38 years later (2015) an exhibition was made of their work
went to over 100 places on the West Coast
looked at just over 2 million photos
brought it down to just 59 images
the image becomes an actor in a political moment
photography is a shiny surface that makes us believe in things
The Faun speaks to Gauguin's fantasies of reinventing himself as a bohemian artist, full of creative energies and in touch with primal urges
the police were complicit in making mythologized history themselves
the curatorial vision is to play with what we call the truth
we’re collectively becoming aware of storytelling that doesn't tell just one story
the wish for truth is one of our greatest desires
thefittest filter is always the photographer
the second filter is the setup of the exhibition
the third filter is the viewer
Experiment #1:
Evidence is a sign that proves whether something exists, or rather is true. Some alternate words that could be used instead of this particular one are as follows: proof, verification, authentication and documentation. Photos could (and are) evidence of many events, such as current suffering in foreign countries, or historical horrors such as the Holocaust. I believe that Mandel and Sultan called their photobook 'evidence' as it is proof of events we would not know occurred if it wasn't for these still images. Their personal choice not to caption the photographs, allows the pieces to be examined and analysed from different points of view, determining on the audience. In my opinion I think that although context adds a more historical spin to the photograph, a still image is perfectly meaningful enough on its own, as no person will see it from exactly the same light. By rephotographing the images in the book, I have put a comedic spin on the photograph, by placing it in a bizarre place, picturing a students hand as if she was holding the object, and finally photocopying it into a bright and funky colour. Photographs, from my point of view, are the most valuable forms of evidence as they are physical proof, compared to something like an article which can be entirely imaginative rather than factual.
Can photographs be used as evidence?
So far, during our 'Evidence' project I have learnt that you don't have to actually create the photograph to claim it as your art. This is portrayed by Jiro Takamatsu, who hired a professional photographer to capture snippets from his family album. Through this obscure idea, Takamatsu left these precious memories open for interpretation as each photo was obscured by either glare, reflection or shadow; therefore incomplete. Overall, this particular artist taught me that no form of art is too old to be remade.
As soon as I saw Justine Kurland's work I knew that it was going to be my favourite. She has created the pieces you see above through cutting up white privileged men's books, and using them to curate a collage. I greatly enjoy this idea, as it highlights the exhaustion of being a woman whose work is constantly overlooked, based just on her gender. Through the 'stealing' of these male photographers work, she has given them a taste of what it's like to be ripped off, something that they have most likely never faced. As a result, Kurland has taught me that art can be more than just something pretty to look at, it can be used to make political statements.
Experiment #2:
We paired the first two photos together due to their similar colours, as it created some kind of gradient. Next, we placed the next photos together as they feature the same photo. Our choice after this was to set the top two images together as they both include the theme of hands. In response to these, we coupled the two pictures underneath as they both include pops of green. When it came to our final four photos we partnered the second to last photos together as they both have black and white backgrounds. Finally, our last two photos are similar as they both encompass that bright red circular shape of colour. Through the practise of this task, I discovered that photos can link together, even if they aren't immediately seen as similar to the human eye. Additionally, I discovered many new styles to take photos, as I was inspired by my fellow classmates.
Experiment #3 (Caught):
Experiment #4 (Loved, Lost and Abandoned):
If I were to do this project again I would plan it out more thoroughly, so that anyone would be able to follow it with little confusion. However, I like the attic photos, as it shows the devastation of growing up, displayed by the darker, more dim lighting. Although I am not so keen of the image of clothes on the wall, as even though I do believe that photos do not have to be aesthetic, I do not enjoy looking at it due to the overwhelmingly bright colours of the uniform, and the dirt that lays on the concrete.
