"The audience knows the truth - the world is simple... miserable... its solid all the way through. But if you could fool them, even for a second, then you can make them wonder."- Robert Angier
The concept of truth in photography is a very complex issue. There is always a question of whether what we are seeing is fact, fiction or fantasy due to the limitless possibilities that have arisen in digital advancement. The ability, in photography, to document reality as it is has always been a predominant feature of the medium, particularly through documentary work. This means that there is always an issue of bias and what the photographer is not showing in the image in order to manipulate the message that is shown. However, through this canal, we also get the opportunity to express things that cannot be seen; finding a truth in what would conventionally be deemed a lie. In this respect, we see the impact and power of photography due to its capacity to make people see a reality that they would not have noticed in the everyday world.
Erwin Wurm. 4th Jan 2016
Erwin Wurm is an Austrian photographer, known for his 1 minute sculptures and surrealist photography. His one minute sculptures encompass what impossible to do only for one minute and make them into something that lasts forever. This is not a lie due to the fact that he shows us exactly how it is being done, often showing the whole of the subject's body in his images. A key element of his work is therefore surrealism, but realistic surrealism, that does not make complete visual sense but is photographed in a blunt and honest way. In photography, though there is always a question of bias and manipulation, Wurm ensures his audience understands how they cam to be, not concealing anything from his audience and alerting them to the fact that these surrealist shapes and implausible scenarios exist in real life; if only for a few moments.
"I am interested in the everyday life. All the materials that surrounded me could be useful, as well as the objects, topics involved in contemporary society. My work speaks about the whole entity of a human being: the physical, the spiritual, the psychological and the political."- Erwin Wurm.
In this respect Wurm's works can create a plethora of menacing concerning the truth of objects.
This response to Wurm was not a success. It did not fully encapsulate the minimalism and simplicity of his work, or the key role that balance plays in the creation of his sculpture. His work does not create new things, but extrapolates the potential of pre-made objects in order to view them in a different respect. With these images, this is not possible and frequently the objects are morphed into a different form (cling film) or merely being held in a casual way; not surrealist or subversive. To improve upon these images, they should be taken in a more empty space, with fewer and more mundane objects that contort or manipulate the body, or simple make it seem unnatural in it's stillness. We firstly created sketches of the shapes we would create and then attempted to form them with random objects, holding and filming them for one minute like Wurm.
"I am interested in the everyday life. All the materials that surrounded me could be useful, as well as the objects, topics involved in contemporary society. My work speaks about the whole entity of a human being: the physical, the spiritual, the psychological and the political."- Erwin Wurm.
In this respect Wurm's works can create a plethora of menacing concerning the truth of objects.
This response to Wurm was not a success. It did not fully encapsulate the minimalism and simplicity of his work, or the key role that balance plays in the creation of his sculpture. His work does not create new things, but extrapolates the potential of pre-made objects in order to view them in a different respect. With these images, this is not possible and frequently the objects are morphed into a different form (cling film) or merely being held in a casual way; not surrealist or subversive. To improve upon these images, they should be taken in a more empty space, with fewer and more mundane objects that contort or manipulate the body, or simple make it seem unnatural in it's stillness. We firstly created sketches of the shapes we would create and then attempted to form them with random objects, holding and filming them for one minute like Wurm.
By way of contrast, take these three of Wurm's images. The first is of a woman balanced on a series of oranges. The composition of this image, in true Wurm style, captures the whole of her body but still leaves a very large percentage of the wall behind her and floor in front of her. his gives the impression that Wurm wanted to draw attention to her in relation to the world around her, not focusing just on her a s a sculpture, but the idea of her and the reactions people will have to her in an open space. This also means she is central to the image and gives an oddly surrealist affect, particularly with her plain clothes and jesus like configuration. This unsettling surrealism, gives way to an examination of the peculiarity of the sculpture and its impossibility as a fixed object. This central theme is emphasised far more in the second image of a woman balanced on top of a broom. This image is far less attainable than the first but equally uncomfortable and causes the audience to wonder how it was attained. By fixing this position permanently in a photograph, and the relaxed expression of the subject makes the irrational situation appear rational; allowing the audience to experience the objects in a different way. The visible window and the white background recall some of Francesca Woodman's work and therefore draw upon the uncomfortable surrealism of a collapsing mind but in a far less unsettling way.
One of Wurm's instillation types involves leaving an object on a pedestal in a gallery space and inviting the general public to compose a sculpture with it. Here he is quite literally asking them to alter their thought process about the nature of that object and incorporate it somehow into themselves. This third image shows this as a man uses a chair to create a one minute sculpture.
Overall his sculptures create a whimsical look upon the every day and look at what can be seen as absurd. The question of truth as stated above, is also played into as he transforms the nature of a static sculpture into an act that is both funny, occasionally embarrassing , but always intreguing; showing a version of an honest truth that is only possible in a moment.
One of Wurm's instillation types involves leaving an object on a pedestal in a gallery space and inviting the general public to compose a sculpture with it. Here he is quite literally asking them to alter their thought process about the nature of that object and incorporate it somehow into themselves. This third image shows this as a man uses a chair to create a one minute sculpture.
Overall his sculptures create a whimsical look upon the every day and look at what can be seen as absurd. The question of truth as stated above, is also played into as he transforms the nature of a static sculpture into an act that is both funny, occasionally embarrassing , but always intreguing; showing a version of an honest truth that is only possible in a moment.
Progressing foreword from Wurm's work, we considered the concept of the absurd in photography and how it is capable of manipulating truth to create a visually compelling image. It was said by FR Leavis that an image is only shocking to the extent that it is novel (new) and therefore a surrealist image should have the most impact as it is something people will have not seen in their every day life. This photographer, Isabelle Wenzel, takes images of people without their faces in view. However she does this by contorting them to show only their legs or other parts of their body, often in brightly coloured clothing or surroundings. See the first image below, in which a person has folded themselves inside a jumper of some sort and is balancing a vase on their back. By combining this breakable object with this contorted individual, we get a sense of fragility or discomfort from the image as a slight movement would cause the vase to smash. By using the persona as a table, we are provided with a ink to Wurm's work, as he too contorted bodies into shapes that where only possible for short periods of time. The high heels, and professional attire give of the impression that the individuals in her images are also people who would not conventionally be seen folding themselves into peculiar shapes adding humour to her images.
These images where taken in response to the word 'Hiding' and hope to encompass some of the elements of Wenzel's work. Here the subject bis wrapped in various objects that might be found on a street and then re positioned on that street so as to conceal them in plain sight. The irony was, that in concealing someone they actually become more conspicuous; as with the image of her crouched at he side of the road that, instead of confusing people, inspired others to do the same. An attempt was made to be more in keeping with Wenzel's work by balancing objects on top of the subject, however, due to a lack of space and resources, these images where not very visually appealing and the persona could not fit wholly in the frame. Instead the framing of the images was focused upon in the center frame she utilities, so as to make the image more surrealist and disturbing, subverting the usual expectation of object and position. Often in photography, the intent is for the audience to connect with the subject, however in this series it was important t create detachment which was successfully done by concealing the eyes and face in each of the images. By preventing the audience from connecting, the images therefore become an exercise, not in hiding their presence from the viewer, but in hiding their personality and humanity.
In terms of the title Truth Fantasy and Fiction, these images do not show truth. However, they also do not profess to show truth. Instead they show a fantastical representation of a thought that holds similar aspects to every day life, making it a surrealist representation. In order to be surreal there have to be cultural and recognizable signifyers in the image that are then subverted. In this way the image is not fiction, "something invented or untrue", but fantasy, "Something improbable or impossible", through the bounds of photography, made real.
WE can further explore this by means of the 'absurd' through the works of romaine Laurent who created animated GIFs and photographs that where manipulated to appear equally surrealist and whimsical.
11th February 2016.
