Externally Set Assignment 2024
It's a good idea to add the images of the ESA paper (below) to the top of your Component 2 web page (remember to click on each image and download the higher resolution versions). You might also decide to annotate your paper copy with thoughtful notes/highlighting of key words etc. and add a scanned version of this to your page.
- Read the paper carefully. Before you start work, make sure you understand all the information.
- Choose one starting point and produce a personal response.
- You have a preparatory period to research, develop, refine and record your ideas.
- Your work during the preparatory period could be in sketchbooks, journals, design sheets, separate studies or in any other appropriate form, including digital media.
- You must make reference to appropriate sources such as the work of artists, craftspeople, designers and/or photographers. These can be those named in your chosen starting point and/or other relevant examples. You must identify and acknowledge sources that are not your own.
- Following the preparatory period, you will have 10 hours of supervised time to complete your personal response.
- You may refer to your preparatory work during the supervised time, but the work must not be added to or amended once this time starts.
- The work produced in the supervised time may take any appropriate form.
- You must hand in your preparatory and supervised work at the end of each supervised session and at the conclusion of the 10 hours of supervised time.
- You must clearly identify work produced during the supervised time.
- The work submitted for this component can make use of digital and/or non-digital means, but must be produced unaided.
- The content should not be shared with others, either in hard copy or online.
01: Portrait
Photographic portraits often include objects or props to communicate an idea about the sitter of the portrait. Lorna Simpson rarely photographs the full face of her sitters but includes text and objects to communicate personal identities. James Van Der Zee created A Portrait of Harlem in the 1920s and 1930s, by documenting the lives of local residents. Keisha Scarville explores her own identity and culture by referencing the passport photographs and clothes belonging to her parents. Judith Golden uses combinations of media to explore ideas about her subject, whereas
You might also consider work by Baldwin Lee, |
Some questions to consider:
- The prompt suggests using objects or props to communicate.ideas ways in which people can have be photographed - to display their visual qualities (i.e. what they look like) and to convey ideas (i.e. what they might represent or suggest). Can you find a photograph of a person with an object that does both of these things?
- What happens when you pobjects in a photograph?
- Are objects and things the same? Does an object need a subject? In other words, are objects always useful?
- How do you use objects in your everyday life? Make a list of (and photograph) all the objects you touch/use in a particular day.
- Is there a difference between a natural (organic) and person-made (manufactured) object?
- What's the best way of organising objects e.g. by size, shape, colour or some other category? How do you organise the objects you own/use?
- How many different ways can you use photography to depict the same object? Perhaps you could start by photographing it with your phone or a digital camera in shallow focus and from different (unusual) angles. You could then try some more experimental approaches using a photocopier, scanner, making a photogram or a pinhole photograph etc.
- What is the difference between a still and moving object?
- In what sense is a printed photograph also an object? What happens when you make a flat photograph three dimensional and re-photograph it?
02: Groups
Groups of objects can tell a story and also relate to each other through visual links. Anna Tomczak uses a variety of photographic processes and materials to create images of objects that sometimes relate to identity. Olivia Parker selects and arranges groups of objects that display visual connections with each other. In her commercial and advertising photographs, Ira Garber often uses groups of carefully arranged objects, lit to emphasise colour and the qualities of material. Jo Whaley groups together natural forms in her photography, often to show environmental concerns.
|
Some questions to consider:
- The prompt suggests two main ways in which objects have been photographed - to display their visual qualities (i.e. what they look like) and to convey ideas (i.e. what they might represent or suggest). Can you find a photograph of an object that does both of these things?
- What happens when you combine objects in a photograph?
- Are objects and things the same? Does an object need a subject? In other words, are objects always useful?
- How do you use objects in your everyday life? Make a list of (and photograph) all the objects you touch/use in a particular day.
- Is there a difference between a natural (organic) and person-made (manufactured) object?
- What's the best way of organising objects e.g. by size, shape, colour or some other category? How do you organise the objects you own/use?
- How many different ways can you use photography to depict the same object? Perhaps you could start by photographing it with your phone or a digital camera in shallow focus and from different (unusual) angles. You could then try some more experimental approaches using a photocopier, scanner, making a photogram or a pinhole photograph etc.
- What is the difference between a still and moving object?
- In what sense is a printed photograph also an object? What happens when you make a flat photograph three dimensional and re-photograph it?
03: Places and Spaces
Buildings and the landscape are explored by photographers in many different ways. When photographing buildings, Sebastian Weiss looks for abstract shapes, dramatic lines and contrasts revealed by camera angle and viewpoint. Candida Höfer produces series of detailed photographs of the interior of public buildings that have similar functions, such as museums and libraries. The street photography of Nicholas Goodden sometimes captures people in isolation from the places and spaces around them. The landscape photography of Ansel Adams uses small apertures to record fine detail and a maximum range of focus in the image.
You might also consider work by |
Some questions to consider:
- The prompt suggests two main ways in which objects have been photographed - to display their visual qualities (i.e. what they look like) and to convey ideas (i.e. what they might represent or suggest). Can you find a photograph of an object that does both of these things?
- What happens when you combine objects in a photograph?
- Are objects and things the same? Does an object need a subject? In other words, are objects always useful?
- How do you use objects in your everyday life? Make a list of (and photograph) all the objects you touch/use in a particular day.
