Part 3: A Colour Vision

PART 3 A COLOUR VISION: PROJECT DOCUMENTARY, PERFORMANCE AND FICTION

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Exercise: Seeing is Believing:

Read the WeAreOCA blog post ‘Seeing is Believing’: http://www.weareoca.com/photography/seeing-is-believing/

Read all the replies to it then write your own comment, both on the blog page and in your own blog. Make sure that you visit all the links on the blog post. Base your opinion on solid arguments and, if you can, refer to other contributions to the blog. (Open College of the Arts, 2014:82).

The post raises the question whether seeing is believing. This is done in the context of the assassination of Bin Laden and the challenges to it because of the lack of visual evidence at the time. Not all of the links work now, however it directs us to the work of Joan Fontcuberta “Deconstructing Osama” made prior to the event, where he distorts photographic truth as he photoshops himself into a disguised Bin Laden. In his work generally Joan Fontcuberta fuses fact and fiction, pushing viewers to doubt their own perceptions in a bid to dispel the myth that ‘the eyes do not deceive’; he challenges us to examine how images are made, exhibited and seen, and how their ‘truth valueʼ may be exploited (Bainbridge, 2014).

The work of photographer Pedro Meyer and his book Truth and Fictions is mentioned in the blog. Meyer a pioneer of digital contemporary photography, maintains that “all photographs – manipulated or not – are equally true and untrue” (Pedro Meyer,2020). Interestingly he also argues that unseen elements such as memory or emotion present themselves with a physical reality equal to visible objects. In his photographs, these elements often appear with a clarify that connects his work to the tradition of “Magical Realism”.

So what are my thoughts about the blog post and posts which date from 2011 and are now 9 years long?

The vehicle raised in the blog for discussion about whether seeing is believing was the refusal to  release images of Bin Laden’s body, are met in various ways. Obama stated that he thought that it was morally wrong to display such a graphic image, and yet other bodies were shown; so was the decision really to prevent him being martyred by his followers or to prevent a larger retaliation? It is also strange that the photograph of Obama Clinton and advisors witnessing the assassination from their situation room was thought morally right. The reactions to this were varied at the time and those contained in this blog. Some accepted the event happened without visual evidence, whilst it caused some to question the reality.

Discussions in the blog are interesting and wide ranging:

Can we believe without visual clues? (nmonckton, 6.5.11).

Objectivity is always open to question (Richard, 8.3.15)

You don’t need to see to believe (Philoca, 6.2.16)

There is no longer blind faith in photographs (Michele, 24.2.19)

For my part I don’t need to see to believe, especially in this instance as I don’t believe the American government would have risked putting out false information that could later be disputed. In some things I might need to see to believe – it depends on the likelihood of something having occurred and the integrity of the source providing the information.

I am interested in Ian Shaw’s comment (5.11.20) asking has the belief in the truth of a photograph as a document changed since 2011? It probably has, and the photograph is less useful as a document of evidence than it used to be, now there is a shared understanding of how post processing and construction can be done.

For me the central question that I come away with is how should we best document reality?

References:

Bainbridge, S. (2014) Mind Games. At: https://www.bjp-online.com/2014/11/joan-fontcuberta-national-media-museum-bradford/ (Accessed 27/10/2020).

O’Hagan, S. (2011) ‘Osama bin Laden’s body: the world’s most incendiary image’ In: The Guardian 06/05/2011 At: http://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2011/may/06/osama-bin-laden-photograph-obama-body (Accessed 27/10/2020).

Open College of the Arts (2014) Photography 2: Documentary-Fact and Fiction (Course Manual). Barnsley: Open College of the Arts.

Pedro Meyer: Truth from Fiction (2020) At: https://luag.lehigh.edu/exhibitions/pedro-meyer-truth-fiction (Accessed 27/10/2020).

Seeing is Believing (2011) At: https://www.oca.ac.uk/weareoca/photography/seeing-is-believing/ (Accessed 27/10/2020).

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PART 3 A COLOUR VISION: PROJECT DOCUMENTARY, PERFORMANCE AND FICTIONS

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Exercise: Jeff Wall  

Read the article on Jeff Wall in Pluk magazine. Core resources: pluk_JeffWall.pdf. Briefly reflect on the documentary value of Jeff Wall’s work. (Open College of the Arts, 2014:80).