Truth in photography can also refer to the innate truth of the image as an object, if what we see is really what it is. Glitch photography examines this very concept as it involves going into an image and changing its coding; literally altering what composes it, to create a distorted and fabricated image.
Photography in this vein does not show the truth of an image so it works best with very basic portraits that show no complacency or manipulation, in other words, an image with the most truth. You then open the file as a piece of text and delete, duplicate or rewrite aspects of its cod in order to make a distorted image. This is then something other than the truth it once showed, not longer being a real image, but something of fiction.
Photography in this vein does not show the truth of an image so it works best with very basic portraits that show no complacency or manipulation, in other words, an image with the most truth. You then open the file as a piece of text and delete, duplicate or rewrite aspects of its cod in order to make a distorted image. This is then something other than the truth it once showed, not longer being a real image, but something of fiction.
These images where manipulated using the 'text edit' method. The first, by removing and duplicating large chunks of the text and the second by going through line by line and deleting individual characters. The second image was far more effective, though the first one created an unusual polarisation effect, the second combined tropes of a stereotypical glitch which brings in an awareness of the photograph as a digital file. In a way, this show more truth than any image as it gives a very blunt expressing of what the image is at its basest, level,; completely devoid of any symbolism or meaning. However, this only scratches the surface of truth as a thee, and in order to go further we need to bring in the image uncorrupted and combine it with the manipulated one. The intention when producing these images was to examine the extent of their manipulation; how far could they be altered and dissected from their original state. By recombining them in one image, we therefore see the extent of their manipulation in comparison to how it looked before and can consider the extent to which a Digital photograph is nothing more than a series of numbers and symbol that compose colours and shapes. This is particularly true of image two as it becomes so much more colourful than the original image as if the colours from the skirt of the model have bled out into other pixels of the image. It is more effective however, if there are still signifiers of what would be on the conventional image in the edited portion as the viewer can just make out signifiyers of the face [see below] and therefore make the connection between the two forms of the image.
Many documentary photographers attempt to find truth through their images, none more so than the British photographer Paul Graham who, in the early 1980s documented the high rates of unemployment by taking covert images in job centres. His images where completely spontaneous and un-posed meaning that they show no bias or fabrication. His work truly shows the complete truth of the despair present at the time, showing what only those who where present would have experienced, as he never got permission to take his images. This image for example [see left] has off centre and slightly slanted framing. This lack of focal point disrupts the usual observation of a professional photograph and forces the viewer to take in the whole scene, almost transplanting them into the location and enabling them to feel the discomfort of the hostile environment. In order to respond to this series a set of images where taken in the National art gallery of the various visitors on a Friday afternoon. The issue with taking image that are just an observation of life is that they all end up being largely the same. The key is in choosing the right location as, while these images do show the truth of the general public at the gallery, they are often unfocused and un centred and do not effectively display the general atmosphere of polite curiosity. In order to further explore this theme therefore, the series was re-taken with a specific goal, focusing on one single individual so as to convey a specific story and message. This time the images where taken at Euston station, capturing the waiting, goodbyes and hellos. These moments captured real feeling in its innocence and could therefore be an honest representation of something people may not have otherwise shown.
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Similarly with these two of Grahams images we have a slight saturation of colour that makes the image feel more gritty, more visceral. His colour work has been described as "pivotal in reinvigorating and expanding this area of photographic practice, by both broadening it's visual language, and questioning how such photography might operate", particularly as most photography up to tis point had been in black and white. In this way Grahams images not only provided truth but one of the first instances of documentary truth in photography. Here again we have a slight imbalance of framing in the images although these have a stronger focal point. By focusing the first of the two on the mother and child in the foreground he gives awareness to the predicament of families in unemployment, as well as the mess on the ground of the second images that creates a very unpleasant environment and a sense that these people have been left t suffer without any kind of protection or feeling of value. What is present in all of the images however, is a clock. This ties the series together and brings the idea of waiting into play, really giving a sense of what it is like to be these people by reminding the audience not only of the extended period of suffering but also the sense of time running out.
In contrast to the images taken at Euston station, the people in this series where far more contemplative due to the slow paced nature of the location. Here people could be shown in isolation, and what was most interesting was the looks of quiet appreciation of what they where seeing. The quiet backdrop also gave way fro some appreciation of the aesthetic of the building, combining the individuals with the architecture, and highlighting them as aspects of art (for example, the woman lit by the frame painting's spotlight). In this way, truth was captured and an appreciation for the aesthetic of the natural world was created. however this did not fully encapsulate the potential of a fully truthful image as there was little emotion or message to be shown. This meant that the project had to be expanded to a more emotive location like a train station where people's interactions are more rushed, more honest and more intriguing. The first few images of this series where taken on a 50mm lens, however the permanent zoom on this lens meant that the full scope of the scene was impossible to attain, so the lens was switched for a 20mm one. This meant that, although the shutter speed was slower, and the images less in focus, the majesty of the building could be recorded as this was such a predominant feature of the overall effect of the building.
In order to keep the photographs honest, the subjects in them need to be unaware they are being photographed. Due to the fact that taking someones picture makes one very conspicuous, it was vey difficult to take this series. The lack of focus in the images was therefore due to being moved around by people trying to get past and attempting to avoid being seen. However, when the images where carefully composed, the moments of humanity captured where really quite beautiful. On occasion, the slow shutter speed also cut out many other people who where moving too fast, capturing only the still images and creating quite a haunting metaphor for time passing; isolating one individual amidst a mess of action.
This second series began to emulate the work of Garry Winogrand far more than they did Graham as they where much more personal with an edge of creepy. Winogrand is famed for his images of the streets of New York in the 1950s. His series entitled 'Women Are Beautiful' captured female strangers on the street, in moments when it was clear they did not being photographed. He once said "No moment is the most important. Ay moment can mean something", which fully encapsulates the philosophy of this truthful photography as it documents what might seem mundane that could actually mean everything. For his images the black and white tone give a more contemplative air to the subject and force the audience to see these women as beautiful in their imperfect moments; thus capturing tee beauty [see right]. Because of this the station was selected as a location as it would
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capture a moment of transience that is lost in a second, yet is performed by thousands every day. For this reason they where altered to black and white in order to compose them in the context of newspaper print or documentary and also permits them a translucence that colour would not. This lack of modernisation allows the viewer to look at them, not in the context of the location, which would be highly conventional for most people, but just in terms of the human interaction. Their effectiveness in showing truth was greater than the previous series. Here, a couple greet each other, a child is bored and isolated, a woman stands (on valentines day) holding balloons and flowers. Furthermore, several images where taken in front of the arrivals and departures board in order to capture the upturned faces of each persona in unison. The location therefore provided the opportunity to take pictures of people directly without their noticing, and immortalising their emotion whether they wanted it remembered or not.
These two images are another example of Winogrand's work, the composition of he images is interesting as they where merely captured in the moment and not completely planned yet somehow manage to be quite elegantly framed.What is interesting about the first image however, is that the woman clearly does not know the picture is being taken. The faces of the other members of the public turned toward s the camera provide a view of the audience and an awareness that this woman is being viewed an immortalised without her permission as the onlookers view Winogrand's actions with puzzlement and, is possible, slight concern. In contrast the image to the right has been made famous, not because of its beauty, but because of its uncanny momentary capture of something truly disturbing. The demonic laugh on the woman's face seems only to have been captured at the exact right moment to be at it's most creepy. Furthermore, the way the focus has been centred upon the woman in the background means that his demonic lady is blurred, a trope that the horror genre has been utilising for years. Bothe of these images give an unbiased insight into truth as they capture moments without the knowledge of the subject and therefore there is no false expression of attempt to portray oneself in a specific way. However they differ from the work of Graham in that these scenarios would not have come about without the camera; the people would not have turned to look; the demon would not have been captured. The truth that they show is therefore a photographic truth instead of a slice of the absolute.
