Thomas Kellner's fine art photography changes the object of the image and questions what we see. This continuous reinvention of himself and of the formal method always leads to new options for interpretation. He developed his ideas developed from cubism. His work consists of him photographing buildings in fragments then assembles them back in order. This gives the image an abstract fell as you can see the original building but its deformed and has a twisted ragged feel. In his earlier years he began experimenting with pinhole cameras and multi perspective approaches. He uses synthetic and analytical cubism in the contact sheets , which is what we call visual analytical synthesis today. It means creating multiple viewpoints in one flat image.
My attempt
For our first task responding to Thomas Kellner in break the structure, we had to photograph a building from different view points creating a distorted sense to the structure.We first had to sketch out the composition onto a blank contact sheet grid to help know what we are photographing. Then we used bridge to upload allot he images and place them in the form of Thomas kellners work as a contact sheet. www: For my first attempt ii felt as if I began to make a strong start to this section of work Ebi:Some of them had gaps in-between the images which ruined the illusion
Second attempt
For my second attempt I used an image of the shard and one of redwood house. Again repeating the process of taking the photo of the structure from different view points to create the distorted effect to the image.we then had to put all the photos into bridge in the order we wanted the building to run.
www: kept the distorted effect on the structure and experimented with different locations. Ebi: When it was put into bridge the images had huge gaps in between which I felt didn't work well. I think this happened due to all the images being different sizes and angles.
Twisted Structure- Nicholas Kennedy Sitton / David Copithorne
“These photos are a result of how intriguing the concept of distortion translates to architecture. It creates a sense of falling into itself, like capturing a moment of demolition. I can destroy titanous steel structures with the click of a mouse and create new twisted versions of reality. I was also inspired by San Francisco. I had just moved here and being a new city was disorienting and exciting and I wanted to capture how my whole world had changed.”
Nicholas Kennedy Sitton
David Copithorne
My attempt
For the twisted structure task we responded to architecture photographer Nicholas Kennedy Sitton and David Copithorne. For my response I photographed a photo of the Shard in central London and loaded it into photoshop to create the distorted effect to the image. I selected a large circle in the middle of the building then copy and pasted each layer and moved them to the desired look.
Www- I think the photo was successful due it having a strong distorted and twisted affect like the inspiration artist EBI: I feel as if the GIF could have been longer and had more layers to create a more detail and intricate piece of work
Variation and Similarity in Landscapes and Structures
Arena is a short film by Ireland-based artist páraic McGloughlin which explores the similarities of international roadways, farming infrastructure, and urban design. In the minute and a half work, McGloughlin presents thousands of aerial images collected from Google Maps to create a series of winding pathways and geometric shapes that snake across the screen.
In EPOCH, the new short film by Irish director and animator Kevin McGloughlin, aerial images of the Earth are pieced together to compare the structural similarities of various suburbs, highways, and fields. When flashed one after the next, buildings and roads form circles and squares, while dozens of cul-de-sacs appear to elongate and morph as they flash on screen. The film bears many similarities in form and editing to his twin brother and collaborator Páraic McGloughlin’s short film from last April Arena, which also utilized Google Earth-sourced images to created fast-paced animated sequences.
My response
For this task we used google earth to create a gif showing the journey between famous monuments all over the world. I used the Eiffel tower , Saint pals and the Empire State building as my three monuments of choice. To create this gif we went onto google earth and screen shotted as we zoomed in or out or till we reached the destination of choice. Once you have all screenshots you download them into photoshop and put them in a timeline then adjust the time to how quick or slow you want your gif to go but the inspiration artist ones move fairly fast so I kept it at a a speed at 0.2.
www: Completed a gif that moves fluidly between each destination Ebi: Make the gif longer and find a more interesting path to follow
Structure in nature
Myoung Ho Lee photographs solitary trees framed against white canvas backdrops in the middle of natural landscapes Myoung Ho Lee, a young artist from South Korea, has produced an elaborate series of photographs that pose some unusual questions about representation, reality, art, environment and seeing. Simple in concept, complex in execution, he makes us look at a tree and its structure in its natural surroundings, but separates the tree artificially from nature by presenting it on an immense white ground, as one would see a painting or photograph on a billboard.
