#expandedphotographicpractice

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Final Project Evaluation

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Semester 2 - Expanded Photographic Practice Summative Project - Alzheimer’s

Initial Ideas 

Contextual Research - Alzheimer’s Disease 

1.    Alzheimer’s vs Dementia

-          Alzheimer’s Disease is the most common cause of Dementia

-          Dementia describes the set of symptoms – memory loss, difficulty      thinking, problem solving and communicating

-          Alzheimer’s is a physical disease that effects the brain – protein builds up in the brain and effects the connection between the nerve cells and causes loss of brain tissue

-          More than 520,000 people in the UK have the disease

-          Alzheimer’s is a progressive disease which means that symptoms become more severe over time

 2.    Symptoms

-          The earliest symptoms are memory lapses which effects day to day memory problems – such as lost items. Difficulty finding the right word, forgetting recent information, struggle with language/conversing, concentration and orientation etc.

-          Later symptoms mean that the sufferer can become a lot less aware of what is going on around them

-          Most people who develop Alzheimer’s do so after the age of 65

-          People under this age develop ‘early-onset dementia’ – there are over 40,000 people in the UK living with this condition

-          There are some risk factors that can be controlled such as lifestyle however there are some that cannot for example age and genetics -  Factors include: age, gender (women>men), genetic inheritance, health and lifestyle

-          There is currently no cure for Alzhiemer’s – however now a lot can be done to help sufferers live a normal life either with or without the assistance of medication alongside support and activities

 3.    Related Organisations

-          Alzheimer’s Society

-          Alzheimer’s Research UK

-          Reference – Instagram Account - @endalzheimers_ray

Instagram account documenting the life of Raymond Kirton who is living with Early Onset Alzheimer’s. The account is used by one of his daughters documenting the highs and lows on this ever-changing journey. His daughter use hashtags to bring her fathers story to the attention of the world, they use hashtags like #endalzheimers, #dementiadiaries, #alzheimers and #dementia

Ref: @endalzhimers_ray

Artist & Photographer Research 

Greg Segal

Remembered: The Alzheimer’s Photography Project

-          Combines present day portraits of people living with Alzheimer’s with projected images from the past

Gregg Segal is an American photographer. Segal studied photography and film at the California Institute of the Arts (BFA) as well as ‘dramatic writing’ at the New York University.

Segal’s work often works with dramatic contrasts and juxtaposes the subject to engage the viewer. He is a well-recognised photographer whose work had been recognised by the photography organisations such as Magnum Photography Awards and The New York Press Club. He has also contributed work to the National Geographic Adventure and Wired as well as others. Remembered is a project created on behalf of people with Alzheimer’s, the concept behind the series was to symbolise the past becoming part of the present. Segal wanted to demonstrate the pasts prominence in the present as well as the distance of their memories. Segal created this project by selecting images from the subject’s family album and selected a number of photographs of their younger self. During the shoot Segal would project the chosen images into the set up. Segal essentially wanted the subject to share the frame with themselves. The set of images have a beautiful delicacy within the photographs to handling the subject of Alzheimer’s in a sensitive manner. They really are a window into the condition and personality of the individual and is also a comment on their life which reminds the viewer to grasp every moment of life.

This photograph shows Emily Bernice Chapman who is an Alzheimer’s patient from Philadelphia, the photograph shows her standing using a walking frame, which while reflecting her age also creates a wonderful shape in the image. The shape of her body and stance is really extended and bold in the image which brings the entire focus onto her first and then allows us to see the large projection in the background. The image of her younger self looks like she is wearing some kind of uniform which makes the audience wonder what role she may be have had in any of the uniformed services at a time where racism and racial injustice were rife. The neutral tones in the photograph give a calm feel to the image however this also makes the image feel a little clinical which reflects the environment she may live in. The image is beautifully lit from a high angle which gives this almost angelic and heavenly feel to the photograph as though she is almost looking up to heaven, which is a lovely statement being made by the photograph.  

