframed 122 x 122cm (48inch)

At the back is Ori Gersht Time after Time, Blow up No. 05 2007

Light Jet Print on Aluminium

250 x 188cm, Edition 1/6

Ori Gersht, as above

This piece of work was great, I am familiar with Ori Gersht's work as I saw his exhibition at the Imperial War Museum and online too. It is always inspirational to see Gersht's work because it is so unique and mysterious in some aspects. I always associate emotion with his work, purely because of the way he photographs and his subject matter correlates with that idea also. This image above is very striking, as well as being a fairely large print you are immediateness drawn to all the different objects within the powerful explosion. These objects represent fragility, femininity and beauty and he has chosen to explode them into millions of pieces, but creating something equally as beautiful.

Jyll Bradley, Nobody gives you freedom you have to take it 2010-11

'light drawing' on Bockingford Watercolour paper 190gsm

30 x 22cm, Edition of 3

Louise Hopkins, 4 beds 2008

Acrylic Ink on Magazine page, paper 24 x 20cm

This little piece caught my curiosity and got me really thinking about how Hopkins had done the work. After reading the description it was then clear she had drawn over the original image to create or manipulate something else. I thought it was quite architectural with the lines but I think it's also quite feminine and personal, as if representing her own identity in a way. I am merely assuming these connections with the image, however with little description I felt I was able to come to my own conclusions on all of the work, to me contemporary art is definitely more interesting that way.

Ori Gersht, Chasing good fortune Hiroshima Sleepless Nights: Never Again 01 2010

Framed archival pigment print on Aluminium

83 x 69cm Edition 1/8

Here is another of Ori Gersht's familiar images, and quite a contrast to the one above, with it's minimalism and simplicity the image comes across as calming and tranquil, it is pleasing to the eye and quite easy to read at first glance. However as I've seen this image before at the Imperial War Museum I know it has a deeper meaning and reflects quite a dark message and that being of sadness and dispair. I feel as though he tries to make something that is quite an unhappy thought into something more pleasant.

SEEING AND FEELING

2012-10-02T08:04:00.000-07:00

MARGARET STREET GALLERY

DOROTHY BOHM: SEEING AND FEELING

EXHIBITION: 30TH JULY- 29TH SEPTEMBER

www.margaretsteeetgallery.com
(Information below found in the exhibition handout)

I little gem of a gallery in London which happens to have featured a legend of British Photography, Dorothy Bohm. Being one of the most productive and versatile photographers for over 70 years she is still active today, with examples of her work being exhibited in public and private collections all over the world. She has published all of 14 books and has had several one-women exhibitions. At 88 her enthusiasm is still there for taking pictures and continues unabated.

Bohm came to England in 1939 after escaping Nazism in Lithuania at the age of fourteen. She finished school in Sussex and then went on to study Photography in Manchester. She later opened her own photographic studio in the same city aged 21, making a name for herself as a portrait photographer.

Polaroids 1980-82

Frequent visits to the Swiss lakes influenced her practice in outdoor photography, with the impressive quality of light and being encourage by well-known painters and sculptures, she soon exchanged studio work for images of the figure in their natural environment. After and during the mid 50's she spent a year in Paris and again encouraged by artist friends she continuously photographed and traveled to other countries and continents.

The Polaroids were the highlight of the exhibition, displayed in a glass top cabinet they were like little elements of her journey as a photographer, almost like a diary or a journal. This work has inspired me to just photograph anything and everything even if it's not relevant to any specific project you're working on, as later on they may become useful for something else. Each image above and below has a strong appearance in colour and Bohm has really used the frame to it's fullest to get every detail there is.

Polaroids 1980-82

In the early 1980's Bohm was encouraged by Andre Kertesz and began experimenting with colour polaroids and discovered a new love, no longer wishing to photograph in black and white. Colour made it possible for Bohm to express her fascination with reflections and surfaces, allowing for witty exploration of spacial ambiguity, almost verging on abstraction.

I love the format of Polaroids, as they are small and square in shape and give a really vibrant and subtle quality to the image that a digital camera can't give you. The contrast between the black and white and colour images show a difference in the way Bohm looked at things and how she decided to interpret the everyday, using expressive colours that you wouldn't normally see in a black and white image.

Monte Carlo, 1987, Manchester, 2010 (Monochrome), Spain, 2000

Bohm manages to capture the essence of everyday life and as Sir Roland Penrose wrote in his introduction to her first book,

"Dorothy Bohm knows that her camera does not only see, it also feels. It caresses the rough surfaces of plastered walls and cobblestones, it gently strokes the bloom of a girl's cheek, it penetrates into the intimacy of a shadow".

Bond street, London, 1996, School boys and teacher, Metro Station, Paris, 1988, Bond Street, London 1997

The black and white and colour prints in the exhibition are drawn from 'A world observed', the first comprehensive retrospective of Dorothy Bohm's work, which was a major hit at Manchester Art Gallery in 2010, and the Sainsbury Centre for visual Arts, Norwich, in 2011. They are supplemented by a substantial number of jewel-like Polaroids she took between 1980 and 1982. The show coincides with 'Another London', a major exhibition being held at the Tate Britain, which includes a selection of her work, and anticipates her solo exhibition 'women in focus' at the museum of London, which opens in November.

These architectural images are stunning and although there isn't much colour in the image, 'Reichstag, Berlin 2006', the composition is enough to enthrall you in and captivate your imagination and curiosity.

From left to right, Torn Poster, London, 1997 (foot), Torn Poster, London, 1997 (Bjork), Torn PosterMarseilles, France, 1997 (hands)

For further information, see www.dorothybohm.com

THE PHOTOGRAPHERS' GALLERY

2012-10-01T14:20:00.001-07:00

THE PHOTOGRAPHERS' GALLERY
TWO GREAT EXHIBITIONS!
http://thephotographersgallery.org.uk/home

FIONA TAN: VOX POPULI, LONDON

15-30 SEPTEMBER

Vox Populi, London was commissioned by The Photographers' Gallery as part of our Soho Projects, sponsored by Bloomberg.

Fiona Tan born in 1966, Indonesia, but based in Amsterdam exhibits Vox Populi, London- the final instalment of a series that has included Norway, Sydney, Tokyo and Switzerland. The work she exhibits here features a diverse range of family albums which she has collect throughout 2011, all contributed by Londoners. The collected images focus on the every day and various other subjects of celebratory moments, with tourist landmarks, front rooms, family portraits and sports fields of London.

There are more than 250 images from over 90 participants which make up the final outcome and is presented here for the first time.

An accompanying artist's publication, including a text by Brian Dillon, is co-published by The Photographers' Gallery and Book Works and is available in the Bookshop.

This exhibition is very striking on first appearance and from a distance you can't see the images which is quite mysterious but clever because you have to approach the work face on and quite close-up. The way it has been displays resembles a house with family photos on the wall, although this is an extreme version of over 250 images. Up close you start to see all these animated pictures of adults and children, all quite private and intimate, as if just pulled out of your treasured album in a cupboard. I like this exhibition because you can really relate to the images in some way or another even if it's just a few of them.

The images make you smile and they create a very nostalgic feel that makes you think about your own life and possibly your childhood too. Although taken from the London area, it makes you realize that everyone is the same in terms of family and how you choose to record the everyday, celebrations, day outs and traditions, and you start to think about your own photographs. It also amazes me how Fiona Tan has chosen to use other people's photographs and not her own, but decided to turn them into her own piece of work. It makes me think about my own practises and that you can turn anything into a Art if you have a reason to do so.

The work really made me 'feel at home'.

