Strategies of Sharing

Posted on October 13, 2020 Posted in Contextual Research, Coursework, Surfaces and Strategies, UncategorizedTagged collaboration, documentary photography, inspiration, photography, photography practiceLeave a comment

In this module, the focus was on strategies of sharing – the challenges of working with others and the different ways of working collaboratively. This is an important topic for me as I consider the way in which my project is progressing and whether it will become the social documentary I had always intended or whether I shall approach this from the perspective of conceptual and landscape documentary approaches.

I have looked to the work of a number of artists that have worked with various communities and individuals in different ways that have involved participation, collaboration or co-operation. I was particularly interested in Zed Nelson’s documentary film, The Street, depicting life in Hoxton Street in East London over a period of 4 years. Nelson is primarily a photographer but decided to create this documentary film and the result was a powerful, authentic and deeply moving record of a community impacted by change.

Nelson interviews members of the community and builds up rapport in ways that shows a deepening of the relationship through the course of the film and the greater sense of trust and sharing that it conveys. The interviews are revealing and at times surprising, getting to the heart of issues within the community and the impact on individual lives. The interviews are powerful and give voice to the community.

The Street, Zed Nelson – Trailer

The work Nelson has done in creating The Street, is deeply inspiring to me as it touches so closely on key themes I am working with in my own project. The idea of creating a documentary film is something I feel is a creative direction that could transform the project I am working on and take it to a different level. It will require a tremendous amount of collaboration with the communities involved and of course, it means learning new techniques in order to create a film. I am contemplating this as a creative possibility but realise that this would mean a far longer term project than the scope of the MA Photography.

Whether I choose to produce a documentary film or a photobook, as was my early intention, I know that collaborative work and participation from the community will be essential in order to represent a community that has been underrepresented and distinctly lacks a voice. Their views would be far more personal and accurate than my own view as the observer and photographer, and it is also essential to incorporate many different views, opinions and perspectives within a documentary work.

My intention in the previous term had been to begin meeting up with people from the community and exploring the possibilities of collaborative work. I had identified key community organisations that would have been a logical and natural starting point for this collaboration in order to facilitate building relationships within the community itself. The sudden and expected Covid-19 Pandemic and the resulting lockdowns prevented me from pursuing this at the time and even now I am feeling limited by the rules and regulations around social interactions.

From my perspective there is a tremendous sense of confusion around rules and social distancing, as well as a measure of anxiety, fear and mistrust that I perceive in society at the moment and this does not seem like an appropriate or suitable time to try to begin building relationships in a community I am not part of. It is a dilemma for me as I am unsure how to move this project forwards now and what direction to take.

References:

Garratt, S., 2020. Zed Nelson, Renegade Film-Maker | The Creative Life. [online] The Creative Life. Available at: <https://thecreativelife.net/zed-nelson-renegade-film-maker/> [Accessed 13 October 2020].
Thestreetfilm.co.uk. 2020. [online] Available at: <https://www.thestreetfilm.co.uk/> [Accessed 13 October 2020].

Strategies of mediation

Posted on October 13, 2020 Posted in Coursework, Surfaces and Strategies, UncategorizedTagged MA photography, photographyLeave a comment

This week we explored what was described as strategies of mediation – using and re-using existing images. This process refers to appropriation, referencing or remixing an image. In an earlier module we had explored the well documented copyright case of Cariou vs. Prince. French photographer Patrick Cariou opened a case against Richard Prince and his gallery, Gagosian, for copyright infringement. Prince, a well known appropriation artist had incorporated some of Cariou’s images from his book, Yes, Rasta, published in 2000, into his series of paintings and collages called Canal Zone, exhibited in 2008 at New York’s Gagosian Gallery. See post here.

Another well known case is that of artist Joy Garnet and photographer Susan Meiselas in the case that came to be known as ‘Joywar’. Garnet, a New York artist, creates paintings based on found photographs gathered from the mass media. In this particular case, she based her work on an uncredited image found on the web that was in fact a piece of a 1979 photograph by Susan Meiselas. This became a copyright case which raises important questions around issues of appropriation and context.