Ref: https://www.aarp.org/health/brain-health/alzheimers-gallery/

This photograph shows Susan Franklin an Alzheimer’s patient from the Agoura Hills in California. The photograph shows Susan at her current age while holding the hand of her younger self and what I assume is her mother. Susan is shown leaning out the window in the centre of the photograph which works really well in the photograph this is because it allows the projected image to cover the entirety of the frame. The contrast in colour of the image gives a wonderful feel to the image, the bright lights and colours in the section add a real sense of brightness and positivity to the photograph despite the prognosis of the condition. The image chosen by Segal from her family album is particularly wonderful because it has allowed him to intertwine the past and present in one photograph. The sentiment behind the image is so moving which I feel really draws the audience into the image and really captivates them which is so effective in bringing the illness to the audience’s attention.    

Ref: https://www.aarp.org/health/brain-health/alzheimers-gallery/

The final photograph I find eye catching is the image of Carole Bales from Georgia. As far as I can tell from the image it looks as though Carole still lives at home with her husband/partner. This photograph truly shows the wonderful relationship that she has with her husband , you can tell from the way he is holding him that she feels safe when she is near him. It feels a though her husband is her security and she is therefore clinging onto what makes her feel her most safe and secure. It also makes me feel as though she is not fully aware or comfortable in her surroundings even though it is her house because of her condition. Therefore I feel that the photograph is clinging onto what she finds is her security and reassurance in her husband. I think the contrast between present day Carole and past Carole is quite beautiful because it is such a distinct difference between the two, I also think that the position of the projection works really well as it blends into the entire frame really nicely.

Ref: https://www.aarp.org/health/brain-health/alzheimers-gallery/

Sabato Visconti

-          Glitch Photographer

Sabato Visconti is a photographer and visual artist whose work focuses on glitching photographs. Visconti uses applications such as ‘Pixel Drifter’ but also sometimes goes through individual pixels and coding. His images are generally very bright images that are brightly coloured and enhanced images.

This image is a notable example of a glitched photograph, the piece almost looks like an art deco painting. The image looks like a painting which is completely the opposite to how the original image would have looked. The range of colours in the photograph add a vividness to the image as well as this it has a wonderful sense of symmetry that works well in the photograph.

Ref:

https://www.ignant.com/2014/09/23/glitch-photography-by-sabato-visconti/

The second photograph is a glitched image of a mother and father holding their child in the air. The glitch image has a modern vibe to it, as well as a painted look to the piece because of how unusual and surreal it is. The range of colour and tone in the image is interesting as it clearly defines the subjects and the scene far more than other images because of it’s clarity. Despite the glitching you can still feel the warmth and sentiment that would have been captured in the photograph making its content and purpose more visible for the audience.

Ref:https://www.ignant.com/2014/09/23/glitch-photography-by-sabato-visconti/

This glitch photograph shows what appears to be a young women sitting on a beach or some kind of grassland. The image has a abundance of lines that were caused by the glitching technique. The array of directional lines all create this flow towards the centre f the image where the subject is. The image feels very mysterious as we have very little information in relation to the situation and because of the glitching makes the image a lot more interesting and intriguing. The neutral tones alongside the pops of bright blue really add a hint of brightness to the photograph as well as a direct and bold line from the subject to the frame.

Ref:https://www.ignant.com/2014/09/23/glitch-photography-by-sabato-visconti/

Glitching is a technique we would like to include in our Alzheimer’s project, I have really enjoyed and enjoyed with Sabato Visconti’s work and is something I would like to take on into the project. However, I would like them to be a little clearer so that there is clarity in what and who appears in the photographs.

Idea Analysis

Chosen Photographs for Glitching 

Editing Process

-          Glitched Images Editing

I began editing by editing each image by resizing the images to similar sizes and changing the resolution to 150 pixels per inch. I then resaved each image as a TIFF file, I used this process for all six photographs in the series.

