Francesca Woodman

Susan Bright said of Wooodman’s work “It is difficult not to read Woodman’s many self-portraits – she produced over five hundred during her short lifetime – as alluding to a troubled state of mind. She committed suicide at the age of twenty-two.”
(Bright, 2010, p.25)

Reflection

When viewing Woodman’s images I do find them disturbing. They have a dark, moody and chaotic appearance. I am reminded of Diane Arbus who’s images of societies marginalised groups also had a rather uncomfortable feel about them. Diane Arbus also committed suicide, so is this need or drive to produce images that shock or disturb the senses an indicator of “troubled” mental health?

Woodman’s handwriting is included in a number of her images. Handwritten notes to her boyfriend and even scrawled on walls. Her writing style shares that chaotic appearance. There is no apparent effort to achieve uniformity or even correct spelling. Some of the messages to her boyfriend might also suggest low self esteem?

Woodman is well known for including herself, often naked or partially clothed in her images. This alone isn’t uncomfortable viewing but he way in which her images present her form is. In this age of the selfie there are billions of self portraits on social media where the photographer / model is doing their utmost to display themselves as perfectly as they possibly can. Such images expose the ego and narcissism inherent in our human makeup. When photographing yourself is it not normal to want to present the best version? Does deliberately depicting oneself in a unflattering or dismissive way suggest struggles with esteem or sense of self? I believe that to depict yourself in this way is antithetical to ego or self worth and this could be considered by Bright as “a troubled state of mind”.

It is a matter of historic fact that Woodman killed herself at the age of 22 and this leads us (somewhat by the nose) to reach a retrospective conclusion that Woodman was a tormented soul and she used photography to express her pain.

But her parents would state otherwise and they, if anyone, would have known Woodman better than any art critic. In their interview in the Guardian they tell the story of a young (very young) hard working talented artist. One that modelled her own images because it made sense to do so as it meant she was unrestricted by the availability of others and unhampered by the need to convey her ideas verbally to a model. They dismissed the art establishment’s reading of her images as a representation of feminism and pointed to the witticism and humour in her work. They described her life in this way; “she wasn’t a “deeply serious intellectual”; she was witty, amusing. “She had a good time,” says Betty. “Her life wasn’t a series of miseries. She was fun to be with. It’s a basic fallacy that her death is what she was all about, and people read that into the photographs”

Without hesitation I accept Woodman’s parents viewpoint. Woodman’s work appeared dark, but we should be looking not at the darkness but at how she manipulated and managed light. Her inclusion of herself in her images is well explained and has an authentic ring. I agree with her parents that we tend to focus upon her untimely end and allow that to colour our perception of her life.

References

Tate (n.d.) Francesca Woodman 1958-1981 [online] Tate. Available from: https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artists/francesca-woodman-10512. Last accessed 07/05/2020

Levy D (2018) Francesca WoodmanVanishing Act [online] Tate. Available from: https://www.tate.org.uk/tate-etc/issue-43-summer-2018/francesca-woodman-vanishing-act-deborah-levy. Last accessed 07/05/2020

Cooke R. (2014) Searching for the real Francesca Woodman [online] The Guardian. Available from: https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2014/aug/31/searching-for-the-real-francesca-woodman. Last accessed 07/05/2020

o ego.

The day to day life of Alfred Hastings

Briefly referenced in the Context and Narrative course material, I am really glad that I followed the link and discovered this thought provoking work.

Kaylyn Deveney spent time getting to know “Bert” (Albert) in his flat in south Wales whilst photographing him. Her photographs document Bert’s day to life but also the background to his life and living conditions. Bert’s comments below each image add context to what I think is a gentle, sympathetic documentary of a period of Bert’s life.

Deveney uses Relay text as an accompaniment to her images, but what is really enjoyable about them is that rather than write them herself she has asked Bert for his thoughts. Bert’s comments add complexity to the work in that they enable us to compare Bert’s perception of himself and his way of living to that of how others, including me as the viewer might see him.

I really enjoyed reading Bert’s simple direct commentary, his perspective and images of his lifestyle reminded me greatly of elderly relatives and friends that I have known through my life. I drifted into nostalgic memories and reflected upon the lessons that we should be learning from our elders. I really enjoyed this work.

Deveney describes it as:

“This work is sited where Bert’s autobiographical vision, based in life experience and feeling, meets the new eye of a stranger. Together our visions and versions of his day-to-day experience sit side by side to create a new tale. At the end of this project Bert and I, of course, maintained our individual perspectives, but I think we were richer, too, for being informed by one another. I know I am.”