25th February 2016
To further explore the manipulation of truth in photography we can look to the concept of the optical illusion. For many years people have used the photographic medium to manipulate human perceptions of what they see and think. One of the more interesting forms of this is the macro and micro exploration of scenes. The artist and photographer Duchamp developed this study with his images of 'Dust Breeding' in which large collection of dust where photographed to look like an ariel shot of a city. These images provide an excellent contrast to the more modern idea of Tilt-Shift photography in which a real large landscape image is edited to look as though it is a miniature model;. These two forms of photography not only challenge the viewers concept of truth, but also bring in the themes of fiction and fantasy, As an illusion plays into a person's natural imaginative capacity in order to create a narrative out of something they are seeing. The element of childhood fantasy is also prevalent in our images of miniaturised landscapes as they provide a sense of whimsical control over an otherwise overwhelming and uncontrollable thing like a city.
This is done [see diagrams below] by selecting a high angled image, preferable featuring a few people and then opening it in Photoshop. Next, duplicate the background layer and make a layer mask of the duplicate. Selecting the gradient tool, divide the mask , highlighting the area that will be the focus of the image. next, switch back to the image and use the lens blur function to blur out the upper and lower portions of the image. The photograph should then be heightened an saturation to make the image appear 'hyper real' or in other words, false. If there are any areas of the image that are at the same distance as the miniature feature that are not in focus , these should be sharpened using the paintbrush tool.
To further explore the manipulation of truth in photography we can look to the concept of the optical illusion. For many years people have used the photographic medium to manipulate human perceptions of what they see and think. One of the more interesting forms of this is the macro and micro exploration of scenes. The artist and photographer Duchamp developed this study with his images of 'Dust Breeding' in which large collection of dust where photographed to look like an ariel shot of a city. These images provide an excellent contrast to the more modern idea of Tilt-Shift photography in which a real large landscape image is edited to look as though it is a miniature model;. These two forms of photography not only challenge the viewers concept of truth, but also bring in the themes of fiction and fantasy, As an illusion plays into a person's natural imaginative capacity in order to create a narrative out of something they are seeing. The element of childhood fantasy is also prevalent in our images of miniaturised landscapes as they provide a sense of whimsical control over an otherwise overwhelming and uncontrollable thing like a city.
This is done [see diagrams below] by selecting a high angled image, preferable featuring a few people and then opening it in Photoshop. Next, duplicate the background layer and make a layer mask of the duplicate. Selecting the gradient tool, divide the mask , highlighting the area that will be the focus of the image. next, switch back to the image and use the lens blur function to blur out the upper and lower portions of the image. The photograph should then be heightened an saturation to make the image appear 'hyper real' or in other words, false. If there are any areas of the image that are at the same distance as the miniature feature that are not in focus , these should be sharpened using the paintbrush tool.
There images where predominantly successful, however the first (Saunton Beach) worked less well due to the fact that there where many people, some of which could not be miniaturized. The second image worked better due to the fact that there where fewer things in the foreground to break the audiences suspension of disbelief.
Tatsuya Tanaka is a photographer who plays with this concept by taking large objects and incorporating them into a larger scene by utilising them as something that they resemble where they miniature. He uses small 'model railroad' style figurines and creates realistic scenes that both intrigue and delight his viewers. His work steps over the line from reality into fantasy and enables a photographer to take more control over their creative ideas by manufacturing looking at objects through, quite literally, a different lens. Take this image as an example; here Tanaka has used the tilt shift method. however, instead of creating an overly vivid image to make the scene look like a model, he creates a soft focus effect that recreates the look of a rice field, with the sun setting over a mother and child. The image is entitled Way home, and his golden colour palette invokes an almost nostalgic sense of comfort. The central framing of the tiny woman in relation to the rest of her surroundings draws our attention to her and creates a feeling of exhaustion, that, though fabricated, is felt honestly and empathetically by the audience. In this way Tanaka can create a sense of empathy with an inanimate object and, in true story telling fashion, create an experience of truth through a manufactured setting.
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These two images are from Tanaka's 'miniature calendar' in which he uploads a new miniature everyday. The simplicity of these images is what makes them so elegant. Take the image on the left; Tanaka has used a pun on the nature of the object in relation to it's real size and almost generated a narrative. We speculate that these miniature figures saw the letter, and assumed it was the perfect place to land; or we just see the alphabet and some plastic people. The limit to the imaginative power of his images rests solely on the individual as he allows us to experiment with our own perception of fiction and narrative. The second image plays with the structure and property of the object itself as the people tear the paper to build a tiny snowman. By using actual balled paper as the snowman he allows us to look at its properties in a different way. Not only does this invite a more whimsical look at the world; ascribing characteristics of other objects to seemingly mundane things, but also allows the camera to make these things permanent and real.
The success of these images really evokes the philosophy of a fiction Here the tiny railroad people attain personality and character merely when positioned in a certain way and captured as though they are larger in scale. An exploration of narrative can be made, as wist each alteration of focus the image holds new meaning. For example in the images of the people atop the table football as the focus was adjusted onto each character it gave the image new emphasis; first being a romantic relationship between the two in the foreground; the a jealous vendetta from the man in the back. Similarly with the image of the magazine stair , each adjustment shifted the focus of the woman's attention, implying a genuine interaction between the individual's despite the fact that they are all inanimate. These images, then positioned next to their wide frame counterparts, break that suspension of disbelief, and allow the audience to consider their own innate ability to fabricate fiction and project emotion onto something recognisable. To further explore this another series was made, this time explore more whimsical associations with objects and bridging the gap between fiction and fantasy by using larger objects that look like smaller ones to interact with the figurines, altering the audiences perception of the larger object as well as enabling them to fabricate a reality.
Continuing from the altered perception of human interaction from the changing focal point of the Tanaka inspired images this series was made to demonstrate the transition of attention and therefore meaning, as well as continuing to ply with scale. This enabled an exploration of the power of genre and film in playing with audience expectation an assumption behind the lens. by simply labelling images with different focal points with separate genres. Film has an amazing capacity to both question, counter and recreate truth despite the fact that, in most cases, it is purely a fabrication. The codes and conventions of cinematic genres and camera techniques activate certain in built assumptions in an audience, managing to create characters and relationships without any verbal prompting. This power is particularly fascinating as it is one of the most hauntingly subliminal forms of control that a creative mind can have over their audience. Here Genre and camera angle has been explored to see if the information an audience receives about the subject and the assumptions they make based on the codes and conventions they see can force them to create a narrative for the subject of the picture.
irThe setting in these images was made from the contents of tea bags (Redbush, English Breakfast and Mint). The tiny size of the flakes of tea resembles different garden terrain such as mulch, dirt and grass; creating a realistic tiny setting for the figures to inhabit. The first few images that where taken furthered the ideas explored by Tanaka with scale, however they failed to encompass the exploration of genre necessary. As the audience is told more information about the setting the figures attain different meaning. For example, the individuals in the garden become more sinister as the focus is shifted onto them when it is captioned and edited as a thriller. Deeming the images a romantic film, unspoken tension arrises between the individuals, of either a romantic relationship or a competitive rivalry.
The predominant issues with this series arose due tho the very limited focal point of the lens as occasionally it was unable to focus on an object that close. However by editing the images and changing the tone trough lighting the individuals can attain more meaning. For example take the final image. With the caption romance, he appears to be waiting for a loved one. With thriller, we anticipate a far darker subject matter and fear for him or, in fact, just fear him. By changing the angles or transforming the images to black and white they gain the conventions of a film Noir epic and we expect corruption or subterfuge in the characters. Though the images where attempted with a 50mm lens the lack of zoom then caused problems and the mages where more suited to a closer depth of field. By also playing with scale however, we remind the audience that the image is not real and ask them to consider the extent to which their assumptions alter their perception of individuals and question their own ability to perceive truth through the inclination to create narrative.
