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1a: Abstraction and the City

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1a: Abstraction and the City

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1a: Abstraction and the City

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Rachel Knepfer

As a former photo editor for various print publications, Rachel Knepfer’s career has centred around considering the construction, function, dispersion and different powers of images in modern society and culture. Knepfer’s lecture caused me to consider the many different ways that images can be read, consumed and interpreted by different people and in different contexts.

One interesting point that Knepfer brought up was that some celebrities were very aware and controlling of their own image and the way they were presented during photoshoots. Considering how widespread Rolling Stone magazine is, it is an understandable concern, however in the public eye how much control does a celebrity really have over the way they are perceived by other people?

In the context of a portrait, are we able to still see the true person, regardless of how they present themselves, or can we only see the subject in the way they want to be seen? This point is interesting to ponder when considering Roland Barthes’ idea of “the death of the author” - despite somebody’s efforts to control how their image is perceived, ultimately the meaning and reading of the image will come from the viewer and be influenced by their own cultural experiences, beliefs and relationship to the subject.

Knepfer’s lecture also showed several examples of the overt sexualisation and objectification of women in celebrity culture and media. Rolling Stone’s ultimate motive is to sell magazines, and there are several cases where the objectification of women was used specifically for this purpose. Take for instance the cover photo of David Spade - Knepfer explained that Spade on his own would never shift copies of the magazine, so they included two naked models on the cover. The models were present simply as sex objects, and as Knepfer explained, they were totally aware of their role in the image. Although this could still be considered problematic despite the willing participation of all parties, it is a clear indication that both the celebrities and models, and Rolling Stone, understood the role of sex in visual culture and its power to sell products.

(Seliger, 1999)

References

Seliger, M. 1999, Rolling Stone Cover, viewed 29 May 2018, <https://www.rollingstone.com/music/pictures/snark-victory-19990824/rs-cover03-39797732>.

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Cigdem Aydemir

Cigdem Aydemir’s work spans performance, video and intervention. Not only does she highlight important issues, but her work is presented in a democratic way which allows its message to be effectively communicated to wider society.

A central theme explored in Aydemir’s work is her experience being a Muslim women in a post-colonial society, and the tensions that can arise from this. Aydemir explained the decision to wear or remove the veil in Australia as being torn between resisting colonial power and being subject to patriarchy, or resisting patriarchy and being subject to colonial power. If she wears the veil she is seen by wider Australian society as being oppressed, if she does not she is seen by her own community as succumbing to colonialism. 

The emotional labour involved in appeasing two sides of one’s identity is seen in her work ‘Smile’ (2014) - in this video work, Aydemir wears a hijab and smiles directly into the camera for 15 minutes (Fig. 1). The physical strain of holding a smile for this long speaks to the draining and painful work required in maintaining her religious and cultural identity whilst seeking to convince and assure non-Muslim Australians that she is not a threat.

Fig. 1 (Aydemir, 2014)

Aydemir’s work succeeds because it directly involves and occurs in the society it is critiquing - many of her performances literally take place in the streets or public areas (Fig. 2). The importance of her work extends beyond the art world and concerns wider society. The audience is not required to have an interest in performance art or visit a gallery to be exposed to it, meaning the work’s message can be spread further than it otherwise would be. The work also employs humour, a tool that can transcend cultures, language and bring attention to serious issues.

Fig. 2 (Aydemir, 2011)

References

Aydemir, C. 2014, Smile, viewed 29 May 2018, <http://cigdemaydemir.com/smile.html>.

Aydemir, C. 2011, Extremist Activity (stroll), viewed 29 May 2018, <http://cigdemaydemir.com/EA_stroll.html>.

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Charles Dennington - The Benefits of Combining Commercial and Artistic Practices

Anyone looking to build a creative career in photography inevitably questions the separation and balance between commercial and artistic pursuits. In the case of Charles Dennington it seems that not only can a career span both, but they can inform and feed off one another to culminate in a well-rounded artistic practice.

Dennington is represented by MAP Ltd - an agency whose roster all have both commercial and artistic practices. This suggests that both approaches to art can be of equal importance, and provides a platform where awareness can be brought to both elements of an artist's practice.

Dennington explained that he strives for creative freedom in his paid work - similar creative explorations can be seen in both his personal work and his commercial photography. His interest in shadow and "mutability of form" is present in both artistic and fashion work, where he explores the use of light to obscure and fracture objects and faces (See Fig 1 & 2). He is able to use ideas which originated in personal work for commercial application.

