Final Idea

My final Idea

For my final idea I decided to take portraits of  two adolescent girls with mechanical aspects to there faces. The idea behind this was the idea that the younger generations in society are constantly influenced by the social media, magazines and celebrity culture to think in certain ways about how they 'should' look or 'should' be. Leaving society with ideologies of physical appearance and the idealistic way to look. I chose to put the two models in black and white too represent a black and white mentality of todays culture. I then put the mechanical parts of the models in colour this is because the mechanical parts inside the models is the working part. I edited these photos on Photoshop I took down the brightness slightly and slightly edited the contrast as well. I also used Photoshop to add in the mechanical parts to make it look like its apart of there head/brain. This being the thing that controls them. I think these pictures could have been more successful as due to lack of time I feel the precision could have been better and maybe make the concept a bit clear or more specific for the audience.

Inital ideas for project on exhibitions

My first idea for this project was to use a face and change the features of the face by replacing those features with a feature from other peoples faces. For example I would take eyes of one individual, lips from a completely different individual then say a nose from another. This idea was inspired by the 'Saints Alive' exhibition by Michael Landy. Michael Landy's work was for me the most interesting so I chose to develop my idea from his exhibition. I was mainly drawn to his sculptures, which brought me to the idea of in proportionate features of the face.

This idea could also maybe have represented the idealist view on what 'society' says we should look like, so in the picture I potentially gave the model features that are desirable, in society. This was just an initial idea to develop more ideas for the project.

My initial idea

 

Here are all the sculptures featured in the exhibition.

 I was particularly inspired by the mechanical aspects of the sculptures and all the different mechanisms they were made up of.

 

 

I then researched a photographer called Stephan Gill. He took photographs then put objects on the stills to make it look like something else or too add to the photograph.

 

 

 

Research for Project

Here are some of the photographers I researched in order to gain inspiration from.
Thomas Robson

 

 

 

Stephan Shanabrook

'Paper surgery'

 

 

David Hockney 'The joiners'

 

 

Carsten Witte

 

 

Each Photographer I researched had a connection with my project and I used little elements of each part of my research in my final product. This research really made me consider what I could do with portraiture and how I could change up features to make for a more interesting photograph.

shape and form research

Shape and Form Research

 

Bill Brandt

   

 

Brandt’s nudes definitely capture my full attention on several levels. They give off a sexual vibes that comes out of the frame. But they also have the power to change our perception of what the world is like. When photographing nudes, he displaced objects and distorted so that the viewer must reconsider the what they thought they saw. Looking at these photographs, we have to free our eyes and teach them to see the statement of intent in the natural form.

Andre Kertesz

 

 

 

 

"My talent lies in the fact that I cannot touch a camera without expressing myself."

Kertész was very conscious of the visual arts beyond photography. He became engaged with still lifes, a subject favored by contemporary painters and one he would explore over the course of his career.

 

 

 

 



shape and form idea

For this project I looked at Bill Brandt to inspire me. I like the way he uses the skin of the human body to create different shapes. The pictures are close ups and make the pictures look like something different to what they actually are, leaving the viewer wondering what they are looking at. Leaving them suspicious as to what it is. I decided to do my own response to this by using the skin to create weird shapes. I edited my photos in photo shop playing with the brightness and contrast. Also I changed the colour filter to magenta to give the pictures a warmer feel, to humanise them. I think some of the photos worked really well however, others you are able to see what they are. If I were to improve this project I would make sure all the photos are the same lighting and maybe add some different shapes to the project.

ICA

The ICA was another museum I visited I liked this exhibition. In the exhibition there was various paintings and canvas'. It was an interesting set up and was very spacious so the piece was clear to see.



Horse/shadow 2010-12

Plywood, paint, ribbon, horse hair tail, pedestal with motor courtesy of the artist, Galerie Buchholz and Greene Naftali Gallery.   

Chess, 2012

Litho, cardboard, fiberglass, wood, rubber, metal, plastic, paint, canvas, linoleum and audio recording courtesy of the artist, Galerie Buchholz and Greene Naftali Gallery.