I have researched Jeff Wall before in an earlier OCA course. This article is a review of Wall’s exhibition at the Tate of his works 1978-2004. It is a showcase of his “fakery” stitching images together, purpose made sets, huge images lit with massive lightboxes, and the cinematography which hallmarks his work. Wall insists that this is just a way of reassembling details after an event, as the pictures are made from his experience; though it’s suggested that the photograph’s meaning is in what is absent.

Wall’s cinematographic technique is described as “near documentary”, suggesting that his work The Invisible man (1999-2000) shows that Wall’s work sits between story telling and photography. Near photography is also the way Wall describes his work as recreations of moments made afterwards.

Wall explains that whilst some photographers like Winogrand or Frank capture moments as they happen he feels he has the licence to see/experience but recreate them carefully which he wouldn’t have been able to do at the time; in this way he doesn’t miss opportunities (Photography is still just evolving, 2020). His work could be mistaken for reportage, but in the spirit of what Anna Fox believes, he is partially honest about the way he fabricates his images, drawing attention to the fabricated nature of his images; and that being so, the mistake would be the viewers as he is not misleading them.

His work Approach (2014) shows a homeless woman standing by cardboard shelter, it’s contentious as he admits that this took a month to recreate but not whether the woman was an actor or not.

Approach 2014 (O’Hagan, 2015)

 Listener (2015) shows a kneeling, shirtless man speaking to the leader of a group gathered around him in a bleak, harshly sunlit place. Wall describes this as something you could see in reportage but omits to tell whether it is actually a moment that he’s seen previously.

  listener 2015 (O’Hagan, 2015)

I like the suggestion that “his practice is one that investigates the effects and meanings of documentary photographs” (Photography is still just evolving, 2020). His work certainly make you reflect on what is documentary and there is a value to this. Wall calls his work a “blend of actuality, reportage, performance, reconstruction and composition” an art form – but is it documentary, I’m not convinced, for me this rests on whether an image was rooted in reality and him being honest about all elements of it.

References:

O’Hagan, S. (2015) ‘Jeff Wall: ‘I’m haunted by the idea that my photography was all a big mistake’’ In: The Guardian 03/11/2015 At: http://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2015/nov/03/jeff-wall-photography-marian-goodman-gallery-show (Accessed 26/10/2020).

Open College of the Arts (2014) Photography 2: Documentary-Fact and Fiction (Course Manual). Barnsley: Open College of the Arts.

‘Photography is still just evolving’: Jeff Wall in conversation with It’s Nice That (2020) At: https://www.itsnicethat.com/features/jeff-wall-in-conversation-photography-270819 (Accessed 26/10/2020).

O’Hagan, S. (2015) ‘Jeff Wall: ‘I’m haunted by the idea that my photography was all a big mistake’’ In: The Guardian 03/11/2015 At: http://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2015/nov/03/jeff-wall-photography-marian-goodman-gallery-show (Accessed 26/10/2020).

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PART 3 A COLOUR VISION: PROJECT DOCUMENTARY, PERFORMANCE AND FICTIONS

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Exercise: Think Global act local

Read the article ‘Think Global, Act Local’ by Diane Smyth (Tom Hunter November 2012): http://www.tomhunter.org/think-global-act-local/

Research Tom Hunter’s work at http://www.tomhunter.org/html/news.php

Finally, listen to Tom Hunter talking about one of his most iconic images, Woman reading a possession order, on Radio 3: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00zt7ky

Summarise your thoughts in your learning log or blog (Open College of the Arts, 2014:76).

Tom Hunter explores local themes in Hackney with his photography, drawing on references from art and history. Hunter say that historical references are there to give gravity to his subjects; using fiction in his work, lighting, posing and staging, simply recreates real life stories. His image “Woman Reading a Possession Order” of a girl reading an eviction order was real, but restaged staging to accentuate the detail, the emotion, the moment.

In the interview he talks about the influence of Vermeer and the Dutch School of painting on his work which began whilst working his college degree. Hunter describes Vermeer as a revolutionary who with “release and social commentary raises ordinary people to a higher level” (Tom Hunter, 2011). Vermeer’s relationship to his local world, focus on minute details and emphasising them led Hunter to use large format photography to capture his locality. Hunter says that he aims to present local stories as Vermeer did with dignity, light, beauty, and space (Tom Hunter, 2011) and continues to use his approach and way of looking.