I then opened the TIFF files on photoshop, while editing the photographs I used the technique of using Filter>Distort>Wave to create this fragmented and distorted effect. I would then use the wave or square technique that would shift the image and would create this distorted and fragmented feel to the photographs that we want to create. I also created a layer via copy and used the Filter> Filter Gallery effects to create this fuzzy and unclear effect, I used the glass effect from the filter gallery on some of the images. I then change the opacity of the first layer which enhanced this unclear feel.

I initially got this idea of using the Wave effect from this video – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wmxf3m2o13k&t=837s

This is the technique I used for most of the photographs however on one of the photographs I tried a more manual technique. Which was to have two layers of the same image and cut rectangular shapes out of the image using the rectangular marquee tool, this allowed me a lot more control over which parts of the photographs the cuts would be along. For example, I wanted the eyes and mouth to be in complete sections to give some stability to the image.

After editing all the images initially in this manner, I then edited the original image 5 different ways, so we were able to create a glitched series of image. I then took each series of photos one by one into Adobe Premier Pro to create an animation/GIF of the photographs. Using the photographs, I created a animation that was very short and then used Ctrl+C and Ctrl+V to copy and paste the short clip multiple times to create a long clip. Once I had done this I then exported the clip so I could create the tiled glitch video that we wanted to have for our video.

Once I had exported all the glitched/animated videos into premier pro I used the Position tool on the effects palette to manually position each screen into a tiled position on the entire frame. I layered each screen on top of one another and faded them in at different points to gradually engage this confused state and uncertain feel to the work. The footage is about 8 Minutes long and becomes very confusing as the viewer continues to watch the screen. We will then contrast this with a slower paced video that includes nature footage alongside footage of Chloe’s Nan, Sylvia in hospital as well as footage encompassing her house and garden. I used Adobe Premiere Pro to add the footage and cut it together alongside the song Only You by The Platters.

Final Production 

Below are my favourite glitched photographs from this project .

This is the final edit of our two screen projection called ‘Distorted Memories’.

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Final Piece

YouTube Video created by group member Elise Maitland

The final piece consists of three videos on three projectors. The videos on either side are slideshows of our images and the video is a film made by a group member, accompanied by an audio recording of a discussion we, as a group, had regarding mental health and the treatment of mental illness in the UK.

This piece brings together all of our individual experiences with mental health, which is an important topic to be discussed especially with students, now more than ever.

Class Presentation

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Semester 2 - Expanded Photographic Practice Week 3 (WB 19.2.18) - Who Presses the Shutter?

On week 3 our brief was ‘who presses the shutter’, this brief was designed for us to think about how the position of the photographer can be altered. When we were given this brief I immediately thought of looking at the idea of identity, how we see ourselves and how others see me. Initially I came up with the idea of creating a series of still photographs that are taken by different people related to the subject, for example the subject would begin by taking a photograph of them that they like where they determine the angle, the lighting, when the shutter is released and so on. I would then ask a family member such as my mother to photograph me the way that she sees me and wants me to be represented. I think the difference in the two images side by side would be a very interesting complex to explore, it would also be interesting to do this in a group to show different variations and demonstrate how relationships effect the way we see people.

The group decided to do an idea based on capturing reactions and surprise, the idea was to use iPhone headphones as a remote shutter and an iPhone to capture the scenario, we decided to set up as a group of 5 with 2 people sat at the front and 3 people stood at the back. We then gave the remote shutter to one person in the front left hand corner of the screen and they would make a noise or say something that would provoke a reaction from the other people in the group and the person would press the shutter when they wanted too, meaning that one person had complete control of when the shutter would be pressed.  

 Artist Research – Oliver Chanarin & Adam Broomberg

Oliver Chanarin and Adam Broomberg are artists and photographers who now live and work in London, Chanarin was born in London and Broomberg was born in Johannesburg.

The project of theirs that captured my eye was the project entitled ‘Ghetto’, this documented the inhabitants of a psychiatric hospital in Cuba. The patients were given remote shutters so they could photograph themselves, the photographs were mostly all taken in the same location with the same framing but the patient decided how they would like present themselves in there photographs. The colourful backgrounds are a constant element of the series this creates a distinct contrast between the background and the connotations of a psychiatric condition. The difference is really interesting in the images is really interesting how they chose to be represented individually.