Molotov, from the series Riots, © Joy Garnett 2004

Banksy’s graffiti mural ‘The Flower Thrower’, which was painted on a Jerusalem wall in 2005 *(Alamy Stock Photo)* Source: The Independent

Looking at the three images above, the question arises as to when an image is replicated even when using a different medium, how closely it resembles the original work could potentially infringe upon copyright. The final image by Banksy bears some resemblance to the original Molotov Man but does it in fact derive from this original image. Interestingly, Banksy recently lost a trademark case against a greeting card company that used his iconic image without consent.

From my own perspective as a photographer, I would not like my artwork to be appropriated, referenced or remixed my images as this could change the context of the image and thus dramatically change the meaning and intent of my original artwork. Furthermore, there is the ethical consideration of profiting from another artist’s work without consent. I have already experienced this on social media where one of my images was used to create a composite image that I did not agree to. It was resolved by engaging with the individual concerned and asking for my work to be credited.

I have subsequently attended a number of very good online workshops presented by Creative Wick Hackney during the Covid-19 lockdowns, one of which addressesd issues of copyright and how to protect our work as artists.

References:

Independent.co.uk. 2020. Banksy Loses Art Trademark Battle In ‘Devastating’ Ruling. [online] Available at: <https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/art/news/banksy-flower-thrower-lawsuit-full-colour-black-trademark-copyright-identity-b464781.html> [Accessed 13 October 2020].
100 Photographs | The Most Influential Images of All Time. 2020. How A Photo Of A Man Throwing A Molotov Cocktail At A Soldier Became A Symbol Of Revolution In Nicaragua. [online] Available at: <http://100photos.time.com/photos/susan-meiselas-molotov-man> [Accessed 13 October 2020].

Repeat Photography

Posted on October 13, 2020 Posted in Coursework, Surfaces and Strategies, UncategorizedTagged MA photography, photography, photography practice, repeat photographyLeave a comment

William Henry Fox Talbot is well known for creating the first negative image of the Oriel window at Lacock Abbey in Wiltshire. What is less widely known is that Talbot actually created a further five such negatives across a period of time using the same basic composition of the window, thus creating a process of repeat photography.

I have already applied this method to my ongoing project of the Bearpit, having taken photographs every month since last year, from the same vantage point – a bus stop across the road simply because of the clear shot I have from there which also incorporated Ursa the Bear back then. The angle I originally photographed from was specifically to include Ursa the Bear as I rightly predicted she would be removed. This choice has dictated any further repeat photography as it shows the most dramatic change of the bear having been removed.

I do however also employ repeat photography from within the Bearpit itself, always photographing the same subway entrances from the same direction and vantage points. The reason I have been doing this is to try to show changes across a period of time as one of the central themes within my project has been about impermanence and change. By documenting places in this way and sharing the details of location, it is possible that these images could become archival over time.

I think repeat photography is an excellent idea for long term projects and is very useful for landscape photographers whether it is the natural landsape or an urban one. Throughout my own images and process of repeat photography, the changes are there for me to see but they are often quite subtle and perhaps not obvious across a the series of photos. However, I do believe this is a very good method for documenting change across time. In this case it may be that the changes are qualitative.

The images below are not necessarily aesthetically pleasing, however, they clearly show the change over time. The first image shows Ursa the Bear still standing while the second one clearly shows her absence. The passage of time is clearly marked by the change in light and the seasonal colours of the trees in the background – summer to autumn of 2019.

Repeat Photography – The Bearpit, Bristol 2019
© Juanita McKenzie, 2020

Ed Ruscha Challenge

Posted on October 13, 2020October 13, 2020 Posted in Microprojects, Projects, Surfaces and Strategies, UncategorizedTagged Edward Ruscha, MA photography, photobook, photographic practice, photographyLeave a comment

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

Strategies of Looking

Posted on October 12, 2020October 12, 2020 Posted in Journal Reflection, Surfaces and Strategies, UncategorizedTagged landscape photography, new topographics, photography, visual strategiesLeave a comment

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.