alexjester

[alexjester]

Jerry Uelsmann

As I was doing research for photo montage photographers I came across this artists work. I could see a lot of similarities in our work, I like his use in black and white imagery and deep topics he bases his work around. Jerry Uelsmann is a master printer producing composite photographs with multiple negatives and extensive darkroom work. He uses up to a dozen enlargers at a time to produce his final images. Similar in technique to Rejlander, Uelsmann is a champion of the idea that the final image need not be tied to a single negative, but may be composed of many. Unlike Rejlander, though, he does not seek to create narratives, but rather allegorical surrealist imagery of the unfathomable. Uelsmann is able to subsist on grants and teaching salary, rather than commercial work. 

This is Jerry Uelsmans work.

This is my work taken in a cemetery near where I live.

[alexjester]

Adrian Brannan

Adrian Brannan is a contemporary artist who works mainly in the medium of photo collage focusing on cityscapes as his most frequently chosen subject matter. In a time when the majority of image manipulators are using digital photography and post production software such as Adobe Photoshop Adrian has notably chosen to use traditional optical photography and manual 'cut and paste' collaging techniques in the pursuit of what he has described as a "more truthful and unclouded representation" of his subject matter. The photographs are often taken from multiple locations with different film and processing techniques, at different times, and on different days. No digital processes are used at any stage of Adrian's work, and the majority of photographs are printed in his own darkroom. All of the collages vary in complexity. Each work can be made up from as little as fifty, to as many as one thousand individual 35mm film photographs.

[alexjester]

I edited some of my original photos I took from the building in Digbeth. Black and white images appear to be more timeless than colour images. As evidenced by the colour schemes produced by particular types of film or by trends in digital processing, colour can sometimes suggest a specific era. Removing the colour makes it more difficult to put an exact date on a photo. A lack of colour in a photograph often accentuates the light and shadows. Backlit subjects and dramatic shadows are brought to the audience’s attention quickly in black and white images.Many fine art photographers prefer black and white images for their tendency to distance the subject matter from reality. Humans see the world in colour, and a rendition of the world in monochrome makes us pause and look closely. Removing colour from a picture helps the viewer to focus on a subject’s emotional state. Black and white portraiture lets the audience see the subject’s face and read his/her eyes or surroundings without distraction.

[alexjester]

Photo Montage

Photomontage is the process and the result of making a composite photograph by cutting, gluing, rearranging and overlapping two or more photographs into a new image. Sometimes the resulting composite image is photographed so that a final image may appear as a seamless photographic print.  History Author Oliver Grau in his book, Virtual Art: From Illusion to Immersion, notes that the creation of an artificial immersive virtual reality, arising as a result of technical exploitation of new inventions, is a long-standing human practice throughout the ages. Such environments as dioramas were made of composited images.The first and most famous mid-Victorian photomontage (then called combination printing) was "The Two Ways of Life" (1857) by Oscar Rejlander, followed shortly thereafter by the images of photographer Henry Peach Robinson such as "Fading Away" (1858). These works actively set out to challenge the then-dominant painting and theatrical tableau vivants. A photomontage may contain elements at once real and imaginary. Combined photographs and digital manipulations may set up a conflict between aesthetics and ethics – for instance, in fake photographs that are presented to the world as real news.

[alexjester]

David Hockney

David Hockney is an English painter, draughtsman, printmaker, stage designer and photographer. An important contributor to the pop art movement of the 1960s, he is considered one of the most influential British artists of the 20th century. David Hockney is a great painter,but he has also known fame through photography, although he does not mince his words when he says ‘Photography will never equal painting!’  Perhaps this is the wrong argument as they are different media and needn’t be compared. However he does make judgemental comments about photography such as ‘Photography is only good for mechanical reproduction’. ‘Photography can’t show time’   and more… I’ve seen professional photographers shoot hundreds of pictures but they are all basically the same. They are hoping that in one fraction of a second something will make that face look as if there were a longer moment…If you take a hundred, surely one will be good. It could be anybody doing it… There are few good photographs, and those good ones that do exist are almost accidental. Photography has failed…How many truly memorable pictures are there? Considering the milllions of photographs taken, there are few memorable images in this medium, which should tell us something. Photography can’t lead us to a new way of seeing. It may have other possibilities but only painting can extend the way of seeing. I don’t agree with David Hockney’s opinion but I have taken it on board with how i’m going to further my work. I want to experiment with my photos not just having one photo on exhibition so i’m going to experiment with some of my own ideas and David Hockney’s photography theory.