He has continued his adding historical (fictional) approaches/influences to his work. In Unheralded Stories (2008-2009) his images show the myths that have built up around his community and his photographs reference historical tableaux paintings.  

(Tom Hunter, 2011)

 His series of tableaux Living in Hell and Other Stories (2003-2004), was inspired by Thomas Hardy where Hardy interwove local newspaper articles into his novels; here Hunter interweaves headlines from the Hackney Gazette with images to create social commentary.

(Tom Hunter, 2011)

I don’t believe his use of fictional elements makes his work less truthful, and I think his reasons for using historical influences adds some gravity to the issues he is portraying. It does of course help him to market his work as Art and increases his commerciality; listening to him I don’t think this was his initial motivation and his social messages remain strong, his work is art with social impact.

My learning: Consider using fictional/historical elements, and in particular the use of newspaper articles in my documentary work to support my images with text.

References:

Open College of the Arts (2014) Photography 2: Documentary-Fact and Fiction (Course Manual). Barnsley: Open College of the Arts.

Think Global, Act Local (2020) At: http://www.tomhunter.org/think-global-act-local/ (Accessed 26/10/2020).

Tom Hunter (2011) In: BBC At: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00zt7ky (Accessed 26/10/2020).

Gallery (2020) At: http://www.tomhunter.org/gallery/ (Accessed 26/10/2020).

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PERFORMATIVE DOCUMENTS

Exercise Constructed realities with Hasan and Husain Essop.

View the video on Hasan and Husain Essop at the V&A exhibition Figures and Fictions and write a short reflective commentary in your learning log or blog. http://www.vam.ac.uk/content/videos/f/figures-and-fictions-hasan-and-husein-essop/ (Open College of the Arts, 2014:80)

Living with the constraint that they may not put pictures of people on their wall, they have developed a performative art in its place. They debate and agree an idea, then construct a tableaux using themselves and a camera on a tripod, directing and performing in turn. Their work addresses Muslim identity and taboos. Its unfortunate that I can’t see their work on a website for instance but the examples shown are extremely realistic and could easily be media images.

That being said I wouldn’t endorse their work as documentary, because most often they are creating tableaux and then images of things they’ve not seen but have imagined. Their work is also heaviy processed and altered so that they can reuse themselves within one scene. Overall I would say they are brave and very creative but are making art rather than documentary images.

Reference:

Figures & Fictions: Hasan and Husein Essop – Victoria and Albert Museum (2011) At: http://www.vam.ac.uk/content/videos/f/figures-and-fictions-hasan-and-husein-essop/ (Accessed 26/10/2020).

Open College of the Arts (2014) Photography 2: Documentary-Fact and Fiction (Course Manual). Barnsley: Open College of the Arts.

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PART 3 A COLOUR VISION: PROJECT A BRITISH TRADITION

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Exercise: Peter Dench  

Read the article on England Uncensored by the BBC Picture Editor Phil Coomes: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/17190001.Dench talks about his “humorous approach with an underlying social commentary”. What do you think of this approach? Does it work? What are the ethical issues? (Open College of the Arts, 2014:77)

His book England Uncensored (2012) is described in the above article as a social commentary with a voice, Dench describes it the truth warts and all (Neon Sky Creative Media System, 2020). I was interested to read that it was his editor who pushed Dench to move away from his early pictures which are described as simply humorous.

England uncensored (Neon Sky Creative Media System, 2020)

The success of his Drinking of England series encouraged him to to look for further social themes such as ethnicity, love, the weather, clothing and food. Dench believes he is documenting reality to preserve “the nations past” (Coomes, 2012).

The humour in his work comes from his upbringing by the sea and seaside humour; he recognises that pictures can’t be funny alone but should have an effect/message, Dench suggests this can be achieved by dropping images in between them that are different/serious/have impact. He thinks people respond favourably to his humour because most can identify with it.

In some of his work, in fact most if The English Uncensored I agree with his sentiments. I can see that most of his work follows the route of social commentary, though I think it lacks the conceptual nature of Parr, whose influence on his work he is open about. He also uses saturated images and flash in daylight but in a more “smash and grab” perhaps influenced by contemporary media photographers.

