PROJECT THE DOCUMENTARY PROJECT
Documentary projects
Look at the digital version of Penny’s Blurb book on her blog: http://marmalade-cafe.blogspot.co.uk/2012/02/not-our-time.html
Listen to OCA assessors Clive White and Maggy Milner talking about the project on WeAreOCA: www.weareoca.com/photography/student-work-uncovered-penny-watson/ (Open College of the Arts, 2014:110)
We have been directed to look at some of the documentary projects of OCA photography students. Here are my observations:
Penny Watson-Not our Time
This a day in the life of her Nanna, I believe not long before her death. It is a sensitive, spy on the wall, project with mundane images of her Nanna’s everyday life.
Briony Campbell-The Dad Project
I have visited this work before. Its exploration of loss has similarities with Penny’s work. I find Briony’s work more explorative and conceptual than Penny’s. Perhaps I just subjectively prefer her visual images.
Harry Pearce-A Dozen Eggs
Here his family-based project has an added dimension of handwritten text provided by his family to accompany his image. Theas in Briony and Penny’s work is magnified, shared, and made interesting.
Beth Aston-Behind the scenes
A biographical self portrait focusing on her illness. This is a brave subject, shared honestly. Also, with a strong aesthetic quality, lent by the use of black and white, unusual perspective and a cohesiveness of presentation. It is good to be taken back in my mind to autobiographical work that I enjoyed doing particularly in my Identity and Place course, Mirror, Image and Text, and in my Context and Narrative course, Photographing the Unseen and Putting yourself in the picture. Though none of these were nearly so raw as Beth’s work, but I did find them reflective and cathartic.
The above works are contrasted with the following 2 projects.
Omar Camilleri- Feet
This project appears light-hearted, however there was a deep spiritual and conceptual process behind it. A collaboration between a painter artist, and the photographer and another who had a shared concept to see reality through visuals of feet. It shows how the good choice of a topic combined with honed observational skills can create an interesting body of work.
Tanya Ahmed-Living on 100th Street
This subject was photographed by Bruce Davison 40 years ago, Tanya photographed it as it is today to give a current portrait. It is her insider view of the street, focusing on the people rather than the environment, in a collaborative manner.
My learning:
I can see that these works are driven by strong strategies and where needed, careful research. They are of course technically strong. Though the projects are varied, they are all evidently personal and driven by a strong purpose, perhaps with the exception of Omar’s. I have discovered myself that being passionate about what you are photographing is important to the quality of the outcome, though to be honest because of the limitations of the pandemic I have not always been able to chose subjects that I am excited by during my documentary course. I realise that when working on level 3 I must ensure that I find subjects that I am passionate about. Won’t it be nice when our choice of subject is opened up again, when we can go inside buildings and get close to people.
References:
Camilleri, O (2010) Feet At: http://omarcamilleri.com/2010/09/23/feet-photographic-exhibition/ (Accessed 06/04/2021)
Campbell, B. (2011.) The Dad Project. At: http://www.brionycampbell.com/projects/the-dad-project/ (Accessed 06/04/2021).
Harry Pearce (2012) A dozen Eggs. At: https://www.harrypearce.co.uk/ (Accessed 06/04/2021).
Lomas, M. (2012) Student Work Uncovered – Penny Watson. At: https://www.oca.ac.uk/weareoca/photography/student-work-uncovered-penny-watson/ (Accessed 06/04/2021).
Open College of the Arts (2012) Student Work Uncovered – Tanya Ahmed. At: https://vimeo.com/42467929 (Accessed 06/04/2021).
Open College of the Arts (2012) Tanya Ahmed: Living on 100th Street. At: https://vimeo.com/43594038 (Accessed 06/04/2021).
Open College of the Arts (2014) Photography 2: Documentary-Fact and Fiction (Course Manual). Barnsley: Open College of the Arts.
Watson, P (2012) marmalade and Profile, V. my C. Not Our Time. At: http://marmalade-cafe.blogspot.com/2012/02/not-our-time.html (Accessed 06/04/2021).
Next Post: https://nkssite5.photo.blog/2021/04/08/research-and-reflection-visual-arts-data/
Next Post: https://nkssite5.photo.blog/2021/04/08/research-and-reflection-visual-arts-data/
Photography 2: Documentary 