Assignment four

The Light of Death

I have decided to analyse one of my own photographs as I feel that analysing my own work is something that will help me more than looking at images by other artists (not meant as arrogance). I am my own worst critic but analysis is not meant to be “harmful”, yet constructive. The image was hand held, shot without flash and not planned. I was curious as to what was at the end of the corridor as this was not clear with the naked eye, yet the lines and the light lead me to take the image. The photograph I have chosen is a snapshot, not staged in any way, but one which makes me think deeply about humanity even though the image is devoid of people and with little evident evidence. The image is part of my series on Auschwitz is entitled: –

The Light of Death.

This is indoors, in a solid looking building that is not a home.

The decoration is very sparse very little colour with a splash of artificial light and rectangle of natural light highlighting the window frame and the structure at the end of a corridor. There are vertical lines on either side of the image, showing this has been shot through what may be bars.

The mesh wire structure which is positioned across the corridor looks out of place – it appears weak and not a solid structure, the building appears to be functional maybe a hostel, hospital or a prison.

Could it be some sort of school?

The structure highlighted at the bottom serves a purpose, which is not clear when viewed at a small size. This image would not work well as a 6x 4 print.

What is the structure what does it do and why is it in the window?

The image appears to be a historic record and not something that is used to this day.

Why are there doors on opposite sides of the corridor. Where do they lead. Why are they opposite each other. What is behind them. Either the doors are missing or they are open as the light from the room behind them.

Is the floor damp, it looks like solid concrete?

Again, no furnishings with water marks appearing a few inches up the wall.

What is the context for such a place.

This is not a family snap shot and therefore does not appear to be an image of joy (where is everyone).

The only warmth in there, comes from the artificial lighting which adds a touch or yellow light which pervades through the image.

Looking through the widow this appears to be is the ground floor, as some sort of concrete fencing can be seen when viewed at full magnification or even on an A3 print. There are trees beyond the fencing.

Is this building hidden?

The windows have bars. Bars in the distance- bars in the foreground.

Is this a prison or an old-fashioned metal health institution?

Where is the building.

When was it built.

It does not look new it is weathered and worn.

It is easy to clean.

Why is it easy to clear and almost bare?

The structure in the distance has a crank handle. What is the purpose of the handle.

The structure appears to be for hanging.

The wooden surround is open.

There is a hook on top of the structure. Yes, it is for hanging.

The foreground of the image is out of focus. This tells me the foreground is not the main area the photographer wants you to concentrate on, but this adds to the placement of the building by drawing your attention to the distance.

There are marks on the flooring and on the walls this has been in use for some time.

This is a place of torture.

What does the image say?

I feel the image contains historical significance of some cruel events that have happened in the past.

I feel that the image leaves me asking what happened here, why and when, the feeling of desolation pervades the image.

Is there a crucifix gazing on the gallows? Is this God watching over this and giving His blessing or is He praying for victims?

The cross, the gallows and the window add an interesting juxtaposition to the image.

The people being hung must have been seen from the outside – as a warning or just maybe what will happen to others soon.

Death appears to be simple and can be brought about by one person, hence the cranking handle.

I am a curious person and want to know more about this.

Due to the window and the cross puncturing the image this adds a contradiction to how excecutions take pace let’s say in the USA today (behind closed doors).

Why would people do this and who is doing it and who is it being done to?

This is Documentary Photography – it is a chapter without words.  Is it real or is it staged? The Light of Death has left an indelible image and feeling in my mind. In Auschwitz photographs were forbidden by the Nazis for obvious reasons, but many exist today due to the proud Nazis wanting to document history (for different reasons to me). I have not seen a similar photograph to this in the many I have looked at in my study of the subject of the Holocaust. Inadvertently this image is very similar in framing and may be meaning to an image by Paul Seanwright (entitled room 1: 2003, which was commissioned by the Imperial war museum in relation to the war in Afghanistan). However, Seanwright’s image is an “Aftermath Photograph”, whereas my own is an un-staged Documentary Photograph.

The image oozes wear and tear, is devoid of people for some reason. It is therefore left to the viewer to ask questions, to search for answers and to pray such happenings never occur again (which of course is a Utopian ideal as this is happening daily all over the world in some shape or form). My “goal was to bring the attention of an audience to the subject of his (or her) work” to pave the way for change (OHRN 1980:36). Quote taken from the 5^thEdition of Photography – A Critical Introduction – Edited by Liz Wells. I had special written permission from the curator of the Auschwitz Museum to photograph wherever I wanted. However, I was asked not to misrepresent the Holocaust – in other words to make truthful images. However, we must all questions what is real when we view, read or hear any information. Opinions cannot be wrong, they can be ill informed. Facts are simply facts and are undisputable. The Holocaust was real and abject cruelty is still real every day. This image is real (not staged) and is thought provoking, if you give it time. If you cast a cursory glance over the image you will not do it justice. It is not a “pretty” image, even though is reasonably well framed. Although this is a snapshot, it is a chilling reminder that we are all too human and atrocities are easy to commit.