Whilst his approach works, selecting and presenting to us contemporary subjects isolated to highlight behaviour/situations, I do question his ethics in some of his work. In particular I find his series The English Summer Season (2019) and Alcohol and England (2014) contain images which are over-exposing and humiliating to individuals. Ethics is a difficult field but to my mind he presents some images where subjects though in public places, they were clearly not in possession of their faculties and are shown in compromising positions.

(Neon Sky Creative Media System, 2020)

Dench may argue that his pictures are honest and humorous, this may be so in the main however some I believe go beyond this and are potentially damaging to subjects and unnecessary.

References:

Ben Smith (2015) A Small Voice Podcast – 010 Peter Dench At:   https://bensmithphoto.com/search?q=dench&f_collectionId=558f13b0e4b0b62583b2124a (Accessed 13/09/2020).

Coomes, P. (2012) ‘England Uncensored by Peter Dench’ In: BBC 29/02/2012 At: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/17190001 (Accessed 25/10/2020).

‘Drunkenness and debauchery!’: Peter Dench captures events of English gentility (2020) At: https://www.itsnicethat.com/articles/peter-dench-the-english-summer-season-photography-030919 (Accessed 26/10/2020).

Neon Sky Creative Media System (2020) england uncensored. At: http://www.peterdench.com/england-uncensored/England_Uncensored01/ (Accessed 25/10/2020).

Open College of the Arts (2014) Photography 2: Documentary-Fact and Fiction (Course Manual). Barnsley: Open College of the Arts.

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PART 3 A COLOUR VISION: PROJECT A BRITISH TRADITION

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Exercise: Martin Parr  

Read the document ‘Martin Parr: Photographic Works 1971–2000’ by the National Museum of Photography, Film and Television. Core resources: Parr.pdf – It is disappointing that the images in the PDF are in black and white as Parr is so well know for his saturated colour images.

Watch an audio slide show of Martin Parr talking about his progression from B&W to colour photography and The Last Resort: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TJinAgBYaLs – Unfortunately this link doesn’t work due to copyright issues.

As the video link doesn’t work I have searched for places it is discussed. It seems that in the video Parr calls himself “A very big hypocrite” because the photograph he produces becomes a part of the thing he is preaching against, delightings in his own hypocrisy.

In this video Martin Parr acknowledges and defends what he calls the “hypocrisy and prejudice” in his work. What do you think about this statement? Write a short reflective commentary in your learning log. (Open College of the Arts, 2014:76).

Commentary:

Parrs work documents cultural peculiarities in society, he grew up in the post war years and saw many changes in consumerism and the class structure, including the emergence of the middle class. Suburbia is part of his upbringing, the dull sprawling mundane part of suburbia which fascinates him. It was suggested that his time living away from suburbia at Hebden Bridge was an attempt to find community that he’d been missing in suburbia; it is possible that this contrast opened his eyes to the surreal which is often not seen because of familiarity to things.

He says that when photographing Brighton he knew that he was exposing the hypocrisy of Thatcher’s Britain, “I like to create fiction out of reality” by taking societies natural prejudice and twisting it (Martin Parr: Objects of their affection, 2011). Parr is honest about his intentions. His priority is to make images that are entertaining and relate to peoples lives, but he does look for the surreal; humour is important.

Parr says that “to a certain extent all photography is exploitation” (Potter (2018). The Last resort (1985)was heavily criticised as being exploitive of working classes, and he says he was feeling rather guilty as he was flourishing as a photographer in Thatcher’ Britain which he disapproved of, and wanted to be fair to all classes. He hadn’t photographed the middle classes so he began a new project The Cost of Living (1985), and has followed this with projects on travel and parking spaces for instance; Parr is capturing and documenting the times we live in.

In everything that I’ve read of seen of him he does acknowledge the hypocrisy in his work, but I don’t think prejudice so much so; I think Parr believes himself now to be reasonably objective, merely showing us what he sees but in a colourful humorous way.

I have researched Martin Parr several times before but most recently in part one of this course, I also visited an exhibition of his work at that time : https://nkssite5.photo.blog/2020/05/03/research-and-reflection-photograper-talks/

My learning:

  • “It is the subjectivity rather than the subject matter that is important in photography”.
  • His suggestion that the challenge of photographing locally, rather than strangers is good.