Figure 1 (Dennington, 2015)

Figure 2 (Dennington, 2018)

He also mentioned instances where he had incurred personal expenses while working on paid jobs - putting his sculptural skills to use in constructing set designs and paying for the materials himself. It seems in many cases that commercial work can also provide creative inspiration and outlet.

During his lecture, Dennington made a point of acknowledging how privileged and lucky he feels to be able to make a career the way he has - to make a living entirely from one's artistic practice seems reserved for a few majorly successful outliers. To build a creative career in a major Australian city it seems like a practical necessity to also engage in commercial work. However, this does not necessarily mean that the commercial work needs to be seen as a day job - it can inform, inspire and provide practical tools to further purely artistic pursuits.

References

Dennington, C. (2015). Amorphous Basin. Galerie Pompom. Available at: http://charliedenningtonphoto.com [Accessed 28 May 2018].

Dennington, C. (2018). Fashion Portraits. Available at: http://charliedenningtonphoto.com [Accessed 28 May 2018].

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How does Heath Franco’s work make viewers uncomfortable?

Throughout Heath Franco’s lecture, his strange and absurd videos elicited a variety of responses, including laughter, curiosity and a pervasive feel of discomfort. There are many factors in Franco’s work which contribute to this discomfort - namely the way he addresses the viewer directly, the repetition of his characters’ catch-phrases and his exploration of dress-up and costume. The videos also have no clear meaning, nor do they contain references we can use to understand or decode them.

Franco’s videos nearly always feature a succession of individual, strangely dressed characters who look directly into the camera - by breaking the “fourth wall” he reverses the gaze of the viewer and addresses them directly.

Repetition plays a large factor here as well - his characters usually have a short catchphrase, repeated over and over, addressing the viewer - “what are you doing here?”, “you wanna play”, “can I help you?”. The phrases pin you down, almost like a sustained eye contact with somebody. After the constant repetition we begin to feel pressure to react or respond to these statements and questions.

Franco is a man in his 30s who is essentially playing dress-up and making home videos - his playful exploration and indulgence is something most people abandon by the time they reach adolescence. Outside the context of theatre or a successful acting career, our society does not typically respect this behaviour or take it seriously. Franco’s solitary approach to his art, the low-budget, home-style video editing and the amateur approach to costume and make-up (see Fig 1 & 2) also suggest a strange, private hobby. The confronting way this behaviour is presented in his work surely contributes to the discomfort of some viewers.

Figure 1 (Franco, 2015)

Figure 2 (Franco, 2012)

It is hard to feel at ease viewing something which does not make itself easily understandable - Franco’s realities are entirely of his own construction, and provide little to no logical references to the outside world to help us understand or decode them. With no clear meaning to be gleaned from the videos, we are at the mercy of their absurdity. 

References

Franco, H. 2015, The Rainbow Lands, viewed 27 May 2018, <http://mosmanartgallery.org.au/exhibitions/paths-and-cages-heath-franco>.

Franco, H. 2012, DREAM HOME, viewed 27 May 2018, <http://2015.channelsfestival.net.au/2015/program/provocation-series-brunch-club/>.

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09/04/18 - Yvonne Todd

Yvonne Todd’s images are visually striking, technically executed and slightly unnerving. She succeeds in distilling influences from commercial, glamour and corporate portrait photography and producing portraits which are slightly “off" and unnerving.

There are very obvious comparisons to be drawn between Todd and artists like Diane Arbus and Cindy Sherman. Surprisingly, Todd is not influenced by Sherman, and despite the visual similarities, it seems the two artists have quite different approaches to the way they work. Cindy Sherman uses her practice as a powerful subversive and political tool, however Todd did not seem to have such clear or explicit goals with her art. She explained that there is no real reason to create the work outside of entertaining her own curiosities (and presumably selling too, considering she is a full-time artist and does not work commercially).

Although I enjoyed her lecture, I would have liked to hear Todd critically engage with her own work more and discuss it in a broader context, along with reasons for making it. She seems to make her work from a very personal viewpoint and mentioned that she doesn't look to other artists or theorists to inspire or inform anything she does. Whilst I don't completely disagree with this approach, I do think that as a widely known artist, she has a responsibility to be aware of the different ways her work can be interpreted and the messages they can convey.

