Some more reading (after earlier today)

From the book: "Picturing ourselves"-
"autobiography is an extension of control over self image..." but that "the autobiographer stands apart from the self, tried to envision and read it from a vantage distanced from the passage of time."

Talks about how the act of taking a photo of oneself, of making a "representational image" is the construction of "I". There is trouble in this though- representation-creating is never finished, never complete, never totally controlled. As Barthes says: "What I want is that my mobile image, buffeted among thousands of shifting photographs, altering with age and situation, should always coincide with my profound self. But its the contrary which must be said; myself never coincides with my image, for it is the image which is heavy, motionless, solid, and myself which is light."

so... we photograph ourselves to try and control our representation, among the thousands of others, to try and show who we truly are, and yet, as Mark Twain finds, this is impossible, the image never changes, it is a solid, the self beneath is "easily graspable", made into a un-complex object. Death of an author (Foucault) 

 This an image of Mark Twain, who spent lots of time reconstructing and reshooting his self-image to try and "capture his soul".

The answer to this; "hyper-manufacturing of images"- to try and control, to try and show who we are.

Especially important in a world where we are represented unknowingly, unwittingly, from all sides by surveillance- photography has become an identity thing, a way of making solid what it actually fluid and ever changing; if it is said that if you didn't photograph it, it never happened, then is it also true, if we do not photograph ourselves, we do not exist, are unrepresented, are out of control. 

This all links into anxiety about self-image, and also about how disposable photos are now- we must keep creating, keep constructing, to keep control.

"photographs show that someone has been there- photographic honesty and immediacy of photographic representation"
"photographs are not simply the things they represent, but must be made through the culture that creates or consumes them."

More Barthes:
"When I feel myself observed by a lens, everything changes; I constitute myself in the process of posing. I instantaneously make another body for myself. I transform myself in advance into an image." This is an active thing, because the photograph "creates my body, or mortifies it."
"I lend myself to the social game. I pose, i know i am posing, I want you to know i am posing, but this must not..alter my essence of individuality"
"In front of a lens I am the same time the one I think I am, the one the photographer thinks I am, the one others think I am, the ones which is used to exhibit." (also what various audience members think I am?) "I do not stop imitating myself"
This is all very useful, about the act of being photographed. Likens the act of being photographed as a subject like being made into an object- like dieing. Links to death of an author.

This made me think of this hiliar video:

which shows people in clubs posing for photos, when its actually a video which is being taken. It's funny to watch these kids keeping a pose, because each pose says something very precise to the rest of the world. But as its a video- perhaps 6 seconds long- you can see quite how constructed each pose is. pretty funny. 

Some more disposable camera projects
http://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/gallery/2012/may/07/trashcam-photography-in-pictures

I saw this disposable camera project, which is all the dustmen in Hamburg who make the wheelie bins into pinhole cameras. I love the creativity of this more than the photos; the idea of making something which people associate with rubbish and digsust into something useful and beautiful and artistsic.


These photos are really cool too- I like their style, which is actually quite good quality and rather beautiful despite the fact that they are made inside a bin.

I also like that they are pin-hole cameras, which make them seem even more like someone is peeking out of the side of a bin; this is really cool and a great effect. 

feedback

We did some more feedback of ideas. I also realised that I have lots and lots of things which link to my work, but it needs to be more specific. Interestingly, the rest of the class responded to the photos by saying that they were abut how people acted in relation to cameras; it was about the behaviour of humans in the presence of the camera, how they pose, how they think through what they are expected and about how analogue is different to digital surveillance. This is not how I was thinking- I was much more interested in the idea of how people are giving me a personal moment and I'm giving it to the public; I guess i was focusing on the method and not the photos.
I could change the project, so it was a focus on these ideas- the behaviour of people in front of a camera- by the idea of posing, of setting up a representation of themselves and acting in a certain way. I could link this into the ideas that we use photography as a way to experience things, to construct a reality; even if they do not know who the audience are.
This is still lots of ideas. I don't want to pick one because there is no much you can read into it. I also liked my ideas about how to display it with private/public.

"A photography project which investigates the way the public behave when asked to photograph themselves. It will particularly looking at how in our hyper-real, photo-mediated society, the way we photograph is informed by this this constant representation, but also how such a society changes our views on what is private, and how now, to photograph is to make reality 'real'." 