Beginnings and endings:
To create this I had 12 different images to put into a sequence, using ALL photos. The first image establishes that the man is an author, and as we learn this we reflect back on his life. The third and forth pictures are a reflection of his earlier life, showing where he lived and grew up. We then leave the flashback and enter two offices, this being where he now works on his novels. As we follow the sequence, it is discovered that the offices are underground in the house that's placed eighth in my sequence. Suddenly we are thrown forward in the story, as the author goes on a trip that his father previously worked on, finding a sculpture in the same place he once was. This is the second flashback in my sequence.
I paired the first two photos together as they establish the man this story is about; the stationary stating his specialty, and his photo showing his personal image. I then link his portrait to the black and white photos as it highlights how this was his past life, and nobody else's. Additionally, I connected the offices and ladder to this to make it clear to the audience that we are now in the present, displaying the life he has made now. As we follow this series of images we come across a house, which I placed to give a background story to the portrait of the man we next see. Adding to this, I included another bunch of black and white photos next to this portrait as not only does the following image look so similar to the previous one, it hints at some kind of connection between the two men. Finally, as the next two photos suggest some kind of hunt and discovery, I placed it next to the two men on exhibitions.
Experiment #5 Factual Story (The Delusions of Feminism):
My factual story is about the fake progression of feminism. While in western countries such as the U.K, the fight for body hair to be normalised, and for sanitary towels to be free, is our main concern when it comes to our rights. However, in Iran, women are being killed because their hair is being shown, for fighting for their rights through protest and simply through not obeying to the demands of the Israeli government. Therefore, as a woman who lives in a world where my gender rarely stands in the way of my hopes and dreams for the world, it can be easy to believe that we have made significant progress in the world, when however although the advancement we have made is great, we can not ignore the suffering of others.
Herbert Hoover, Art Linkletter, Jack London and Richard Nixon all are exclusives to an all male Bohemian Club in California
Every year they get together for two and a half weeks of fun and games
The facilities are hidden beneath lush forest canopy, extending South to the banks of Sonoma county's Russian river
For more than a century the campus has been a place where club members and guests from all across America go to relax
Protests formed as people believed the membership concentrates too much on wealth and power
The protesters planned to offset one of the rituals performed by the bohemian members, "cremation of care"
To do this they performed the "resurrection of care" at night in a non-violent, loving and necessary way
In Conversation With | Jack Latham
(He primarily makes long-form documentary projects, that end up in books and exhibitions
His father was an actor while he was growing up, therefore he was constantly around storytelling
He does not like to label himself as a fine art photographer or a documentary photographer, rather someone who's trying to relay stories through photographs and books
He started to take pictures in 2009
He primarily uses a 10 format camera as he believes it is nice to be patient, and really look at the moment you are going to document which is why he fell in love with photography
He believes that his best work is created when he works with people he has connections with, and actually cares about
Therefore his long documentary projects do just that, while allowing himself to get into the right headspace
When he was making 'a pink flamingo' he was working full time at an office job
He thinks it's really important to keep his projects close to his chest when in production
He released a self published book in 2015, which was primarily funded through prize money (5 grande)
2 months later he was awarded the Bartle award at the Sofas Gallery, which gives you 20,000 pounds in the efforts of publish a book with a professional (Sugar Paper series)
His output is primarily digital, which allows him to have complete control
He gets all the benefits of shooting on film (dynamic range and quality) but he also gets to maximise the print side of it (G play prints and scanning on modern scanners)
When he couldn't afford the gallery he wanted, he started to let out his printer
The biggest thing that has helped his career most is to be social
The fourth photo of the first line is the phone in which I will be discussing today. The reason for this is that I believe it contains a large amount of irony, as regarding the people who attend this event, the possessions in the photo appear childish and enjoyable, which does not match their important and political persona. Additionally, the theme of smiley faces could almost be a act of mocking towards the audience, as if to laugh at them in the efforts to belittle them. The large amount of possessions are highlighting their wealth, as while others are struggling to make ends meet, they are purphasing purposeless merchandise, which they probably throw away after the two weeks are up. Moreover, the large collection of casual clothes echo their "cremation of care" ritual, which is when this large group of men vow to not care about a single thing, for their annual two weeks in which they spend together.