FRESH FACED + WILD EYED

15-30 SEPTEMBER 2012

Fresh Faced +Wild Eyed showcases the work of recent graduates from across the UK. Now in its fifth year, this annual event highlights the huge diversity of photographic practices emerging from UK institutions.

You can see the work of all 22 selected photographers and artists online at:

ffwe.thephotographersgallery.org.uk

The Judges for 2012 are Bridget Coaker, Night Picture Editor, The Guardian and co-founder of Troika Editions; Anothony Luvera, artist, writer and lecturer; Karen Newman, Curator, Open Eye Gallery and Brett Rogers, Director, The Photographers' Gallery.

(Some of the Information used below has been quoted from the leaflet at the exhibition)

Timothy McVeigh’s Last Meal, Helen Thompson

Course: BA Photography; Editorial and Advertising, University of Gloucestershire

This work represents Death Row Prisoner's Last Meals. In this work the artist has considered which meals would be most interesting to photograph and created a still life for each meal with a dark background and low-lighting to create this minimalist effect and the 'starkness of prison'.

EU Parliament, Brussels, Paul-Henri Spaak Building, Room 04B001 and 03H01

Course: M.A. Photographic Studies, University of Westminster

This series represents the interiors of the European Parliament in Brussels and Strasbourg. Despite not being understood or liked by many citizens, it is gaining a prominent role in our everyday European lives.

Hanging Glacier, Alison Stolwood

Course: MA Photography , University of Brighton

The distinctions between natural and artificial interest Stolwood. Her work looks to highlight the impossibility of fixing these distinctions, through camera technologies, notions of time, change and her perception of things in the world. Constructing and isolating with the lens she often builds up work in montage or multiple frame, wielding visual mechanisms to study her ‘surrounding of infinite complexity’. The work studies life, she has focused on a ‘constructed and technological landscape’.

Freediver Portraits, 4 metres, Emma Critchley

Course: MA Photography, Royal College of Art

Critchley's practice here focuses on the experience of being submerged in water, and the notion of being. It looks at how different we become when taken out of the normal everyday situation and how our 'structure of being changes' underwater. It explores how the body has to rely on breathing to stay conscious and how reminds us how fragile our life really is.

This work was really interesting to view because although it is quite disturbing to see someone completely submerged in water, it has quite a calming appearance and makes you almost feel like you're in the subjects situation, being in this 'bubble' of alien surroundings. For a human this isn't natural to be standing under water, however thinking about it, for 9 months of our lives this is what we were doing, 'naturally'.

Closer Than Known, Chloe Sells

Course: MA Fine Art, Central Saint Martins

This work demonstrates the idea that 'Land' which we relate our entire lives, memories and history to, 'exerts a subtle power over us'. Darkroom processes dominate her style of working and here the images are layered with bright colours and geometric folds, 'creating an atmosphere of the unreal'.

I loved this work for its vibrancy and its creativity. I really like the experimentation aspect of it and how Chloe Sells has explored the traditional printing processes in an artistic way and creating something aesthetically pleasing but also with an in depth concept that has been explored in an unusual and different way.

Coral, From the series, Light of day, Hallgerdur Hallgrimsdottir

Course: BA Fine Art Photography, Glasgow School of Art

This is an interpretation of Hallgrimsdottir's home, Iceland, which he calls, 'vulnerable' and tells us, 'it is not an all-inclusive a holiday'. 'This is a fragmented voyage through memories and dreams, some of which we long to relive, but cannot, other we yearn to forget, but cannot.

This is a piece that we as the audience have to judge for ourselves, and imagine our own thoughts on the place. Light of day is a collection of found images and some of his own.

Untitled 6, from the series Dark Collection, Vilma Pimenoff

Course: MA Photography, London College of Communication

This work features strange objects that appear different depending on the angle, lighting and 'the viewers psychological predisposition'. The work explores the process of visual perception, the difference of seeing an object and understanding what we see. The word associated is 'Wunderkammer' which is a collection of strange objects that look as though they are alive bringing us back to our childhood and the thought that the shadows create shapes in the dark.

I didn't really know what to think when I first glanced at this work, as visually it's very abnormal but wierdly, has quite a hypnotic effect on you. The tones and the light create abstract shapes from the objects that are strangely placed, but look smooth in texture and ghost like. By blending the the background with the objects makes you imagine these 'make belief' beings as real life, which definitely makes you thing about your own perception on things you see.

Air, From the series Attempts, Minna Pollanen

Course: MA Photography, London College of Communication

This work was made on a small family island which maps out the notion of 'land ownership'. The images contain, collect and mark out different parts of the landscape and explores geographical elements within them. There is a question of 'how anyone is able to own land? and what does the ownership actually constitute of?'

Source, Helen Goodin

Course: MA Photography, Univeristy for the creative arts, Farnham

The key factor of Goodin’s work is the question of what photography is and what the key to the production of the photograph is. ‘Her answer is light’. Experimenting in the darkroom, she plays with light, exposing it onto photographic material. The circular form is the ‘pinhole’ the, bases of most photography, what one sees from this simple form is to each person’s own interpretation.

This in interesting yet in a way quite simple idea, however it is a subject that everyone has to think about when practicing the subject of photography and it has been effectively demonstrated here by Helen Goodin. I like the minimalism of the work as is grabs your attention and makes you want to find out more about it.

Compressed reality, Seo-Yeoung Won

Course: Fine Art Media, MFA Slade school of Fine Art

The work is centred on the relationship of objects and space. The studio is used to experiment the idea and to interrogate these issues. The common objects have been removed from their normal, everyday space and charged into a new space of the studio. This creates a collection of installation art, painting, photography and ‘perspectival experimentation’.

I have troubles [...], Martin Seeds

Course: BA Photography, University of Brighton

This work explores the idea of cultural identity with an attempt to come to terms with Seeds own heritage. Seeds has lived in England for many years but coming from Northern Island has made him think about and inadvertently reject his own culture and history and ‘necessarily rejected the violent history of where he came from’. He returned to Northern Island to make this work, actually using his iPhone and here displayed as contact prints, he made the work not as a document but as an aide to search for a ‘deep sense of origin that he believes exists in us all’.

These images are different to what you normally expect in a gallery as they are images from a phone and this is something I can relate to as I feel you don’t have to have expensive equipment to create a piece of work and this work just shows anyone who disagrees with that idea, that it really isn’t how you make the work but it’s what it means and how you interpret it at the end. Although the quality is different and a lot slower than a DSLR or medium/large format camera I think the blurry, softness of the image adds a dramatic effect to the meaning behind the work.

Moronic, Daniel Evans + Brendan Baker

Course: BA Photography, University for the creative Arts, Farnham

This is the first piece of work produced by the duo above. The work centres on the idea of language and the human process of understanding it.

Thank you for reading and feel free to comment!

WHAT DO YOU SEE?

2012-09-29T09:00:00.005-07:00

The Photographers' Gallery
http://thephotographersgallery.org.uk/home

A Single image on it's own with the opportunity to write your comments and thoughts on, good or bad.

What do you see?

This is the question that you are asked and I thoroughly enjoyed this 'mini project', which I thought it was and I thought it was a really good way of interacting with the Art. There were A5 pieces of card around for you to write on and then you could write away your opinions!

After you could choose to post it in box where your card is read and then maybe picked for the website. I will definitely be going back to this gallery, this being one of the main reasons.

Pavement Mirror Shop, Howrah, West Bengal,

Raghubir Singh, 1991

C- Print, Courtesy Succession Raghubir Singh

2 August-30 October 2012

Here is what I thought:

If you can't quite understand my writing, here it is again a bit clearer:

It's a busy street, full of people with many mirrors in the frame, which reflect the faces of the public and their surroundings. To me it represents culture and hectic lifestyles, and it makes you 'reflect' on how your own culture is different (to others). The main colour that stands out is the red, which could suggest a dramatic consequence.