References:

Open College of the Arts (2014) Photography 2: Documentary-Fact and Fiction (Course Manual). Barnsley: Open College of the Arts.

Potter (2018) ‘Martin Parr interview (The World According To Parr, 2003)’ At: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MCRyB2SFQZ4&feature=youtu.be (Accessed 25/10/2020).

Martin Parr: Objects of their affection (2011) In: The Independent 11/05/2011 At: http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/art/features/martin-parr-objects-of-their-affection-2281960.html (Accessed 25/10/2020).

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PART 3 A COLOUR VISION: PROJECT A BRITISH TRADITION

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Exercise: Documentary dilemmas

Read Brett Rogers’ introduction to the online gallery of Documentary Dilemmas at: http://collection.britishcouncil.org/whats_on/exhibition/11/14136 – Unfortunately the link doesn’t work.

Follow the ‘Glossary’ link and look at the work of the photographers highlighted above and others. (Open College of the Arts, 2014:75).

This takes you to a history of Documentary photography and work we have mostly covered already in the coursework, John Grierson and the term documentary, Mass observation, independent photographers such as Bill Brandt, The Farm Security Administration, American Social landscape photgraphers such as Garry Winogrand. One area that I have yet to research are those such as Tony Ray-Jones, labelled here as the ‘snapshot aesthetic’, who portrayed subjects in a casual and objective way that allowed the viewer to interpret the work freely. I will research his work. in particular his book A Day Off (1974), which was a particular inspiration for the generation of documentary photographers who developed in the late 1970s and early 1980s.

You might find it useful to read the Arts Council document Changing Britain as a brief contextual background to Documentary Dilemmas. Core resources: ChangingBritain.pdf.

This is a publicity/information document about the history of the British Arts Council. It mentions many of the photographers that I’ve already covered putting them in context; these include Bill Brandt, Daniel Meadows, Paul Graham. And Martin Parr.

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PART 3 THE COLOUR VISION: PROJECT DOCUMENTARY IDENTITY AND PLACE

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1. Exercise: We English

Read the article on We English in Eight magazine (issue 25, summer 2009). Core resources: Foto8#25_WeEnglish.pdf . The full issue of the magazine is available to download at: http://issuu.com/foto8/docs/issue25

Download Stephen Daniels’ introductory essay to We English and the relevant contact sheets from: http://simoncroberts.com/work/we-english/ #PHOTO_0

Write a short reflective commentary. (Open College of the Arts, 2014:70).

Reflection;

  • Roberts took a risk when he shot his self-funded work “Motherland” in Russia.
  • For “We English”He had a bursary and could focus specifically on “The English at play”, a contemporary look at the English.
  • Roberts explored visually relationships between place and people, showing the English interacting with the landscape and using their leisure time; landscape is intrinsic to leisure activities.
  • Roberts shows us a sense of British identity, which he was particularly interested in as it seems lacking compared to other nations.
  • The focus is on the Landscape and he deliberately only gave 1\3 of the frame to people; they are small but large enough to see their expressions.
  • In the images you can see conflict as public spaces are shared, boundaries and limits are shown: Edges of places, fences.
  • Roberts was influenced by his traditional English background, and childhood English landscape holidays but wanted to broaden his outlook.
  • He used his website to involve the audience, for instance asking people to suggest locations and events that he might shoot; this also built the future audience. It also put a marker down that he was doing this work to other photographers.
  • Roberts talks about the benefits of immersing in the work as he did it on one “road trip”.
  • Daniels talks about several ways of characterising the relationship between land and leisure: untamed countryside void of people, historical homely countryside scenes, documentary style with people – its seems Roberts has opted for the later.
  • Surveyor of a scene, birds eye view, elevated positions gave him a greater sense of their interactions.
  • Formal composition, the idea of the collective in the landscape.
  • Large format wanted viewer to get lost in.
  • Influenced by 16th century Dutch and Flemish Landscape painters.
  • Layers of history in his work, the now of the doing on the historical landscape.
  • Sought out things he thought of as quintessentially English.
  • Not only his perception but what it means to the audience.
  • Blog became a living archive.
  • Editing was chronological, others input was critical to “kill my darlings”.
  • Documented everyday signs of Englishness.
  • Work should be about now, not introspective.