The predominant issues with this series arose due tho the very limited focal point of the lens as occasionally it was unable to focus on an object that close. However by editing the images and changing the tone trough lighting the individuals can attain more meaning. For example take the final image. With the caption romance, he appears to be waiting for a loved one. With thriller, we anticipate a far darker subject matter and fear for him or, in fact, just fear him. By changing the angles or transforming the images to black and white they gain the conventions of a film Noir epic and we expect corruption or subterfuge in the characters. Though the images where attempted with a 50mm lens the lack of zoom then caused problems and the mages where more suited to a closer depth of field. By also playing with scale however, we remind the audience that the image is not real and ask them to consider the extent to which their assumptions alter their perception of individuals and question their own ability to perceive truth through the inclination to create narrative.
Interestingly by not even focussing on an individual, instead bringing the depth of field to the foreground, the image becomes more sinister still as we a=cannot see the fill extent of what is occurring in the image. The dark mise-en-scene due to a shorter exposure time, also gives a atmosphere of threatening unknown and causes the audience to associate the image with the conventions of a thriller or horror film.
The presentation of truth is difficult. people's prior knowledge about an image can alter the meaning they find in it as well as their generic assumptions influencing their reading. For this reason it was important to discover people's feelings about emotions themselves and what they feel would represent an emotion. This was particularly inspired by the work of Nader from the Tate exhibition 'Performing for the Camera' (see context)in which a mime represents different theatrical emotions and actions. The subtle differences between slight changes in wording of the emotions make it very difficult to tell one form the other, however people's ability to connect with an emotion and provide such similar renditions and non verbal understanding of the subtleties of word choice highlights the unspoken unity between observers.
Strand 1: Perception of Emotion.
Progressing from the ideas presented in the 'Performing for Camera' exhibition, truth had to be looked at as something specific to the individual. In Areopajitica, John Milton argued that no authority could exist outside of the individuals conscience: "a man may be a heretic in the truth and if he believes things only because his pastor says so, without knowing other reason, though his belief be true, the very ruth he holds becomes his heresy." Here, he does not even argue against falsehood, he argues against truth itself, stating that no thought can possibly exist, even if it is accepted as truth, if the individual did not question and subsequently come to that belief themselves. He argues against truth as influenced by societal acceptance and fights back against this phenomenon. This is a particularly prevalent theme in the visual arts, due to the many preconceptions and connotations that influence our reading of an image or film. In order to investigate this, a series of images were taken with different models. Each model was asked to convey ten different emotions through facial expression alone which where then compared with each other. This was a very interesting experiment because the individual does not see themselves experiencing true emotion. A genuine and pure experience of an extreme emotion is barely ever whitened by the person experiencing it and therefore their only visual representation and inclination of what that emotion 'should' look like would come from either other people's emotional reactions to events or from film and television. The difference therefore in people' expressions of expression would depend purely on the combination of representation they have come into contact with whether that be a genuine expression or a fabricated one. The viewer can therefore tell a great deal about the experiences of that individual about what they see as emotion, due to the fact that they may not have whitened a 'true' account. By also using an aperture size of f5.6 it allowed the right amount of detail in the images.
Happy, sad, afraid, angry, sympathetic, frustrated, disgusted, greedy, proud, cruel.
This work could be linked to Martin Schoeller, a German born but US based photographer who has photographed for Rolling Stone, GQ, Esquire, Entertainment Weekly, Vogue, National Geographic, Time and is currently working for The New Yorker. He is perhaps most famous for his head shots of various celebrities captured with very sharp resolution and small aperture to create very small depth of field. This then focusses on the most minute details of the face of the individual for photography that has been described as almost "unforgivingly truthful". Schoeller has been documented saying:
“The pictures that survive over the years are ones where you see something of somebody that they normally wouldn’t share so easily. Something intimate, honest. I don’t believe you can capture the soul of someone, but there are pictures that are more honest and ones that are less honest.” His acceptance of the complicated nature of truth in photography and many people's assertions that his images are perhaps 'more honest' than most seems to suggest that his images show the ,ute truth of people. In other words, he does not attempt to de-glamourise the world of celebrity, but instead presents no attitude to it; he just captures what it is. Take the images below as an example. He does not show the people as ugly; he does not show them as desirable or enviable (in contrast to many other celebrity images, but he does show them as human. there is an undeniable sense of connection with the eye contact they seem to hold with the camera, and it is in denying the subject the guard that is often positioned between celebrity and the public that makes them feel the most honest We must consider therefore that it is perhaps an element of vulnerability that makes people believe something. If it is harder to admit people trust it. However, what Schoeller seems to have accepted however, is that this is another opportunity of manipulation; one could theoretically make someone believe a truth by making it look harder to admit.
The portraits taken above, though not directly inspired by, have been influenced by Schoeller's work. The question of truth they bring to the world of celebrity is directly relatable to the depiction of emotion within the public sphere. By presenting these images in a more documentary context one can give an impression of a subjective nature to the images, and by forcing the subject to look directly into the camera there is a kind of connection between then and the audience. This, combined with the bizarre cultural phenomenon that seems to look down on people for expressing overt feeling, provides a level of connection that is often missing from everyday life and is therefore very appealing to the audience. However we are still left with the question of whether what wee are seeing is genuine; is it merely a representation of what emotion is seen as in the public eye? Is there still a bias of how the subject wants to be seen?
“The pictures that survive over the years are ones where you see something of somebody that they normally wouldn’t share so easily. Something intimate, honest. I don’t believe you can capture the soul of someone, but there are pictures that are more honest and ones that are less honest.” His acceptance of the complicated nature of truth in photography and many people's assertions that his images are perhaps 'more honest' than most seems to suggest that his images show the ,ute truth of people. In other words, he does not attempt to de-glamourise the world of celebrity, but instead presents no attitude to it; he just captures what it is. Take the images below as an example. He does not show the people as ugly; he does not show them as desirable or enviable (in contrast to many other celebrity images, but he does show them as human. there is an undeniable sense of connection with the eye contact they seem to hold with the camera, and it is in denying the subject the guard that is often positioned between celebrity and the public that makes them feel the most honest We must consider therefore that it is perhaps an element of vulnerability that makes people believe something. If it is harder to admit people trust it. However, what Schoeller seems to have accepted however, is that this is another opportunity of manipulation; one could theoretically make someone believe a truth by making it look harder to admit.
The portraits taken above, though not directly inspired by, have been influenced by Schoeller's work. The question of truth they bring to the world of celebrity is directly relatable to the depiction of emotion within the public sphere. By presenting these images in a more documentary context one can give an impression of a subjective nature to the images, and by forcing the subject to look directly into the camera there is a kind of connection between then and the audience. This, combined with the bizarre cultural phenomenon that seems to look down on people for expressing overt feeling, provides a level of connection that is often missing from everyday life and is therefore very appealing to the audience. However we are still left with the question of whether what wee are seeing is genuine; is it merely a representation of what emotion is seen as in the public eye? Is there still a bias of how the subject wants to be seen?
Strand 2: Iconography of Fiction.
An exploration of individuals association with emotion lead to cinematic iconography and perceptions of different experiences and feelings. The contrast between how things are presented on camera and how they actually are is always a fascinating subjects as it brings into question what attracts people to certain genres. Is it wish fulfillment, escapism, relatability? What many films that have become hugely popular have in common is the ability to conceal a real emotion or experience under a metaphor of a story for people to uncover. This means that it is a glimmer of empathetic connection combined with a level of fantastical escape that makes some films popular. However, without the iconography of genre, would the films have the same impact? In order to explore this, several images where taken exploring two separate genres, and stereotypical film posters where made to see how easy it would be to manufacture certain audience responses.
the overall effect of these images was largely successuful, as they managesd to evoke very diffeent expereicnes by using the traditional iconography of the film despite he lack of narrative and even the same name. However the production value, baing unable to recreate the look of a big budget film was not as high as was neccecarry. In order to improve therefore, the theme of audiecne perceptions of response and expeactions of reality due to genre rather athan the cinematic medium.
the overall effect of these images was largely successuful, as they managesd to evoke very diffeent expereicnes by using the traditional iconography of the film despite he lack of narrative and even the same name. However the production value, baing unable to recreate the look of a big budget film was not as high as was neccecarry. In order to improve therefore, the theme of audiecne perceptions of response and expeactions of reality due to genre rather athan the cinematic medium.