I might have to cut this down more too (at least for this presentation next week) But this seems like a good basis. I have a few more books to read on this subject, so i'll read after taking notes on them. I was wondering whether the way I want to display the photos link to this. My ideas of display where very much linked to the private/public- so the photo book and the tent. I was also struct today (after i took all my photos into class) that everyone loved looking through the little booklets of photos, and being able to look at the photos themselves. In this case, I was wondering whether I could just have a gallery space with a big frame, and then just have each booklet pinned there; people can through the photos themselves.  This doesn't really link to the main point of the project; I could say that by putting these photos (which are street photos, disposable, given to me freely, disposable identities) in a place which is the one place photos are considered art, and to be stared at- that I am giving these street-disposable-shit images a place to be looked at, and studied....
COULD I HIDE PHOTOS IN THE BUILDING

I need to think about this more. BUT on other news, for my film to be handed in January, I have written a shot list:
1) Making cameras- close ups, not really sure what they mean. Close up of writing, etc.
2) Fast paced cycle to town, and hang up photos.
3) cameras flapping in the wind, etc.
4) People looking and not interacting.
5) Cameras in the wind.
6) People interacting.
7) Some of the photos. Me explaining the stories of them.
8) More interaction/hanging cameras, VO of me explaining about the project (maybe?)
9) taking cameras at end of day, full.
10) getting photos at boots, looking at them.
11) More photos
END.

New photos!

Lots of new photos today. I got quite a few printed up. My concern is that several of the cameras I got broke and I lost about half of the photos die to this.. which is rather a large amount of money! SO i have to try and get them from a different company next time. Anyway, here are some photos.

This first one is from campus, as are several. I had quite a funny day, because i hung the camera in the hipster area and went away. Of course, I came back 4 hours alter and it had gone (hipsters and their retro malarkey) So I stood there and waited angrily and after a few minutes, a guy came out of the meeting house, red faced, and returned the camera. On looking at the photos, most are "arty" shots instagram would have loved, but sadly actual retro disposable cameras are not good at capturing stuff, and there was a few blurry crappy ones, which I haven't included here, but reflect on camera useage.

 This next one is of a couple whom saw me putting up the camera. It came out really dark, but i like this grainyness of the image and idea that even in the dark people are going to think cameras work. (why didn't they use a flash?! who knows)

These are a few photos from campus near hipster area. I like the cross section of sussex students they show! They all vaguely similar poses, as with everything. Pre-culture determined? awareness of construction... but you can tell what sort of cameras they are used to. Because they shoot in low level/ fast/ not framed etc etc, you can tell that they are used to cheap but high quality phone cameras.

Several beautiful shots of Brighton here!

This is my all -time favorite photo- it's beautiful; the person who took it knew exactly what they were doing :) I like this shot because it is well composed. Might be my cover photo for the project? I like this because it's had thought, people have considered that this project is for something and someone, and have taken a photo accordingly. It sets up all sorts of constructions about love and stuff too.

This photo is the foot of a tramp who stole my camera. I had to run after him with a tripod to get it back, though he claims he was going to put it back after taking photos. (not sure i beleive him) Here is his foot:

And an under the chin shot:

Loved this one below in contrast to all the boring smiley adult ones. These kids know how to use a camera and obviously know how to selfie. For them, they dont have to show the world how happy and pretty they are- only that they are having fun and are silly and cool. I liked this because I felt like I know them, and also because they contrast.

I showed this dog picture to my mum and now it is her background; obviously good for the dog lovers of this project.

This is a generic coupel shot; I have lots of these. Was wondering how they look the same- culture tells couples they have to pose like this? Or is this a natural thing to do as a couple? I feel that the word "natural" is stupid to use, because everything is pre-determined. This photo below is how as a culture we think couples should take photos of themselves. This is ideal happy couple photo. When i read it, I see this too- they look close, happy, content, no-one else there,

I want to take a film of people as they interact with the camera, and i decided I would do this filming today. So i set up the two disposable cameras, and also my own DSLR, which I filmed the people interacting with the project with, but in a sly way.

Quite interestingly, when people saw I was filming, or even looking, they refused to interact with the camera. Even if they were reading the sign and taking the camera out, if they saw I was looking, they would run away. This is annoying for my idea to make a film out of their interactions, and also quite a strange reflection on human nature. Is it a feeling of being watched that they don't like? Or acting silly? When I went away, the cameras filled up fast- suggesting my presence did affect the photographing. I'm not sure how to reflect this in my work; I suppose what its saying is that for us photographing oneself is something still personal, and by watching, we are violating a very intimate thing- the construction of self. because when you take a photo, you are thinking about social codes, constructing an image. To do this in front of someone shows that it IS a construct, not a norm, which I guess is why everyone ran away when I was looking; very interesting! This not only backs up my project but asks other questions. People are often happy to selfie with others watching and to take photos of them- but because they are showing to want to take part in a reality which isn't there's, this is embarrassing. This is a new anxiety to write about!

I am happy with the photos which have people in; I find the people interesting, I guess because they have a mystery and air about them, while the landscape shots are pretty generic. (I like shots of tramp feet) so next time I might ask people only to photograph themselves.
I also like the stories I have to tell about photos. I was thinking the video I make to hand in, in January, will be a first few shots of me making the bag with the camera in, then people interacting and the camera hanging, then several photos, and me telling their story. This is going to be a bit hard to do if people run away when filming. I might have to try and hide a bit more next time.