My attempt
In response to Myoung Ho Lees work we took a piece of white card out into a natural environment and looked for interesting structures in nature. Were had to experiment with having the white page fill the frame and also showing the context of the surrounding area. The use of the white card allowed the structure of the plant to stand out compared to the background.
My edits
www- the images had a really mystical feel which is exactly what I wanted ebi- Find more interesting plants to photograph
Field works
The core practice of the natural sciences is to collect in order to inspect more closely. Collecting implies taming and containment, traits shared to some extent by photography. Breaking away from the conventions of scientific documentation, which typically presents specimens in isolation and devoid of context, Kannisto’s work addresses the acts of staging and image-making. Her photographs, with their biologically correct titles, show not only the breathtaking beauty of nature, but also the tools used to achieve the would-be image at center—the velvety black drapes at each side, the difficult “neutral” lighting rig, the seamless white background.
My attempt
In my response to Kannisto's work we set a whit background with two pieces of card then used science appreciator that we used to hold the pants and flowers that we were capturing. By using a blank background and one single appreciator in the centre of the created a sense of isolation to make the structure of plant the prime focus of the image.
edits
www: Took a successful set of photographs. Ebi: Try experimenting with different angles.
Photograms and the dark rooms
Roxanne Worthington
Roxanne Worthington reveals yet another delicate side of flowers by pressing them in glass and projecting them directly onto photographic paper. The series called Breath is about looking. Many of the images in this series are photograms. A photogram is made without a camera, without a negative. To make these images the flower is placed directly under the enlarger light. The image is then captured on photographic paper. These photograms are a very special way for me to "look". They ask one to see the flower in a particularly intimate way.
Susan Davidoff
Susan Davidoff inspired by her close connection to nature, and by what she calls “the spirit of investigation and observation of the natural world,” Susan Davidoff makes prints, mixed-media drawings and paintings, photographs, and installations full of the patterns, colors, and forms of plants and landscapes. Her work begins with a walk, most often through the West Texas desert, where she lives. Along the way, she picks up bits of moss and lichen, handfuls of dirt, and other natural materials, which she brings back to her studio and rubs into the paper serving as the ground for her compositions, connecting nature itself to her interpretations of it.
My Attempt
In response to this task we created photograms and items in nature that we had previously taken. To make the photograms I placed the flowers and plants into places on the page where I felt they worked and looked aesthetically pleasing then placed a layer of glass on top to keep them in place and bring out they detail out . Then I opened up the light at 2.8 for three seconds. After they have been exposed to the light I placed them into the developer for a minute , then into the stop for 30 seconds and then into the fix for 5 minuets. Finally after they are developed I put them in a water bath then then dryer.
WWW: I created a range of photograms with interesting lay outs and loads of detail EBI:Try to experiment more with sandwich prints and different techniques.
Structure of the body
Danny Quirk
Danny Quirk is an artist who specializes in photo realistic watercolors and painting what the camera can’t capture (above). Danny explains his work by saying,
“My work is perceivably on the darker side, but the actually is, it’s about exploration. His anatomical works combine classic poses, in dramatic chiaroscuro lighting, with a very contemporary twist… illustrating what’s underneath the skin, and the portrayed figure dissects a region of their body to show the structures that lay beneath.”
Using liquid latex, acrylic paint, and Sharpies, Quirk also creates realistic drawings directly on the human body to reveal the human anatomy inside (right).
Quirk‘s mission is to bring medical textbooks to life.
Gunther von Hagens
The BODY WORLDS exhibition contains real human specimens, including a series of fascinating whole-body plastinates as well as individual organs, organ configurations, blood vessels and transparent body slices. The plastinates take the visitor on an exciting journey under the skin. It provides wide-ranging insight into the anatomy and physiology of the human body. In addition to organ functions, common diseases are described in an easily understood manner by comparing healthy and affected organs.
Whilst the creators, Dr Gunther von Hagens and Dr Angelina Whalley say their intentions are preventive healthcare and educating the public there is something unsettling about the figures arranged in poses including swimming, martial arts and playing cards.