By listening to him being interviewed I also learnt:

  • Consider different timeframes, current, past and future work; make as much as you can out of previous work.
  • Don’t wait for commissions, go out and try out your own ideas.

Things I could take into my assignment:

  • Consider the English interacting with their landscape
  • Consider the British identity
  • Decide how much of the frame I want to fill with people
  • Be a surveyor of the scene, take elevated positions
  • Be aware of my background and locality influences

 References:

Daniels, S (2010) The English Outdoors At: https://www.simoncroberts.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/Stephen-Daniels-We-English-essay.pdf (Accessed 5.9.20)

Houghton, M (2020) Work in progress At: https://www.oca-student.com/sites/default/files/Foto825_WeEnglish.pdf (Accessed 5.9.20)

Open College of the Arts (2014) Photography 2: Documentary-Fact and Fiction (Course Manual). Barnsley: Open College of the Arts.

Roberts, S (2009) We Englush Book Commentary At: https://www.simoncroberts.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/We-English-Commentary.pdf (Accessed 5.9.20)

Smith, B. (2016) A Small Voice Podcast – 043 – Simon Roberts. At: https://bensmithphoto.com/asmallvoice/simon-roberts?rq=roberts (Accessed 13/09/2020).

We English (2020) Eight Magazine issue 25, summer 2009 At: http://www.simoncroberts.com/work/we-english/ (Accessed 05/09/2020).

We English by Simon Roberts “Banal Nationalisim” in Landscape?” (s.d.) At: https://www.simoncroberts.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/Karine-CHAMBEFORT-KAY.pdf (Accessed 5.9.20)

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PART 3 THE COLOUR VISION: PROJECT JOURNEYS

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3. Exercise: The Roma Journeys and Gypsies

Read the interview with Cia Rinne on The Roma Journeys. Core resources: CiaRinne.pdf. Research and compare Koudelka’s Gypsies (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ltPZd9EeQyo) and Eskildsen’s The Roma Journeys. Discuss aspects to do with the photographer’s intention and the distinctive aesthetics and approach of each body of work.  (Open College of the Arts, 2014:69).

Eskildsen and Rinnes’s The Roma Journeys (2007) and Koudelka’s Gypsies (1975) are both bodies of work about The Roma Gypsies,; it’s an interesting exercise to compare elements of them:

Their intentions:

Koudelka was a Czechoslavakia, who left his country after producing photographs of the Soviet invasion in 1968. After this time he travelled and shot what interested him. This work has come together as a body of work since he photographed, he didn’t set out with the intention to publish a book or photo essay, it came together afterwards.

Eskildsen worked with a writer Rinne visiting seven countries to gain insights into the life of the Roma and the conditions they face, Hungary, Romania, India, Finland, Greece Russia France series; he set out with the intention to publish a photo book showing their lives and differences across their communities.

Their approach:

They were both long projects (six and nine years) shot across different countries, Koudelka covered Roma communities across Europe in Czechoslovakia, Romania, Hungary, France, and Spain. Both lived within the communities for a while.

Koudelka moved between the different villages sleeping outside, recording his encounters with individuals. He had an affinity with the people as he was also alienated and displaced from his homeland and had a theme of displacement “a defining reality of his own existence” (Josef Koudelka, 2017). This was at a time that the Roma’s were being pushed to assimilate into society and end their Nomadic lifestyle, they were resisting losing their identity; he identified with this as freedom was essential to him, including the freedom to do things in his own way (Josef Koudelka, 2017). Koudelka was helped he thinks by his love of their music which enabled him to bond with them.

Eskildsen also spent time with the communities, explained what he was doing and was helped by a female writer Rinne which may have helped him to communicate with them and access to the women in the communities. He was looking for the differences across their communities; he presents the images grouped into the countries they were shot in.

Gypsies includes more images of social gatherings, and ones that Koudelka seems to be in the middle of as well as plenty of interior shots with families; Roma Journey takes on more of a street photography style and is less intimate.