Schedule and budget, reading and gallery

 Schedule:

Before December 10th- 10 rolls of film
December 10th-7th January- Project coursework
January: 10 rolls
February: 10 rolls
March: 10 rolls
April: 10 rolls
May: Hand in
June: Degree program

Budget
50 cameras: 1.50 each- £75
50 rolls of film: 3.99 for photos- £199
Initial price: £274

Some more reading, linked to below:
 SO, book: Photography, a critical intro, Liz Wells.
-> the idea that the world we live in uses images in a different way. This is partly because it is different to how it was before- modernisation. "in the western world, it is as individuals that people experience themselves, independently from family etc. In the 20th century, consumer economy has moved from a focus on work ethic/self discipline, to a libidinous gratification which encourages us to identify our pleasures in order to define them."
This has meant a change in the way we photograph ourselves, ie- the SELFIE.

Just typing selfie online comes up with a huge number of blogs and articles which love or hate selfies. Some people say that selfies are a way of "addressing confidence and image issues" and that they are a "way of allowing particularity young people to participate with the world" (http://healthland.time.com/2013/09/06/why-selfies-matter/) while some see selfies as part of a "shallow, self centered me me me culture", and that it is "all young people aspire to", and that they are "narcissistic junk" (http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/brian-reade-the-selfie-sums-2813772)
I bring the selfie in here because, primarily the photos people take are selfies. Some are not- people pose, perhaps having asked an onlooker or a one of the friend/family have volunteered. But most are not, most are unashamed selfies. I suppose this reflects on the more modern culture of self and identity, of needing to be photographed somewhere to have "been" there, to need to be IN a photograph  to conform and produce an identity, even if you have no idea where the identity is going. It links into the modern culture (I'm sure if i tried the same thing 50 years ago, I would get completely different results, if any at all) and into how we experience or create reality. The writer goes onto to suggest that photos are now about "challenging and conforming identity", and "portraying the individual as they wish to be seen."

The book writer goes onto to write more about the public/private image, about how photos are now "malleable, more disposable", not "Precious one-offs", while at the same time photos are a medium has increased hugely, as a way to document and record. These two opposing themes link pretty well with my work- about how we give photos away thoughtlessly, and yet tirelessly produce them.
It also talks about users and readers of photography, which is important. Users are the takers, the people who are the "private" viewers of the photo, or in the photo, who understand the relationships between the objects/people, who know context, memoirs and meaning. This is something I was struck by when viewing the photos- I felt intrusive on these often personal moments, I didnt know who these people were, I was an outsider- and yet they were inviting me in. There are also "readers" of photos, which are the ones in the "public" reading the photos, who don't know the context and have to tease the meaning out. This was me when viewing these photos, and I could tell they meant something, I could guess at what they meant, but I had no idea if I was right.

All this is really interesting! I have two rolls of film waiting to be developed, so no more news on photography yet. BUT news on gallery!
I went to a gallery in Brighton, the Brighton University Gallery, which had a very strange exhibition by Svankmajer. The exhibition was a variety of mediums, and lots of themes, most of them surreal- there was a animation/real film of Alice in wonderland, teddy bears with penis's, and my fave bit, a warped natural science bit where he had built fantastical creatures out of bits of other animals.

In terms of the gallery, it was just a pretty cool mix of mediums, so you had glass cases, puppet theaters, films going on, noises, pictures and sculptures. I liked how it was shown- there were different areas to go and sit, which was nice, to soak everything in.  I liked that there was a lot fo humor in the work too, which made it not so boring to look at it- it was exciting. I liked that all the work was subversive and made you look twice- it loos like a normal natural history museum, but it's not, its a fantastical beast gallery- pretty cool! This was my favorite one underneath, it's a stuffed hedgehog chopped in half, like a scientific analysis, but inside is a crystal- subverting what is expected and making it hyper-real, as well as commenting on fantasy/reality, and how everything in the natural world is connected.

I liked I guess this shows that multimedia, or when there is LOTS to look at, that's when it is exciting. This leads me onto thinking about my own work. I have several ideas which I might do of my own work:

1) I was thinking about maybe putting ALL the photos up on the wall, and having them in a sort of explosion shape- on the ceiling, the wall, the floor (hoping to have a corner for this) Like a waterfall of images, maybe coming out of a camera itself. This might represent the explosion of images we deal with daily, and how putting them all together, we have a "family portrait" of Brighton.

2) Photo diary- so having the photos in a book, like a photo gallery. This might also access the idea of a "family portrait" of Brighton, but all the people in it have no connection except that they picked up the camera- sort of creates connections but doesn't; these weak tie networks link to the internet also. Also comments on public/private- people from the public took private photos in the public, gave them to me (a public viewer) which I might display in a private fashion for the public?

3) A photo tent; I wanted the photos to surround people also- was thinking a photo tent/room where the walls, ceiling and floor are all covered in photos. I didn't really have any reason for this, but I could say that it could be the  how we are completely surrounded by photos, and we use them to say "we're here" to everyone else; but everyone does the same. As you have to go in a room, it would also be commenting on private/public photos-  "private" are the ones we hang inside; yet I am hanging public photos in a "private" place and inviting people in- suggests a converge of public/private, user and reader.

