SUMMER 2022: COLLECTIONS
This summer you should research an artist of your choice and evaluate a single image in detail. You have practised this recently in the assessment. Choose an artist and image(s) that interest you. It is important to be genuinely curious.
RESEARCH
Research is important. You need to discover some reliable information about your chosen artist/photographer. You must not copy and paste the information. This is called plagiarism. When you copy somebody's work you cannot claim it as your own. Secondly, you must choose what is relevant to your project. How would you describe the artist/photographer's practice? What equipment do they use? What is the concept or idea behind their work? What experiences of theirs are relevant to the work? It is good practice to read a few different articles. Make some notes or bullet points and then write about them in your own words.
Research Example:
My practice as a visual activist looks at black resistance--existence as well as insistence.
-- Zanele Muholi
I really like this statement from Zaneli Muholi and I thought that this would be an interesting photographer to research for collections. This is because each image is a representation of the artist along with everyday objects that they re-purpose. They are unusual self portraits. In each image we see a selection of objects placed in their hair or wrapped around them. I found out from my research that they want to represent groups that are usually excluded from photographic images. They make self-portraits and portraits of people in the LGBTQ+ community in South Africa. These people suffer discrimination and are not often represented in the media. Muholi wants to challenge racism. Their South African context makes these images even more politically charged. They are bold, striking images which they claim as political statements. As they have taken a large number of images, the photographs themselves are a collection of images.
The series touches on beauty and relates to historical incidents, giving affirmation to those who doubt whenever they speak to themselves, whenever they look in the mirror, to say, “You are worthy. You count. Nobody has the right to undermine you—because of your being, because of your race, because of your gender expression, because of your sexuality, because of all that you are.
-- Source
Image Analysis Example:
I find this image quite striking. When I thought of collections this was not the kind of image that first came to mind. However, on looking more closely this series or collection of self-portraits connects to the theme on many levels. In this example, the subject looks serious. Their head is adorned with what appear to be metal scourers usually used for washing up dishes at home. Even though I know they are scourers they appear very regal. Maybe this is because they are looking directly at the camera and their gaze is still, staring at the viewer. Although the image is in black and white I see a combination of black and silver. This is perhaps because of the lighting used, and the fact that their skin is so dark. I discovered through my research that the artist uses photographic software to artificially darken their skin. Their blackness becomes a dominant and forceful presence, a source of fierce pride and devastating beauty. The whites of their eyes are so vivid and bright that they force me follow their gaze.
I love the fact that the composition is just a very simple one. We see the artist's face and bare shoulders. Their skin looks soft and smooth. The fact that I can only see the head and shoulders allows me to study the face more. I can see beauty in this image and I think that is what the photographer wanted the viewers to see. I want to look more closely at portraits in relation to the theme of collections. I realise that the right combination of subject matter, composition and visual elegance can produce striking images. |
EXPERIMENTATION
Take a series of 20 photographs as a response to your chosen artist. Don't need to simply copy their work. Think about an element of the work that interests you. Think about how your artist has explored the idea of collections. Will you photograph in colour or black and white. Think carefully about how you will compose your images. Will you edit your image after you have shot it?
REVIEW AND REFINE
Choose a selection of your images to refine. This means that you will need to look at the images, write a few comments about what improvements you need to make and then make those improvements. Take another set of images and make the improvements that you have written about.
PRESENTATION
Present these images as a set and evaluate them. Your final set of images should be ones that you would like to present in a gallery or exhibition.