 It's Golden, 2013

Iridescent mylar courtesy of the artist, Galerie Buchholz and the Greene Naftali Gallery.

I found this piece visually pleasing, the fact you could walk into this golden square and could experience the effect of the golden shine.

 

Lutz Batcher 'Black Beauty'

25 September -17 November 2013
Black Beauty is the first major solo exhibition in the UK by influential American artist Lutz Batcher, featuring works made specifically for the ICA alongside a number of other recent sculptures and installations.

 

I liked the exhibitions I saw at ICA they were unlike things I've seen before, despite them being very plain I think they were effective. Especially the Lutz Batcher as I really liked the carefully cracked mirror, it could hold a lot of meaning.

The National Gallery

Michael Landy 'Saints Alive'

I really enjoyed my visit to the National Gallery, whilst I was there I visited the 'Saints Alive' exhibition. I thought it was very thought provoking and triggered a few ideas for the project. We were not allowed to take pictures from the gallery so we had to draw them. All the sculptures in the exhibition were very interesting, as they were very unusual.

Saint Thomas

The Saint Thomas is traditionally known as 'Doubting Thomas' because he refused to believe in the Resurrection of Christ until he had actually felt Christ's wounds himself.

 

Multi Saint

This sculpture combines the attributes of five different saints.

Saint Peter Martyr (1205-1252) was a Dominican preacher violently murdered with an axe blow to his head. Saint Lawrence (died 252) was martyred by the Romans when he was roasted alive on a griddle. Saint Lucy (died 304 or 310), according to legend, plucked out her own eyes and sent them to an, admirer who continually praised their beauty. Saint Michael is an Archangel who will call the dead to rise on the day of the last judgement. Saint Catherine was tortured on a wheel.

Rumbling, banging and springing the mechanical parts fall into action for a few brief seconds. The noise is very loud and alarming and the motion is quite abrupt. You are able to see the working parts as the connected– rusty cogs and bicycle wheels, springs and old machine parts, are all exposed.

 

Saint Catherine of Alexandra

According to legend she had a mystic marriage with the infant Christ. Her tormentors tried to martyr her on a wheel.

For this you have read the words engraved in gold on the edge of St Catherine's wheel – you have to push hard at the handle to make the wheel turn. All the unimaginable strangeness of her life revolves before you, from the conversion of Roman empresses to the multiple tortures and the mystic marriage to Christ. It is a perfect metaphor for the circularity of choice, faith and fate.

 

I liked the layout of this exhibition and that you could press the pedal or push the wheel and they would move or make a vast movement, this made me feel very involved and it was quite entertaining when you saw peoples reactions to the alarming noises.

Shape and form final idea

For the shape and form topic I decided to look at photographer Andre Kertesz and his images of interesting shadows created by objects. I then decided to continue with this and to photograph different objects from unusual angles to create a deferent shape and form. I think my final images are successful as the shadow appears different from the object. To improve I would probably use a wider variety of kitchen appliances that would make for more interesting shapes. I edited my photos in Photoshop editing the brightness and contrast to define the shadow. I then changed some of the photographs to black and white as I thought it made for a better photo.

Shape and form final idea

For the shape and form topic I decided to look at photographer Andre Kertesz and his images of interesting shadows created by various objects. I then decided to continue to photographing different objects from unusual angles to create a different shape and form. I feel my photographs were successful as they show different shapes and forms form the kitchen appliances. To improve I will maybe explore this topic more and used a wide variety of different objects to create weird but wonderful shapes. I edited these photos in Photoshop I played around with the brightness and contrast to make the shadow more defined. I then changed some of the photographs to black and white this made for an interesting photograph.

Experimenting with light

For this task we were asked to experiment with light to see how the light could change the feel of the egg or make the photograph look different. I tried to take the photos in different positions and use different angles to create shadows or changes the lighting and these are the how the photographs came out. I used reflectors to change the light and shadowing for some of these images which helped perfect what I wanted them to look like.