That's it for now. Might have more ideas as reading continues.

Reading- mostly Susaun Sontang

Fluidity of self/How society thinks about taking photos

Been reading a bit of Susan Sontang to try and back up some of my ideas in the Disposable Brighton project. I was interested in the idea that photography is all a construct; we take photos conditioned by our culture and upbringing and context, we take photos to try and show something depending on our culture/upbringing/context, and how the act of taking a photo now creates a new reality, a more "real" reality, SS says that photography is a "social rite/ a way to construct a portrait chronicle of oneself" (and you need only to think of facebook and the way that photos are now taken "for facebook", so everyone else knows what you are doing, and so that you can construct a personalised timeline of all the things you have been doing, and create a reality that belongs to you)- "people in industrialised cultures seek to have their photo taken, they feel that they are images, and are made real by photographs." This suggests a new change in photography, as a way to document and create reality rather than the older idea of recording it. It gives more control to the person photographing, but also suggests a dependency on the photograph to access reality, to prove that reality when not photographed is still as important, as interesting, as the parts of reality that are not. It also suggests a cross over between public and private spaces, which I will discuss later.
 Linking to this, SS says that "in pre-democratic culture, someone who gets photographed is a celebrity. Today, everyone is a celebrity, no person is more interesting than another." This links into the "individualisation" of society, which treasures the individual within the mass; identity is more important than utility. In line with this, the new technology of the internet has meant that people have more ability to construct an identity online, to choose how they are presented to other people, to have more ability to find and talk to others who are the same- and create communities- "instant history, instant participation."
This brings me on to the idea of public/private space. Before, public photos, as had been mentioned in a previous reading were "torn from their context", and have loose ideology. Private photos, existing in the home for us all, are much more rooted in meaning. With the rise of the internet, and the ability to photograph oneself and construct an image, the private images collide into the public sphere- many people post photos of family, couples, etc etc online, and others are see, comment, share etc. To Susan Sontang, this a bad thing; each photo is an example of someones "vulnerability, mortality", "to photograph is to violate, by seeing them as they have never seen themselves, to have knowledge of them that they can never know, turns people into objects that can be symbolically possessed." And it is true, we never know where are photos go, where they are stored online, who see's them, if someone takes one and it becomes something else all together on a far corner of the internet. (memes?) In this sense, the private has divulged into the public. This, however, is seen as less of a problem than it might appear. People seem fine to "be photographed", and do not mind where their photo ends up, as long as it has "made real experiences". It is a "chronic vouyeristic relation to the world, which levels all events", and people care more about being shown than caring about where it ends up. It seems that once the photo has been taken, and we have an image of it, reproductions of the image, what happens to it means nothing to us.
With disposable cameras, this links into it- people didn't know where these photos were going, and yet they still interacted with the cameras; their image and self being "symbolically possessed" is not something they worry about, their fear of the public/private is not worrying. As our "affluent, restless, wasteful society", we feel that we belong in the public sphere, deserve to be there- "anything can be made interesting with the camera."
There is also the idea, which SS talks about, that "our junk has become art, and our junk has become history", photos have become artifacts, but their appeal is that they have become found objects, slices of the world"- this links into my idea. That junk cameras are now found and seen as important and good. These cameras are "found", and people choose to represent themselves in terms of how society thinks is good.
In all of this, my project will be an example of how people feel free to give their image, and how they choose to represent themselves in a certain way- They could have posed in a different way, could have taken a photo of anything, could have shown themselves- but because of the huge amount of images around, we think about what we're expected to take photos of. a sort of realism?

---> "realism is a social practise of representation, a normality which allows a strictly deliminated range of variations. It works by the controlled and limited recall of a resovior of similar texts by constant self -referencing anf cross echoing" "mutability which summons up the power of the real; a reality of inter-text beyond which there is nonsense" "subtle web of discourse through which discourse is enmeshed, a fabric of notions, representation, images, attitudes, gestures, modes of action which function as everyday no-how"

What I imagine goes through the head of someone when they find a camera:

What is that?

Why this there a camera hanging up?

Who is this for?

What do they want me to take a photo of?

What SHALL i take a photo of?

If i take a photo of myself, how does the photographer expect me to pose?

How do i normally pose in photographs?

What does this situation (in public) mean for how I pose in this photograph?

What have others done?

Is anyone watching? (photographer included)

I am being asked to take a photo, does it matter that I don't know for?

Is this creepy?

I am being asked to take a photo, does this mean I have to be arty?

I want to be in the photo, what is the best way to do this?

Ask someone or selfie?

How do I want myself to be represented?

How does the photographer expect me to be represented?

Do i have everything I want in the frame?

Is the film Ok?