After looking at the image again I think at first the mirrors are not that noticeable because I don't see them until I have looked at the people. I think it's quite an abstract piece and very impressionistic, it gives documentary and travel photography a little twist, repeating a few of the subjects and subtle 'images within images' hence the mirrors. It's quite an interesting image to look at, it really makes you think about it and it was a great photo for this exhibition.

Have a look at some others here:

http://whatdoyousee-tpg.tumblr.com/

Or visit the gallery and write something yourself, it's fun!

DISCOVER

2012-09-28T09:22:00.003-07:00

WINCHESTER DISCOVERY CENTRE

'CITY SPACE'

WINCHESTER ART CLUB

ANNUAL EXHIBITION 2012

SATURDAY 1- SUNDAY 30TH SEPTEMBER

Images taken for my blog only and will not be distributed any other way

A lovely variety of artwork covers the walls of this small exhibition and I was pleasantly surprised at the mix of skill and creativity. The show demonstrates a love for all subjects, from nature to portrait, to landscape to abstract, the work was definitely aesthetically pleasing and it would suit all ages and anyone with an eye for art.

This exhibition is a great way to promote artists in the area, school and college students and more. I specifically enjoyed the landscape, water-colour paintings, as the detail and simplicity really pleases the eye. One of the main reasons I enjoyed the work on show was because it reminded me of my own work however now I prefer to make my images by

through photography.

INTERNATIONAL GARDEN PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR-

IMAGES OF A GREEN PLANET
www.igpoty.com

The exhibition space was light and spacious and straight away I was blown away by the beautiful images in front of me. I am a huge fan of garden, flower, nature photography of any kind and I was very pleased to have found out about this exhibition as it was definitely worth seeing. It really must have been hard to decide a winner for all categories as they were all worthy winners in my eyes. The colours of the flowers filled the room and brought the white space to life particularly the strong macro shots.

The were photographs chosen by The Royal Photographic Society which must have been an honor even for second and third place. There are many photography exhibitions of contemporary and conceptual focuses and they give people a mind-boggling experience, going away thinking what was that all about? But going into this one gives you a totally different experience, and one you have to talk about, and clearly.

The first category is:

Trees

This category focuses on the importance of trees' in our lives and their beauty.

Don Johnston, finalist

'Birch Trees and foliage in spring'

Greater Sudbury, Canada

Nikon D3, Nikkor 80-200mm, 1/80 sec, f/6.3

The white birch is a common tree in that area, the foliage is from saplings nearer the camera, he likes to make impressionistic images of common things and he has focused on the tree trunks using a wide aperture and kept the foliage evenly distributed.

You immediately get a burst of colour in your face and you have to look more closely to find your way through the green in the foreground. This image is interesting in terms of the abstract focus and is a different way of making something simple so much more exciting.

Category:
Wildlife in the Garden

Kin Corning

'Robin in the Forest' (top right)

Nikon D300 200-400mm, 1.4x teleconverter

1/200 sec at f/5.6, slightly cropped

Taken from his home garden in Surrey, this image stood out most out of the four, just because of the crispness of the branches and the snow. The Robin really is the favourite of the garden and his pretty red breast stills the show here.

Category:

Plant Portraits

Mandy Disher 1st Place

'Choca Mocha'

Canon 450D, 60mm Macro lens

1/125 secs at f/3.2

In this image the focus clearly was to accentuate the amazing rich colour of the flowers and the textured petals. This was one of my favourites because of the contrast of the foreground and background and how equally important it is to get the balance right. Mandy Disher has complimented the flowers well and deserves the place she got.

Category:

Garden Views

Charles Needle

Morning Splendour

Georgia, USA, Callaway Gardens

Nikon F4

Situated in a 12 year old, 40 acre public garden, the beautiful pink explosion emphasizes this garden and it's flowers and the mist surrounding the area just highlights the beauty even more. Needle has made a lovely composition and was a real pleasure to look at.

Plant Portraits

John Grant, 1st Place

Fairytale and Reveries, Studio

Canon 5D Mark 11

These creative, expressionistic and abstract prints were unusual but very intricate and pretty. There were six images in total but these were my favourite and although they were taken by a top of the range digital camera they looked very traditional, like they had been taken on film. I think thats what gave these images the edge over the others in their category. A Stunning set of photographs, with subtle, de-saturated colours that catch your eye.

Same as above

Category:

People in the garden

Jason Ingram, 3rd place

The hands that pick the food that I eat,

Bristol

The black and white photographs on their own separate wall portray a great message and they are really expressive and detailed. The close up of the hands and the food is simple but conveys and makes the story more understandable.

This exhibition was well worth the journey!

DAVE MCKEAN: A RETROSPECTIVE

2012-09-28T07:54:00.000-07:00

DAVE MCKEAN: A RETROSPECTIVE

THE WILLIS MUSEUM

BASINGSTOKE

Dave Mckean is an award winning artist of Illustration, photography, graphic design, film-making and music. He has many Illustrations that feature in graphic novels and books and in 2005 he co-wrote and directed the film, "Mirror Mask", with Neil Galman. (below)

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0366780/

Mckean was a conceptual artist in two of the Harry Potter films and he designed album covers for Alice Cooper, John Cale and Michael Nyman.

Harry Potter, Dementor

The exhibition includes framed works of his book Illustrations, Original comic book art, photographs, Album covers and personal projects. My first impressions of the work was that it seemed and felt quite dark and troublesome, it demonstrates a high level of creativity and imagination and I did grow quite fond of it after viewing it all. I particularly became drawn to the mixed media pieces rather than the illustrations, as they seemed to have a bit more life and colour. His traditional techniques and materials really emphasize his style and give an element of personality to the work.

Dave Mckean has an Award for World Fantasy and Best Artist

Apart, and yet a part

Bill Bruford's, Earthworks, 1998

Acrylic, photography, collage, digital image

From Taplow, Slough, Berkshire, featuring his work, here in Basingstoke makes you feel a little more fond of Mckean and his work because of his roots and the idea that someone with this amazing career in the art industry has been so successful. I think the interesting and quirky drawings and graphics make you think about your childhood and all the fantasies you once had or still have and I think it makes art extremely pleasing to view like this.

Dave Mckean: The Particle Tarot: The major Arcana

His work incorporates drawing, painting, photography, collage, found objects, digital art and sculpture. Being so versatile and skillful in so many areas must have made his mind clearer in how he would use his artistic ability, his work has attracted people from all industries including the film and music industry which makes him really versatile.

Illustration: Tap, frog and flower

Black Orchid #1, 1998, Acrylic

Mckean has published four books of photography:

A small book of black and white lies, 1995
Option: click, 1998
The particle Tarot: The Major Arcana
The particle Tarot: The Minor Arcana

Cover Design, Hell Blazer

Collage, acrylic, pencil, ink and stones

In some of Mckean's work there were random materials applied, for example a fish in one piece, and the image above demonstrates use of stones. This may appear very different to some people viewing the art but others, maybe more familiar with fine art may think this as experimental. For me I felt it added another quality to the work to make it that bit more exciting and interesting. I can relate to this work in a way because it's how I worked at college when I studied in Fine Art, I was very much a mixed media artist and I would still work that way being it's definitely more expressive.

Heart Strings and Watch Stops

Mister X, 1989, Ink

The exhibition has finished now but if you're interested in seeing more work visit this website:

http://www.davemckean-collector.co.uk/page_855311.html

Thank you for reading, feel free to comment!