References

Deveney K. (2007) The day to day life of Albert Hastings [online]. Kaylyn Deveney Photographer (website) Available from: https://kaylynndeveney.com/the-day-to-day-life-of-albert-hastings. Last accessed 24/04/2020.

David Hurn (b.1934)

Referenced in the Context and Narrative course literature, David Hurn is internationally recognised in the photographic community as a successful photographer, educator and member of Magnum Photos.

Born in 1934 in Wales, UK. Hurn was an undiagnosed dyslexic. In the early 1950s Hurn was enlisted under the UK’s compulsory National Service program. He was successful enough in the Army to be invited to the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, where he trained as an officer in the British Army.

It was during his time at Sandhurst that he had a “seminal moment” which would completely change his future career path. In Lensculture’s interview Hurn describes “I picked up a copy of the Picture Post, a really fine British magazine at the time. I still remember the date: February 12, 1955. I was looking through it and came across a picture—it struck me so forcefully and so immediately, I began to cry.” The image, made by Henri Cartier-Bresson, of a Russian soldier buying a hat for his wife had such an effect because of the powerful memory it evoked of his parents shopping after his father returned from the war.

From that moment Hurn wanted to be a photographer and when he left the Army in 1955 he started working in photojournalism. Hurn eventually moved away from journalistic imagery towards documentary work. This move, influenced by a chance meeting with Sergio Larrain in Trafalgar Square in 1965 led to him joining the renowned Magnum Photos.

Hurn described his preferred work as “mundane”. He photographed everyday life, looking for “Mundane but special moments, all over the world”. When asked to describe his approach to photography Hurn took a quotation from Michel Montaigne’s writings which had inspired him and applied it to photography;

USA. Arizona. Sun City Outdoor group fitness early in the morning in the retirement Sun City. Ages range from 60 to a 94 year old who had run a 50secs hundred meters in the Senior Olympics. The sense of fun and community was very infectious. 1980

G.B. SCOTLAND. Edinborough. Retired gentleman at the MG Car owners Ball. 1967.

“If you are yourself, then something of your particular personality and way of looking at the world will come out in what you do. But you only get there if you genuinely follow your own interests.”

In 1973 Hurn set up the now famous School of Documentary Photography in Newport, Wales. He resigned from the school in 1989, some 26 years later. He continues to live and to work from his home in Tintern, Wales and in 2016 was awarded an honorary Fellowship of the Royal Photographic Society.

References

Strecker A. (n.d.) The Picture That Changed My Life: Interview with David Hurn [online]. Lensculture. Available from: https://www.lensculture.com/articles/david-hurn-the-picture-that-changed-my-life-interview-with-david-hurn. Last accessed 24/04/2020.

Magnum Photos. (n.d.) David Hurn [online]. Magnum Photos. Available from: https://www.magnumphotos.com/photographer/david-hurn/. Last accessed 24/04/2020.

1.6 The Real and the Digital

Read the section entitled ‘The Real and the Digital’ in Wells, L. (ed.) (2015)
Photography : a critical introduction. (Fifth edition.) London, [England] ; New York,
New York: Routledge. pp.92–95. At:
https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/ucreative-ebooks/detail.action?docID=196
8918
Does digital technology change how we see photography as truth?
Consider both sides of the argument and make some notes in your learning log.

What was your idea of documentary photography before you worked on
Part One? How would you now sum it up?

What are the differences between documentary, reportage,
photojournalism and art photography?

Reflection:

The idea that photographs provide irrefutable evidence of reality has long since disappeared from our social consciousness, thanks in the main to the ubiquity of mobile phone camera apps and photo editing software. Such is the expectation that celebrity portraits or fashion model images have been “photoshopped”, that such images are seldom if ever accepted at face value.

Social media has helped to expose “photography fakes” where social media bloggers have been caught out using “faked” backgrounds to their travel blogs. There appears to be a momentum to these exposé stories, possibly because people feel cheated or deceived by such posts. This would suggest an underlying belief in the truth of the photographic image (when not obviously manipulated) which is betrayed by the false claims of the photo editors.

We live today in the age of “fake news” society is becoming ever more doubting of news stories and associated imagery. This move to the denial or questioning of all photographic images is not necessarily positive. Rather like the fable “the boy that cried wolf” we now face the situation where genuine photojournalism is questioned or doubts cast by unscrupulous agents that devalue such images. An extreme of such behaviour being that images of the holocaust are denied or denounced as fabricated by holocaust deniers.

Not withstanding the herd cynicism highlighted above, before working on part one of this course I saw the terms photojournalism, documentary and reportage as having roughly the same meaning. I would have grouped all under the genre of “straight photography” meaning that the images would have recorded events accurately, truthfully and stand as a genuine record of moments in time. Oh foolish me!