After more in depth research, I have discovered that the image I previously analysed is not what I first thought. These are actually cabins, and belong to a lady named Mary Moore. She collected protest paraphernalia over her life, and as a result of this several small cabins are situated on her property. Every single one of these contains archives of her protests. In terms of her actual life as a whole, Moore has protested on the Grove and their secret activities since the 1980's. She created a group known as the Bohemian Grove Action Network that ordered this stop secret club to be more open when it comes to their events.
Website Research:
Latham explores the effects that a void of information can cause
He investigates the making of conspiracy theories
The bottom part of some of the pages are sealed, forcing us as the viewer to do one of two things: unseal them or look into the spreads as if foraging through tree branches, as Latham practise at Bohemian Grove
The idea of secrecy is a recurring theme that runs through the entire book
By hiding the truth they undermine the foundations of democracy
The last photograph in the book is the only one in colour
London Portrait of a City:
This is a photography book which, I feel, captures the plans for my future photoshoot quite nicely. Where I plan to photograph the smaller community in which I live, along with the communities around me, this special collection of photographers did this as a whole. As he famously stated 'When a man is tired of London, he is tired of life', Johnson famously captures the remarkable history, architecture, landmarks, streets, style, cool, swagger and stalwart residents of the city we call home. I, however, will not be paying attention to the historical side of London, nor the residents, as I will be traipsing around my local community, picturing streets that make up Hither Green. This book was published in 2012, and consists of 552 pages, which were created in collaboration with a variety of different artists.
One of which was Evelyn Hofter, who was a German-American portrait and documentary photographer. She made orderly and well-constructed portraits and scenic photographs, centering her style on straightforward compositions that while clear, were not simple. In the 1960s and 70s, Hofter put her focus onto not just architecture, but the iconic architecture of New York. To showcase all her work, she published a book named Evelyn Hofter: New York, in which some of her most defining images, paired with her unseen shots, were celebrated.
However, this photography book was not a new discovery for Hofter, as for forty years after the mid 1950s she collaborated with famous writers such as V.S Pritchett and Jan Morris, who helped her to produce books on Spain, Dublin, Paris, Switzerland and Washington D.C, similar to the examples above. Throughout these books, she was constantly mixing portraits and land or cityscapes. Evelyn Hofter's lifelong goal was to go beyond documentary photography to create a subjective interpretation of the world, conveying both the spirit of the time, in addition to a timeless message. Her street pictures convey her concern with sociological connections, while offering a pointed view of society and its conditions.
Clocks for Seeing project one:
For my first take on this project, I decided not just to photograph my local community, but also the communities I visit and adore. Pictured above is Hither Green, Kew Gardens, Bond Street, Southbank, Carnaby Street, Greenwich, Mayfair and Palace Theatre. I decided to photograph these places to make the project interesting and enjoyable for me, as I believe your best work is created when you have the motivation to make it. I particularly enjoyed taking the photos of Kew Gardens, as it is a tradition of my families to go to the light show, so not only was I able to get into the Christmas spirit and playout an amazing experience with the people I love, I also got to capture pictures that would make those memories live on. Additionally, I also appreciated the chance to romanticise the places around me, as during such a sensitive and emotional time for some, it is important to appreciate not only what, but also who is around you, as nobody can predict what the future will bring.
For my next project on this theme, I think I will loosely continue with the theme of community, but this time photograph the people who bring this to life. Whether that it is the people I choose to spend my time with, or the individuals who work to bring the community to life, I do not yet know. What will likely be a mix of strangers getting on with their daily lives, and my loved ones being their unique selves, will hopefully encapture what community means to me.
Clocks for seeing project two:
For my community I kept it simple, and chose my family. Although it may seem obvious nobody could photo my family like I can, as the relationship you build is incredibly unique. I made the choice to rephotograph old pictures as my family do not take many photos of our present lives, and so I wanted to recapture memories even I hadn't experienced. Additionally, another one of my aims when I decided this would be my project was to include people who I can no longer photograph, and to share their memory. To make this more interesting for me as the photographer, I used different backgrounds so it wouldn't feel so repetitive and laborious.