I saw this photo project also:

http://www.sketchbookproject.com/projects/amlpanalog

It's a similar thing, except they give people who ask for the cameras, and then they only show two- so you have to construct and think about photos. This means that the photos are treasured and thought about, and are meaningful. My project will be different; I guess that people will take photos quickly as opposed to trying to say something. This is an interesting difference between projects; i want to show how disposable self image is, while they want to highlight how important each image is, and to get people to stop and think. I quite like this idea. Maybe at some point I should ask people in the street to take a photo of something they think is beautiful. This would be beautiful!
The project wont let me copy any photos, but they are worth seeing!

ideas from an Inspirational photographer, ideas for hand in, ideas for theory, ideas for display, ideas ideas ideas SWEEET AS

Lots of stuff to get through today!!! Firstly and foremostly,

1) new cameras were put out. First one was stolen :( but, others are all fine, woooop!

2) A new photographer: Joachim Schmid.
he is a photographer who has done lots of stuff, but mostly stuff to do with "found photography"- I have an article written here in the "British Journal of Photography" (issue October 2011) which talks about this. Schmid is a photographer (or "visual artist", as he explains) from Germany, who became famous by taking photos which he found discarded in bins, photo booths, at flea markets and such. These photos are sometimes ripped up, and in bad condition. He plays with photos also, but linking different bodies and heads together in a seamless "portrait", where the two people match, and it takes a second to realize that they are different. My favorite is this one:


The ambiguity of the image, that it is ripped in 4, found in a skip- suggest a girlfriend, an argument, a break up. It is the nature of the photography as a found artifact which makes the story, not the photograph itself. This is pretty cool.
The article is pretty good, it explains how Schmit decides that photos are "big lies/ that the family photo is a tiny peice of reality, it has already been edited, cropped, chosen, framed, dressed etc"- the reality of family life wasn't these staged photos. I liked how Schmit collected photos which were under/over exposed/rotting, because he believed that these were "more real", because they showed photographic process. This is pretty cool (and links to my photos!)
i also like the things he is doing now- collecting images online, on flickr. He has a good quote from this: "If we accept that we are living in a reality of images, then we have to look at them not as photos of the world, but as the world. Found photographs are as much part of the world as anything else."

3) Ideas for hand in, in January: I will try to get as much footage as possible, and then will film myself putting the camera up, and then have a film of people interacting with the camera. I will hand in (something) with photos on. This is easy and takes of the pressure to make an online project!

4) For display: every image taken on the wall in a big explosion! It's a project about how people interact with photographs and how fluid representation and image is- need to have lots of ideas. this will come later, i guess. I did want to include rubbish as part of the display (message in a bottle...) but not sure how this will work!

5) Theorists:

-Fluidity of image
-Give image away; so normal to be photographed.
-representation and documentation.
-Analogue vs detail.
READ FRUED? OTHERS

Design for online/virtual area

How it might look (taking my own abilities into thought)

--> a map, and each spot where photos were taken, you can click on, and a gallery jumps up, and you can look at photos.

--> A similar set up (map) but when you click on the photos, it comes up with a film-ic display with soundscape of the area... would be more street-like.

--> Just a website, with a central photo, and links around. You click on different links and end up in different places. I could make this!

I have done some research into similar sites online, and found there have been a mix of both of the ideas above. It would be easier to build a more normal website (because I am not technically skilled) though I think creating a sort of online street view would also be really cool. I might look into how hard this might be, and if it's too much for me, I will build a pretty website, and not do anything else.

Here is an example of a website with a similar idea:
http://disposablememoryproject.org/

They dropped 500 cameras around the world and told the people to take a few photos and pass them on, and then take them back when they are done. I liked how it has a news bit, and then all of the images in a blog, which you can choose. What is good about this is the sheer extent of photos, ans that they put them in airports- so you always get everywhere in the world. Its also good because its a gallery, but has a blog and news too, so you can "keep up to date". Other projects, such as "the 100" don't have this- which makes it seem only half done.


How to sum up my project

Street photography at it's most base level. I let people on the street interact with the media, and document themselves. Taps into ideas about analogue, and also taps into ideas about surveillance, and representation.

A pitch: Disposable Brighton puts cameras across Brighton and encourages the street passer by, the "masses" document themselves and, as artistically as they please, show their town. The mass of people, ethnicity's, lovers and families is lovely to see, and interact with. The project asks questions about how we feel about being documented, and how we value analogue photography. It raises the question of documentary, and whether it is more "real" to document yourself as opposed to being documented by someone who wants something. It starts to explore the selfie, the idea of image dissemination, and what it means to be photographed now as opposed to 50 years ago- an image saturated society.