Strand 3: Celebrity.
Peoples responses and expectations of individuals in images is altered due to what they are told about them. This is nowhere more evident than in social media and gossip magazines which often fabricate or manipulate the truth in order to create a reaction in the audience. These images where taken of normal people and posed with the conventions of a candid celebrity paparazzi image attempting to expose their flaws. This allowed the audience to consider the iconography of the images and what would force an altered opinion of an individual and how easy this can be manipulated. Whether they are portrayed as crowded by adoring public in soft, flattering light, or captured eating food and captioned with a damning headline that is most likely completely unlike anything they have ever been associated with, the audience can be convinced into believing anything about an individual purely by visual stimuli.
This work could not only be similarly inked to Martin Schoeller, but also to the work of Alison Jackson. She played with the themes of voyeurism and what it is that people want to believe in the pleasure they get from observing others. Jackson is a British photographer and artist who captured a series of images with celebrity lookalikes in various 'compromising' or unusual scenarios. many people, when they come int contact wit these images for the first time, assume that they are genuine depictions of the celebrities they show. The pleasure derived from this is therefore a very interesting topic for discussion. Did they believe it because it was funny? Did they believe it because it is hard to believe? Did they believe it because it is more entertaining than the truth? Interestingly we can therefore consider what it is that allows people to be manipulated and to what extent the world of film and celebrity is preferable to the truth. it is perhaps this level of possibility, of hope and of a feeling of superiority and relate-ability that makes it the lucrative industry it is.
What is interesting about these images is that the one's that are far more effective are those which have been stylised. Interestingly, even though the second two are easier to see, the first, due to its grainy quality, off centre framing and obstructed edges, feels far more secretive and therefore realistic; supporting the argument that an image will be believable is it looks difficult to attain. After looking at Jackson's work, the images taken for this series where re edited to make them appear more covert in order to examine the extent of this idea.
These images where largely successful as they did indeed emulate the look of press footage taken. This was experimented with at first and found that the images appear more realistic if taken in portrait. This is because it not only emulates the similarly framed pictures online but also emphasizes the fact that they are the only important thing in the image. Where they are, or any attempt to take a beautiful all-round image is unimportant and all that is necessary is capturing the celebrity in an unflattering or uncomfortable situation. By actually taking the images while chasing the individual down the street it also provided the image with a level of immediacy. The subject is not always in focus and the white balance is sometimes too overexposed. This meant the images are also easier to believe the more unflattering they look as either the audience subconsciously wants people to be brought down or they find things that are harder to admit more trustworthy. A few images where also taken in an interview like scenario. Initially the shutter speed was lengthened to get a mote overexposed and a more ethereal or flattering effect on the person, however this naturally meant that movement was blurred. However, these images where unsuccessful in creating an impression of fame as they held none of the signifyers of a professional shoot but also none of the paparazzi style perverseness.
Reality Made Fictional.
When looking at the issues of the real world it is somethings similar to reduce them to a narrative or fiction as they seem to complex to be considered outside the parameters and rules of a structured narrative. These images are recreations of real life events set to a specific genre. By doing this it allows the audience to consider the character each political figure or social even embodies and therefore how their narrative ought to end if one where to follow a typical and traditional form of narrative justice. By looking at real problems this way, we for not see truth but we manipulate truth into fiction in order to find a separate truth within that. As opposed to the truth of real events we see a truth of genuine human response and a different perspective by simplifying a complex issue. However, one is put at risk for denying the complexity of a genuine public issue, highlighting the difference between fiction and reality, as life is never as black and white as a generic convention shows it.
However, in order to get a simple and honest response some children where told real would issues within the context of the narrative created in the images and asked their opinion. Their responses where filmed.
This kind of photography was explored by Balakov or Mike Stimpton, who recaptures, amongst other things, famous images but in lego. This concept links very clearly to the sereis above as it plays in a quite literal way, with historical events. By looking at these events in a small and childish way, we can sometimes get a new perspective on them. The image of the tanks for example was a very serious historical event in the image; the morning after the Chinese military had suppressed the Tiananmen Square protests of 1989 by force. The man was captured in a very elegantly brave way, literally standing up to the chain of tanks in front of him. When this image is taken out of its context it appears far less serious, but also allows for much more narrative. This man could be a superhero, standing up to the enemy; he could be an innocent civilian; this could be a depiction of a war just having broken out and this man is being made an example of by the enemy. What remains truth in all the different renditions however is the present threat of the tanks against the man that the human mind cannot deny when viewing the image.
However, in order to get a simple and honest response some children where told real would issues within the context of the narrative created in the images and asked their opinion. Their responses where filmed.
This kind of photography was explored by Balakov or Mike Stimpton, who recaptures, amongst other things, famous images but in lego. This concept links very clearly to the sereis above as it plays in a quite literal way, with historical events. By looking at these events in a small and childish way, we can sometimes get a new perspective on them. The image of the tanks for example was a very serious historical event in the image; the morning after the Chinese military had suppressed the Tiananmen Square protests of 1989 by force. The man was captured in a very elegantly brave way, literally standing up to the chain of tanks in front of him. When this image is taken out of its context it appears far less serious, but also allows for much more narrative. This man could be a superhero, standing up to the enemy; he could be an innocent civilian; this could be a depiction of a war just having broken out and this man is being made an example of by the enemy. What remains truth in all the different renditions however is the present threat of the tanks against the man that the human mind cannot deny when viewing the image.
What we have with this image however is a level of separation from the original meaning of the image, and not necessarily a positive one. Here the immediacy and the romance is lost from the original photograph and it instead gives a slight mocking impresion. The difference therefore with using toys to recreate positive images as a negative situation will be fictionalised, and therefore the audience can approach it differently.
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These images where predominantly successful. As hypothesised above, images of things one disagrees with (such as Hitler) are the more effective as it makes the subject appear childish. This gives the opportunity to consider the event or character as a fiction in a far simple, black and white (pardon the pun) formula of good and bad.This therefore plays off both an examination of how photography can create a character through angle and implicit connotation, as well as a childish naivete of good and bad which is so often explored in media and film.
Fiction in Reality.
While researching the line between Truth and fiction it could not be denies that this childish invocation of play had a vast amount of influence over the human beings perception of natural state and truth. The museum of childhood holds a very interesting collection of influences upon children throughout history where this division was first blurred. Most recently their collection of Oliver Postgate puppet, cameras and scripts has attracted the public's attention, featuring memorabilia from 'The Clangers', 'Bagpuss', 'The Pogles', 'Ivor the Engine' and 'Noggin the Nog'. What was fascinating here was that though each puppet or cutout represented a stream of consciousness form the viewers childhood brain, seeing them displayed, and in some cases the shock of seeing them in colour, detracted from their fictional power. Without this fantastical influence of imagination the fiction could not be created. Furthermore as can be seen in the image of the girl and her father with the Pogles Witch, despite her display in a glass case and her obviously small size, she still generated fear, as can be seen by the girl's enfeebled position behind her parent. In short, by taking these fictional characters out of their fictional environment the inverse of the previous series) it revealed their capability to present the truth of a human emotion and response, the fictional story created by Mr Postgate, and the fantastical quality of the viewer; and in equal measure, rejected all three.
eThese images were predominately successful and where taken on a deliberately small aperture in order to create a darker image and a richer colour that more closely recreates the camera work of the shows themselves, though occasionally this caused the images to be too dark. Though one would think thew layer of glass between the camera and the puppets would ruin the effect of the image, it actually manufactures a kind of etherial separation from the viewer and the objects. this then serves as a metaphor for the quite literal separation between reality and the fictional world, becoming a sheet of nostalgia that both prevents and highlights the fact that these dreams where just that. When these are positioned alongside the image of real children looking inside the cases and of the camera, we have a peculiar impact for the series. It both forces the puppets to become alive when isolated and highlights their manufactured reality.