Part one has introduced to me the subtle differences between between such terms. I say “subtle” because these terms are often used interchangeably, even by the photographers themselves. Additionally the “photographer’s voice” whereby a photographers image will to some extent expose the motivations or priorities of the photographer whether conscious or not will affect the “truth” of any image.

Of the three terms above Photojournalism has the closest links to accuracy and authenticity. The inclusion of the “journalism” is the clue here. Described in the Cambridge dictionary as “the work of collecting writing and publishing or broadcasting news stories and articles” photojournalists provide images for the news media. These images are often captured close to action or incidents, providing evidence or information to support news stories.

Documentary photography is a term often used to cover some or all of the other genres above, however significant differences between documentary and photojournalism photography will include; Documentary photography is often a step removed from the immediacy of “front line” journalism. Documentary photography often follows a predetermined agenda and is selective in the images captured to support that agenda. It may be social reform or raising the profile of important subjects. If photojournalists photograph the immediate impact of a natural disaster in another country whilst newsworthy, documentary photographers would be the people continuing to record the struggles of the people affected long after the journalists have left.

Photojournalism and documentary photographers are concerned with objective photography, whereas Reportage offers the photographer the opportunity for subjectivity in the presentation of their message. One famous exponent of reportage photography is Henri Cartier-Bresson who’s “decisive moment” work demonstrates how an image captured at the right moment may conote more than it denotes. Reportage photography provides the means for visual story telling and today this style is overy popular when used to capture the both the feeling and the actuality of weddings or other social events.

Bibliography

Wells L (ed.) (2009) Photography: a critical introduction, Routledge, Oxford; New York. pp.67-99

Clarke G (1997) The photograph, Oxford Press, New York. pp.207-208.

Bate D (2009) Photography the key concepts, Berg, Oxford. pp.53-65.

The structure of Photographic Metaphors

In Feinstein’s essay “Meaning and Visual Metaphor” (1982) she reasons that the metaphor is fundamental to human thinking. In the abstract to her essay she states that it “elaborates on (Susanne K) Langer’s thesis, discussing symbolisation and the fundamental components of metaphor. Langer contends that metaphor is not only an essential process and product of thought, but also that art is metaphor”.

Feinstein H. (1982) Meaning and Visual Metaphor. Studies in Art Education, vol. 23, no. 2, pp. 45–55. JSTOR, Available from: http://www.jstor.org/stable/1319679. Last accessed 16/04/2020.

I agree with Feinstein. I believe that metaphor may be seen in every aspect of modern photography. Metaphor might not be apparent to all and might be understood differently by individuals based upon their understanding of the world. Metaphorical meaning may be intended by the photographer or incidental or accidental to the intended meaning. For example a photograph of a snowy scene denotes snow but it connotes Winter. If the image contains holly or a church or deer the connotation may move towards Christmas.

In advertising or those motivational posters that have been popular on office walls over recent decades the metaphor is helped along with anchor text, in the case of posters, or verbal anchors in television adverts. Clouds, sailing, starring out to sea, team mates playing sport and many many more are examples of regularly used metaphors in such publications. These are easy to spot. They are deliberate and calculated to produce a particular response from the viewer.

Of more interest to me however are the less obvious metaphors, two examples of which would be; intended but devised to be very subtle (subliminal) and those not intended (accidental).

Advertising is an example of the former as it contains many subliminal metaphors including but by no means limited to; the sex of the individual and the background to the advertisement. There will not be a single element of the background to an advertisement that hasn’t been carefully thought out. These subliminal messages evoke feelings of belonging or aspiration to connoted wealth or happiness. We need to look back to the advertisements of the 1950s or earlier to see advertisements that seek to sell items purely on the attributes of the item alone.

Accidental metaphors are those not intended by the photographer. Where these exist they are open to use in order to deliberately change the meaning of the image away from that which was intended. Use of anchor or relay text or description can be used to change the images meaning, however these textual tools would not work without the metaphor that connotes the new meaning being present in the image. Examples of this are shown in exercise 2.2 Image and Text (Anchor Vs Relay)

Collins English Dictionary describes Metaphor as a noun which is “a figure of speech in which a word or phrase is applied to an object or action that it does not literally denote in order to imply a resemblance“

There are very few, if any, succinct definitions of Visual Metaphor however. Collins and Cambridge dictionaries are yet to include a definition of visual metaphor.

Collins (n.d.), definition of Metaphor [online], Collins website, Available from: https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/metaphor, last accessed 17/04/2020.