My attempt
In response to Danny Quirk's I took photographs of my model but in contrast to Quirks work I used photo shop to add in the interior structure to the photo. I used images of a skeleton and muscles that I edited into my photo. To do the photoshop process I began by opening to layers one of my model and one of the internal structure. Once opened in photoshop I copied the layer of the subject onto the internal structure layer and it a layer mask which allowed me to decrease the opacity and blend the two together. Once enter together I made the images black and white.
www: Developed editing technique Ebi: Try and improve the blending and editing process to make it look more clean.
Peter Hickley
In his complex series Peter Hickley creates a series of hand printed cyanotypes on watercolour paper and then hand stitched thread that represent the different muscle structures of the body.
My attempt
In response to this task I printed out a photo of my subject on a piece of paper in black and white. I then drew out my desired design and placed masking tape over the back of the sheet to prevent it from ripping. I then went over my design and placed pin holes all the way around so I knew where to sew it. After I picked out my coloured threads I began sewing the spin along the lines of my sign with a backstitch sew. Once completing the spine I moved onto the vein with the baby pink thread and again used backstitch to get my desired effect.
WWW: I created a piece of work that was colourful and developed my sewing technique EBI: Try and keep the paper less creased as it looked scruffy and unappealing.
Juana Gomez
Artist Juana Gómez turns her gaze inward in order to understand the larger systems that compose the outside world. She embroiders the bones, muscles, veins, and synapsis that lie below her skin onto self-portraits, tracing her biological structures as a way to translate the similar patterns found in nature and modern civilization.
Gómez first photographs sections of her body—face, torso, hands, legs, feet—which she then prints onto loose linen or another similar fabric. Next, she embroiders onto her duplicated skin, stitching brightly colored thread over her tattooed body (an element which adds another layer of texture to her personal works). In addition to these embroidered self-portraits, Gómez has also created an in situ thread-based work titled Cultivo
My attempt
For this task I had a photo of my subject printed onto a nice of cloth. I then drew out the design I wanted and chose bright colours that I felt would work well together. I used back stitch for this piece as I felt I created the effect that I desire4 rather that any other stick pattern. My design idea was based around the mouthy of a skull and spin. I then created a vain like affect with the green and purple three and then filled in the skull with purple and yellow three to give a more filled piece like Juana Gómez's work.
www: I created a colourful vibrant piece of work which related to the inspiration artist. Ebi: Develop on my three work and try more patterns and techniques.
Three strands
Structures in the day , Internal structure and structure society
Strand one : structure in the day
Bernd and Hilla Becher
For this task I went around my local area to take photos of building and there structures. I found there where a lot of houses that where have construction work done which with the scaffolding up gave the appearance of an external skeleton which I really liked. Another house I found interesting was one with glass doors which gave the viewer of the house a deeper look to the inside of the building . Then to edit these photos I made them black and white and adjusted the brightness and contrast to get a shaper look to the photographs. The reason I made the images black and white was because I feel when an image is black and white its striped back and creates a more neutral monotone look.
Edits
www: Found subjects that represent external structure Ebi: find more interesting places to photograph
Strand2 : distorted internal structure
Danny Quirk
For this strand I used Danny Quirk's images as inspiration as I really enjoyed recreating his work earlier on in the structure unit. However I wanted to make it my own and change the concept. Quirk's work is all about the internal structure of the body but for my strand I developed this idea by making the internal structure robotic. I also took inspiration from the terminator make-up as I still used the peeling back skin idea like Quirk's work.
Robot images
My first attempt
For my first attempt at this task I wanted to create the effect that the subject was pulling back her skin to reveal a robot interior. However I felt as if the robot and the skin looked as if if was on the same level of the skin and simply just a layer sitting on top of the image which I didn't like.