Summer Antics

2012-08-30T12:11:00.000-07:00

Summer Photography

I finished my first year at Uni in May, so I have had 4 and a half months to keep thinking and making photography. I will be honest and say I haven't always had my digital or film camera with me, however what does go everywhere with me is my iphone and I have to say it does deliver reasonable results. I don't have this idea of what makes an amazing photographer is expensive equipment, I just think camera, creativity and "having a good eye", and to be honest, thats all you need in my opinion.

As you may have seen in my Instagram post I have been using this application to share my recent and past photography that I know people will appreciate and if it means I'm still making photography and keeping the subject in mind than that's what I'll continue to do.

I have always been a lover of nature and landscape photography because these two things never fail in their beauty and aesthetics department. Other than relying on the weather you are not regularly disappointed, and even this can be a positive. I have particularly grown fond of cloud formations, as this can create very dramatic and interesting compositions.

The Garden

The first few photos you will see have come from an obvious place for nature and that's the garden. Although it's very cliche I always think you can't disregard what's closest to home.

These images have been taken from instagram, hence the square composition, the first two have been made with my Canon 600d and the others with my iphone. Some have had filters applied and others haven't, I don't always feel the need to use them.

These Roses were taken with my iphone and it just shows that you can still get sharp images, if you just take the time and patience.

Egypt

In July I had my beach holiday in Egypt, Sharm, and it was great! I didn't take many photographs here as we didn't go out of the complex very often so I thought there isn't a lot of art in people sitting round the pool, (well depends how you look at it I guess). These were shot on my phone.

The hotel gardens, Coral Sea Resort, Sharm

The Private Beach

Soho Square fountain show, Sharm

The West Country

A few times a year I go with my boyfriend to see his Dad in Somerset and this year we went to a place called Wimbleball Lake in Exmoor where his Dad has a sailing boat and sails regularly. I thought the lake and its' surroundings were beautiful. We also drive past Stonehenge and as it was such a moody day outside I had to get a shot of this ever popular monument.

A View of the hills through shrubbery.

Stonehenge and its' visitors.

Hayling Island

The beach is not just a stoney beach but is littered with cockle shells ,and this fascinated me most.

Newtown

I like to go for "mystery" drives where we end up somewhere different, normally with my boyfriend as he has the car! Newtown is a village and civil parish in the English county of Hampshire, located just south of Newbury. We found this common which has several different walks and directions you could go.

Avington and Easton

Easton is a village in Hampshire, England, situated on the River Itchen, 2¾ miles north east of Winchester. Avington is another village nearby and it's landmark is Avington Park which dates back to the 16th Century, but has been considerably altered since then. You are able to take a tour round the house, I plan to go back and do this.

http://www.avingtonpark.co.uk/

Easton village church

A few more flowers...

There may be more to come...

INSTAGRAM LOVE

2012-05-09T05:37:00.001-07:00

Instagrammers!

There has been a debate about the successful smart phone application, Instagram. Uploading and sharing photographs you have or haven't taken with your phone and then changing the filters (or not) to create something new and interesting whether it took them 1 minute to a whole day. The debate here is that aspiring photographer's and professionals alike have been concerned to whether the app adds value to the photograph or even classifies as "photography". Another debate is to whether people who don't study the subject have become or are oblivious to the skill, creativity and technical aspect to any kind of photography.

I am discussing this because I am a fan of Instagram, and I believe that any photo, belongs to the subject, "Photography" because when isn't a photograph a photograph? There are people people who believe that it isn't good enough to make you a pro, but then why are there so many people who use it?

I have been using Instagram for quite a while now and it has never really occurred to me whether it changes the value of photography or not. I use it to share my photos with other people, experiment with the filters it gives you and really for a bit of fun and to pass the time! I also enjoy seeing what other people have made and there really is some amazing work.

Instagram has expanded its reputation rapidly in such a short space of time and I don't think people should regard it as competition at all. People can share what ever they like, there are no restrictions and no expectations, some people even share their dinner with us!

I have never thought that anyone was judging me and that's why I have always liked the application itself and to be honest it's quite a buzz when people "like" you photo or even follow you. I agree that there is some amazing photography on there and that's one of the reasons why I use it, however there are many people with 1000's of followers with pictures purely of food, or images uploaded from the internet, so I don't consider the app as a gateway to photography as not everyone is there for that, it's just what ever floats your boat at the time and sharing your experiences with the world.

Another point I will raise is that It encourages the use of mobile photography, and for me this does not effect whether you are good or bad at photography it's "how you use it" that counts. We as students in photography are always encouraged to experiment and explore the different ways and techniques of other equipment other than DSLRs, and I totally agree that you can make some equally as good images.

I have shared some of my images from Instagram. Visit my Instacanvas gallery at:

instacanv.as/rosieknightley

Please share your thoughts and opinions too.

Have some fun with Instagram now!

ORI GERSHT

2012-04-26T05:26:00.000-07:00

ORI GERSHT: THIS STORM IS WHAT WE CALL PROGRESS

25 January 2012 to 29 April 2012

Visit the Imperial War Museum for more information.

This exhibition was quite surreal on first impressions, the work is very abstract and conceptual which makes it very interesting aesthetically. Many of the events featured in Gersht's work centre around World War 2 and the title was derived from an essay by German Jewish philosopher Walter Benjamin.

Gersht re-examines our relationship with this debris through film and photography. (debris of past events.) He uses photography as a metaphor for history and explores the representation of past and present and the links and ruptures between physical traces, cultural symbols and memories.

Gersht is concerned with the relationship between history, memory and landscape. He adopts a poetic and metaphorical approach to explore the difficulties of visually representing conflict and violent events or histories.

He also pushes the technical limitations of photography, questioning its claim to truth.

Ori Gersht, 2011

CHASING GOOD FORTUNE: HIROSHIMA SLEEPLESS NIGHTS, NEVER AGAIN 01

Ori Gersht, 2011

CHASING GOOD FORTUNE: TOKYO IMPERIAL MEMORIES: FLOATING PETALS-BLACK WATER

Ori Gersht used a digital camera at night to create his "petal" work, however the camera sensor struggled to record the correct light and colour information, resulting in stippled images, referencing early colour prints.

Gersht uses this visual "failure" as a device to explore the idea that photography does not present an absolute truth or narrative.

In his images of the "Cherry Blossom", taken in a memorial garden, was photographed at a shrine to Kamikaze pilots, the flowers became loaded with a dark, recent history. Simultaneously the images are beautiful, more positive connotations of the flower in the Buddhist tradition. It reveals complexities of trying to impose a single reading on an image.

WILL YOU DANCE FOR ME

HD FILM

"YEHUDIT ARNON"

The film is about a women who suffered a traumatic childhood and is imagining it all over in a dream like situation. The (old) women is sitting in a chair, now unable to dance like in her younger years, rocks back and forth in an uncomfortable manner with a separate screen featuring a field of thick, deep snow, the setting she may have experienced many years ago.

While she was a prisoner in Auschwitz, aged 19 she was ordered to dance at an SS Officer's party. She refused and was punished by making her stand barefoot in the snow. At that point she made a pledge that if she survived she would devote her life to dance. Later she fulfilled her dream with a successful dance company.

War Story

2012-04-26T04:37:00.000-07:00

War Story: Serving in Afghanistan
Imperial War Museum

Walking into the exhibition space you immediately get taken back by the array of photographs lined up along the outside of the walls. The powerful and striking portraits of the men and women serving in Afghanistan hit you in the face like you've just witnessed what they experience day to day. The project features interactive displays and photographs which demonstrate the soldiers first hand experiences of the conflict for present and future generations. (Information taken and available from The Imperial War Museum Website)

The idea is for people to get a chance to discover the compelling stories of the individuals and witness the collected material for the first time being put on public display. Most of the artefacts, videos and photographs are described and explained in the words and voices of those that that wore, used or created them.