My zines - from the start to the end:
I started my project with the plan to photograph my local community. I pictured my local shops, pub, river and station, before deciding that it was too restricting of a task. Therefore, I decided to open my plan up by photographing places I had visited, giving me the chance to revisit them, and capture other peoples communities. I photographed places like central London and Greenwich, both which I was later informed were too generic, as they had no personal meaning to me. Before this sudden realisation however, I became bored to some extent of photographing architecture, and switched my project to photograph strangers in the areas which I attended. To some extent, I preferred this idea, as where architecture is beautiful, and creates stunning photographs, it does not hold the emotion in which people do, even if they are strangers. This is not just in terms of the individuals in which I caught on camera, it also applies to the human response that others have to these photos, as due to them not being posed, their emotions are real and raw. You may notice how these images are not listed on my website, and that is due to having of made the choice to change my whole idea on a whim, as I was advised that my project was not personal to me, as in 100 years from now, there will be many pictures of Oxford Street, and mine will not stand out against them. However, I will still include my old images below as a reference point.
My new idea was as I have previously mentioned is to photograph my family. I will not be explaining this idea fully as I have done that above, but I thought it really put a personal spin on the project, which was the aim. As I do not take many photos of my family on an everyday basis, I rephotographed old images, while also including a few of my favourite more current family pictures taken across time. This also allowed me to include people who I don't want to forget, and bring them through life with me. When I had finished with this part of my project, I began what I am currently working on, incorporating Jiro's idea of rephotographing images which is what this whole project is based on, along with a new artist, Stephen Gill's ability to include physical objects in his pictures, As you will later see in my research. Gill places pieces of nature either messily on top of his pictures, or alternatively, neatly and carefully placed. Therefore, I decided to replace the nature side of things with family heirlooms, placing the objects either on top, or the images inside the objects. You can view these photos under my research below.
Takamatsu Jiro - Photograph of a Photograph:
To create this work of Jiro's, he hired a professional photographer to photograph snapshots of his family albums. This allowed the artist to investigate how photography relates to memory and appropriation. Additionally, in each image these restored photos are obscured by either some type of glare, reflection or shadow, while being spaced further from the involvement of the photographer, leaving the captured moments of their lives open to reinterpretation. His work is a similar take to the same of conceptual artists such as Richard Prince and Sherry Levine, who also deal with ready made, reproducible images. In this wide series of photos, the modern world is presented as so harsh and fragmented, so much so that it even prevents the reader from apprehending it. The images act as a meeting point for diversified worlds, as the environment in the first picture joins the equally mad world of the second rephotographed image. Therefore, the viewer is able to contemplate both, in the idea of a third realm.
Stephan Gill - Hackney Flowers
Stephen Gill took inspiration from his surroundings as the inspiration for this series of photos. Hackney flowers has developed from his book, alongside an additional series. For this project, Gill collected flowers, seeds, berries and objects from his local community of Hackney, East London. These were then pressed in his photos for preparation, and then re-photographed alongside his own photographs. This eventually produced multi-layered images, some of which he made the decision to bury in Hackney Wick, giving them the opportunity for decay to build upon them, connecting them personally with the area. Alongside this series of photos, another was also created where members of the public were wearing floral details, creating a sense of warmth. Overall, the book was poetic and visually exciting, full of images that leave an overwhelming sense of colour, emotion and rhythm taken from a single area of London. They were made from 2004-2007, and consisted of 64 photographs.