A new article and some research into how people are using disposable cameras
http://www.cultofmac.com/236116/photographer-trashes-disposable-cameras-to-make-instagram-irl/

Found this funny article which talks about how people are using disposable photos to try and make more real photography is contrast to the photography from instagram. they used all shorts of funny tricks to get the same effect- i like this experimenting with cameras, it's pretty cool!
Here is an example- she got the slightly out of focus effect by using chapstick:



Also came across this interesting disposable camera project:
http://onegiantarm.com/camera-exchange/
it's called "Disposable?" by One Giant Arm, and what it does is give cameras to lots of "creatives", "Contributors were challenged to produce a series of photographs limited only by the restraints of a disposable camera.  By mailing the unprocessed film each photographer was unable to censor or edit their final outcome .  The resulting images have demonstrated that the production of credible and experimental imagery is possible without the need for expensive equipment." 
This is a pretty interesting subject; because nowadays we are have constant access to the creation of images. we instantly can see what the image looks like, and can take several more if they are over exposed or if the subject blinked or if there was a person in the background; this project shows that by not having this access, we have to really think and plan what we want the photos to look like and what we want to create. i really like this idea, because often the photos turn our really well- as with some of these: here are a few examples:






what is really nice here is the quality of the shots; they are grainy and badly taken, but this makes them seem much more real and gritty, which gives all the photos a urban and realistic feel (which is very in atm) i also like, when scrolling through what each photographer took, that you can get a feel of what the person who took them is like- they only shoot what they see is important, or beautiful or worth a photo. This builds up a lot of style and also shows what people think IS worthy of a photo- and while there is a fair bit of art and self, there is also really interesting things, beautiful shots, real art.
I would like my project to have this same effect. Maybe it's not all beautiful shots, but what I will have is a collection of images in which people give themselves to the project, they show what is important to them; it is a collection of humanity by humanity. I guess the difference between the two projects is that this one is about beauty and precision, whereas mine is about the everyday image (which can be beautiful but mostly isn't) and our behavior and speed to take images- usually over quick. These show how many different ideas can come out of a similar method! cooool

successssssss

Finally, I have some photos. I devolped the photos from the street, and they have come out very well. Here are a few from each "shoot"

There were quite a few things which i felt as I was looking at these photos, whic I want to reflect on:

1) Excitement; I had no idea what I was going to see. The nature of analogue photography, and "found photography" as it were, means that I had no idea if the photos worked correctly with exposure etc, and I had no idea who took photos, what they would show, if it would be focused. This felt like finding a secret treasure of moments and people I didn't know or see.

2) Creepy; Lookng through posed portraits, couples, families, friends all of whom i did not know, I felt like a bit of a creep- collecting these little moments, moments of happiness which had nothing to do with me. I felt like a voyeur, without even meaning to.

3) Confusion; who are these people? Why are they taking photos of themselves with a camera they found on the street?! Especially of their children. I could be anyone, using these photos for anything. This showed me a sort of trust in people, a trust that I am using these photos innocently, and nicely. I didn't put on the card where the photos would be, and this was more confusion. These people had NO idea what I might be taking the photos for. I liked this, they were contributing with no idea of outcome. I was thinking maybe the "innocence" of the disposable camera might help this, or that we're all USED to the idea of people documented and watched.

4) Interest. Again, who ARE these people? Its so easy to read into them, but I have no idea. They could look happy, but not be. I feel connected without knowing them.

5) Happiness; The aesthetic of the photos is wonderfully grainy and badly exposed, and this defines for everyone a stereotype of "street", down to earth, realistic- which it is and it isn't. I'm eliminating the photographer, and letting people photograph themselves, which in turn means that the photos are badly produced, but arguably more "real", less set up and closer to reality. But this arguable.

Street photography taken to its finest form; this is a camera on the street which asks people to interact, and people will or won't, and they document themselves. Interestingly, most document themselves in quite a conventional way- posing, or like instagram, which is also amusing, as this is a disposable camera, the "original" instagram.

I am going to do even more photos over the coming weeks. I hope to have 10 rolls (120ish photos) by christmas, which I can use to make something to hand in. I was also thinking about making a facebook group for the people, so they can access the photos they have willingly participating in.

so, I need to do a lot more reading for this, as well as trying to decide what I might do with the photos when I hand in. I was thinking an interactive map, with soundscape, but this is pretty extreme, I'm not too sure about it. For my final piece, I was hoping to maybe set up a dark room, and put the photos on the inside walls, as well as people having the chance to develop their own photos. What I need to focus on now is getting a good backing of theorists, and deciding how my project will look when I hand in in January.

"Disposable Brighton"

What I’m doing today

Today what I did was that I put two disposable cameras in bags with a sign saying: 

"Instructions for use- 

1) Take camera out of the bag

2) Take a photo of yourself, the city, something you like. Wind the camera on.

3) Replace the camera.

Congratulations, you took part in Disposable Brighton"

here is a photo of this:

I left them in noticeable places, and collected them later, and each camera had been used fully! I am hoping that they expose properly. 

 This is going to be a project which will look at how people interact with cameras and being watched, with being asked to photograph themselves and what they do, (self representation) with street photography and opportunity. I have been thinking what theories I can link it to, and there are quite a few- the representation theories still work, because this is literal street photography; the city from the eyes of the people. I'm providing the method to create a puzzle of ideas, but it is the people who live/visit/interact who are the ones who will make it. This could be a massive project, with representations from a multiple number of people of all different gendes/ages/ethnicities etc- which will be quite interesting. It also links into theories about societies of control/ being watched and acting how you expect to act. 

