James Victore

Here is some of the work from an exhibition entitled Dirty Dishes by American designer/art director, James Victore. Information regarding the exhibition and work can be found on the following slide. I have chosen to include this work as part of my research because it presents itself as an interesting take on my specific theme.

This is a section from the book entitled Victore or, Who Died and Made You Boss by James Victore with an introduction by Michael Bierut. Here Victore explains how his exhibition of Dirty Dishes came about. 

(Victore, J, 2010. Victore or, Who Died and Made You Boss?. 1st ed. New York: Harry N. Abrams, Inc.)

Peer Review Sheet

Feedback I received regarding my blog.

It was noted that some posts contained a few too many photographs in a row, making it somewhat difficult to navigate through them efficiently. I have since attempted to either limit the number of images in each post or where a large number of images is unavoidable, break them up with text.

Natural Beauty

Natural Beauty is a two part exhibition currently showing at Leeds City Museum. Part one is a commissioned, primarily photographic natural history exhibition by fine art photographer, Sara Porter. Part two will be the result of a wildlife photography competition, with a number of categories open to all ages.

All the images featured in part one of the overall exhibition were taken on site in the Leeds Discovery Centre. This came with a number of challenges, outlined in the following interview with Sara Porter, conducted by a member of Exposure Leeds:

"What challenges did you face shooting the pieces?

There are a number of issues that arise with working with museum specimens in that they have to be kept under particular conditions to ensure their longevity. Also some of the specimens were too fragile to be moved. All images were taken on site at the Discovery Centre, with a makeshift studio being created when there was a room free. For the larger exhibits, they were simply shot in situ, with additional lighting used to supplement the lighting in the stores."

Exposure Leeds. 2013. Highlighting the beauty within… | Exposure Leeds. [ONLINE] Available at:http://exposureleeds.org/highlighting-the-beauty-within/4845. [Accessed 10 May 2013].

Porter's approach to the subject matter varies throughout, covering a range of photographic styles. However, those with a vested interest in photographic practice won't be particularly satisfied by the exhibition. The target audience is the general public or more specifically those with an interest/appreciation in/for natural history.

The exhibition logo strives to be quite contemporary. It is fairly versatile, in that the individual sections can be filled appropriately, in accordance with the section of the gallery it's featured in. The pattern its creates can also be carried over to exhibition merchandise.

Prior to this exhibition, I was unaware of the Leeds Discovery Centre's existence. This, for me was the most valuable aspect of the visit overall.

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Additional Articles

http://leeds-list.com/leeds-list-meets-sara-porter/

http://www.leeds.gov.uk/museumsandgalleries/Pages/leedscitymuseum/Natural-Beauty.aspx

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Christoper Jonassen

Here are three of several images from a series entitled Devour by Norwegian fine art photographer, Christopher Jonassen. The images are of frying pans, the bases of which have been worn away by dessicated food. The series started as nothing more than an exploration of the mundane, in this instance kitchenware. Jonassen began photographing battered pans as a means of reflecting upon the repetitive, dull actions of everyday life. The majority of pans have been kept relatively similar to reality in the photographs, however in some instances oil has been used to enhance their textures. Jonassen relies on studio lighting techniques and basic photoshop skills to achieve the desired result. While the pans present themselves as symbols of the everyday they also subtly hint at the slow deterioration of our planet. The complete series presented in the form of a publication can be seen here: http://www.blurb.co.uk/books/1529828-devour.

Per Johansen

This is a selection of still life images from a series entitled Mæt (Full) by Danish photographer Per Johansen. The work deals with the notion that we as human beings find it increasingly difficult to know when we've had enough.

Johansen has chosen to address our vast consumption, by stuffing everyday foods into plastic containers, which ascribes to our consumer mentality and excessive consumption. I do however question how he has managed to stuff some of the food items into the plastic bottles. The image featuring numerous chicken legs for example, can not have been filled in the implied manner, that is through the top of the bottle. It’s possible that a suitably sized section has been cut out of the back of each object. Unfortunately, that somewhat defeats the concept.

His decision to take the food out of its usual context and photograph it against an almost clinical background results in a set of repulsive and salient images. Although the series incorporates a multitude of foods, this is best represented by the various meats. The images would work better as a set and their clinical nature furthered if the backgrounds were entirely consistent. 

Sharon Core

Here is an example of American photographer, Sharon Core's work from the series entitled Early American. The series pays tribute to the work of American still life painter Raphaelle Peale (1744 - 1825). Core uses fruit from her own greenhouse as well as period porcelain and tableware (collected over time) as subjects. This aids the creation of convincing photographs in the style of historical paintings.

Flash Fiction / One Day Brief

This was the 50 word story I received.

Two Days Left

The sun set, turning the lowest clouds a marvellous pink and orange tinge.

The sea lapped the shore lazily, bubbling over the sand and shells. Seagulls cried in the distance, and a breeze pulled at my loose shirt. I loved it here, so tranquil.
Christmas-eve on a Thai beach. Peaceful.

Image One and Two 

Two photographs of blue and green inks in boiling water to represent the following section of the story:

"The sea lapped the shore lazily, bubbling over the sand and shells."

