Week 1
Images appropriation- images in the wild.
For our week 1 task, we were asked to go out and photograph an image in the wild- i.e an image that was on public display somewhere around the city of Lincoln. We then had to “release” the image (s) back onto the internet. This is a process known as appropriation and this, by definition, means “to take without permission or consent.”
This is done famously by an artist named Richard Prince who made millions by simply photographing already existing images, editing them a little bit and then releasing them back into the world. This had very mixed reviews, with some calling him a “jerk” (https://blog.photoshelter.com/2015/05/richard-prince-is-a-jerk/) and some saying he is one of “the coolest artists alive” (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/art/3556477/Richard-Prince-the-coolest-artist-alive.html) Photographer Patrick Cariou tried to file a lawsuit against prince for infringing copyright, but this was never accepted as the court believed in the right that artists can use others’ “raw ingredients” in order to create their own works of art (http://www.artinamericamagazine.com/news-features/news/landmark-copyright-lawsuit-cariou-v-prince-is-settled/)
This was the image I took- originally it was on a poster advertising a screening of “the shining.” I edited the perspective a little bit to make it slightly my own then released it back onto the internet. I decided on using this image as I liked how easy it was to change the perspective on it, meaning even though my task was to essentially “steal” an image I could still somehow make it my own.
Week 2
For our week 2 task, we were given an image and a series of questions to answer about the image. The image i was assigned can be seen below:
1) I believe this photo was taken around the 1970’s- 1990’s. My reasoning behind this is the decor of the room looks quite dated, and the quality of the photo makes it seem like it was taken on a film camera which were popular around that time.
2) The way the room is decorated signals to me that the photo was taken somewhere in the United Kingdom. There are no real elements of the photo that signal this specifically, its just a general feeling I get from looking at the image.
3) In this photo, the light used is very natural. It looks as if the photographer has just worked with the natural lighting in that room, and the lighting appears to be coming from a window behind the photographer. The image is slightly out of focus, making the photo appear spontaneous and not staged. The photographer has taken the photograph with a slightly low angle, making the subject appear more important. The main subjects are not framed centrally, again making this photo seem natural and unstaged. It also makes the room look slightly tilted, giving an chaotic feeling to the photograph. The colours are very subdued, giving this photo a dark and tense mood.
4) The main subject of the photograph is pointing towards the camera, showing he is acknowledging the photographer. His body is also positioned towards the camera, showing he was ready to be photographed.
5) I think the photographer would have asked the subject to appear a little startled, but otherwise casual.
6) I think the photographer intended for the audience to be a little confused by this image and want context, as its very unexplained and I imagine it leaves the majority of the audience wanting to know more.
week 3- no set task
week 4- still life (see other blog post)
Week 5- project intentions ( see research blog post)
week 6- studio shoot
week 7- the portrait
For this task, we were asked to take photograph’s of strangers. I was dissatisfied with these photo’s as some of them were not in focus, which I would do differently if I took them again. The lack of focus was due to using the wrong camera settings for the environment- which is something I will make sure to pay attention to next time.
Week 8- no set task
Week 9 seminar task
For week 9, we had to find a place to sit and observe what was going on around us, in the style of Perec.
I sat by the river, and this is what I observed around me:
“the water in the river ripples gently, catching the wind. Around me is the sound of everyday life happening- traffic, university students passing by, the sound of music playing faintly in the distance. The world feels peaceful and calm here, nobody feels rushed”