My thoughts on their aesthetics:

Gypsies was shot 40 years before Roma Journeys, and this accounts for some differences in the images such as backgrounds and the appearance of televisions cars and other modern elements. They both use a variety of perspective but more so Eskildsen, who also mixes photographs of different sizes. The framing is generally tighter on Koudelka’s work especially around the portraits.

Koudelka shot in the black and white of his time recording gritty, shadowy, grainy images in the traditional photo essay style and yet some of his images I feel were in a more modern black and white style with abrupt framing and dark tones. Eskildsen used the modern colour documentary style of photography, although I find it interesting that when you explore his work on his website he begins with a black and white shot and works his way to more saturated colour images; I wonder if he shot these in black and white initially? He also uses colour to an extent, to form cohesion to the work shown for each country.

  • ROMANIA. 1968.
  • CZECHOSLOVAKIS. 1963
    CZECHOSLOVAKIS. 1963
  • CZECHOSLOVAKIA. Gypsy.
  • CZECHOSLOVAKIA. Kadan. 1963. Gypsies.
(Josef Koudelka, 2017)
  • Ru 2544.27 001
    Ru 2544.27 001
  • Fr 2246.10 001
  • In 1871.4 001
  • Hu 1550.6 001
  • Ru 2596.7 001
(Eskildsen, 2020)

Gypsies presents to me a more honest, insider view of the communities; I’m not saying that Roma Journeys isn’t honest, its just that looking at the images I feel that Koudelka gets under the skin of the people and presents the harsh reality of their lives face on. I suspect it is his background as a displaced person that enables him to do this so well; I can feel emotion in the pictures.

 My Learning:

  • Consider presenting unsaturated to increasingly saturated images
  • Remember the value of taking time to get to know and gain respect from your subjects as well as the value of respect.

References:

Colberg, J. (2008) ‘A conversation with Joakim Eskilden’ At: http://www.joakimeskildsen.com/files/texts%20pdf/06colberg.pdf

Eskildsen, J. (2020) Joakim Eskildsen Photography At: http://www.joakimeskildsen.com/default.asp?Action=Menu&Item=104 (Accessed 28/10/2020).

Josef Koudelka: Gypsies (2017) At: https://www.magnumphotos.com/newsroom/society/josef-koudelka-gypsies/ (Accessed 28/10/2020).

Kim, E. (2013) 8 Rare Insights From an Interview with Josef Koudelka at Look3. At: https://erickimphotography.com/blog/2013/06/18/insights-from-a-rare-interview-with-josef-koudelka-at-look3/ (Accessed 28/10/2020).

Open College of the Arts (2014) Photography 2: Documentary-Fact and Fiction (Course Manual). Barnsley: Open College of the Arts.

Slabon, K. (2008) ‘Interview with Cia Rianne on the Roma project’ At: https://www.oca-student.com/sites/default/files/CiaRinne.pdf

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PART 3 THE COLOUR VISION: PROJECT JOURNEYS

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2. Exercise: Environmental Portraits

Go to: http://www.insight-visual.com/paul-exhibition.html and look at Paul Close’s environmental portraits. Analyse his visual style and consider whether the images work as documentary photographs and, if so, why. (Open College of the arts, 2014, 68).

Paul Close’s Environmental Portraits

This project the Snakebox Odyssey is an exploration of people living in the Sahara. Close He photographed them against a white background, a sailcloth that he carried with him. Visually this is effective as it both frames them and separates them from their background, whilst leaving them in their context – a very interesting strategy. It remind me of August Sander’s “People of the 20th Century”. Visually I think Close’s use of colour gives the work more impact than if it had been shot in black and white

It could at this simple level have been a documentary of typologies or peoples, however Close asked each person he photographed as he travelled across Africa on his motor cycle “Is there one thing that could make your life better?” (Close, 2015). Conceptually the work then becomes more focused and interesting as we see individuals telling their own story as well as a series that shares the aspirations of these Africans with a wider world.

Close combines the images with captions, some, just words and some sentences; the texts add interest I think in particular as some are expressions of aspirations which from the context given you might expect, however some of the wishes they express would not be guessed from their photographs. It is interesting to see the contrasts between the simpler desires of subjects in more rural locations (some new clothes, have my own paddy, many camels, end to illness) to those in more built up places (to expand my business, my own petrol station, become a surgeon); it seems that everything is relative.