WE can lead on from this series to consider the effects of fantasy in the real world when the glass is lifted and consider the positive and negative effects of merging truth and fiction (and of course, fantasy).
WE can lead on from this series to consider the effects of fantasy in the real world when the glass is lifted and consider the positive and negative effects of merging truth and fiction (and of course, fantasy).
Fantasy in Reality.
By considering the fantastical capabilities of the human mind it enabled an exploration of elements of fantasy in the outside world and their integral part in the fictions that can be manipulated out of true feeling. It is perhaps fantasy that is the most truthful representation of feeling as it allows the individual to experiment with an impossible reaction to the everyday discomfort they experience. These image where taken in part around Manchester and in Camden of the graffiti that marks people's fictional and fantastical interaction with the real world they see in front of this. What this did, far from allowing the audience to escape into a fictional world, merely highlighted the impossibility of these dreams in contrast to the dingy reality around them. For example the image of The intricate faces on the side of a dilapidated building, juxtaposed the the advertisement that blares the words "Stunningly Attainable". The irony of this marks, with extreme force, the impossibility within life for perfect fantasy, hence the cultural obsession with film and television as an escape into a more malleable world. What this image in particular also highlights is the influence of advertising itself upon individual's fantasy and their perception of reality, as objects are designed to be wanted, purchased and then sought after all over again. One of the most predominant influences on people therefore is a fictional desire to attain perfection. These images attempt to bridge that gap between fantasy, fiction and reality, marking them as a stronger truth in their awareness that all co-exist by fighting and subsequently exposing one another.
Children Looking at the World.
An interesting parallel with this series, and indeed the Postgate one is to consider a child's perception of their 'opportunity' in the real world. One child was selected who, amongst several other things, wanted to a be a photographer. She was asked to chose a location and was photographed photographing. A peculiar paradox as created, as, not only was she living out a kind of fantastical free form photography dream, but she was also doing exactly what the photographer was as occasionally she turned to capture me. In these images, which had a much bigger focus on aesthetic than many of the other images, where successful in that they portrayed her in elation to the enormity of her surroundings. Some images show her as small on relation to her background, whereas others have a very close depth of field, closeted in to her face. These images juxtapose the close and safe world of her fantasy job and the enormity of the rest of the world/ However they also show the beauty that she captures and saves in a far simpler and more reassuring way as she takes her pictures. The audience can appreciate the vibrancy of the grass, the elegance of the sunlight in the same way that she does and condense it down to a tangible an most importantly, own-able thing that she can keep and take control of. In a very real way, we can see the appeal, for her at least, of the simplifying of reality through the photographic medium and why, in this moment, it seems like a comfortable fantasy before she has to face the adult world.
Childhood Stereotype.
These images where taken of a young girl posing as five different stereotypes of person. She was asked to come up with the characters and to decide on the poses and the images where taken in close headshot format in order to emulate the effect of a character headshot such as an actor would take. The series was designed to examine the difference between adult and childhood malleability and the perception of people from the outside (therefore the truth in an assumption, and to consider the different and surprisingly solid stereotypical 'personalities' that young people come into contact with. Inspiration for this was taken from Cindy Sherman and he ironic caricature work. American born, she studied art at Buffalo State University, gaining celebrity with her fascinating exploration of a our media-saturated culture. Sherman's work is startling, predominantly due to the quite extreme change in each of her characters and the shockingly contorted and manufactured look they express.
This image is perhaps the most disturbing of the three as it is clearly grotesquely manufactured. This image is from her 2003 series in which she frequently appears as a clown. In direct contrast to the other two images, this does not even attempt to pretend to be real. The quite literally sugar coated exterior of this image is blatantly sinister and implies a kind of superficial madness to the forced positivity and childishness signified by the garland of sweets and candy floss hair. Sherman has never identified herself as a feminist, though some have argued that her series 'Centerfolds' called attention to the stereotyping of women in film. it could therefore be suggested that there is an underlying question of the falsehood of makeup and body image in media, painting it is clown-like and insane.
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This image is from the 2000 series, 'Hollywood Hampton Types' and we could therefore argue that it is directly a version of stereotype. We can indeed see the satirical message she implies with the over tanned skin, thew almost peroxide blonde hair and the overall falsehood of the appearance. However this image is surprisingly more natural than many of her other images [see both left and right] due to the comfortable flowered dress and the non threatening facial expression. Here she fully encapsulates the image of an upper-middle-class mother, perhaps a little to concerned with relaxation and her appearance. The position she is sitting in in contrast to the tother two images is far more reminiscent of the family portrait, again reinforcing this image of 'the mother'. What is interesting therefore about this image is that, without any external evidence, Sherman managed to create a fully fledged stereotype.
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It could be immediately argued that what we have here is an image of an upper class woman, and that is simply all we see. Hover there is a deeper level to this image. The overzealous make up covers a pained expression. They make the eyes smaller, the face slacker with the harsh lip colour. This character is sad. She has lost what we can assume was once an attractive face, and is reduced to a contorted and false external persona, attempting to recreate what she feels she is underneath. There is a blatant recreation her of the feeling amongst some women of value in beauty, pointing out the sadness that once this is gone it can cause a loss of identity. However there is a more sinister undertone here, and we can wonder if Sherman is pointing out the danger of manufactured reality and delusional individuals.
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These images have a mixed effect. Not only do they manage to represent the various different forms of stereotyping that face young people as modes for 'what to be' but it also demonstrates how easy it is to create a new surface identity. tHis demonstrates the danger therefore of assuming and stereotyping people based on appearance. However they have a simultaneously creepy quality to them by forcing the child to grow up past her age with her appearance and the audience is invited to consider what she will become as an adult. By imposing the stereotypes young people are blatantly exposed to by the decisions she made, we can look at the danger of the representations of identities in media and considering them as something perhaps too forced upon children from too young an age. Furthermore by dressing her up as an adult we can also consider the creepy effect of forcing children to think of themselves as adults before they are and the speed at which people grow up in the modern era now that external identity is so widely achievable. These images would have been better however in a proper studio with more effective lighting, however the equipment and location available would not allow this. Instead the image where altered slightly on photoshop in order to give them a more cinematic effect and make them appear as solid identities.
Artist and Me.
Though these images were done with very different production value there are some distinct similarities between them.
We can see hee that, though both are supposed to be the stereotypical 'beautiful women' (Sherman's image actually being entitled 'Beauty') there is a creepy sense of falsehood. The mouth of Sherman;s model is clearly too long, the cheeks over-bright and the hair almost too perfect. This is a similar effect created by using a child model as there is something distinctly 'wrong' about them being dressed up as an adult.
Instead of simply emulating what it is that Sherman did, I decided to create a new perspective on it by considering the route of here fantasy, fiction and truth begin to divide; at childhood.
Though these images were done with very different production value there are some distinct similarities between them.
We can see hee that, though both are supposed to be the stereotypical 'beautiful women' (Sherman's image actually being entitled 'Beauty') there is a creepy sense of falsehood. The mouth of Sherman;s model is clearly too long, the cheeks over-bright and the hair almost too perfect. This is a similar effect created by using a child model as there is something distinctly 'wrong' about them being dressed up as an adult.
Instead of simply emulating what it is that Sherman did, I decided to create a new perspective on it by considering the route of here fantasy, fiction and truth begin to divide; at childhood.
Teenage stereotype development.
In order to explore this further, the series was repeated with a slightly older individual. This time the images still appeared slightly disturbing, but for a different reason. These identities, now translated onto a person equipped to consider their self rationally, seem false and forced. The impressions that children therefore have of individuality are far more stereotypical and inaccurate than those of adults, and we ought to consider the impact this has on the younger generations presented with these modes of 'what to be'.
