Charlotte Cotton - The Photograph As Contemporary Art

This week I thought I would share with you all a book that I've been reading these last few days. For those of you who haven't read the book "Charlotte Cotton - The Photograph As Contemporary Art" you are missing out. The book tends to explore the art of how photographs are planned and produced and how photographs in general from a range of Photographers, fit into contemporary art.  Other notes that I can point out from this book include

• How the book uses formal text and combines a mixture of photographic imagery with history
• What this does is help the audience understand a but more of how an artist works
• One thing that is explored within this book is how the shifting of meaning within Photography can separated into various categories when explored. 

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One area in particular from this book that I thoroughly enjoyed was chapter four entitled "Something and Nothing". In this chapter of the book, Charlotte Cotton looks at how simple ordinary objects can be turned into a photographic subject matter through how they are placed in unique settings. 

One key element in this chapter of the book that caught my eye is the work of the Photographer James Welling and how he produces photographs of certain scenes over and over again from different angles to document a different use of the term perspective. He makes good use of showcasing how different an object can look once photographed from unique different angles and positions. 

                                              

                             James Welling - C47, 1981 from the series Drapes (1981 -89)

Resource's - Charlotte Cotton (2004): The Photograph as Contemporary Art; Thames and Hudson World of Art.

Image Source - http://jameswelling.net/categories/7 

Southampton E Book Show 2013

Following on from my post a couple of weeks ago, I had the privilege of being invited to Southampton's 2013 Photography E Book Show at Southampton's Jon Hansard Gallery.  Prior to my visit to the show, I conducted some research I felt that it would be necessary to conduct some background research into what the Photography E Book show and any unique information surrounding the John Hansard Gallery in particular.  

What the annual Photobook show is, is an Brighton based arts organisation that was only set up two years ago in order to raise the profile of Photographers and artists who had produced their work via self published and hand crafted books and wished to donate them to galleries in order to get their names noticed. Kevin Beck (http://www.kevinbeckphotography.com) and William Sadowski (http://williamsadowski.co.uk) were the two men responsible for this set up. 

Exhibititions held by The Photobook show are held a number of times a year around the UK which also include a number or workshops and guest speakers, I employ you all to check these out! one of the workshops that I was unfortunate enough to miss was a book making workshop held one week after the grand opening of Southampton's E Book Show. Darn work commitments. 

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What made the holding of this special exhibition at Southampton's Jon Hansard Gallery special was purely down to how much dedication was placed into getting the exhibition to be held in Southampton. Over a 10 month period a very kind amount of funding from sponsors were aided towards setting up the exhibition. 

Inside the Photobook show: Photo credit goes to Tom Parker

What is interesting about exhibitions like this is how every detail of the inside of the exhibition have been carefully thought out and structured. All sorts of things from the structure of the lighting, down to how each of the display tables were laid out all throughout the exhibition rooms in great detail. It's this kind of thing that makes exhibitions that make the exhibitions aesthetic that more special. The highlight for me in the presentation was how the names of the artists whose work was being presented, were all credited upon the walls of the gallery. 

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References

http://photobookshow.co.uk/ 
http://www.hansardgallery.org.uk/
http://visualexplorationtomparker.blogspot.co.uk/

Semiotics

Everyday, we all use and come across signs that help us to convey meaning and purpose.  Whether
the sign is a a road sign pointing us in a certain direction or even the way that someone comes across in a photograph via their use of body language. Signs and semiotics are everywhere. When it comes to the art of Photography practise, semiotics is something that is used deeply and informatively when it comes in informing our practise of the subject.

How do images and words when it comes to signs, convey their meaning to different people?

The example to the left of a toilet sign is an example of how men and woman are represented in British society. The context of the sign is completely understandable due to what the man and woman are wearing.

When it come's to Semiotics there is a range of differences which once thought over, can be much easier to understand. It is also a lot easier to apply your knowledge of the basic's of Semiotics as well in everyday situations.

What I learnt from a recent lecture regarding Semiotics, was that Semiotics can be seen in one of two ways. Through the term "Signify and Signified".

This term can be used as a example when looking at how something such as traffic lights can be operated. When the box is lit up with a green or red icon then that would count as a signifier whereas the term Signified meaning what we learn from the sign or instruction.

It is interesting to think that in reality we are actually guided everyday of our lives more than we think.

One perfect example of a great use of Semiotics is in the music video "Hurt" by Johnny Cash. What was so interesting how interpreting how this music video connect with Semiotics was watching it twice over in two different ways. The first one being with no audio and the second being with the audio being played. After watching the video a second time with full audio, I found and discovered a lot more about how the themes and symbolic elements of the video came to forefront and helped to deliver an impact full meaning behind the context of the video.

In terms of Photography in general. When it comes to looking into Photographers who are good examples and representatives of how Semiotics is well used within their work. Look no further than Jeff Wall and Gregory Crewdson.  Both Gregory Crewdson and Jeff Wall are both Photographers who completely stage their images to tell some form of story. Us the viewers have to look at their images in great length and try to scrutinise the tiny gestures, signs among other other things that both Photographers use.

Image Resources

• Jeff Wall image: WALL, J. et al., 2007.Jeff Wall.  Musuem of Modern Art.Avaliable online from: http://www.tate.org.uk/whats-on/tate-modern/exhibition/jeff-wall/room-guide/jeff-wall-room-3
• Gregory Crewdson Image: http://www.vam.ac.uk/content/articles/p/gregory-crewson/
• http://www.timthesignman.com.au/products-page/06-toilet-signs/04-mft-blue-male-female-toilet/

Logan Riehl - Portraits (John Hansard Gallery)

This past week I had the privilege of receiving an invite to the opening of the 2013 Photography E Book show that was being held for the first time ever at Southampton's John Hansard gallery. The base of the exhibition was to showcase a range of different range of handmade Photography project book's from Photographers and students alike from around the world that had been selected from a large selection of submitters.

One body of work that stood out to me in particular was a body of work entitled "Portraits" by a Canadian student Photographer named Logan Riehl. In this body of work Logan Riehl showcases a large range of produced portraits of famous actors and actresses in the private space of their west end dressing rooms whilst they're still in character.

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Notes: Mamiya C330 Medium format camera, 80mm lens, 3200 ISO black and white film.

http://loganriehl.com/gallery

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What attracted to me this body of work was everything from the Photographers use of composition and lighting to the idea of how he managed to get such amazing access to the actors and actresses private spaces. Something that I also find interesting is the subject of wether or not the actresses and actors being Photographed are still in character or not. What is Logan Riehl's relationship with the subject matter at hand? Something that makes me question this is from two of my selected images that were visible on show in Logan Riehl's book "Portraits". When you look at one portrait of the actress Julie Walters with a un satisfied emotion and compare it to a portrait of the actress Sheridan Smith, their is a contract between the depth of emotion that the subjects are giving to the camera. 

             
                          Fig One: Julie Walters In Last Of The Haussmans » October 12, 2012

                                 
                               

           Fig Two: Sheridan Smith as Elle Woods in "Legally Blonde" » September 24, 2010