Over 40 life size portraits feature in this exhibition which were taken and produced by Richard Ash and Damon Clearly. (Visit Richard Ash's website) Over 500 individuals were photographed for this project and it tells a compelling story through the eyes of many.

The process appears quite systematic visually but also technically due to the clean white backgrounds, (usually) no berets or insignia identifying their units, composed and processed in the exact same way and the consistency and conformity has instead highlighted the variety and individuality.

The direct gaze into the lens towards the viewer is unsettling yet intriguing which makes you wonder about the nature of their experiences. You get a glimpse of the person behind the uniform.

I enjoyed getting up-close and personal with these portraits, as if you were stood face to face in person with them, you can see every inch of detail in their faces, the lines, the worries and stress and emotions written all over. You feel a whole lot of sympathy with the brave and

honorable soldiers.

"They are just like you or me. They are your brother,

your dad, your sister, your best friend, your husband,

your wife"- Richard Ash IWMP

Eve Arnold

2012-04-19T08:30:00.000-07:00

ALL ABOUT EVE: THE PHOTOGRAPHY OF EVE ARNOLD

Art Sensus, London Gallery

Walking into the exhibition, I had no expectations, no idea of the work she produced, but at first glance of her portraits of Marilyn Monroe and I was captivated.

Eve Arnold developed her career with very little formal training and travelled the world creating an unforgettable document of her journey. In 1952 she was taken on as one of the few female members of Magnum photos, which would have been huge achievement for any photojournalist.

The content of this post has been gathered from the exhibition itself and some of Arnold's own words, at Art Sensus in London.

Marilyn Monroe, Mount Sinai, Long Island, 1955

Cibachrome

Eve Arnold photographed Marilyn Monroe over a period of 10 years and runs like a thread throughout her work of the fifties in America. Arnold met Marilyn when they were both young and starting out in their careers and they developed a close bond and friendship.

The idea of her work was to forge a relationship which permits an atmosphere in which the subject feels relaxed and safe. Intimacy allows the person to be inhibited and reveal aspects of herself.

Marilyn Monroe, The Misfits, Nevada, USA, 1960

Isabella Rossellini, England, 1985

Angelica Huston at 16, Saint Clerans, Ireland 1968

Cibachrome

On working on films, 1959-1984

Eve Arnold documented the making of feature films, sometimes assigned by a motion picture company, sometimes a magazine. Locations are often more interesting and exotic then a photographic studio.

Clark Gable, The Misfits, Nevada, 1960

Francis Bacon in his studio in Kensington, London 1978

Driving force behind her work:

"Curiosity" was a constant challenge, The very unpredictability of photography enthralled her. Decisions of what to include, the framing, the trying to define the moment, the light moving across the face, kaleidoscope of emotions.

"I was hungry for answers led me to learn the profession to travel the world"

She was a one women cultural exchange.

Bar Girl, Cuba, 1954

On Photography

Everything was assigned but most of her work was based on her own ideas. The nature of the work leaves the decisions to the photographer. It is always a game of chance, fugitive and ephemeral.

The terms used by photographers to express the mediums mutability:

Catch, grab, capture and seize.

The things Eve Arnold did in the first few years were done by chance.

Eve Arnold visited Long-Island, the home of her family and friends, including Marilyn Monroe which triggered the "Nostalgia and affection" in her work.

Arnold spent 4 months in a hospital recording the first 5 minutes of the birth of a child. (she lost her own baby in mid stages of pregnancy)

She says in her film, that it's not about yourself, but the person you are photographing.

This exhibition was a real insight into the mind of a female documentary/ photojournalist photographer and her travels around the world and the people she saw is a huge inspiration to anyone wanting the same experience.

THE LAW

2012-03-30T08:53:00.001-07:00

The Law on Photography

Between 1999-2001 Philip-Lorca diCorcia photographed pedestrians in Times Square, NYC.

The resulting works were shown at Pace/MacGill Gallery in Chelsea. When Erno Nussenzweig, an Orthodox Jew and retired diamond merchant from Union City, N.J., saw his picture in the exhibition catalogue, he sued diCorcia and Pace for exhibiting and publishing the portrait without permission and profiting from it financially.

Philip-Lorca diCorcia, "Heads" Series

The suit sought an injunction to halt sales and publication of the photograph, as well as $500,000 in compensatory damages and $1.5 million in punitive damages.The suit was eventually dismissed by a New York State Supreme Court judge who said that the photographer's right to artistic expression trumped the subject's privacy rights. Mr. Nussenzweig's lawyer, Jay Goldberg, told The New York Law Journal that his

client "has lost control over his own image" he went on to say "It's a terrible invasion to me," Mr. Goldberg said. "The last thing a person has is his own dignity."

Philip-Lorca diCorcia, "Heads" Series

When is it right or ethically wrong to make an image? Think of yourself in the

position of the subject and ask yourself, am I happy to be photographed and be

unaware of it?

My Own Work, "Captured unaware"

Reading this has made me think about how I would feel being photographed in public and not being aware of it. Would knowing about the photograph make a difference to the right's the photographer has?

Saying this, if the photographer approached me and asked for my picture and I asked what he was doing with it, it would be a different story and you could agree in person to whether that picture is publicized. People would question; Do you really know who this person is, or what the photograph is going to be used for?

My Own Work

It becomes a different story when you know the people in the image

It it obvious that there is some controversy around this subject and I understand why. If I had to do a project where I make images of people on the street, I would find it extremely difficult approaching people and would probably photograph from a distance, therefore the subject would be unaware. If you photograph people in the street going to work or going home, how easy is it to then stop them and ask for permission?

If I'm honest I do avoid this genre of photography because of these issues around the subject as I never know if I'm in the right or not? So I guess I'm neither for or against it for the reason that someone with a camera could be anyone and without approaching your subject you are taking risks with being reported, but on the other hand I can understand how hard it is for the photographer who prefers to capture people unaware, as all photographers know those are the best pictures.

My Own Work

I also agree from the other posts that being in public surely means your face is out there for everyone to see automatically and there's nothing you can do about it. It's a very difficult thing to judge in my opinion, but these days you have to be careful about everything!

Please comment your views.

AN ALL TIME GREAT!

2012-03-26T05:15:00.000-07:00

Perspectives - David Suchet -

People I Have Shot ...

ITV 1 Sunday 25Th March 10:15pm

Watch now if you missed it!

David Suchet follows in the footsteps of his grandfather, Fleet Street photographer Jimmy Jarche, in a quest to capture on camera how Britain has changed in the past century.

I am so glad I watched this documentary as it was so interesting and inspiring. To see this work of a photographer I haven't been familiar with until now, has also given me an insight to what modern news photographer's were like nearly 100 years ago. David Suchet investigates his Grandfather's portfolio of images and goes on a journey to recreate a few of those photographs, with the same Leica camera.

I am particularly interested in Jarche's portraits of the minors and many famous people, because of the intimacy and comfortable presence they all possess. What is interesting here is the darkness of their faces against the pale innocence of the children represents this hard, long life that most of these people lived through.

Image taken from: http://balletnews.co.uk/the-royal-ballet-lower-school-in-itv-show/

This is David Suchet getting in close to capture the true essence of the Ballet dancer's, the show really does demonstrate the level of skill and determination news and documentary photographer's have to produce such natural and expressive work.

Construction workers on the Shell Building, London, 16 June 1932

This image taken by James Jarche, clearly marks a moment in history, showing a working process of the building and the view of the Thames. David Suchet recreates this image, (although no image has been found) and is amazed to be standing in the exact same spot.

At the end of the show an exhibition is held for James Jarche's work and he has now become, for me, one the master's of news and documentary photography of that time.