Barbie: Considering the root of stereotype.
By looking at young people's perceptions of themselves in conjunction with the development of their imagination we have to consider one of the biggest dividers in toy manufacturing history: Barbie. barbie as first invented in 1959 due to the creator noticing that her child liked to give her toys adult roles despite the fact they where all presentations of babies or children. Barbie is therefore a direct projection of the fantasy 'grown up' that a child will project themselves onto and it is only recently that the company has begun to produce a more diverse and realistic selection of dolls.
“My whole philosophy of Barbie was that through the doll, the little girl could be anything she wanted to be. Barbie always represented the fact that a woman has choices.”- Ruth Handler, creator of Barbie.
Many people throughout history have commented on the 'choices' barbie really presented women with, with the first few occupations spanning Cheerleader, fashion model and non-specific 'career woman' who carried a phone and wore a suit. The discussion about barbie has certainly become a little worn out over the years and it is now truth that they are beginning to present a slightly more realistic goal for little girls to achieve. However this mentality is still highly prevalent today as woman are closeted into roles and stereotypes for being certain things. there is even a stigma now for being too girly, in other words, for being 'too barbie', which could even suggest that the toy manufactures wakeup call amy have been, at least in part, financial. For adults, particularly in the advertising and fashion industries, women are presented with 'ways to be' that are not only unachievable, but in an extreme way, fantastical. This element of fantasy that carries through to the adult world can be traced back even to the 1950s in which the advertisements reflected the view of women at that time (horribly subjugated and enfeebled).
Many people throughout history have commented on the 'choices' barbie really presented women with, with the first few occupations spanning Cheerleader, fashion model and non-specific 'career woman' who carried a phone and wore a suit. The discussion about barbie has certainly become a little worn out over the years and it is now truth that they are beginning to present a slightly more realistic goal for little girls to achieve. However this mentality is still highly prevalent today as woman are closeted into roles and stereotypes for being certain things. there is even a stigma now for being too girly, in other words, for being 'too barbie', which could even suggest that the toy manufactures wakeup call amy have been, at least in part, financial. For adults, particularly in the advertising and fashion industries, women are presented with 'ways to be' that are not only unachievable, but in an extreme way, fantastical. This element of fantasy that carries through to the adult world can be traced back even to the 1950s in which the advertisements reflected the view of women at that time (horribly subjugated and enfeebled).
The photographer Mariel Clayton has worked on several series involving Barbie as her theme. Clayton is a self taught photographer currently living in Canada. Through her images she creates tableaux in which barbie and her various associates either commit horrible crimes in including murder or are depicted in various compromising and brutal situations. She subverts the usual conventions of the pristine and perfect ideal of the Barbie doll to revel a much darker subtext to the perfection. These images, while being incredibly horrific, are wholly convincing. This is predominantly attributed to her excellent attention to detail., her references and awareness of film genre convention and symbolism and of course, the more twisted subtext of the barbie itself which has been frequently associated with damaging body images and desires to attain perfection. The normality in these images therefore implies an unavoidable truth to this much darker images of barbie which all audiences seem to accept as well as the clearly harmful associations in film and television with beauty and idealism.
Each of these image represents a different quality to Clayton's photography. The first was one of her first images and the extreme attention to detail really comes through. She manages to create a narrative of a woman dumped her boyfriend and spiralling into a suicidal mess. The mess of the bathroom combined with the perfect 'Barbie-body' bikini on the wall represents the two extremes of reality and fantasy. The small enclose space, which is present in man of her images creates a claustrophobic effect, perfectly encapsulating the sense of entrapment in her message s well as giving the impression of an art house film scene which will often deal with these sorts of feelings. This is similar in some was to the third image which has more of a Hollywood feel to it. The birds eye view is frequently used at the close of a film to convey the extent of the damage, a highly impactful choice for a photograph. Although it shows the scene as less realistic it conforms to commonly seen conventions which imbibe the image with the conflict of perfection present in films and the unfulfilling reality of this perfection. The centre image has a very different effect. this is created b the very chaotic and colourful setting which is designed to be less realistic and more 'Barbie' if you will. This is often scene in depictions of Barbie in adverts or films as her settings are always too vibrant and too idyllic, emphasised by the choice of a sickeningly seen baker (in both senses of the word). The creepy way in which she poses for the camera, juxtaposed with the barely concealed heads under the counter that take a moment to spot, create a bizarre effect of not only conveying the stereotypes of Barbie but also re-evaluating these stereotypes with an undercurrent of threat and a loss of sanity in the overtly provocative way she sits. She therefore creates, in her images, the wide scope of possibility that comes with the conflict of imagination and real world awareness.
These images where vastly more successful than previous shoots. They where designed to emulate crime scene images that people would see in crime dramas and so where often taken in soft focus. A grainy quality was applied to the images as well in order to provide some level of ambiguity to what the audience sees. The design was here to only show very small portions of the image at a time, not only emulating crime scene images but also to force the audience to imagine the rest of the scene. The metaphor created was intended to create a link between the way women where presented to children in the media and the truthfully damaging effect this has. In order to further emphasise this, several signifiers where placed into the images. These consisted of the camera; to be an emblem of the power of public image and the inherent responsibility it comes with; the box of "cheer" washing power to ton only create an ironic juxtaposition of the connotations of cheerful cleanliness but also to refer to advertising campaigns that frequently perpetuate unrealistic stereotype; and finally the book on the shelf entitled "young readers". for his particular image the crime scene number was placed on the top o the books to reinforce the message that the impact upon young people is the truth and most damaging crime. In order to emphasise this, a younger doll was also put into the images. She is often depicted with only her feet visible walking through the scene so that the viewer can consider the effect of seeing something so horrifying on a child. When her face is shown she is also in slight soft focus. This was done to symbolise the veil between her and reality that so many people put over their children in order to protect them as well as removing some of her facial features to symbolise her not yet fully formed identity, this was also done by placing an adult in front of her so as to represent the urge to protect. By juxtaposing this with the horrific nature of the scene, there was an attempt to reveal the conflict that we simultaneously expose children to these mages and hate that we do so.
These images would be better if they where more detailed and more props where available to make a more obvious message, however they do invite a new avenue for pursuit in considering the impact of external imagery on children's perceptions of adulthood presented to them by the media.
These images would be better if they where more detailed and more props where available to make a more obvious message, however they do invite a new avenue for pursuit in considering the impact of external imagery on children's perceptions of adulthood presented to them by the media.
Children's Perceptions of Adult Life.
Here, a common symbol for childish aspiration (princess) was taken and placed in a conventional setting. Alexandra Road estate has been used in film and television frequently due to its elegant architecture which juxtaposes expectations of its use. This kind of idillic imagery combined with the model in quite cheep fancy dress creates both a romantic and saddening image. It is both designed to represent a childish fantasy and a reality which appears all the sadder due to the link to fiction provided by the setting. A desire to like in a dream world was attempted in these images.
This was partially inspired by the work of Dina Goldstein, a Canadian photographer, and her series, Fallen Princesses. This sereis took conventional fairytale stories and extrapolated them into the real world in order to "de-disneyfy" their subject. This perfectly captures the intention here however Goldstein does it in a far more grotesque manner.
This was partially inspired by the work of Dina Goldstein, a Canadian photographer, and her series, Fallen Princesses. This sereis took conventional fairytale stories and extrapolated them into the real world in order to "de-disneyfy" their subject. This perfectly captures the intention here however Goldstein does it in a far more grotesque manner.
The effect of this image is desperately sad. Not only does it subvert the usual expectations of this fairytale, but the pale colour palette and almost empty room creates an effect of extreme isolation that is in fact embodied by the fairytale itself.She manages to capture the understanding of pain and emotion implicit in the fairytale, and yet maintain this feeling into the real world and highlight the fact that for real-life experience of this kid of sadness, there is not happy ending.