Additional References:

Stern, J. (1997). Metaphors in Pictures. Philosophical Topics,25(1), 255-293. available from: www.jstor.org/stable/43154256, Last accessed 17/04/2020

Hostetler L. (2004) “The Structure of Photographic Metaphors.” In Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History [online], The Met Website, Available from: https://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/pmet/hd_pmet.htm, Last Accessed 17/04/2020.

Siskin A. (1955) Uruapan 11 [online], The Met Website, Available from: https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/266508, Last Accessed 17/04/2020.

2.4 Photographing the Unseen.

Exercise:

Research the following three case studies from Level 3 OCA students who have chosen to explore themes that are not necessarily visible. All use metaphor to portray their ideas rather than a more straightforward method of representation.

Peter Mansell – Paralysis

Pete suffered a spinal cord injury as a result of a traffic accident when he was 20 and has lived most of his life as a paraplegic. His projects deal with how his injury has affected his life.

Dewald Botha – Ring Road

As a South African living in China, Dewald often felt like an outsider. He found the busy-ness and intensity of life in China smothering so began to use his camera to explore this personal issue. Ring Road is the outcome of this visual exploration and the resultant images portray a searching for beauty or relief in a place of difficulty.

Jodie Taylor – Childhood Memories

Jodie Taylor’s work deals with nostalgia, which at first may seem like an un- photographable subject. She got around this problem by revisiting her childhood area and photographing it in a way that marries her memories and family history with her present interaction with those formative places. The outcome is a visually consistent and poignant view of her childhood. The subject drove her photography, not the other way around. The final presentation consisted of 6×4 photographs presented in the sort of flimsy plastic family album she’d have had at home. Read more about Jodie’s work here:
www.weareoca.com/photography/photography-and-nostalgia/

All three of these projects are examples of personally driven work but they become universal when we can relate to the feeling they present by visiting our own personal histories.

1. Which of these projects resonates most with you, and why?
2. How do you feel about the loss of authorial control that comes when the viewer projects their own experiences and emotions onto the images you’ve created?

Research

Peter Mansell – Paralysis

Presented as a photo book and a website. powerful, thought provoking, images of the individual items that make up Mansell’s world. Some of the images are difficult viewing. The titles of each chapter of the act as a relay which steers the viewer to an understanding of what they are looking at and the context within which they should be considered. As I viewed the images and read the associated text Mansell’s images conjured the feelings of frustration, loss of freedom, of planned future and the bitter sadness and concern for the future that I can only assume disabling conditions bring in waves.

Mansell has an extensive portfolio online over several individual websites. They are all navigable from a central landing page (listed below) The images in his photographic essay can be expanded by clicking them. Each expanded view provides explanation text below. I felt with this work that the metaphorical message of the image was better served by not reading the text.

Mansell P. (2016) Peter Mansell Imagery (online), Weebly.com website, available from: https://paralysed.weebly.com/#, last accessed 09/04/2020.

Dewald Botha – Ring Road

Botha’s extensive portfolio is available in part on his website

Botha’s images tend to be, rather like Mansell’s, images of multiple individual elements that fit together to make a whole. It is the sum total of the images that give rise to the understanding of the work and the feelings they convey. I spent some time viewing several of Botha’s projects, in them he questions what places mean by showing us so many versions of the place that I initially questioned how they could possibly fit together other than by being located in the same geographic location. I noted that Botha treated these urban images in a similar way to which a landscape photographer captures a scene in that all that is captured is landscape. There are signs of man’s mark on the world but no sign of man, or beast for that matter. No distractions from Botha’s aim of capturing the essence of the place.

Botha D. (2013) Ring Road [online] DEWALD website, available from: https://www.dewaldbotha.net/ring-road.html,last accessed 09/04/2020.

Jodie Taylor – Memories of Childhood.

Taylor’s work resonated with me more than the examples above. Not because of the powerful subject matter, if it were merely subject matter then Paralysis would be my choice, but Taylor’s work resonated most because she took me back to my childhood.

I first came across Taylor’s images whilst completing the “Expressing Your Vision” module. The photographs, which Tayor cleverly presented took look as if they were taken in the 1970s, immediately took me back to my childhood and with that evoked memories of days spent out on my bicycle with friends, exploring new neighbourhoods, endless panel fenced and walled footpaths and garage blocks with “up and over” metal doors. Memories of my parents, since departed. Memories of friends that I have lost contact with, and memories of the freedom that existed for children of the sixties and seventies.

Taylors work inspired me to go back to the village of my childhood. I went back there in 2019 to reminisce and whilst there to visit old neighbours who had stayed. I spent the remainder of the day wandering the nostagia steeped footpaths and pathways of my youth. Much had changed in the sleepy village that I called home for so many years but it’s essence remained. Obviously, I took my camera and recorded images for my personal collection. Many had similarities to those of Jodie Taylors. I remain grateful to her for inspiring me to return.