"I was just thinking now, if he was there, listening to this, I think Jimmy, would have gone-Wow, thank you very much I really didn't expect that, and if he had met me at the bottom of the stairs he'd probably go- YES!!" (with thumbs up)- David Suchet met with four photography professionals to discuss Jarche's portfolio and they were amazed at the work.

FEATURE!

2012-03-25T10:37:00.002-07:00

Came across an amazing website, Eighteen39 the other day and decided to submit a photograph of mine because you never know what might happen.

Receive an email on the same day saying I will be featured on the 25th March 2012!

So excited, the link above is the page I am featured on!

You've probably seen this image before on my blog, but this is the actual one I submitted.

It has made be more positive about the work I'm doing at the moment, even if my Mum does hate this portrait of her!

BLOGS BLOGS BLOGS

2012-03-22T02:55:00.000-07:00

Some interesting blogs to consider...

LENSCRATCH is an exciting and good opportunity to showcase your work for free! They offer a submission that is excepted no matter what unless of course your submission isn't correct, but everyone's image is shown.

http://www.lenscratch.com/

http://www.lenscratch.com/2012/05/lenscratch-exhibition-opportunities.html

http://www.jacopomaino.com/blog/

I have just looked at this very interesting blog about various things on photography. It has a very personal approach and really informal writing which helps you relate to the artist. I have also found some really good websites from here for example:

http://www.positive-magazine.com/photography/

http://eighteen39.com/category/features/

This website gives you the opportunity to submit work and your portfolio to get featured on their website, I have given it ago and my work will be featured on the website on the 25Th March!!

They look equally exciting and will be looking at these all the time, for ideas and information on photography.

THE FACE PROJECT

2012-03-20T10:29:00.001-07:00

Representation:
Representing the Face

Marcio Mascarenhas and Rasmus Vasli, MA students of London College of Communication came along to the group crit today to help give feedback and advise on our work. Our images that we have produced so far were hung up in the gallery. Below is my image, which I have chosen out of the few I have printed.

Untitled

Our main specifications for the brief is a 10 X 12 colour print, in medium format with the theme of "portraiture".

The idea around my work is to explore the idea of identity. How a face can tell someone a lot about that person's persona and their character and using the narrow depth of field specifically to highlight the detail of the face. I am photographing my family specifically as there will be some connection between them and myself. I am also experimenting with different areas of the house to get a "comfortable" feel and with this image particularly exploring the use of landscape as being a contrast view of a portrait. The image being in landscape in this case demonstrates a subtlety of the surroundings around her and creates an atmosphere of domestic environment.

THE HOLBURNE MUSEUM

2012-03-14T08:33:00.003-07:00

Art of Arrangement: Photography and the Still Life Tradition

11 February to 7 May 2012

This exhibition explores the use of objects within a Still Life and how Artists and Photographers have experimented with techniques and ideas over many years. It holds the works of Artists/Photographers, such as Ansel Adams, Edward Western, Dorothea Lange, Paul Strand and many more masters of the Art world.

It was fascinating to see such rare and one-of-a-kind prints in one room and to have this opportunity that might not come again.

I have chosen particular pieces of work from each section of the exhibition which will be underlined and these were the ones that I drew my attention to aesthetically and technically. However the images were not allowed to be photographed close-up and some are not found online either, obviously for issues of preservation etc..

View of the Gallery

On Close Inspection

William Henry James Coombs, Negative radiograph of Tulip

(Gelatin Silver) Unfortunately no image.

A radiograph is an image produced on a radiosensitive surface, such as a photographic film, by radiation other than visible light, especially by x-rays passed through an object or by photographing a fluoroscopic image. Also called shadowgraph, skiagram, skiagraph.

For example:

Floral radio-graph, produced by Albert Richards

Arrangments in negatives

The grouping and positioning of different parts of a photograph.

The images displayed are very unique in style and demonstrate technical ability and creativity and are very artistic. Now knowing how these images were produced makes you aware of the skill and time put into each one.

Jerry Ulesmann, Memory and the sun,1966

Henry Peach Robinson, Fading Away, 1858

(Used several negatives to produce one photograph)

Still Life in a camera

The passing of time, fleeting nature of life, particular arrangements, carefully positioned equipment, framing and cropping.

The work is quite abstract and relates more to "Art" photography compositionally and aesthetically because of the way it's constructed. You are given the opportunity to explore the image further into detail by cropping from a much varied image.

Edward Western, Detail of Abandoned Car, Mojave Desert, New Mexico, 1937

Ansel Adams, Moth and Stump, Interglacial forests, Glacier Bay, National Monument, 1949

Reflection on light and dark

Photography and light

Natural and artificial

This work is quite experimental in terms of lighting and it's interesting to see how one interprets different settings and objects with different ways of light. Light can illuminate, highlight, accentuate or alienate a subject depending on the situation and the artists' intentions.

Paul Strand, Photograph-New York, 1916

Order and Disorder

Objects carefully selected and ordered to create a visually pleasing or meaningful image.

This sort of work makes you wonder whether you could call it "staged" photography or unrealistic, however I feel if you use the objects that belong to that particular space you are not manipulating the scene or reality in any way as there hasn't really been any interference.

James Jarche, George Bernard Shaw's work table, 1939

Ian Beesley, Pieces, Drummond's Mill, Bradford 1986

Dorothea Lange, Corner of the Dazey Kitchen, 1939

Still life with the figure

Human figure is not the primary focus, important part of wider arrangement

Illustrates personality or artistic practise, or symbolic, meaningful things.

These images are very beautiful and the artist's have been very subtle in their approach to using the figure within their work. In some of the photographs there are only hints of a person whereas others have a face of the body, representing or meaning something as part of the image.

Chris Killip, Royal Wedding table, 1981

Horst P Horst, Gloves, New York, 1947

Julia Margaret Cameron, The Return After 3 Days

The Subversive

Records events, mortality, passing of time, political or personal messages.

Jo Spence, Still Life, 1985

Spence documented her body ans surroundings during her treatment of cancer, it was a sense of self which she then coined the term, "photo-therapy". Her work is very inspirational and political and sends messages to everyone who may have gone through similar experiences as herself.

Karen Knorr, A young nobleman's introduction to knowledge, 1984

This work was specifically about country life and the British class system.

A Dialogue with painting
"Vanitas"
These paintings contain a moral or religious message, a shortness of life and inevitability of decline and death. They also contain long exposures of time with the still life being ideal to represent this.

Roger Fenton, Still Life with parian vase, Grapes and silver cup, 1860

The painter is mirrored in the goblet, were these his intentions, or just a happy accident?

Movement and Stillness

They freeze a moment in time, stop and reflect and show action.

Harold Edgerton, Bullet through a jack of diamond, 1955

Philippe Halsman, Dali Atomicus, 1948

The iconic image of Salvador Dali is questioned by many at how this piece was constructed and seeing it for the first time allowed us the answer to just this.

The objects were suspended by thread, with the help from an assistant that held the chair and everything else thrown into the air, all very spontaneous. The whole production took 6 hours with 28 throws. The final image was the only successful one out them all.

The Holburne Museum in the City of Bath and the exhibition, "Art of arrangement", is definitely worth going for.

SUBMISSION

2012-03-09T01:46:00.002-08:00

My Work Exhibited!

http://www.lenscratch.com/

I have recently explored the website and blog of Lenscratch which holds free exhibitions for anyone, which is an amazing opportunity and I aim to do another one.
Below is my entry to the website's "Animals" exhibition that will be held, April 3rd 2012. This image was taken in Worthing, West Sussex.