Second attempt
For my second attempt I was able to create the effect of the skin being pulled back. I did this by using images of the terminator and blending his skin into hers to create the scaring effect. To do the photoshop process I began by opening to layers one of my model and one of the internal structure. However the image of the internal structure and the image of my subjects had two different skin tones so I had to increase the brightness on the internal subject and adjust the colours and pigments accordingly. Once opened in photoshop and edited I copied the layer of the subject onto the internal structure layer and it a layer mask which allowed me to decrease the opacity and blend the two together. But getting the two faces to be in line with each other took a while due to the heads being different shapes and in different positions.
www: I create the effect I wanted to achieve and developed and improved my work in the process ebi: create the scaring effect in real life before taking the image instead of using another photo.
Strand 3 structure of society
Tony Ray Jones
For this task I used Tony Ray Jones as my inspiration artist. His photographs are documentary, almost anthropological by nature, and make keen observations on contemporary British society. Ray-Jones stated that his aim as a photographer was to capture the specific British aura, the nostalgic potential and surreal humour in ordinary situations. Jones studied graphic design at the London school of printing but in the 1960s got a scholarship to Yale university. Once returning to England he noticed the lack of non- commercial photography that had been released. His aim then became to show the spirit and the mentality of the English, their habits and their way of life, the ironies that exist in the way they do things, partly through their traditions and partly through the nature of their environment and their mentality. For me there is something very special about the English 'way of life' and I wish to record it from my particular point of view before it becomes Americanised and disappears.
Martin Parr
Another inspiration artist I used to this strand was Martin Parr. Martin Parr was born 23 May 1952. Parr is a British documentary photographer, photojournalist and photobook collector. He is known for his photographic projects that take an intimate, satirical and anthropological look at aspects of modern life, in particular documenting the social classes of England, and more broadly the wealth of the Western world.
Both Parr and Jones are trying to capture the same meaning in there photos by using the society around them to show the English culture. however the difference between the two is Parr's use of colour in his images , Parr uses red, white and blue as the base pallet for all his images again symbolising the British culture.
My attempt
For this strand I went down to Camden to capture images of the market. The market founders are Childhood friends and business partners Dr. Bill Fulford and Peter Wheeler . In 1972 they bought what was then a run-down timber yard belonging to T. E. Dingwalls, and transformed the site that’s now known as Camden Lock Market. The market began with only 16 stalls and has now flourished in to one of the biggest tourist attractions in London bringing in 28 million people per year. Bringing in so many people with different stories , up bringing's and lives allowed me to capture so many different kinds of people living their lives in a split second. I wanted to capture people in the moment living their lives and show a sense of British society.
To edit my images I wanted to experiment with colour like my inspiration artist Jones and Parr. Parr shoots in colour incorporating the use of colour to create a meaning behind his image, whereas Jones shoots in black and white. I wanted to see how colour effected an image and if it effects the intensity and power of the images. So when editing in colour I cropped the images to where I liked and adjusted the brightness by bringing it down and bringing out the colour more. But when making them black and white I brought out the clarity and again brought down the brightness. in some cases I used a small amount of vignette which allowed a stronger focus of the subject matter.
My edits
My favourites
Black and white
colour
www: I managed to capture some images I'm proud of and experimented further with the use of colour ebi: Adjust the shutter speed to a much faster one as some images where out of focus
structure of society development 1
Nick Turpin -
At the age of twenty, Nick became the youngest full-time photographer on a national UK broadsheet newspaper, spending seven years shooting news, features and portraits for The Independent. He Originally titled this piece ‘Through a Glass Darkly” which is a series of London commuters travelling home and was shot over three winters. Long lenses were used to achieve an intimate portrait of the cities workers returning home, capturing them in a kind of no mans land between work and home where they are. The steamed windows of the buses create an optical illusion; softening and blurring the faces of those behind the glass, raising questions about voyeurism and public and private space. Some passengers are interacting with each other, some sleep, some are moody and pensive, others lost in faraway thoughts alongside the artificial light in the bus, creates these everyday scenes into something akin to classical paintings.
My attempt
For this development I looked at the work of of Nick Turpin, mainly at his Night bus series. I love Turpin's night bus series as it turns reality on its head and romanticises regular occurrences that are in no way that magical and mysterious as Turpin makes us believe. I tried to use his images as inspiration but I took my images during the day which I felt lost that sense of the icy and indescribable feeling you get when looking at Turnips work. However to keep that illusion I used the dirt and reflections in the glass window to aid the effect I was trying to create.