Lomas M. (2015) Jodie Taylor [online], Open College of the Arts website, Available from: https://www.oca.ac.uk/weareoca/photography/jodie-taylor/, Last accessed 16/04/2020

n.k. (2013) Photography and Nostalgia [online], Open College of the Arts website, Available from: https://www.oca.ac.uk/weareoca/ photography/photography-and-nostalgia/, Last accessed 16/04/2020

Lack of Authorial Control?

When I started learning with the Open College of the Arts, working on the first module of my course “Expressing Your Vision” my tutor questioned my choice of adding titles to all of my images, suggesting instead that it might be better to allow the viewer to find their own meaning. I had never considered such a option until that point. In fact I had added titles because I wanted to direct the viewer towards my way of thinking, to the meaning that I had intended.

Since then, and thanks to my tutor, I have allowed the viewer the opportunity to read into my images whatever their past, their current circumstances, social or political views or their environment suggest. Dictatorial messaging has its place, in news media, adverts, government messaging etc. But I do not need or want to dictate meaning for my images. Images that allow the viewer to have their own emotional or intellectual response are far more powerful and are meaningful to many many more people than those that are closed and heavily anchored. My preference would be for the lightest of relay text where necessary.

2.3 The Poem

Exercise:

Choose a poem that resonates with you then interpret it through photographs. Don’t attempt to describe the poem but instead give a sense of the feeling of the poem and the essence it exudes.

Start by reading the poem a few times (perhaps aloud) and making a note of the feelings and ideas it promotes, how you respond to it, what it means to you and the mental images it raises in your mind.
Next, think about how you’re going to interpret this visually and note down your ideas in your learning log. (You may choose to develop this idea into creating a short series of images reflecting your personal response to the poem or another poem).
Write some reflective notes about how you would move the above exercise on.
The number of pictures you choose to produce for the exercises and assignments in this course, including this one, is up to you.
Try to keep in mind the following tips for knowing when you have done enough/not done enough:
• Are the images repeating themselves? Are there three versions of the same picture for example? Can you take two out?
• Does each image give a different point of view or emphasise a point you want to make?
• Do the images sit well together visually?
• Have you given the viewer enough information? Would another picture help?

Response:

I chose poem which has been very important to me for many years. The poem Reason, Season, Lifetime (anon) has helped me to rationalise the many moments of sadness, and of course happiness in my lifetime. I have found solace in its words and it has enabled me to Find calm and emotional acceptance when times have been difficult.
When I read the poem I remember those people in my life that have come and gone, some with my blessing others with sadness or regret. Some have been incredibly painful losses of loved family members. There is an underlying narrative to this poem about our life journey and the rich experiences that it brings.
The poem is widely available on the internet under a google search or on Pinterest.

Reason, Season, Lifetime.

People come into your life for a reason, a season or a lifetime.

When you figure out which one it is,
you will know what to do for each person.

When someone is in your life for a REASON,
it is usually to meet a need you have expressed.
They have come to assist you through a difficulty;
to provide you with guidance and support;
to aid you physically, emotionally or spiritually.
They may seem like a godsend, and they are.
They are there for the reason you need them to be.

Then, without any wrongdoing on your part or at an inconvenient time,
this person will say or do something to bring the relationship to an end.
Sometimes they die. Sometimes they walk away.
Sometimes they act up and force you to take a stand.
What we must realize is that our need has been met, our desire fulfilled; their work is done.
The prayer you sent up has been answered and now it is time to move on.

Some people come into your life for a SEASON,
because your turn has come to share, grow or learn.
They bring you an experience of peace or make you laugh.
They may teach you something you have never done.
They usually give you an unbelievable amount of joy.
Believe it. It is real. But only for a season.

LIFETIME relationships teach you lifetime lessons;
things you must build upon in order to have a solid emotional foundation.
Your job is to accept the lesson, love the person,
and put what you have learned to use in all other relationships and areas of your life.
It is said that love is blind but friendship is clairvoyant.

— Unknown

Developing my work.

When I read this poem I instantly and unconsciously recollect the faces of those who I have lost over my lifetime. The positive side to this poetry is that I am also encouraged to reflect upon all of the wonderful people who have come into my life as it has moved along.

I recognise that my main photographic interest is the photographing of people. People are immensely important to my life and happiness. I have fascination with social interaction, friendships and how we humans relate to one another, both positively and negatively. I found myself therefore drawn to describing my feelings with images of both the individuals that I have lost contact with over the years and those whom I have found.