[alexjester]

I recently went to one of the abandoned buildings in Digbeth and took more photos to help me produce my exhibition work. Its a very dark place on the first floor very eery, your unable to see your hand in front of you but as you work your way up it becomes a lot lighter and lot more welcoming. It very empty but s full of life there graffiti everywhere, empty spray painting canastas, empty food packaging, plants were growing up the sides of the walls and in the middle of the floors, there were also a few other people in their taking photos. It brought my peace inside the building a feeling of comfort and belonging, i felt as though nothing could get too me. I was pleased with most of my photos but because it was so dark on the first floor I was unable to focus or see what I had taken through the camera.

[alexjester]

[alexjester]

Migrant exhibition the hive We visited then Hive in Worcester to see an exhibition called Migrant which one of lecturers was a part of. I struggled to understand the concept of some of the work in the exhibition but I particulary liked the poster of the foot with tattoo that said migrant in capital letters. I’m really big on tattoos so I could relate to this particular piece more than the other work. I also felt it was a huge statement being made as though someone was being labelled by this particular word being tattooed in big capital letters on someone’s ankle as though it was a label like what they do to animals to tell them apart. This could relate to my work because I tend to focus on the issues in society for my work and this is a huge issue we face every day and all over the

[alexjester]

Crit

I had my crit recently and was pleasantly surprised with the reaction and comments I received from my fellow peers. I showed them two photos I had took of my brother on an abandoned train track and in a train tunnel. Both photos are in black and white I had a lot of different opinions about what my work was trying to portray.

·       Mental illness

·       Waiting for something or someone

·       Death

·       Narrative

·       Homelessness

·       History of the environment

·       Someone being watched

I was trying to capture the subject of non existence so these photographs were just examples and experiments for my further work. There were comments in how it reminds them of Banksy’s work because I’m doing things when people aren’t around. It was also mentioned people couldn’t figure out whether the person in the photo was a boy or girl which I liked because you can change that person to whoever you want. It’s interesting to people because everyone knows of an abandoned place but you don’t know where that place is. For my next step I’m going to focus on taking more photographs seeing what I can capture in my everyday life. I was also debating whether to create a video still on the same subject and manner of my photos. I’m slightly going to change the direction of my work I want to focus more on loneliness and non existence and dark, sad side more than the graffiti at the moment.

[alexjester]

Fabian Perez I attended Fabian Perez opening exhibition In Birmingham at The Whitewall gallery. I was pleasantly surprised at his work as I haven’t heard much about him before. I found his work very seductive and mysterious his colour choices are quite dark and low. A lot of his paintings that involved models either had their back turned or was hidden under a form of head wear I could relate to this through my work cause the person in my work is always a lot further from the camera and your unable to tell who it is almost like neither of them wont to be identified. He also did a lot of self portraits through out my years at college and university I have always tried to involve myself in my own work I feel I have a better connection with the image and finder it easier it  to develop my work further if i’m involved. ‘’As one of the foremost figurative artists of our time Fabian has become an exceptional global entity. Over the years he has explored many different paths in his search for greater self expression and artistic truth and his work brings together a broad range of life stories drawn from many sources close to his heart. From the geisha of Japan’s flower towns to the couples who haunt the night clubs of Buenos Aires, all these characters have a story to tell of their disparate and intriguing lives.’’

[alexjester]

Can i argue people have beliefs that are not real or present but yet we call them traditions. We cant see them or feel them but somehow if we don't abide by them our fate is fucked

[alexjester]

Metaphysical Investigation

Metaphysics is a branch of philosophy investigating the fundamental nature of being and the world that encompasses it. Topics of metaphysical investigation include existence, objects and their properties, space and time, cause and effect, and possibility. A central branch of metaphysics is ontology, the investigation into the basic categories of being and how they relate to one another. Another central branch is metaphysical cosmology: which seeks to understand the origin and meaning of the universe by thought alone.