When editing my series of images I knew I wanted to keep them in colour. To edit I brought the brightness down and brought out the colour , then to get the dirt to stand out I made the clarity higher which allowed you to see the specs of dirt upon the glass. Then to allow the subject matter to be centre focus I used Vignette to darken the edges and brighten the centre.
My edits
www: I took a successful shoot and captured people traveling on public transport and there emotions ebi: Try shooting at different times to see if it creates a different effect or energy to the photographs
structure of society development 2
Walker Evans
Walker Evans was an American photographer, born in Missouri in 1903 and died in 1975. he moved to Paris for a year but then moved back to America in 1927 and discovered his love for cameras. He became well known for his photography during the Depression period (1935-6) and in 1935 he began photographing unemployed coal minors living in a government-built community in West Virginia. Between 1938 and 1941 Evans photographed passengers in the New York City Subway with a camera cleverly hidden inside his coat. With the focus and exposure of his 35mm Contax predetermined, Evans was completely free to attend to the transient expressions and conduct of his fellow passengers.
My attempt
For this this development I went down onto the under ground and captured people not only on the tube but standing on the platform waiting for the train to arrive. The main idea for this task was to capture people doing everyday tasks such as traveling on the tube especially in a time where Covid -19 has struck and creates a very nervous and sombre atmosphere. Initially to get people on the train I used my phone to make it less obvious to people that I was taking photos but when on the platform I used my camera to try and capture the people and the movement of the train.
To edit these images I wanted to keep them in colour as I liked seeing all the colours of the underground and the people underneath the artificial lighting. But I brought down the brightness and then put up the clarity as some of the images took on my phone had a slight blur due to the quality not being as good as the camera.
My edits
www: Captured a good few photographs that I really like and feel work well with this development. ebi: Be more confident when shooting and don't be afraid to have your camera out.
development 3
London
London, the capital city of England, has history that extends over 2000 years. The city where I was born and still live, is recognised as one of the most important in the world. It exerts considerable influence upon the arts, education, entertainment, fashion, finance, healthcare, media, professional services, tourism and transportation. It is one of the world's most significant financial and cultural capital cities. London has withstood plague, devastating fire, civil war, world war, terrorist attacks, and riots. Over 2000 years of influence has played its part in shaping the structure of society and nothing expresses that more than its people. Through my images, I have tried to capture the true essence of the people that represent this great city. Over the years, people from all over the globe have come to the UK and London to make a life for themselves, whether it be family orientated, or business or even just to open themselves up to new experiences and opportunities in the busy city life. Making this one of the most diverse in the world. However, society is structured in a way that people fall in to stereo types. For example the man I captured playing the drum is seen by a passer by as someone who is solely begging for money, however he sees himself as an entertainer who brings life to the streets and an uplifting energy to those who hear his music. Then we see a woman dressed in business attire with a clear focus of where she wants to go, unaware of everyone around her wearing casual clothes just browsing the shops. In contrast you see a man with his two children casually pushing them down the road in a stroller. These two images are a clear examples of the stereo type gender role reversal with a woman ready to work and a man looking after the children. The next image we see a man dressed in a suit proudly standing out in the crowd, to those around him he is seen as a powerful business man. However the next image, we see a man working in a pop up convenience store making a living for himself, yet in comparison to the man in the suit, he may not be seen as a man of business. Due pre conception, you can take two people with similar life goals and will to achieve, perception become reality and people are placed into clear profiles of what they are supposed to do and look like. Yet most people are all just trying to survive. I also looked at use of colour in the images and how it effected an image, linking back to the works of Martin Parr and Tony Ray Jones. I felt photographs edited into black and white became more striking and even changed the mood of the original photo but if some of the original subjects didn't have the bright intriguing colours would I have even noticed them at all.
structure of society
My Favourites
An entertainer
Business woman
Dad with kids
A business man
A business man
Final piece
For my final piece I am pulling together photographs from different parts of my project under the theme of structure of society.