- Is there a difference between a natural (organic) and person-made (manufactured) object?
- What's the best way of organising objects e.g. by size, shape, colour or some other category? How do you organise the objects you own/use?
- How many different ways can you use photography to depict the same object? Perhaps you could start by photographing it with your phone or a digital camera in shallow focus and from different (unusual) angles. You could then try some more experimental approaches using a photocopier, scanner, making a photogram or a pinhole photograph etc.
- What is the difference between a still and moving object?
- In what sense is a printed photograph also an object? What happens when you make a flat photograph three dimensional and re-photograph it?
04: Hands
Images of hands can be expressive because of their age, the textures and colours of skin or through their pose and activity. Dorothea Lange took many photographs of the hands of workers in the Dust Bowl, California. Angèle Etoundi Essamba uses her photographs to celebrate the identity and strength of African women, often including their hands as a significant aspect of the composition. Philippe Halsman and Herbert Bayer used hands to create surreal imagery in their photographs and Tim Booth has studied hands in close-up, in black and white and in an extensive variety of contexts.
You might also consider work by |
Some questions to consider:
- The prompt suggests two main ways in which objects have been photographed - to display their visual qualities (i.e. what they look like) and to convey ideas (i.e. what they might represent or suggest). Can you find a photograph of an object that does both of these things?
- What happens when you combine objects in a photograph?
- Are objects and things the same? Does an object need a subject? In other words, are objects always useful?
- How do you use objects in your everyday life? Make a list of (and photograph) all the objects you touch/use in a particular day.
- Is there a difference between a natural (organic) and person-made (manufactured) object?
- What's the best way of organising objects e.g. by size, shape, colour or some other category? How do you organise the objects you own/use?
- How many different ways can you use photography to depict the same object? Perhaps you could start by photographing it with your phone or a digital camera in shallow focus and from different (unusual) angles. You could then try some more experimental approaches using a photocopier, scanner, making a photogram or a pinhole photograph etc.
- What is the difference between a still and moving object?
- In what sense is a printed photograph also an object? What happens when you make a flat photograph three dimensional and re-photograph it?
05: Fragmentation
Photographers sometimes break up, fragment and combine images. Marilyn Henrion uses fragmented photographic images of buildings as the basis for constructing mixed media work. Jurgita Remeikyte often combines and arranges fragmented photographic images in her installations. Laura Letinsky uses her own photographs to create collages and sometimes produces compositions using reflections and images on shards of material. David Seiner presents his photographs of the human form as a fragmented collage.
You might also consider work by |
Some questions to consider:
- The prompt suggests two main ways in which objects have been photographed - to display their visual qualities (i.e. what they look like) and to convey ideas (i.e. what they might represent or suggest). Can you find a photograph of an object that does both of these things?
- What happens when you combine objects in a photograph?
- Are objects and things the same? Does an object need a subject? In other words, are objects always useful?
- How do you use objects in your everyday life? Make a list of (and photograph) all the objects you touch/use in a particular day.
- Is there a difference between a natural (organic) and person-made (manufactured) object?
- What's the best way of organising objects e.g. by size, shape, colour or some other category? How do you organise the objects you own/use?
- How many different ways can you use photography to depict the same object? Perhaps you could start by photographing it with your phone or a digital camera in shallow focus and from different (unusual) angles. You could then try some more experimental approaches using a photocopier, scanner, making a photogram or a pinhole photograph etc.
- What is the difference between a still and moving object?
- In what sense is a printed photograph also an object? What happens when you make a flat photograph three dimensional and re-photograph it?
06: Symmetry
Symmetry in composition is used with a wide range of subject matter and photographic media. Orkhan Mammadov has used traditional symmetrical patterns as the reference for creating video installations and animated images. Symmetry can be achieved through digital means and through reflective surfaces, as in the work of Robert Berdan and Adam Jacobs. In photographs by Alexander Yakovlev, symmetry is achieved through selecting an appropriate viewpoint, carefully positioning the subject and choosing a moment in time. In a similar way, Milos Nejezchleb carefully arranges subject and colour in his compositions.
You might also consider work by |
Some questions to consider:
- The prompt suggests two main ways in which objects have been photographed - to display their visual qualities (i.e. what they look like) and to convey ideas (i.e. what they might represent or suggest). Can you find a photograph of an object that does both of these things?
- What happens when you combine objects in a photograph?
- Are objects and things the same? Does an object need a subject? In other words, are objects always useful?
- How do you use objects in your everyday life? Make a list of (and photograph) all the objects you touch/use in a particular day.
- Is there a difference between a natural (organic) and person-made (manufactured) object?
- What's the best way of organising objects e.g. by size, shape, colour or some other category? How do you organise the objects you own/use?
- How many different ways can you use photography to depict the same object? Perhaps you could start by photographing it with your phone or a digital camera in shallow focus and from different (unusual) angles. You could then try some more experimental approaches using a photocopier, scanner, making a photogram or a pinhole photograph etc.
- What is the difference between a still and moving object?
- In what sense is a printed photograph also an object? What happens when you make a flat photograph three dimensional and re-photograph it?
07: Celebration
The theme Celebration can be interpreted in many ways. Refer to appropriate sources and develop your own interpretation of Celebration, or respond to one of the following:
|