In describing these feelings I wanted to avoid a linear narrative. Feelings are seldom linear and I felt it important not to lead the viewer but to let them dwell on my images and ask themselves questions about them. My initial thoughts of images of current friendships and images of some of those that I had lost I discounted because of the obviousness of the approach and the boring imagery. I eventually distilled my concept down to a small number of images of people who were important in my life but now lost, printed onto paper and then photographed being held by some of the most important people in my life now.

This approach was somewhat flawed in that my geographical location meant that I was prevented from reaching some of my most important family members, but I have been happy with the selection that I ultimately made.
once selected I spoke to the friends and family that I wished to photograph to ask their permission and to arrange a date to capture the moment. I asked that they remained deadpan when photographed. I took inspiration from Diane Arbus in this respect and also placed the subject in the centre of the frame. Additionally, I have found that people who are uncomfortable being photographed generally find it much more comfortable being told not to smile. It seems to take away some of the pressure, and in my experience produces a more natural result.

I feel that there is a sombreness to the images. They are simple images but there is a lot going on. I wanted the viewer to wonder who these individuals were, to reflect upon the positive and negative story within each image. The poem acts as an anchor to this work, setting the scene and encouraging reflective thinking which is essential to the viewing experience. I had considered also using “relay” text with each image to hint at the identity of the lost person, but discounted this approach as it was far too prescriptive and moved away from the objective of trying to describe the feeling of the poem.

I recognise that, contrary to suggestions not to repeat similar imagery in the guide above, my images deliberately repeat themselves in terms of their style and to some degree their content, but that is the point here. The poem is about the continual cycle of loss and gain and the images being similar elude to the nature of this cycle. The cycle is the same but the individuals change.

I considered adding additional images to tell more of a story about loss of friends or family or new friends recently met. I decided against this move, my reasoning that simplicity is more powerful and the “feeling” of the poem is about internal reflection not about external narrative. Because of the current Covid-19 restrictions I have been prevented from adding more than the four images below. This project has inspired me to continue adding images and I hope to add further images to the collection thoughout the remainder of the course.

Reason Season (HK)-3 Reason Season (HK)-1 Reason Season (HK)-10 Reason Season (HK)-4

2.2 Image and Text (Anchor Vs Relay)

Cut out some pictures from a newspaper and write your own captions.

How do the words you put next to the image contextualise/re-contextualise it?
How many meanings can you give to the same picture?
Try the same exercise for both anchoring and relaying. Blog about it.

In his 1967 essay ‘Rhetoric of the Image’, Roland Barthes gave us two terms that help
define different ways of using words with pictures:
• Anchor – In news stories the text that accompanies pictures is usually there to
control meaning – to stop the image from being interpreted in a manner that isn’t
in keeping with the political views of the newspaper, for example. In advertising this
type of anchoring text is used to fix the meaning of the image into one clear and
distinct message (i.e. why you should buy this product).
• Relay – In the second definition the text has equal status with the image. Image and
text bounce off each other to create a fuller picture that allows for ambiguity and
various interpretations. This is more in line with a postmodern view of narrative.

Examples of Anchor Text

Image 1

SOUTH BEDS NEWS AGENCY

Examples of Anchoring

TROLL TRIAL Mum-of-two who branded a transgender woman a ‘pig in a wig’ is convicted of sending offensive tweets
Mum of six wins £6 Million on the National Lottery and vows to “spend spend spend!”
First Female MP convicted of fraud escapes Jail sentence!
Comedienne Denise Daventry signs up to enter the Big Brother House.

Anchoring with text enables the publisher to completely change the way in which an image is understood by the viewer. The examples of anchor text given are very different yet they are all believable. I realised when creating the examples that for the anchor to be believable it helps to have something within the image that supports the story, but this is not essential. Image 2 is an example where some of those same anchor examples do not work as well, because the image does not support the story. The lady in question does not look like she just escaped a prison sentence.

Image 2

Erkek

CLICK HAPPY I’ve splurged £1.6k in 2 weeks on lockdown buys – I even bought nappies despite my son being potty-trained

I have not made up any further examples of anchoring for this image as I found several ready made examples on Google which demonstrate how an image can be reused time and time again for different stories.

Examples of Relay Text

Image 1

SOUTH BEDS NEWS AGENCY

Walking to work
Getting about London
At the library
Volunteering
Thursday

Image 2

Erkek

Ed’s Gym
Hot Tub?
Success
Black is the new Black
I said “Yes”!
Two more weeks to go

The relay text examples leave the images far more open to interpretation, but it relies on the image to support the story. The suggestion of a Gym with image 2 invites the viewer to regard the image as that of someone who is physically fit or exercising, but the image does not specifically show that. What makes it a believable suggestion is the subjects attire, the shine on her skin and her age. The relay text can influence what the viewer sees but it cannot add more meaning to the combination of image and text than the image itself will allow. I noted that these relay texts are not at all interchangeable between images, whereas the anchor text, with minor exceptions, are.