(Duckrabbit, 2009)

This series goes beyond “the tourist gaze”. Close provides the GPS coordinates and names of the subjects, with a map to give an idea of their location which adds to the authenticity of the work. It is real life, it appears honest, it is telling real stories and is sharing a message with an audience, it has been captured with a purpose. This is definitely documentary work.

Learning points

  • Work that is interesting both visually and conceptually has a good chance of success
  • Work that has impact, the possibility of effecting change or at least share a message is worthwhile.
  • A simple execution and concept can be very effective.

References:

Close, P. (2015) The Snakebox Odyssey – Magazine Edition by Paul Close. At: https://www.blurb.co.uk/b/6733920-the-snakebox-odyssey-magazine-edition (Accessed 22/08/2020).

Duckrabbit, W. by (2009) The Snakebox Oddessy by Paul Close (where it’s at) — duckrabbit. At: https://www.duckrabbit.info/blog/2009/09/the-snakebox-oddessy-by-paul-close-where-its-at/ (Accessed 22/08/2020).

Open College of the Arts (2014) Photography 2: Documentary-Fact and Fiction (Course Manual). Barnsley: Open College of the Arts.

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PART 3 THE COLOUR VISION: PROJECT JOURNEYS

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1. Exercise: The Tourist Gaze

Read the first chapter of The Tourist Gaze. Core resources: Urry_TouristGaze.pdf Write a 200-word reflective commentary in your learning log about its relevance to documentary photography. (Open College of the Arts, 2014:67)

We were also directed to read Geographies of Tourist Photography (Larsen 2006). Here Larsen explores the roles of photography in tourism and how in tourism photography and place intersect; he asks how photography mediates tourism.

In His chapter in “The Tourist Gaze” Sociologist John Urry explores the image mediated way of seeing, as well as the imaginative views of tourist landscapes; he dates the birth of the “tourist gaze” to the same year that photography was invented (1839-1841). Urry calls the use of mobile photography, imaginative mobility, where these images become more important that the sight itself; indeed Larsen says that geographers now see photography as “world making”. It is certainly true that people go to locations to experience virtual places that have been idealised; in fact Larsen goes so far as to say that Tourist photography creates new realities.

I am particularly interested how Urry breaks down how the Tourist gaze is constructed:

  • Through anticipation and fantasy
  • Through signs
  • Directed towards landscape and townscape features

Though he questions the authenticity and the fickleness of the Tourist gaze.

He marks the Tourist gaze out as where there is a division between the ordinary/everyday and the extraordinary involving:

  • A unique object
  • Particular signs
  • Unfamiliar aspects
  • Ordinary aspects being undertaken by people in unusual contexts
  • Familiar tasks or activities in unusual visual environment
  • Seeing signs that indicate an ordinary object is in fact extraordinary
  • Day -dreaming or anticipation of different experiences

The Tourist Gaze is certainly relevant to documentary photography. Only by analysing the different components can images be directed towards to their intended audiences; these same elements could also form a list of what make a documentary image arresting. It may be that a documentary photograph is of something that is everyday or ordinary but interest is unlikely to be aroused in the image unless there is something that makes it extraordinary.

It is also important that when making documentary images that they are different from the idealised tourist mediated expectations of a place.; this is unlikely as documentary photographs ae usually founded on research and are likely to have a distinctive style and message.

My learning:

I’d not thought before about the tourist gaze, imaginative mobility, or that these images might create new realities. Its also been useful to me to breakdown that the tourist gaze is when there is a unique object, particular signs, unfamiliar aspects or contexts or anticipation of an experience. I wonder how this will apply to my assignment 3? Have I the tourist or photographer’s gaze?

References:

Larsen, J. (2006) Geographies of Tourist Photography in Falkheimer & Jansson, 2006, Chapter14 p.241-257)At: https://www.oca-student.com/sites/default/files/Larsen_Geographies.pdf (accessed 19.8.20).

Open College of the Arts (2014) Photography 2: Documentary-Fact and Fiction (Course Manual). Barnsley: Open College of the Arts.

Urry TouristGaze (2020) At: https://www.scribd.com/doc/108707270/Urry-TouristGaze?secret_password=tyvwrzrv2x061r6vhsz (Accessed 22/08/2020).

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