Take for example her series of staged photos depicting anorexic subjects. Todd said herself during the lecture that the images were made simply because she wanted to see what she would look like if she was anorexic. While she may have a personal connection to this subject, her images essentially reduce anorexia to a costume or visual spectacle and do not engage with it on a deeper level.

There is also a lack of racial diversity in her subjects (see below), which could be for a reason considering the photographic cliches and influences that she employs (such as victorian fashion, corporate portraiture and women's magazines from the 70s/80s - areas of art and media which are mostly dominated by white, western faces), however we can not be sure because this was never addressed.

(Google Image search of Yvonne Todd’s works)

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26/03/18 - Raphaela Rosella

In contrast to the previous week’s lecture by Douglas Lance Gibson, Raphaela Rosella’s approach to documentary photography draws from her surroundings and brings the stories and experiences of her subjects to the forefront. As a member of the community she photographs, Rosella is able to work closely with her subjects in a long-form storytelling format. Despite photographing in disadvantaged communities, Rosella’s work challenges the tropes of victimhood and presents her subjects in a dignified, anti-sensational way.

Throughout her lecture, Rosella emphasised the ethics behind her work. She touched on some of the problematic elements of a lot of documentary photography - stories being co-opted, sensationalisation of certain circumstances and photographers “flying in and flying out” - visiting an impoverished environment and taking someone’s story without giving back or building a relationship. She looks at her practice as a collaboration between her and the subject, emphasising transparency and allowing them to have a say in the way that they are represented. Rosella believes that “taking photos is not enough” and spends a lot of time giving back to her community through social work. The connection she has and the amount of time she spends with her subjects shows in her work (see images below), especially when considering she shoots with a medium format film camera - a process which is typically slow and does not allow a large number of photos to be taken.

(Rosella, 2017)

(Rosella, 2017)

My impression is that Rosella’s priority is getting the story out about her subjects and the disadvantaged communities they come from, whether that is through photography or other means. She has recently started to branch out into collecting audio and physical documents - artefacts which are arguably more effective when it comes to objective documentation. When I asked her about this, she explained that having multiple mediums would create a more immersive experience during installation and also allow her subjects to have their own platform to speak for themselves. To me this speaks to not only the limitations photography has as an objective documentary tool, but the way that other tools can be used to supplement it and build a well-rounded practice.

References

Rosella, R. (2017). Available at: https://shotkit.com/raphaela-rosella/ [Accessed 15 Apr. 2018].

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19/03/18 - Douglas Lance Gibson

Although Douglas Lance Gibson works within the documentary photography tradition, he does not necessarily record or document real events or circumstances - my impression of his work is that he searches for scenes and subjects to project his concept onto. Gibson took us through an in-depth discussion around his most recent body of work ‘What Was Once Yesterday, Today & Tomorrow’, which explores ideas around the idea of time as both a natural order and western construct. The work itself is beautiful and technically executed, however conceptually the images alone are wide open for interpretation. Although they are loaded with visual motifs, it was not until Gibson explained the images in relation to his concept that I fully understood them.

Take for instance following image from the series:

(Lance Gibson, 2018)

Gibson explained that the strong geometric lines cutting through the frame in this image represented the rigidity of time constructs enforced by western culture. Although the motif speaks to his concept, visually we are given no cues on how to interpret the image or what it means in the broader context of the work.

Although Gibson is not necessarily attempting to document truth and events, rather he is exploring an idea, it is interesting to consider that the extent of his intentions and ideas cannot be fully understood through images alone - full understanding and appreciation of the work requires accompanying context, writing and explanation.

The work is presented on Gibson’s website as a series of standalone images, with no supporting artist statement or captions that reference the ideas behind the work. During Gibson’s lecture it was also unclear whether the book and installation have much, if any, accompanying text. The images can be interacted with on a surface level as they are, but for an artist so concerned with ideas and concepts it seems to me that supporting text should be an important component of Gibson's practice.

The ambiguity of photos presented without context or explanation is something I am interested in exploring more in my own practice. I am also now more aware of and interested in the relationship between text and image.

References

Lance Gibson, D. (2018). Available at: http://www.douglaslancegibson.com/9qwexqst6ch8kibjrnoen80wjzwg65 [Accessed 15 Apr. 2018].