Larry Sultan - Pictures from Home
In 1992, these photos were published, and awarded great critical acclaim. What started a son's dream of creating a simple portrait of his father, eventually emerged into what the artist referred to as 'deeper impulses', During the era of life when family was viewed as a powerful image, along with a political tool, he felt the urge to 'puncture this mythology of the family to show what happens when we are driven by the images of success'. The photos that resulted from this, were produced over a decade or traveling the Coast of California, and are more than just a lasting statement of the American dream. The book appears to serve two functions, to reimagine the broad idea of the all-American family, while also exploring Sultan's own family dynamic. Sultan states that he was 'willing to prove a point', and so while photographing his mother and father, he was careful to consider his role in their role of representation. Pictures from Home is full of stills from the artists' family home, in the aim of representing his parents self image. Sultan was interested in portraying the mystery of everyday life, discovering that this could be found in unexpected places.
Every up-close and personal glimpse into Sultan's family home also displays an interior that appears to reflect the era's mindset of success being defined by capitalism. His home feels distinctly American, and the interactions unfolding within it give a similar vibe. Their home seems to affirm their accomplishments, they seem to be living the American dream, through their retired life in Palm Springs, however a more accurate representation of human emotion is portrayed through his father, who is full of frustrations in the belief that he has been 'discarded' by the company in which he worked for, resulting in a feeling of powerlessness. However, saying all this, the sentiment behind Pictures from Home remains somewhat unclear, which is recognised by Sultan. The desire felt by a child for their parents seems to exist at the root of what inspired Sultan to make these portraits. It speaks to the hurt that is felt between these sublime images, immortalising an individual family and the particulars that defined them.
My response to these artists:
I made these images by printing off the photos from my first set of images, and rephotographed them. I also incorporated my families heirlooms into this project, all of which belonged to my grandma. The first image is a photograph of my grandad and older brother on a beach, which I obscured my placing pairs of earrings all across the image, and for a more solid approach, placing her old purse on the corner of the photograph. I captured this image from multiple angles, really wanting to highlight the earrings, and show the beautiful details they hold. For my second composition, I took 3 images, and placed them on top of a photo of my mum and dad, holding my brother when he was a toddler. I decided to really zoom in on these, aiming to discard any background from the photos, removing all possible distractions. On the topic of my third selection of images, I started to use larger objects, taking my grandma's old coat and crossing the arms of it over the photo, almost as if it was hugging the image. The image stars my auntie, cradling my brother when he was a newborn baby. Finally, for my penultimate 3 photos, I placed a photo of my mum and dad, after my brother was born, into my grandma's handbag, zooming in on both the bag and photo, while also including the background. I like to think that this symbolises us carrying my grandma around with us, while obviously not in physical form, through her memory.
Mari Mahr - A few days in Geneva:
Mahr's work focuses on the past, and the memories linked to that, which is why all the images are in black and white. She is known to have strict control over her compositions, and starts with a blank page, which she then uses layers to create simple images, which are uncluttered combining at least two of her own images. One of her photographs acts as the background, while the other is the foreground, dominated by 'out of scale' objects.
My zine process:
When making my zine, I made the decision to not shrink any pictures, or spread them across two or more squares. This was because when I had placed them on the template, and saw how it looked, I decided that I preferred it like that. Additionally, I wasn't a fan of the white border, as I thought it looked far too blocky, and especially compared to my images, the comparison between the colours were far too clear. This was the similar response to why I didn't recolour any of the images to be black and white, as I believed that it just wouldn't match. When it came to the paper I wanted to print on, I was presented with a wide range of colours to choose from, however I decided in the end that plain white paper would be the best choice, as I thought more colour would be over the top, and tacky. For the back of the zine, I chose a more muted image, that was darker in lighting and more discreet with the use of colour. When it came to cutting and folding, I struggled to use the scalpel, and under the limited time that I has left since I actually had to redo my design, I was helped out my other classmates, and teachers. Once folded, I placed the number of the zine on them, as the back was too dark in colour, I had to put it on the front so it was in a visible position. However, I regret doing it so front and center, which would be the thing I would change if I could do it again. The picture of my twenty completed zines will be placed down below, although I intend to take a more sophisticated one when in a calmer environment (if possible).