For example this image is interesting because the subject has chosen to face away from the camera for the photograph, this leads the viewer to question why the subject has decided to be shown this way and creates all kinds of questions for the viewer. This photograph captures these delicate pastel colours and creates a very calm and serine look to the image that is a distinct contrast to the interpretation we believe a psychiatric condition would manifest itself as. The fact that you can see the remote shutter in the image which I think works really nicely to show the construction of the photograph. 

Ref:http://www.broombergchanarin.com/

These two photographs were both captured in identical locations which creates a similarity and continuity between the images. This goes to show the personal differences between the two patients, the particularly interesting part of this image is the positioning he has chosen. The patient has chosen to put his hand over his chest and heart which again makes a comment on the stereotypical connotations of psychiatric condition, this leads the audience to question what (if any) his intentions are towards positioning himself in this way.

Ref:http://www.broombergchanarin.com/

In conclusion the shoot was a success and had the desired effect we wanted to achieve however during our critiquing session I felt as though our group work compared to some of the other groups felt as though it lacked a deeper reasoning or content that some of the other groups had. Therefore if I was to complete the brief again I would ensure that the idea had more of a supportive content or valued reasoning/content to it which would consequently add substance and integrity to the piece. During this project our group worked effectively together to complete our shoot and collate the images which worked effectively in the end.  

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Semester 2 - Expanded Photographic Practice Week 2 (WB 12.2.18) - Performance

Brief 2 was based on Performance and Audience, within our group we had the option of doing a performance in public and recording it via video or photography, a performance that happens as part of a presentation such as a video or a live performance during the presentation period. Initially on being given the brief I personally was very nervous about the connotations of a performance, it was something that somewhat unnerved me and quickly discovered that the other members of my group felt the same way as I did. However, because of this feeling towards the brief we profoundly struggled with what we would do for it. We decided to go away individually to think of some ideas we could do within the timeframe we had been set. I kept checking in with the members of my group, but we were still struggling with an initial idea. I personally wanted to do something around mental health so began to research online for some inspiration I also looked on Instagram and Pinterest to get a starting point for a potential idea. While flicking through some images on Pinterest I found an image of a model with her face obscured by some kind of animation which sparked an idea in my mind, I started to think about how I could incorporate that into a video and decided that because of myself and my groups aversion to performing that reciting some kind of reading or poem would be our best option in the circumstances.

I found a poem about suffering from a mental health condition which we would all be able to read and decided that if we all read a section on camera we could create an animation over the persons face, like in the photograph, to obscure their identity because mental health can affect anyone not particular groups of people. Due to the fact we were also limited to 2 minutes of footage the length of the chosen poem was short enough for the 2-minute timing. I then delivered my idea to my group via email for them to consider, this option gave us the opportunity to all shoot at home and give one person in the group the responsibility of editing, meaning each person could make an effective contribution to the outcome.

Collectively we decided to shoot the entire poem each so that I could edit the best bits together from each person, we also decided to shoot landscape and skim the shot to just a head and shoulders shot to create some similarity between the footage. I also decided that we would edit the footage into black and white in Adobe Premier Pro as well as add some cutaways to break up the video a little and add context and fluidity to it.  

Artist Research - Adrian Piper

Adrian Piper is an American conceptual artist and Philosopher who was born on 20th September 1948 in New York. Piper's work addresses the concept of otherness and racism. Piper initially studied Art at the School of Visual Arts in Manhattan then moved on to study Philosophy at the City College of New York and a Masters at Harvard University.