I think I will collect photos of people simply, and also collect photos of people writing hopes on paper; I will try this one on monday on campus. Reaction to being recording/being part of something Brighton community. Online- interactive map? 

Another photographer I like and more changes

I found another awesome project:
It's by Steven Gill. It is a collection of photos all made on disposable cameras. 500 were given out to postmen, who documented their days. The photos are wonderful, a nice ethnographic study of the people of Britian, and the landscape, as well as showing all what might happen in the day of a postman. There are some humorous bits- a section of dogs, which are notorious for biting postmen, and one postman who claims that the dogs are telepathic. There is a section which follows the huge distances some have to walk, and the number of stairs they have to climb a day, as well as a section on the "thorny" issue of rubber bands. I liked the photos because they show Britain from a view point which I had not idea about, hadn't even considered. They are also a very un-stereotypical view of Britain- the photos are taken by people of everything and anyone, and the end result is not postcard pretty, but it is recognizable and interesting. Here is an example of some photos:


The photos are a collection in a book, and he had to choose about 100 from 1600 photos, so they are very much edited, which is something I think would be a difficult thing to do. The photos he's chosen are quite iconic and humorous. I liked the dead arm in the letterbox, and the eyes of the scary dog; these two things seems to sum up the life of a postman. This project was really interesting because it has shown me that I can do all sorts of things, not just focus on charities.

Therefore, I have had a bit of a wind change. This has been spurned on by the  revelation that I need to hand a photo in in 3 weeks... and I haven't started shooting at all. I also need to hand in my photos in some technical format- and I need to make this over the christmas holidays. Therefore, I should be shooting most of the photos now.

I am getting nowhere with my ideas, so I need to change them. I have been mind mapping ideas, and here are some of the ones i came up with:

1) Community cooperative bike shops. I have worked in lots of bike coops. They are great and interesting, but disorganized. I wanted to get lots of bike coops together and make a project with them all- they are often unlinked and not known about. This is a huge project though.

2) Community gardening. This is a really popular but relatively unknown thing too. There are 22 such gardens in Sussex, and they are pretty friendly. I could take photos of one or lots. (one for now) and collect these.

3) Alternative christmas's. Capitalizing on the huge number of exchange students I know, I was thinking of asking lots of students to take photos of what their christmas looks like, and this can compare families and cultures. Problem with this- I wouldn't get the photos until around a week before the submission. If i built the web stuff before, this might be ok.

4)  a bit of a weird one; was thinking of giving cameras to lots of people with the task to take photos: aliens/50 years in the future might want to see. This might get a lot of strange photos- some political and some mundane. this might highlight hegemony and what people think is important.

5) leave a camera on a bench, with sign to take a photo. see what they take photos of.

Going to try the last one tomorrow! I will also be sending lots of emails around to try and think of some ideas.

Brighton Photo Fringe 2013

We went to the Brighton Photo Fringe today, to look at local art and to also see how it was displayed. I will go through three of the exhibits, looking at how they were displayed and if it worked (in my opinion).

1) Ghost in the Machine, Simon Ward.
An exhibit of broken screens of kindles. The images are broken, distorted and frozen. This can be seen to link to a lot of work around digital photograph and how it is distorted once it becomes numbers and replication; these images are a function (when they work, as a screensaver) but once they break, the still images become defunct, a photograph of the machine. The broken nature suggests a darker side to machines; the forgotten nature of broken things, which capitalist society immediately disposes of. This is also it's beauty; it opposes norms, you do not often see broken pictures in a gallery. This is extenuated by the way it is displayed- each kindle is in it's own pedestal, like a sculpture. This suggests the value in found photography and in things which are broken and which most people would disregard. The images themselves are classic art works, and them being placed in such a way also comments on the idea of "classical art"; here we are viewing classical art, in a classical way (on a pedestal) but only through the broken screen of a kindle- an electronic item made up of metal and wires and chips- a sculpture in itself but also completely un-classical. When I viewed it, I felt like this might be a comment on how we see classical art now- through millions of cultural references, through hundreds of replications- the original form is lost, or broken. Therefore, the way it is displayed helps us to construct ideas about it.