References.

Image 1: Iorizzo E, 2020, TROLL TRIAL Mum-of-two who branded a transgender woman a ‘pig in a wig’ is convicted of sending offensive tweets [Online], The Sun website, available from: https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/10967156/mum-branded-transgender-woman-a-pig/, accessed: 03/03/2020

Image 2: Roberts A, 2020, CLICK HAPPY I’ve splurged £1.6k in 2 weeks on lockdown buys – I even bought nappies despite my son being potty-trained [Online], The Sun Website, Available from: https://www.thesun.co.uk/fabulous/11309551/lockdown-online-shopping-addict/, Accessed: 03/03/2020.

Relay in Contemporary Photographic Practice

Research point

Examples of relay in contemporary photographic practice include Sophie Calle’s Take Care of Yourself and Sophy Rickett’s Objects in the Field where clashes of understanding or interpretation work together to create a perhaps incomplete but nonetheless enriching dialogue between artist and viewer.

Look these pieces up online. Investigate the rationale behind the pieces and see if you can find any critical responses to them. Write down your own responses in your learning log.

How do these two pieces of work reflect postmodern approaches to narrative?
Another way to incorporate text into an image-based project is to include interviews or audio.

Response

“Relay” Is a method of using text in conjunction with images discussed in the course material. Relay is where the text has equal status with the image. This is described in the course material as where “the Image and text bounce off each other to create a fuller picture that allows for ambiguity and various interpretations.

Sophie Calle’s Take Care of Yourself

Sophie Calle’s work take care of yourself is a mixed media work consisting of letters writings and video. The work represents Kelly’s response to a break up email from her ex-boyfriend.

Calle’s presentation consists of the research, dissection, and musings about the content of that message. Calle asked 107 different women to interpret the contents of the message and it is these responses she presents to the viewer. Relay is apparent in this work because the text is presented without external instruction on how to interpret it. The letters and writings are shown as originally created without guidance to the viewer.

Her introduction to this work reads:

“I received an email telling me it was over.
I didn’t know how to respond.
It was almost as if it hadn’t been meant for me.
It ended with the words, “Take care of yourself.”
And so I did.
I asked 107 women (including two made from wood and one with feathers),
chosen for their profession or skills, to interpret this letter.
To analyse it, comment on it, dance it, sing it.
Dissect it. Exhaust it. Understand it for me.
Answer for me.
It was a way of taking the time to break up.
A way of taking care of myself.“

The presentation embraces post-modernism by rejecting the linear timeline. This is not a presentation you walk through chronologically from beginning to end. This is not a story, it is a collection of responses from professional women. In terms of timeline, there would have been a timeline to Calle’s quest for information but the responses are being presented as a single moment. The viewer is not directed from one “piece of evidence “to the next in order to build a case but rather left to make their own judgement based upon their own life experiences or maybe their gender. it is very unlikely that a man viewing this work will have the same perspective or experience as woman.

Clare Harris described in her critique of the work in 2009 that it left her feeling frustrated and overwhelmed by the amount of information conveyed and the way in which it was presented. I feel that the creation of these feelings were intentional on the part of Calle. When I look back on times of rejection or breakup In my own life I recollect feelings and thoughts that time were numerous, diverse, and sometimes distressing. Overwhelming and sometimes frustrating sums up my experience and this is probably the normal reaction of most people. Only by resisting temptations to Anchor the meaning of her exhibits was it possible for Calle to evoke the complex emotions she intended with this work.

Sophy Rickett’s Objects in the Field.

Objects in the field came about through Rickett’s encounter with Dr Roderick Willstrop at the University of Cambridge IoA. Willstrop in the 1980s designed the 3 Mirror Telescope which he then used for 12 years to photograph distant stars and planets. Willstrop’s historic use of photography was as a tool to support his scientific studies whereas in contrast, Rickett’s use was for artistic values.

The work seeks to find common ground between the practices of the two individuals. Something that Rickett in her interviews with Sharon Boothroyd for Photoparley, November 2013 describes as mainly failing. However, by utilising some of Willstrop’s original negatives but printing them herself Rickett adds an artistic interpretation to what were originally produced as scientific artefacts. Rickets adds a number of her own images to add context.

Again, Objects in the Field is not chronological. There would have been a timeline to Ricketts time with Willstrop and she describes this within her interview. It makes sense not to present the images chronologically because whilst research is chronological the outcome is not fully clear until the end of the process. These images allow the viewer to appreciate Rickett’s conclusion, which was only fully formed at the end of her time with Willstrop.

