Category: Surfaces and Strategies

Ed Ruscha Challenge

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Prior to the start of this module, we were invited to participate in a voluntary challenge inspired by the work of Ed Ruscha. The aim of the task was to produce a series of images as a small book, inspired by one of Ed Ruscha’s. 

In responding to this challenge, I chose to work with an interpretation of Ruscha’s book: Some Los Angeles Apartments, 1965. I decided to choose a similar subject but one which would be related to a current theme: the impact of Covid-19 reflected in the local pubs that were closed as a result of lockdown measures. I planned a route to walk and took all the photographs on the same day of a selection of closed up pub buildings.

I chose to produce my images in black and white and to format their layout in a very similar style to that used by Ruscha in this particular book. Staying with this style, I used very little description and simply provided a caption in a plain font that stated the pub name and location. I titled the book in the same style font and layout as Ruscha’s and titled my book project: Some Bristol Pubs in Lockdown

I have been fascinated with the work of Ed Ruscha for some time and was also fortunate to view his exhibition at the Tate Modern earlier this year (see previous post), so this challenge was one I really looked forward to doing as I have found a lot of inspiration in his work. In approaching the challenge I opted to print a book that would look very similar and would draw upon Ruscha’s use of typography, layout and simple captions. I usually work in full colour but opted to work with black and white images not only to stretch my creative abilities but to create something similar in feel to those created by Ruscha. Below are some samples from the book that I printed.


Some Bristol Pubs in Lockdown, 2020 © Juanita McKenzie
Some Bristol Pubs in Lockdown, 2020 © Juanita McKenzie
Some Bristol Pubs in Lockdown, 2020 © Juanita McKenzie
Some Bristol Pubs in Lockdown, 2020 © Juanita McKenzie

Strategies of Looking

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One of the biggest challenges facing any visual artist and photographer is that everything has already been done before and we need to find ways to make our work unique and stand out from within the millions of images that we are bombarded with each and every day. Exploring strategies of looking refers to the returning to or revisiting moments and their place in time. This is a valuable method and approach to photography as looking at previously made images and ideas is a way to learn from them and to incorporate these strategies into my own approach and methods.

My practice has always been rooted in the urban landscape with a focus on architecture, non-spaces, structures of power, identity of places, and cycles of decay.  My interest in the urban landscape arose from the New Topographics movement and photographers such as Edward Ruscha, Lewis Baltz and Joel Steinfeld. Their images of man-made urban structures and photographic stills capture the details within the emptiness of the urban environment while simultaneously implying a human presence. 

This is something I’ve incorporated into my own work and I’ve begun to look at the urban landscape very differently, capturing small details that are only revealed upon closer inspection of the image. These subtle clues provide a sense of the environment, the way people interact with these places and how I am responding to the spaces as a photographer.  The influence of the New Topographics Movement is very evident as I convey a sense of loneliness and isolation within my images, the absence of others being countered by the small details that remind of the human presence.

This is a popular methodology and many landscape photographers have drawn upon the work of the New Topographics, focusing on finding beauty in the banale and building on the foundation created by this movement. Those artists who locate their practice in contemporary expressions of the New Topographics tend to combine the influences of a number of artists associated with this movement and style, coming up with a unique synergy of their own. This is indeed what I attempt to achieve in my own practice.

References:

Live Brief – Project Review

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Live Brief – Week 10

Now that we have reached the end of the live brief project and delivered the final pitch, it is important to have a debriefing and review the project. As we are all approaching the deadlines for assignments this term and trying to keep up with the workload, as well as jobs and other life demands, it seemed that there was not time that we could arrange where everyone could be present to do a debriefing discussion. I took it upon myself to start a document and share this with the rest of the team so they could add to it in their own time. It seemed the best solution to allow collaboration for a team working remotely. These are some of the main points extracted from this:

What did we do well?

  • We understood the brief quickly and did very thorough research which allowed us to meet the brief accurately, identifying the most appropriate social media channel and understanding the organisation’s ethos and way of working collaboratively. These formed key parts of our campaign.
  • Communication was excellent with use of Whatsapp, conference calls, Google Drive. Weekly meetings were well attended and documented in the event somebody couldn’t attend.  
  • We always worked respectfully and heard each others viewpoints even if we didn’t always agree.  We were always able to give and receive feedback within the group and could adjust accordingly. We received tutor feedback very well and used it to develop the project further. We changed course quite dramatically in response to the feedback in our second review and this was a positive move.
  • We worked extremely well as a team.  Great teamwork with people putting in as much time and effort as possible, and voluntarily covering when others couldn’t.  
  • We were willing to take a creative risk and this was well-received.

What could we have done better?

  • If we had identified earlier that we were doing far too many different work streams, we would have been able to work with more focus and more efficiently.  We could possibly have come up with more of our own creative content if we had gone with a narrower focus. 
  • It would have been great if more of our own content had been included in final pitch (however, I know for all of us this was based on time constraints and the demands of work and studies).
  • It would have been more professional if we had agreed on a budget and minimum rates prior to the pitch.  

What are the lessons learned that we could apply to future projects?

  • After the initial creative brainstorming, it is important to narrow the vision down so that the project becomes very focused, efficient and streamlined. Agree on a set of clear parameters so everyone can participate creatively on equal terms to produce consistent results.
  • More frequent reviews, both of project milestones and the creative output from the team, are important to ensure the project is staying within scope, timeline and according to brief, as well as working effectively.  Question the plan if things don’t appear to fit and be confident in raising any issues or concerns. Being able to adapt and adjust accordingly is essential.
  • Make sure that every possible detail has been taken care of before the final pitch.  A rehearsal of the pitch may be a good way to identify any missing information, areas that need more work or questions that may arise.  

Looking back, this has been a very intense 9 weeks working hard on our studies and also on the live brief. Despite the challenges of working long distance and never meeting face to face, we managed to collaborate and create together. It has been a tremendous experience to be able to work on the live brief and gain valuable knowledge through this process. I think we did a great job to deliver our final pitch to deadline and it was a real pleasure to work on this project with Bloo, Raeann and Oliver, who were always positive, always willing to pitch in and do the work and considerate of each other every step of the way. We made a great team!