Image Three 

A photograph of birds made from a mixture of white paper and fairly opaque tracing paper, against a vibrant blue card background. Represents the following section of the story: 

"Seagulls cried in the distance".

Image Four 

A photograph of an email on a computer screen, containing an image attachment of a thai beach and the following message:  

Hope you have a wonderful Christmas! It's beautiful here. 

See you in two days time, 

Lots of Love, 

Sarah xxx

This represents the title and the following section of the story: 

"I loved it here, so tranquil. 

Christmas-eve on a Thai beach. Peaceful."

Appraisal 

I occasionally find it quite difficult to come up with a concept in a short space of time. Therefore, the prospect of a one day brief was somewhat daunting. Fortunately, I found this brief and the time restraint quite easy to cope with given the amount of direction the flash fiction story provides.  

It was obvious to me, from the outset, that I would have to be resourceful due to the content and type of imagery evoked. In hindsight i'm fairly pleased with how enterprising I was during the task, however I think the technical qualities of my photographs suffered somewhat as a result of this. 

In this particular instance, time management was crucial. For this reason, I started by writing up an hour by hour plan for the day ahead. The plan included the time allocated for both planning and execution and played a major role in the successful completion of this brief. However, from this I've learnt that certain things take longer than I originally thought. In future, I will take this into consideration when putting my schedule together and factor in time for mistakes. 

In retrospect, I'm reasonably pleased with  my outcome. All four images would benefit from further refinement. However, whether or not that's an achievable aspiration given the time scale, i'm not certain. I feel I've answered the brief successfully, in that my four photographs cover the majority of images conjured by the flash fiction story. Similar projects in the future would benefit from me laying focus on the technical and aesthetic aspects of the images instead of the means of representation alone. 

Symbolism / Dante Gabriel Rossetti / Proserpina

This is an oil painting entitled Proserpina (1874) by Dante Gabriel Rossetti. Rossetti was a forerunner of the symbolist movement and a co-founder of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood.

The painting is a representation of Persephone, the goddess of the underworld in Greek mythology. It could also be perceived as a portrait of the model, Jane Morris. At the time, Jane was imprisoned in an unhappy marriage to her husband, William and engaging in a long term affair with Rossetti. Ironically, it was William who suggested the paintings subject.

The painting incorporates a number of symbolic elements. The incense burner in the bottom left hand corner is a trait of a goddess. The sprigs of ivy in the background emphasise the ornamental qualities of the painting and signify an attachment and/or dependence to/on memories. This derives from the manner in which ivy scales trees and buildings to reach the sunlight. An attachment to memories is reiterated through the positioning of the model arms. The pomegranate is indicative of marriage and captivity. In the myth The Abduction of Persephone, she is said to have eaten six pomegranate seeds offered to her by Hades. Having eaten what is referred to as the food of the dead, Persephone was unable to leave the underworld for good.

Here is a section of the book Dante Gabriel Rossetti: A Record and a Study by William Sharp in which Rossetti describes the subject of his painting:

"The figure represents Proserpine as Empress of Hades. After she was conveyed by Pluto to his realm, and became his bride, her mother Ceres importuned Jupiter for her return to earth, and he was prevailed on to consent to this, provided only she had not partaken of any of the fruits of Hades. It was found, however, that she had eaten one grain of a a pomegranate, and this enchained her to her new empire and destiny.She is represented in a gloomy corridor of her palace, with the fatal fruit in her hand. As she passes, a gleam strikes on the wall behind her form some inlet suddenly opened, and admitting for a moment the light of the upper world; and she glances furtively towards it, immersed in thought."

(W. Sharp, Dante Gabriel Rossetti: A Record and Study, London 1882, p.236)

Laura Letinsky

Here are two of several images taken from the series entitled Hardly More Than Ever by contemporary Canadian photographer Laura Letinsky.

The still lifes deal with domestic spaces and objects that have been devoured and swiftly discarded. Through photographs of leftovers, Letinsky investigates the established relationships between the following; ripeness and deterioration, negligence and discipline, frailty and inelegance, sustenance and delight, waste and abundance. The photographs look at what persists and by deduction, what is gone, transforming the typically overlooked into something beautiful. 

Sagmeister & Walsh / Seven Deadly Sins / Seven Heavenly Virtues

The Austrian architect/designer Adolf Loos completed a similar set of drinking glasses in 1931. The base of each glass originally featured a geometric pattern. Loos requested that glassware company Lobmeyr in time replaced his pattern with illustrations of the likes of the human form, butterflies and small animals.

Sagmeister & Walsh have expanded Loos's concept to include illustrations of the Seven Deadly Sins and Seven Heavenly Virtues by Kate Copeland. The images reveal themselves upon finishing a drink, coming not only as a pleasant surprise to the user but perhaps as a spark for a dinner time discussion about Good and Evil. 

This work can be found at:Sagmeister & Walsh 

Photobooks for Children

An interesting article about photo books for children taken from the British Journal of Photography online.

http://www.bjp-online.com/british-journal-of-photography/feature/2238509/photobooks-for-children-are-you-sitting-comfortably