Ref: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jVcXb8En_Tw

My chosen piece from her work is the performance called 'Mythic Being' (1973),  the piece begins with Piper transforming herself into a man with Afro hair and a large moustache and glasses. Throughout the footage she repeats a phase over and over again as she walks through the streets of New York, she performed publically as a 'third world, working class and overly hostile male'. The piece is a comment  on the attitudes of the general public at the time towards race and the stereotypes associated with it. The piece is a success in my eyes as it highlights the aforementioned issues and is an interesting visual representation/analysis of the issue. There is a lot that can be learned from the simplicity of the piece which is definitely something I would like to bring forward into the project but using simple shots and framing that can help the performance flow together.

Ref: https://tiffobenii.wordpress.com/performing-gender/adrian-piper/

Ref: https://tiffobenii.wordpress.com/performing-gender/adrian-piper/

In conclusion I believe that overall the performance video was a success as it demonstrated what I wanted it to visually and came out looking how we had planned which was good. However due to our arguably limited knowledge myself and my team were unable to do the animation element of the performance. However, I think it's something we could achieve with more time to complete the brief. One problem that did arise was the difference in quality of the footage for example footage I recorded was filmed on a DSLR whereas footage my other team members did was shot on iPhone's so when I had to edit the footage together the variety in shooting quality made it difficult to flow together. It also was a little challenging to acquire the footage from members of my team as some members were not able to stick to our agreed deadlines which made the editing challenging initially. After explaining the work and presenting it a couple of people commented that the idea and its intentions maybe a bit too thought-out and that I should step back from the idea a little and let the audience’s ideas carry the performance.      

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This is my final selection for this project. I chose to use someone I know who has Aspergers Syndrome as a focus point. I feel as though this image sums up my whole experience with this certain topic, as it conveys the idea of me being a spectator, only taking a glimpse into another’s life. The mirror reminds me of a window, further providing the idea of it being a window into someone else’s life.

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This video, which was projected onto the screen on the left, depicts me and my twin sister’s differences. It shows that although we are twins, we have differing tastes in fashion, hobbies and interests. My sister has grown to be slightly more girly, whereas I still consider myself to be a a bit of a tomboy. 

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This video, which was projected onto the right screen, depicts the relationship between two members of our group. It explores their similarities, varying from their senses of style, to hobbies and interests. It shows that although they are not related, they share a close bond, as we would see in siblings, or even twins.

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Same Difference - Projection  (Week long Project 1/4)

This project was the first of a set of 4 week long projects. In groups, we created pieces of work, be it still images or videos, that fit the project briefs we were given. 

This project focused on the projection of video/ images. We had to take into consideration which two videos would go well together, as well as whether they would follow a storyline or not.                                                                              As a group, we decided that each minute long video should have some correlation, as opposed to having two arbitrary videos. 

The concept behind this project is about the similarities of two friends and differences of a pair of twins. We wanted to explore these relationships and use the fact that I am a twin to our advantage. 

An interesting observation that the group made was that my sister and I were not involved in the shooting of the other two members’ video and vice versa, but despite this, some of our scenes were very similar, making this project as a whole more interesting. 

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Final Brief- Mental Health Project: The Mental Cases

This is the my groups’ final presentation: three screens showing a slideshow of our images, a video on the centre screen, and audio being played with the video.

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1 Week Project- Brief 1: Same Differences (Final Video)

Above is the video that was projected on to the right screen- this shows the similarities between the other two members of the group.

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1 Week Project- Brief 1: Same Differences (Final Video)

My group chose to have our videos projected side by side as we felt it would be better to view it that way.

Above is the video that was projected on to the left screen- this shows the differences between my twin and I.

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Human - Performance (Week Long Project 2/4) 

This project revolved around performance, in video and real life. 

For this video, my group and I decided to incorporate words that we hear when people talk about how a girl ‘should’ be. These words are those that we hear in the media and even in our personal lives. For so long we are told to ‘act lady-like’ and to be submissive in our own dehumanization. Traditionally feminine girls are judged for being too girly and those who are not are mocked for not being girly enough. Trans women are not being recognized as real women and other women of the LGBTQ+ community are demonized. This video is about girls of all backgrounds breaking these stereotypes and false standards and being proud of who they are.