'We need coats'

I thought this image really captures the sheep's expressions and I think the shot has frozen a great moment where they are looking at each other as if they are communicating. This proves Henry Cartier-Bresson had a point with his theory, 'The decisive moment'. This is also why I love the quote myself.

The site features work and information on contemporary photography and has links to other exciting websites.

MONSTERS OF THE ID

2012-02-27T07:08:00.001-08:00

David Cotterrell: Monsters of the Id

11 February- 31 March 2012
John Hansard Gallery
University of Southampton

John Hansard Gallery is one of the UK's leading public galleries of contemporary visual art. Based on the University of Southampton's Highfield campus, it showcases the work of some of the world's most innovative artists and curators through exhibitions, off-site projects, national and international partnerships, research, publications, education and outreach programmes. John Hansard Gallery is part of the University of Southampton and supported by Arts Council England. www.hansardgallery.org.uk

David Cotterrell is an installation artist who works with various types of media, from video, audio, interactive and intelligent technology. He is Proffessor of Fine Art at Sheffield Hallam University and is represented by Danielle Arnaud Contemporary Art, London. www.davidcotterrell.com

Monsters of the Id, derived from the artist's journeys to Afghanistan, explores the illusionary nature of representations of war. Although influenced by his experiences as an artists within a conflict zone, David Cotterrell avoids the drama that is usually witnessed in the media and deliberately takes a more subtle approach to his work.

Exploring the different rooms set out in this small gallery, it was instantly recognised that they all had something in common and could even be connected somehow. The first room, named, the "Observer Effect" consisted of a panoramic type projection and interactive and virtual land in front of us that seemed to be affected by our presence and immediately we become part of that piece. As we remain stood in front of this landscape, the sensors above detect the number of people and a population of anonymous "avatars" appear in front of us and they grow in number. The work seen throughout is synthetic and explores the idea of viewer to content rather than viewer to Afghanistan.

Moving into the "Searchlight 2" room we experience a low platform terrain derived by a tonne and a quarter of chalk, and then allowed the chalk to define its' shape and "fall as it felt". The population witnessed in the "Observer Effect" are generated from the screen and migrate onto this landscape, mirroring the actions seen previously. This terrain has been 3D scanned and used throughout the exhibition which juxtaposes each displays. The sky and the movement however are created in real time and the direction of the avatars is completely randomized and there's no telling of the decisions they will make.

The "Apparent Horizon" is inverted hemispheres that explore the idea of the waiting and searching of information experienced by a soldier, civilian or observer. It again correlates the same landscape projections from the other rooms but here the sky dominates. The display is similar to that used within military simulation. The walls are concave creating an extraordinary optical illusion.

David Cotterrell explains that the technicality remains as invisible as possible and he tries to create a dialogue between artwork and the viewers. When Cotterrell shows the technical aspects of the exhibition we are experiencing the paths that the characters choose to follow, represented by a green line. He tells us that the paths are easily accessible and they lead them towards us and that's how they find their way, exploring how they make decisions without any particular rules. Cotterrell made the choice to eliminate sound and not include photographic backgrounds for the reason that it would cause distraction on the interacting characters and the engaged projection.

David Cotterrell appeared open about his work and also himself as an artist. It was interesting to hear an artist speak about the experiences he went through to produce such an interesting piece of work. He quotes,

"It was like learning a new language, I watched myself struggle and I could've know more about it"

http://www.hansardgallery.org.uk/exhibition/current.html

DEFINING TERMS

2012-02-27T05:49:00.002-08:00

Coming to terms with relevant words...

There are some words that are important to the subject of Art and Photography and here is a couple that spring to mind!

Allegory and Metaphor are used every day and especially in the arts to express the obvious without being too literal. Artists use these terminologies/ terms to start thinking about the differences between them and how images can represent them in various ways.

It became apparent that I had never come across the term allegory/allegoric and it was very interesting to explore its' meaning fully. A metaphor is a very challenging but creative tool which is used to create multiple concepts within an image or piece of writing. Looking at the work of Sarah Lucas and Simon Patterson helped to analyse these terms and gain a better understanding of them.

Sarah Lucas, "Self-Portrait with Fried Eggs" 1996

Here you see Lucas slouched and quite confrontationally posed in this seat which immediately suggests a male presence in the room. Linking the fried eggs and position she's in you get the feeling that this is metaphor for "looking like a man". Her clothes also suggest "masculinity" and like many others, the first thought when viewing this image was that she was a man. Another suggestion was that the floor was also placed deliberately underneath her, like a makeshift kitchen, stereotypical of a woman perhaps? The idea of this exercise was to pick the image apart and make sense of it in a more analytical way, instead of just looking and then moving on, you look deeper into all the different objects and find your way round it.

More work by Sarah Lucas visit:
http://www.tate.org.uk/servlet/ArtistWorks?cgroupid=999999961&artistid=2643&page=1

Sarah Lucas, Au Naturel 1994 Mattress

It is clear that Lucas refers to the male and female genitals, quite expressively with the use of fruit and a fire bucket. Although you don't see the male and female physically in the room, your mind automatically tells you, through experience (semiotics, http://www.aber.ac.uk/media/Documents/S4B/semiotic.html)
that these are in fact male and female representations. These representations are visually allowing your imagination to wonder around the subject of male and female roles in a relationship. It could also represent a more open and erotic representation, for example prositution. This image is meant to represent married life, and is showing you the reality of what's to come, a few years down the line.

Simon Patterson, 'The Great Bear’, 1992

This image at first glance looks like a reproduction of the London Tube map, which in a way is, but with a subtle twist. The names on the map are those of famous people, some being artists, actors and musicians, these were on the forefront of major world developments. The different professionals are given their own tube lines, on which their names are gathered. The name "The great bear" represents a constellation of stars in the sky which are simple and an effective title for this piece of work.

Visit: http://maeveconwayfried.wordpress.com/texts/the-great-bear-by-simon-patterson/

for a clearer view of this image and more information.

CHARLOTTE COTTON

2012-02-27T04:21:00.004-08:00

Story Telling

Charlotte Cotton's, "the photograph as contemporary art", which I now own has been a recent topic of discussion.

The pages specific to this discussion are 64-70 in chapter 2, "once upon a time".
Another blog featuring this particular chapter: http://imagingworkshop11.blogspot.co.uk/2011/01/reading-charlotte-cotton-once-upon-time.html

You can buy your copy from:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Photograph-Contemporary-Art-World/dp/0500203806

What narratives are investigated by Cotton in the work discussed? What varied ideas are these works linked to?

Collected fears and fantasies, psychological powerful devices, childhood references and stories usually dramatized and given sinister edges, storytelling gone wrong in most cases. Some had troubling narratives but were linked to fashion. For example animals, birds, rituals, bizarre and disturbing psychological dramas.

untitled #2 (wonder), 1996. Chromogenic print, A.P. 2/2, edition of 5, 47 5/8 x 39 5/8 inches (120.8 x 100.6 cm). Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York,Purchased with funds contributed by the Young Collectors Council 97.4577. © 1999 Anna Gaskell-

http://www.guggenheim.org/new-york/collections/collection-online/show-full/piece/?search=Anna%20Gaskell&page=1&f=People&cr=1 - Link to Anna Gaskell's collection.

These were all quite disturbing to look at, especially with the involvement of children, and the fact that their childhood memories of fairy tales and adventures were being totally transformed into sinister alternates of similar stories. I thought this could be the result of an unfortunate child who is rebelling at the idea of happy childhoods and would like to express their hurt and anger for not being able to experience what normal, happy children would experience. Or not even the child itself but a cry out for those who are victims of these experiences. I feel as if these images would not appear into someone's head without having some sort of recollection of the ideas around the subject, they are very powerful and effective however troubling and worrying views come to mind when viewing them.

http://www.guggenheim.org/new-york/collections/collection-online/show-full/bio/?artist_name=Anna%20Gaskell&page=1&f=Name&cr=1 -This link is to Anna Gaskell's biography.