My Reflection.

I feel very comfortable with the postmodernist approach of rejecting a chronological narrative. A lack of chronological structure resonates with the way my own thoughts meander and jump about when taking in a scene. For me Calle’s work was the more compelling and adhered more closely to my understanding of the postmodernist rejection of chronology. She had a story to tell and she did so in a postmodernist way. Rickett’s work didn’t present itself to me as a story, it appeared to me as more a presentation of the result of her studies.

References.

Harris C. (2010) Sophie Calle’s Take Care of Yourself [online], A-N [website] available from: https://www.a-n.co.uk/reviews/sophie-calle-take-care-of-yourself/, last accessed 03/04/2020

Tate Shots. (2007) Sophie Calle: Dumped by Email [online], Tate website, available from: https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artists/sophie-calle-2692/sophie-calle-dumped-email, last accessed 03/04/2020

Chrisafis A. (2007) He Loves me Not [online] The Guardian website, available from: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2007/jun/16/artnews.art, last accessed 03/04/2020

Franchi D. (2014) Exhibition Object in the Field by Sophy Rickett at the Grimaldi Gallery, London [online] London Art Reviews Website, available from: https://londonartreviews.wordpress.com/2014/03/13/exhibition-object-in-the-field-by-sophy-rickett-at-the-grimaldi-gallery-london/, Last accessed 03/04/2020

Rickett S. (n.d.) Objects in the Field [online], Sophie Rickets.com, available from: https://sophyrickett.com/objects-in-the-field-1, last accessed 08/04/2020

2.1 The Dad Project vs The Country Doctor

Linear storylines have often been used in photo essays, telling a story chronologically from an insider’s point of view. In 1948 W. Eugene Smith made a photo essay for LIFE magazine. Country Doctor chronicles the ups and downs in the life of general practitioner Dr. Ernest Ceriani from Colorado over 23 days: http://time.com/3456085/w-eugene-smiths-landmark-photo-essay-country-doctor/[last accessed 27/08/2019]

The chronological picture or photo essay is something that is often repeated in contemporary photography and can be very compelling, like Bryony Campbell’s work documenting her father’s death from cancer, The Dad Project (2009) http://www.brionycampbell.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/ The_Dad_Project_Briony_Campbell.pdf [last accessed 27/08/2019]

Both photographic essays have been presented as chronological studies of the life, and in the case of the The Dad Project death, of an individual but they are very different works.

Viewing images from The Country Doctor feels you are looking at stills from an old black and white film. The camera positioning leads the viewer to feel like a spectator, in a similar way to a television programme or film appears as a window through which you are watching the action unfold. The close up images bring you closer to what is happening but you remain separate from it. Contrastingly, the Dad Project manages to shrug of that Journalistic style. The work feels intimate and conveys feelings. Each image communicates far more information and emotion than is presented in the frame.

When photographing The Country Doctor, Eugene Smith did so as a 1948 documentary photographer for Life magazine. This period in time would have affected the style of the photography and the magazine’s requirements would have affected the presentation of the images. It is likely that the images would have been edited by the magazine to create the story that they wished to portray, so there is no guarantee that the final essay was chronologically accurate. Some of the images work together to create short stories. These groups of images could be presented out of sequence from Smith’s original chronology without really damaging the context of the essay.

Finally the work in its entirety captures a 23 day snapshot in time. It conveys to the viewer that there would have been time beforehand. I.E. The doctor was a well established professional in a community the he knew. The viewer is also aware that there would be time afterwards in which the doctor would continue to treat his patients and potentially they could revisit in the future.

The Dad Project differs from this as it presents a finite work. There is a chronological ending and the viewer is taken on a very intimate and sensitive journey to that end. In this case the viewer is not left with the feeling of the opportunity to return to the story but is left contemplating and reflecting upon the profundity of the event.

Bryony Campbell’s use of metaphors such as the stain on the carpet or the glass and straw convey meaning beyond the frame. They achieve this because they are positioned within a context already created by earlier images in the series. The viewer mentally places the image within this context and assumes the circumstances surrounding it. The inclusion of herself in the frame helps to create intimacy, the viewer witnessing her vulnerability and pain.

Campbell’s comment about an ending without an ending is open to the interpretation of those who have viewed her work. I took from it that she meant that her life would continue, the grief would eventually diminish and she would carry on with both the void which has been left by her fathers passing and her cherished memories of his life.

As someone who has lost both parents I recognise that my perception of the work will have been affected by my own experiences. I found it a very moving work and at times I was reduced to tears.