Ive attached a piece of Metaphysical art from the view of this I can apply this to my work as the buildings is sort of the same angle and view you cant see the ending the sky is going on forever sort of a dream or thought.

[alexjester]

Mark Auge- Non-Places

During the research about spaces and environments I came across a book written by Marc Auge “non places”.I have only read a few extracts from the book and it’s miserable, at least to me, and Augé traces that feeling at least partially to a place’s relationship or lack theory of the history. “First published in 1992 and reissued with a new introduction, anthropologist Marc Augé's book is a haunting analysis of modern life and in particular those homogenised "non-places" where we spend so much of our time: airports, railway stations, superstores, motorways and international hotel chains. Unlike conventional "anthropological places" (the symbolic site of an altar), these "spaces of circulation, consumption and communication" exist beyond history, relations and the game of identity. Yet, as Augé shows, the anodyne and anonymous solitude of these non-places offers the transitory occupant the illusion of being part of some grand global scheme: a fugitive glimpse of a utopian city-world. The forces of globalisation and urbanisation are creating ever more of these Ballardian non-places, symptoms of a Muzak-filled supermodernity in which "people are always, and never, at home". Unsettling, elegantly written and illuminating: essential reading for anyone seeking to understand our supermodern condition.” “As I write this, I sit in a Tucson airpot bar. Airports have everything wrong with them: they are transitional, one-off spaces filled with strangers, the “restaurants” they offer consist of pre-made food with character slightly above a TV dinner, and for some reason we as a society have decided that Constitution rights and privacy don’t apply here. People I don’t know can stop me at will, and merely flying requires that I submit to security theater that is simultaneously ineffective and invasive. Everything is exorbitantly expensive but not of particularly high quality. Menus don’t have beer prices on them.”

[alexjester]

Edmund Clark In place of hate During one of our lectures we visited the Ikon Gallery in Birmingham. One of the artist whose work was being exhibited was an artist called Edmund Clark. Even though his work is based on life in prison prison and the security and inmates i can really relate to his work. His photographs of peoples faces are the ones i found really interesting because you didn’t know the identity of the person so you are unable to make a judgement because security officers and prisoners are completely opposite in that world. I found the room we had to walk in where the pictures where on display being projected onto huge white sheets hanging from the ceiling quite calm and relaxing but also unnerving and eerie. I have really found inspiration in the way he displayed his work using the sheets and having the images projected onto them I might try and experiment my work with finding different ways in exhibiting my photos. Edmund Clarks exhibition is the culmination of his residency, comprising photography, video and installation.Established in 1962, HMP Grendon requires inmates to accept responsibility for their offence. Within the prison environment they can exercise a degree of control over the day-to-day running of their lives, making a commitment to intensive group therapy and democratic decision-making, whilst holding each other to account. Evidence shows that Grendon has delivered lower levels of violence in prison and reduced instances of reoffence after release. Clark, an artist with a longstanding interest in incarceration and its effects, has worked with inmates, prison officers and therapeutic staff, immersed himself in the prison routines and taken part in wing community meetings, a key element of life at Grendon.  Clark’s work is shaped by his engagement with issues of censorship, security and control. He cannot make images that reveal the identity of the prisoners or details of the security infrastructure and so his response has been to create work that explores ideas of visibility, representation, trauma and self-image. These themes influence how prisoners and the criminal justice system are perceived by the public, politicians and media and are above all central to the experience of the men and staff engaged in the therapeutic process at Grendon. 

[alexjester]

Dan Wood Hypnagogia Dan Wood is a self-taught photographer from South Wales, UK. His video piece Hypnagogia consists of black and white hand printed photographs that predict a post-apocalyptic world, representing his anxieties and insomnia. Throughout Hypnagogia — the transitional period between wakefulness and sleep — Wood preys upon our inherent fears to create an unsettling world of dark dreams and haunting nostalgia. I really like this piece again with the black and white images, it create such a powerful message, I can link it too my work due to the emptiness of the images there's not a lot of difficulty in them but you understand the message and can somehow relate to what he is trying to portray. Again, I have added some of the interview about the work which I find important and interesting.