Give this image time, study it, think deeper and remember to ask  yourself why, before we all meet our own Light of Death!!!

 

 

Course exercise

This is great for me, Elliott Erwitt is one of my all time favourite photographers. I have his book personal best by teNeues in hard back. The image in question has a double spread in the book so is larger than in the course booklet and its’ quality is superior in respect of print and clarity. The course notes say the small dog is the main subject of focus, but I have to disagree. I feel the 2 dogs and the walker are the main subjects. is it their legs, is it their coats. The sharpest object in the frame is the walker’s coat.

The image is clearly meant to create some humour and a little confusion at first glance. It is one image that makes you want to look again. The smaller of the two dogs certainly draws your eye and makes you study the image (studium according to Barthes). But what is the punctum. What pricks the conscious into making this an image I can relate to other than one I just like. The punctum in this image is the dog’s left eye.

Why is it veering off course. What is it looking at? Does he/she feel daft dressed up that way. Is the bigger dog wearing a hat? if not why not? Is the walker wearing a hat? What is the dog’s name? The questions go on…..

The three subjects have clearly been shot from low down, and are well positioned centrally in the frame and a shallow depth of focus has helped to create the feeling of being there. The subjects are well-lit, but dark against a blown out background. The small dog’s lead adds to the almost symmetrical feel to the image, but it is the lack of complete symmetry that adds to the appeal of the image fo me. This just adds a bit of further interest.

I have looked at Erwitt’s other photographs with dogs in them, to see if there is a reoccurring theme, regarding how they are framed, but I cannot spot one. What is apparent is his timing, his love of humour, people and dogs. His timing is reminiscent of the Cartier-Bresson “decisive moment” influence .

I do not quite agree with the thirds argument posed in the course material, for me the image is more symmetrical. But what is perfectly clear, as with any photo, is that the information is all there from the outset, but the information may lead to many, many more questions, some of which will be objective ones and some will be subjective.

I love this image and I now have an understanding, maybe subconsciously, why I like Erwitt so much. I believe he also has an interest in the Holocaust. There are two images in his book, one taken in the gas chambers at Auschwitz I ( I have a similar image) and another taken at the front gates of Auschwitz – Birkenau II. I am also a keen dog lover and therefore he is an obvious choice for me. It is also due to the quality of his work and the sense of timing and being there his image install in me.

On to project 2

The language of photography

Schindler’s List. One of my own images from my Holocaust project. This was taken in Oscar Schindler’s factory.

 

Definition of expression ; –

“The conveying of feeling in a work of art” 

taken from ; – Oxford Dictionary (2018) Definition of expression in English:, Available at:  https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/expression (Accessed: 20/01/2018).

 

Definition of communication ; –

“The imparting or exchanging of information by speaking, writing, or using some other medium.”

taken from ; -Oxford Dictionary (2018) Definition of communication in English:, Available at:  https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/communication (Accessed: 20/01/2018).

The word communicate originates from French, Old English and Latin (communicate) and means to share.

Is it possible for a photograph not to communicate or to acts a means of expression?

For me to answer this question I wanted to know what the definition if information is and this is what I have found out – “What is conveyed or represented by a particular arrangement or sequence of things.” taken from ; – Oxford Dictionary (2018) Definition of information in English:, Available at: https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/information (Accessed: 20/01/2018).

As a photograph conveys an arrangement of something, whatever that may be, a photograph in its’ base level must act as a means of communication or as a means of expression, even this image was created accidentally as the frame holds the arrangement. However for this to communicate successfully there has to be something that stirs some form of interest.

I asked my daughter, who is 18, this question and her answer was “No, some photos do not speak to me at all even if I understand what they are of”.

Even complete abstraction is conveying an expression of feeling, perhaps more so than an architectural photograph.

The question is somewhat of a misnomer and is a good lead in to thinking about how to be  a successful photographic communicator.

For, me all photographs must communicate or act as a means of expression by the nature of their creation.