 



2) Ezekiel 36:36, Nick Balloon

This was a more "traditional" style of exhibition. It was about an Bolivian airline, which had been grounded since 2007. There were about 10 photos on the wall, and they all definitly represented the main idea of loss, of hope for a future not come and a past to be proud of. The photos are all taken with a warm, but soft light- suggesting nostalgia, but not something too current (direct sunlight would be more present) They all have a feeling of space too- as with the photo of the pilot, who stands tall, but is surrounded by a derelict office; his eyes do not meet the camera, but he is smartly dressed and straight backed, suggesting his pride. As his eyes do not meet the camera, this might suggest his loss also, that he is not proud yet/still. I liked that this photo was next to a photo of a simulation cockpit, which is framed inside the room, so you can see the room around it, making it look tiny, insignificant, incapable- it used to top of the range, but now it is old and defunct. Next to the pilot, they compliment each other- both suggest a past of efficiency and pride, but their framing /pose suggests it loss. The rest of the exhibition uses similar lighting and staging to suggest these issues; for instance, a dead bird on a seat, a metaphor of being grounded. I liked how the photos worked together and created this weird, lonely air. I'm not the biggest fan of art on a wall- i prefer something you can walk around/stare at/touch/interact with, but it definitly illustrated the
importance of choice of photos in display.

3) The Grey Line, Jo Metson Scott
This was a group of photos/artifacts written/taken of soldiers who had defected from the Afghanistan and Iraq war. The photos on the wall were big photos of soldiers, and they had diary entries hand-written on top of them. There were also actual books in a case, with the same layout of diary entry and photo, with the illusion the whole book was the same. There was also a large print of a photo, but it had a "bend" in the middle, and pages on either side- it was a photo of a book blown large. I really liked these, there was so much feeling behind them. This was a result of many things; the book creates a story feeling; that there is more to read, that this is the part of a story (which encourages you to move onto the next book/photo, to get the next bit) as well as looking personal; like a travel journal or a diary, which gives it an element of "raw truth." Secondly, the use of handwritten notes is great- this also gives it a personal element, their writing gives their words an accent and personality. The writing also goes on the photo; this connects the two, instead of having a caption separate on the wall. This is engaging and draws you, especially as arrows connect the photos and small words on the photos adds extra meaning to parts of the photo; I liked that my eye was moving constantly, and that the nature of the presentation made everything more personal. The photos themselves helped to illustrate the loneliness and fear of being a soldier, the confusion of defecting and trying to re-preposition themselves in the world. they never look at the camera, suggesting there is something beyond we cannot see, creating a space between us and them, their experiences and ours as spectators of the war. In a way here, the book helps to create the feeling that we are witnessing history, that they are part of it (in their photos, apart from us) and we are only watching it. This was a really interesting and cool way to show photos, and it evokes lots of emotions!

In terms of my project; I talked with Paul, and he suggested i have to get moving. I bought 10 disposable cameras. I also have re-emailed several people, and approached Newhaven community center- who have links to Sussex anyway. We'll see what happens. I am panicking because in 3 weeks we have to give a presentation with some photos; this seems way too far for my project! So, we'll see.

ch-ch-changesssss Turn and face the change etc

I realize that my project isn't going very fast; I have not had many replies- most of the ones involving children directly refused, while some of the homeless charities sounded interested, but this has not led anywhere. For this, I need to get phoning and visiting the actual place- it's easier to actually talk to people than anything else. I will do this later.
I have, however, also been considering other ideas which I could do, if these ideas do not come to anything. Here are a few of these (they in the same theme as before, but different takes)

1) Use various teenagers/young people (ie- people I know) and get them to document their Christmas's, and compare these. (place, ethnicity, gender etc explored)
2) the first idea about place- getting a place to document itself- for instance Brighton.
3) Teenagers/young people to document lives on a single day- collect data together, try and reconstruct the feeling of youth.

These ideas are more social-experimental rather than hard-hitting social criticism, but because they are not with groups of minority or vulnerable people, these makes them much easier to do, and there is much less red tape to go through. I am happy to change if there needs to be- I think a lot of my previous work/reading fits into these ideas, though I would have liked to continue to make a shocking piece of work too. I will give these previous mentioned charities 2 weeks, and if they have not answered/are not interested, I will change the idea.

On a different note I found another lovely example of interactive photo documentary:

http://highrise.nfb.ca/thousandthtower/
http://interactive.nfb.ca/#/outmywindow

The first of these, the thousandth tower, documents the life of inhabitants in the "thousandth high rise tower" in Toronto. The city suburbs are often viewed as rough and on the edge, but the projects aims to revitalize these areas, and to tell their story- as a vibrant, growing part of the city, the most dynamic. The project shows inhabitants, who talk over photographs, telling us various stories and things about their lives and the life of the tower. You can explore the "story of each storey", and follow residents through their lives, showing how vibrant, creative and communal they are. I really liked how you get to talk to each resident, they get to show the photos and their own story; this is moving and takes you into their private space. This is awesome and goes beyond the normal photo documenatry.


The next is a collection of photos taken out of windows from places such as this highrise tower. It started out as a 360 photo from this, with the room and resident, and tried to capture young people from the towers. Later it spread to include the whole world. The photos are really interesting to get a personal view of someone private life-the insides of homes, their views, anything they want to show. It is also nice to see the differences between outside and in, suggesting a vibrant, unseen inside of such areas. Could I do something similar as these online? I have no idea how you would build, but it cant be really difficult. I might try and investigate building websites.