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Goldstein made an interesting decision here. Far from opting for the more obvious predatory associations with the tale, she has created a version of Little red riding hood that demystifies her character as opposed to the wolf. Instead of pointing out the inherent sinister nature of many fairytales she reconstructs it to subvert the audiences associations with it and therefore consider the way in which perpetuating a "happily ever after" is ultimately unfulfilling for the individual.
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This image takes a very conventional scene and [poses it in an unconventional way. By having Snow White look directly int the camera Goldstein parallels documentary images from works by Martin Parr and Nan Goldin, invoking the kind of unspoken pain that the individuals in this situation go through. By altering the conventional disney costumes by placing them in this setting it forces the audience to examine the extent to which there are no fairy tale endings like the ones we are introduced to when we are young.
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The images where successful. The desired effect was created with the evident beauty of the surroundings in contrast to the usual associations with them. However the level of sadness that was necessary was also created with the iconography of the princess surveying her castle and the brutalist architecture that contrasts this so greatly. Furthermore, the subject seems to be attempting to force an equation which is not present; lying on the concrete wall in a sleeping beauty-esque pose next to an abandoned shopping trolley; leaning in at a graffitied football pitch; standing amongst the flowers, and the litter. One particular image of her feet also revealed a truth about these images that needs further exploration. A lens flare created a rainbow at her feet, highlighting the fact that these fantasies become more real when captured on camera. This truth of fiction and fantasy is only present in media and film as it has the incalculable capacity to make a fiction into something almost attainable.
As thes images where edited, the contrast was brought up to make them almost seem hyper real and to allude to the fact that they are fiction.
As thes images where edited, the contrast was brought up to make them almost seem hyper real and to allude to the fact that they are fiction.
Artist and Me.
The predominant contrast between mine and Goldstein's work is the intention behind the aesthetic. Goldstein's images take the emotion from a fairy-tale and place it in the real world whereas my images attempted to create an idyllic fairy-tale scene within the real world. Where her's makes the fantasy real, mind does the inverse and makes the reality into a fantasy. In this way we do not get an adult perspective on the fairy-tale realm, but a fairy-tale influenced fantasy from a child's perspective. There are similarities however, as we have both puled up the contrast to make our images seem almost hyper-real to make a point of illustraiting how ridiculous these perceptions of the world really are and therfore the damage they would have upon a child's perceptions of reality.
The predominant contrast between mine and Goldstein's work is the intention behind the aesthetic. Goldstein's images take the emotion from a fairy-tale and place it in the real world whereas my images attempted to create an idyllic fairy-tale scene within the real world. Where her's makes the fantasy real, mind does the inverse and makes the reality into a fantasy. In this way we do not get an adult perspective on the fairy-tale realm, but a fairy-tale influenced fantasy from a child's perspective. There are similarities however, as we have both puled up the contrast to make our images seem almost hyper-real to make a point of illustraiting how ridiculous these perceptions of the world really are and therfore the damage they would have upon a child's perceptions of reality.
Final Piece.
By exploring this hyper reality further, the advertising industry of the 1950s was tapped into as they are often depicted, particularly with the recent invention of Technicolor with vapid bright ads.
A key philosophy in the advertising industry is that the audience will project themselves onto the subject of the advert. By making this subject something the audience wants to be they can therefore get people to buy their product. In this way an individual can track the collective 'aspiration stereotype' of various generations by the adverts they published. Furthermore the advert itself, while purporting to present the truth, will always remain a fantasy because, as we know from the exploration of Camden, the real world is more or less always far more mundane. He we see the perfect model of a woman. "Nice hair, Nice eyes, nice teeth", but for this ad, all this perfection is not enough. Without the perfection, without the "nice smell" as well, this woman's beauty ceases to be. And not even that, just the "wrong deodorant" not even no deodorant, as if there is some ultimate manifestation of the perfect woman that has supreme specificity, any wavering outside of which, renders the individual "wasted". |
It is blatantly obvious from these few advertisements that the industry is overtly manipulative. They not only lock women onto the stereotypical 'female' gender role, but also place ludicrous emphasis on perfection. Furthermore, as can be seen from the advert on the right, they even present negative stereotypes, to frighten or guilt people through this 'projection' of something they don't want to be rather than what they do. We cannot even argue that our advertisements are much better today. We can see from the Sophia Vergara Diet Pepsi ad campaign the way in which she has been objectified and perfected for the audience to project themselves onto. The 'new skinny can' is perhaps even more of a ludicrous selling point as the substance of the product t has not even changed, just the mentality with which the consumer approaches it. In this vein we can see that adverts, still to this day, are not selling what they purport to. Instead they are selling an ideal for something to be which the consumer deludes themselves into believing because it is so appealing. However when looked at in the context of the barbaric nature of the 1950s ads we can see how damaging these mentalities really are.
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There is no avoiding voyeurism in photography. It is essentially a visual art form. However we can examine the complexity of want and envy in the advertising industry in order to understand the routes of many mental disorders and causes for depression we have today. The most booming and lucrative industry we have is the capitalist market place, and companies spend millions of pounds a year on their ad campaigns. The science behind this can and has been, reduced down to a formula which is so ingrained in culture that we can no longer really see it for what it is. We can see from these two images from a Topshop campaign that the model has been deliberately glamourised and sexualised. From the traditional fur coast and heals of the femme fatale, to the almost frighteningly slender legs in the image above we can see the way that young people wish and expect themselves to be and indeed see how this really has not changes from the Twiggy thin images of the 50s and 60s.
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This was a practice series for the final piece to examine the effect of different positioning and compositions with text. They proved to be successful and they gave a much stronger basis upon which to begin the crafting of the final piece. these images were taken and then edited in Photoshop, playing with sepia tones and over-saturating colour in order to create the desired effect. The most effective techniques proved to be the over-saturating of colour, placing a grainy effect upon the images and mattifying the background and blurring the face so that the subject appears one dimensional. The main difficulty is getting the accuracy of the 1950s homage correct due to the much better quality of camera used. However by using airbrushing techniques a similar effect can be created. the subject is placed on a duplicate layer and the uppermost image is blurred using 'surface blur'. Then the image is rubbed out over the eyes and mouth so that the subject still appears in focus, but the rest of them is blurred out. This way the image appears soft focus but the audience can still connect with the subject.
By using the techniques developed in the practice series, these images where created. Though not quite as effective as was desired, they where predominantly successful; particularly 'Big Eyes' and 'Perfect Waist'. These worked so well as the fading technique was used most effectively to make the subjects appear one dimensional and satisfyingly manufactured to recreate the look of the 1950's advert. The image that worked the least was the genetically modified baby. Though the image was edited using filters and contrast enhancement in order to make it appear like a stock photograph, the style of the advert was not as effective as the other posters. Though this was a direct recreation of an actual 1950's advert style commonly used by products, it looked far less pleasing to the eye.
To further enhance the effect of these posters, they are to be mounted on foam board to have a slightly raised effect and then displayed on a blank wall. In front will be several prototypes for products, arranged in the traditional supermarket display style. The labels below were designed to fit around the conventional size of a cylindrical can and displayed in a pyramid in front of the 'Better' and 'best' posters. (Also featured are two differentiation of the product, one of whith is designed fr children and entitled 'alpabetter'. The product company entitled 'for you' has also been added which encapsulates the irony and sinisterness that the company 'knows what is best for their consumer' despite the fact that this merely makes them richer.)
To further enhance the effect of these posters, they are to be mounted on foam board to have a slightly raised effect and then displayed on a blank wall. In front will be several prototypes for products, arranged in the traditional supermarket display style. The labels below were designed to fit around the conventional size of a cylindrical can and displayed in a pyramid in front of the 'Better' and 'best' posters. (Also featured are two differentiation of the product, one of whith is designed fr children and entitled 'alpabetter'. The product company entitled 'for you' has also been added which encapsulates the irony and sinisterness that the company 'knows what is best for their consumer' despite the fact that this merely makes them richer.)