Part four – Reading Photographs

My selection of images taken from my Holocaust Project for critique. There is the original image and the 2 further images composed of 200 pixels, firstly in colour and then desaturated. I will make my choice of final for my assignment, as I progress on this part. All 5 images have a relationship to the Holocaust, which is a project and topic I have ongoing at the moment. The images are my own from my work in 2017. These images will occur from time to time in this part as I add my thoughts and feeling.

Original

Colour pixelated

Desaturated pixelated

Project 3 Nigel Shafran

Officially this is the first male artist I have encountered in this project. Why would that be?

• Are female artists more willing to express themselves in an exhibitionist way?
• Sexism is all too prevalent and this is way of getting their point across.
• The female artists, like the ones I have researched here, in my opinion are the Emily Pankhursts of their medium, trying to address the gender gap.
• Ladies are perhaps more honest and open.
• There is too much repression and they feel that they need to express themselves to achieve some form of emancipation.
• Ladies may care more about the meaning of photography rather than the aesthetics of composition and the perfect picture.
• They have more to tell than the men.
• May be this course wants me to think more widely. The majority of my studies so far have been on men, yet my all time favourite photographer is Sally Mann.
• May be ladies can make more of the mundane and be able to turn this into a storyline.
• Women are repressed.
• Women are happy not to conform to the traditional photographic norms.

Gender, age, angle, project, time of day, light, personal experiences, etc all have a bearing on our imagery, and this has been highlighted by the artists I have looked at.

This is not my favourite genre of photography, but it has a purpose and is one that certainly tells a story in its ‘own right, either with or without the photographer being in the shot.

I respect of Shafran’s work called Washing Up, this may be seen as a typically female job, by the sexist amongst us and will be one of the reasons his images contain no people. There is no reason at all why a man should shoot kitchen sink images if he so desires, in the same way a lady is free to shoot whatever she wants. However our minds, whether we like it or not, are governed by both conscious and unconscious bias, which sometimes is hard to expel.

In respect of they interesting, well that is an interesting question in itself. Normally I would view a full kitchen sink as simple and annoying, as normally I will do the washing up, but on this occasion I am lefty thinking what is it that he is trying to create. If there were people in the image, this would take up a large space in the frame and would detract from what he is showing us. I was not surprised these images were taken by a man, but I was surprised initially that someone could make an interning project out of such an area.

Are they interesting? Yes they are interning, by th change that takes place in the including what is on the windowsill and how life changes in his household. Do I like them as a series, possibly.

Again this is not my preferred genre.

 

Project 3 Maria Kapajeva

Her images are very staged as suggested in one of her titles e.g. a Constructed Encounter.

The series portrait of the artist is a substituted self absented way of presenting herself, by using models posing as herself. She is the least exhibitionist of all the artists I have looked at in this part of the course and is still one that is making the case for femininity.

There is some of her work I do not like such as, I am a usual woman. Whilst I understand the principles behind the work and agree with it too, the work appears almost child like and I do not feel fully represents women. May be this is what she wanted us think.

Her images are all about the story and are not necessarily the most beatify images to look at. They are nothing like the work of Sally Mann, whose work I adore.

I am glad I have come across Maria’s work and will revisit it at some stage, but at the minute I am happy to move on.

Primo Levi – Survival In Auschwitz

This book is not related to photography, however it is a great example of literature relating to one project that is dearth my heart. That being the KL’s of the Nazis in the second world war.

I bought this book in Auschwitz for 55 Polish Zloty, which is approximately £11.

Unlike many of the books I have read on the subject, it is a relatively short book, consisting of 185 pages.

Primo Levi is an Italian Jew, he is a chemist by trade and he is a survivor by nature.

He spent approximately 12  months in Auschwitz and the book describes, by way of prose, the dehumanizing effect that the camps had on the inmates and their daily struggles and rituals which were all at the whim of the cowardly Nazis.

His description of the Kapos and other block leaders was particularly interesting and sad and it shows what levels we as a species can stoop to.

The book is really well written, as he intended, in simple English and is a testament to the courage of the inmates and how man can endure what is thrown at him/her.

The original title of the book was “If this is a man” and was changed to its current title  by the American publishers. For me the original title is better.

I have read so many books on the KLs but this is one that I have enjoyed more than others, if that is intact the right way to describe this. There are no images to accompany the book, but the words conjure a myriad of images and will give me inspiration for my life and for my future studies.

You should read this book if you want to know what life was really like. Passion and intensity abound in the book and there is never any form of self-pity from him.

What an amazing book and what a gent. I have kept the review short as everyone should read such a book and make up their own mind.

God bless him and all who were imprisoned and to all those who are in captivity today.

 

Project 3 Sophie Calle

She clearly is a very talented artist, who can work/perform across multiple disciplines. Looking at her work though, I am unsure at first how she made money!