How did you come up with each image and its concept? What is your process?

The pictures themselves date back as far as 2004, so I guess that this whole series is a documentation of my own life over the past 12 years. Each picture had to be relevant and also tell a story, whether it was dream/hypnagogic related and/or anxiety/depression driven. It’s all about different periods of my life and how I was feeling during these periods. The main period fuelling this series was 2003-08 when I was going through a decisive transition from old life to new. There is also a supernatural element to some of the pictures as the house I lived in for 16 years was undoubtably haunted.

I found the video both oddly soothing and anxiety provoking at the same time. What was the reasoning behind presenting the images as a slideshow with sound?

Once the series of photographs were made they just sat in a folder for a while as I didn’t really know what to do with them. Something was missing. I needed to find a way of presenting the work to complete my expression, interpret what I was trying to say and conclude the series; randomly putting the pictures up on my website just didn’t feel right. One evening I had an epiphany to make a slideshow with music and the search for a soundtrack started. I tried many different types of music from light jazz to roaring death metal, but nothing seemed right, until I stumbled upon the work of Simon Wilkinson (via You Tube). The subtle science fiction-esque creepy horror music that he makes fitted perfectly and really brought life to the series; it was the best 79p I ever spent.

[alexjester]

Morgan Cable Isolation I have come across a photographer called Morgan Cable who focuses on his anxiety and mental health when taking and editing his photos. In his work Isolation Cable attempts to convey his experiences of anxiety and his feelings of being alone. I thought my work is easily connected to this particular piece of work as mine is revolved around non existence. I particularly like how his photos are everyday photos but he manages to capture a sense of loneliness and despair in them, someone who is not sure in what there doing or going to be doing next. I also like the colour choice of his photographs. I prefer black and white photos to colour ones, they give an older more serious tone to the pictures. I have copied a piece of an interview he recently did because I think its really important and powerful. I can also relate to the bedroom answer in a way I like being in abandoned buildings.

Can you describe what making photographs about anxiety means to you?

It’s currently one of the major driving factors behind my work. After struggling to gain any opportunity to work with organisations and charities set up to help those suffering from mental illness, my self reflective work allowed me to still begin my own process of helping people and in many ways had more of a powerful effect in my opinion.

What is the significance of the room in your photographs?

The bedroom represents the concept of insecurity. Although the bedroom is seen as a place of rest, a safe sanctum within the home, a secure zone. The fact it is a secure place means it is very easy for a person to get trapped in the zone, refusing to leave only causing more anxieties when the person finally does leave. I have attempted to represent the darkness and suffocating feelings I have experienced.

[alexjester]

Development

My original ideas about what I wanted my work to be about is slowly changing due to the outcomes of my work. I have edited the previous photos I uploaded to challenge on what my work could mean

This photo is one of my favourites so far. It was an accident how this photo came about I didn't ask the person in the photo to pose I was simply taking photos and managed to capture it when they were waiting for me to finish up. I showed this photograph in my CRIT and got some really good feed back. It was mentioned there was a very dark feeling theme happening in this photo, It was said it was a very sad image almost resembling death, A feeling of not existing, no hope or very little. It looks like a picture of someone who has given up or maybe someone who is looking for something. My peers also mentioned they like the contrast of natural and the more industrial environments happening in the photo. Someone also had said they like the fact the person in it is unrecognisable you cant even tell whether its a boy or girl, you are able to make your own mind up of who it is which enables the viewer to connect with the image alot more.  After getting the feedback I did in my crit and speaking with my tutors my ideas of what I want to capture have changed. I want to be able to show what non existence is or something that is non existent. In this day n age everyday life is hard with all the expectations in social media, the government, money, family life, health, mental illness etc people just want to escape they want to hide from all these troubling them and the daily issues they have to come face to face with. People want what something used to be. When people hide they don't have to face these issues. There non existent. Im going to focus more on abandoned places, where peoples daily lives would take place where people would have to face the issues we still face to day but now all they are pieces of wall, old room etc everything that happened there is no irrelevant. Non existent.