Artwork by Gregory Crewdson, "Twilight" 2002

Untitled, 2001

Digital C-print

Image size: 48 x 60 inches (121.9 x 152.4 cm)

The use of sets and props compared with location and the environment, children as the subject and fashion models. Fashion and costume is frequently used with the references from stories which are extremely exaggerated. Landscape and Portrait photography and some combined together, also interior/architecture and perspectives and angles. The photographers reference film and fiction most in their work along with mild horror and Sci-fi. They use real people and children to create fake and unrealistic scenes and they exaggerate the things we most fear in the past and the future. For example the work above by Gregory Crewdson is very staged and fictional but there is an element of beauty within its' context. It's a very mysterious and intriguing body of work that again captures the essence of the paranormal and disturbing. Either way the images are very captivating and would have taken some time to produce.

For more information visit: http://www.gagosian.com/exhibitions/june-29-2002--gregory-crewdson

Work made by Charlie White, "Ken's Basement", 2000

http://www.charliewhite.info/bio/

Contemporary is a very open term and can be discussed in many ways however I see the word and work relating to it, new and exciting with challenging and sometimes controversial aspects to it. Work in this genre can be visually striking with powerful meanings and there will always be new work emerging to back up a new and interesting idea. Photographers under this term use their experiences and personal references to express themselves and through their work. Contemporary doesn't always suggest modern but is something that's new to the art world and is there to provoke discussion and analysis. Some people would argue that contemporary art/photography is too different and hard to understand, but if everyone produced the same photographs in the same way you would get bored looking at it.

CHRISTOPHER STEWART United States of America 2002

c-print
40 x 60 in / 122 x 152.4 cm

http://www.gimpelfils.com/artist_popup.php?artist_id=24

Does not liking a piece work make you disregard it completely? What happens if you pick a photograph/painting to pieces, would you discover a hidden meaning that you do prefer?

TAYLOR WESSING PORTRAIT PRIZE

2012-02-07T12:52:00.000-08:00

THE NATIONAL PORTRAIT GALLERY-LONDON

Tuesday 31st January

Follow this link for the National Portrait Gallery website and more information:

http://www.npg.org.uk/photoprize1/site10/index.php

This exhibition was in relation to my "Representation" project (on portraiture). It also contributes to my exhibition reviewing for visual exploration.
A very interesting and thought-provoking exhibition on contemporary portrait photography, and although there were works that didn't grab my attention, there were many that were stunning, and they were the ones that for me told a story at first glance. I have chosen one the winning image to sum up the exhibition as it stood out for me most.

Harriet and Gentleman Jack, by Jooney Woodward, has won the Taylor Wessing Photographic Portrait Prize for 2011. Photograph: Jooney Woodward/PA.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/artanddesign/2011/nov/08/taylor-wessing-portrait-prizewinner

This piece is very striking and immediately shows character and depth. Her work is taken in film, which was seen as unusual at the exhibition, however I think it gives certain uniqueness to photographs that you can't get with digital. Her red hair and the juxtaposition of the Guinea Pig is dominating the image, against the white overalls, it really shows that the two characters are as important as each other.

"I prefer the quality and depth you get from using film; unfortunately it's a dying art."-Woodward.

The picture was taken with a Mamiya RZ medium format camera, which I am currently learning to master at University. Our portraiture project is based around medium format, so this image is a huge inspiration.

"I don't mess around with Photoshop so what you see is what you get. Enhanced images can portray a false sense of reality, whereas my work celebrates the people and places as they appear every day," she said.

Andie

by David Knight © the artist

His portrait of 15-year-old Andiee Poetschka, was commissioned
by Loud for the Cerebral Palsy Alliance to raise awareness of the condition throughout Australia. He says:

‘I wanted the portraits to be positive and to convey the kids in an uplifting way
You don’t immediately notice Andiee is in a wheelchair; you just see a
beautiful young woman. The image doesn’t demand you look at it, but gently
draws you in.’

(Information taken by The NPG website)

WAYS OF SEEING

2012-02-01T02:25:00.000-08:00

John Berger’s “Ways of Seeing”

In photography it's not all about the 'photo' but there's a deeper meaning to all photography and Art in general and one person who discusses theoretical meaning is John Berger. Here is a discussion on a few pages I recently saw from his book.

This chapter is purely images, no text, which at first was slightly strange as I am used to seeing images with text alongside. The text you usually see, normally informs you about the narrative and opinion about that particular image, but here, John Berger has included 14 pages with no information.

After looking at these images for a while I decided to take a look at John Berger’s BBC documentary, “Ways of seeing”, which I thought may give me some ideas and thoughts around this piece.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LnfB-pUm3eI

The following images are from the chapter I will discuss.

No text, Just image?

Berger may have done this to give the viewer an opportunity to read the images on their own accord and not be manipulated by a piece of text that decides for you. I thought that including text may change the significance of the image and “manipulating” its’ concept. Berger states that “pictures are like words”, “the images speak for themselves”. During the documentary Berger shows a “reproduction” of an image, to a group of primary school children and asks them to look and explain what they see.

The result being quite diverse and strangely, the boys thought the person was a man and the girls, a woman. They all had their own opinion on this painting and came up with their own ideas and I think that’s very important when making your own work, whether it’s necessary to include text or your interpretation straight away to avoid the viewer being too restricted.

Why can’t viewing art be more spontaneous?

Narratives?

The idea of male and female roles in society during the 16-1800’s, power and wealth, culture and social status and the depiction of women. Most of these images were oil paintings, mainly during the Renaissance, some earlier, some later and it was evident that the portraits within them were of high status and considerably wealthy. Some emphasise the dominance in the male figure with the women as house-wives or maids.

There were a few images of animals that suggested possession and ownership and most importantly the images of women could be a little provocative or a little exaggerated In terms of the female figure. John Berger argues that in European art from the Renaissance onwards, women were depicted as being “aware of being seen by a male) spectator”. This explains the poses and the styling of the women in the paintings and how they were almost always seen, as nudes.

Similarities and what period in history?

The similarities of the images are that they were either during the Renaissance or later, maybe earlier. They are of a very classical style, some biblical, some of historic relevance, and they represent the women quite frequently. The nudes of women were generally seen as beauty and a “form of dress”, or a “display”, “disguise”. The oil paintings, specifically the biblical ones were often representing eve as being punished, the women was always seen as the “weak” or “vulnerable” and this could also be the answer to why women were nude and men were dressed, the male was superior over women.

In Berger’s documentary he suggests that women were normally depicted by a (male) painter for the viewer’s pleasure. The images are quite expressive and the paintings exaggerate certain subjects, “paintings were to be seen, not hidden”, it was the “idealism” of that time. There are emphasises on wealth and culture, “how the other half live”, and these were represented with animals, huge amounts of land, portraits of maids and servants and family portraits in quite extravagant clothing. The slave trade is also represented in a few images and these would probably be shown in a newspaper at the time, documenting an event.

Can the readings of these images change over time?

The readings of these images would change over time, and we thought that our ideas on history and religion would change from person to person and we can see how exaggerated paintings were of the depictions of the world. Also the images of the slave trade would have been seen at the time in newspapers to document these events and now we see it as a historical document, something that we now learn about.

Education, advertising, modern art has changed our perceptions of things, and traditional art is now something we admire rather than producing more of that style of work. The images with the wealth and social status is an insight to the way they lived and that has changed a considerable amount, what we think of social class now is completely different, these images are now historical documents and insights to a society that doesn’t exist anymore.