Following a man and dressing up, disguising herself, was one of her first projects. This is a cracking project well thought through, slightly insane and may even be called stalking these days.

She is not afraid to bare her soul, not body, and does so in a way which exposes herself to answers she may not like.

Her projects are attacked with a statisticians viewpoint, at times, canvassing the feelings of many a person, including in one case a parrot!!!

Her mind must always be working and looking for an artistic angle in all aspects of her life.

Suffering becomes a medium through which she can make art and must be part of the healing project and it is clearly a cathartic exercise for her. This is a common theme with artists of this ilk and one I can understand, given my own creation for my childhood memory.

 

Project 2 Jo Spence (self research)

Having spent some considerable time looking at Jo Spence, I find myself pulled in different directions. Firstly I admire her bravery, her work and how she speaks (or photographs) her mind. She is like me. I say it as it is. On the other hand the Libido Uprising project is just not my cup of tea, although I do understand what she is doing and why. Jo Spence appears to have influenced Gillian Wearing, whom I encountered earlier and I am convinced she will have given strength and courage to anyone who has seen her work.

Her life is somewhat tragic, being blessed with breast cancer and then leukaemia. My heart went out to her when I read her story. The illnesses have also been a catalyst for some of her best work.

The Cancer Shock project, must have been hard to work with, but also cathartic. Is there an element of exhibitionism again in there. I’m not convinced that many people I know would bare all. I understand why this is done but again this is not my cup of tea. I’m also unsure if the general public wold understand what the project is really about or the necessity get get one kit off.

Below is my favourite image that I have seen relating to Jo’s work. My reasons for this are laid out below the image.

• I am of an age where I actually remember using Squeezy washing up liquid. It was cheap and naff.
• The images behind Jo also add to the message about the role of women in life and society.
• I’m not sure but in the capitalism works poster, the main character appears to be the macho man Clint Eastwood.
• The mask adds to the fact she is saying woman are being suppressed.
• The gloves hint at what would have been classed as “women work”.
• I think artists like Jo, will have awakened some ladies to take up the fight to strive for equality.
• She is also wearing a wedding ring to add to the fact that she belongs to a man.
• I am a believer in equality for all.

Project 2 Masquerades Trish Morrissey

First thing that I want to say is that I am commenting here on the Front series (2005-2007) and nothing else.

This work is similar to Nikki Lee’s as previously commented, but for me this takes it one step further, she actually wears the clothes of the missing person within the group. She transforms into to that person. The family snap becomes the non family snap, but something from the film, The Invasion of the Body Snatchers.

They are a performance and a snap shot, that is not a snap shot, but something that is well planned, well executed and a snap shot that includes a 4×5 camera, a tripod, an expert in photography to stage the overall image. It is a great big whopping lie, with humorous and yet serous connotations.

Her work has echoes of Cindy Sherman and I am more drawn to these than the work of Nikki S Lee, possibly due to the subjects and the settings used. They also make me feel easier about the image than Lee’s work, although I can’t explain why. It’s simply a gut reaction.

I would love to know what thoughts were going through the mind of the kids in this image above. They both seem relaxed enough,  although I can see some stiffness and awkwardness is Morrissey.

Image taken from : – Morrissey, T (Not known) Trish Morrissey, Available at: https://www.hawamediaplatform.com/nikki-s-leesimply a gut reaction. (Accessed: 02/08/17).

How would I feel if I were approached, well that would depend on who was asking, the weather and the overall project. Having seen these images I would also ask why they were recreating work that has already been done.

 

From now on I will discuss some of her other work.

The Failed Realist series, is simply childish expression in the form of face painting by Morrissey’s daughter, from something that she has just experienced. The paintings are pure innocence, yet to an adult they conjure up different ideas than what were intended at inception.

If this is the tooth fairy, I would hate to see the clown from It!

Clearly when viewing images our own psyche and consciousness takes over and may give the viewer a different perspective of the truth. The truth is specific to the viewer and shows how images can be interpreted.

Image taken from : – Morrissey, T (Not known) Trish Morrissey, Available at: http://www.trishmorrissey.com/works_pages/work-tfr/workpg-11.html (Accessed: 02/08/17).

Seven Years is a prop driven series pulling apart the traditional family photographs. It explores the differences between relatives and explore how these differences can create tension. They are all a lie that aims to give answers, but I am not sure the answers you get are the truth as the foundation for the images is does not start with the truth.

Clever work, that creates tensions that may not exist in an original image. The series are thought provoking and not displeasing to look at. They have made me think, but once more this type of work is not my bag.