Sight

Taken at a charity that helps and cares for the blind

 

 

The Place I Call Home

Some personal work of my new home.

Jinkyun Ahu: On the surface of images

Decalcomie by Jinkyun Ahu

Displaying in his first major solo show at the Phoenix Brighton as part of the Photo Fringe festival Korean artist Jinkyun Ahu explores the relationship between him and his parents. In the series of photographs, named On the surface of images, Jinkyun Ahu repeats, reflects and dismembers his parents in an attempt to symbolise his family's relationship with death and the afterlife. The work also talks about how the legacy of the family is inherited from one generation to the next, as well as how qualities and traits of his parents have passed on to him. Similar to that of an image travelling from lens to negative, and negative to print. The familiar traces found in his parents help guide him in life.

Jinkyun work is vague and on the edge of surreal. The exhibition however is very strong and thought-provoking with new and interesting ways of displaying the work shown, placed on free standing chipboard walls and even projected into hole within the walls. The placement of mirrors seems important to the work, placed both within the work and in the gallery space, reflecting light around the space and your own reflection. 

Jinkyun exhibition was selected from over 100 submissions to the Brighton Photo Fringe OPEN 2012 by Clare Grafik, Susanna Brown and Oliver Chanarin.

Decalcomie - image taken by myself

 

Where is mom? - image taken by myself 

Sources:

www.jinkyunahn.com

www.phoenixarts.org/exhibitions.htm

www.photofringe.org/exhibitions/ja1/on-the-surface-of-images





Brighton Photo Fringe 2012

Photo Fringe is a lens-based festival that allows both new and established photographers a chance to display their work through out a mixture of different exhibitions from Brighton & Hove and along the coast to St Leonard’s and Hastings. The whole festival has over 100 exhibitions and is one of the most inclusive photography festivals open freely to the public. Not only are there free exhibitions but also many artist talks, workshops and screenings plus a chance to pick up lots of free stuff like artist postcards and photographic magazines. The festival runs from October 6 till November 18 2012 giving you lots of time to have chances to go back and view again.

I went to Brighton Photo Fringe, which has over 50 free exhibitions in that city alone and a large number of different photographic styles and approaches. Traveling there with my university Southampton Solent and I was surprised as to the amount I was to see in only a few hours, even though many of the exhibitions are very small, I had a great day of sightseeing and wandering along the beachfront. I plan to travel back with a few friends before the festival finishes to view the last of the artist works I missed and would advise anymore with a passion for photography or art, not to miss this chance of seeing so many artists displaying for free and all in one place.

In later posts I will be reviewing the exhibitions I saw separately and more in-depth, as well as sharing pictures taken on the day and of the galleries.

The Morality of Reportage Photography

When reading this artical http://www.guardian.co.uk/artanddesign/2010/mar/08/world-press-photo-sean-ohagan about images of a man stoned to death in december of 2010. I was very shocked that these were taken, however i do know what stuff like this still happened within some parts of the world.

After some thinking these are what i think of such images being taken: I believe images like this should be show to the world. As I feel that many of us are born, especially in first world counties, with wool over our eyes. We all live very comfortably and many of us not knowing much of the world outside our country and how lucky we really are. Taking pictures of tragic events is a way of showing the true world that we are living in. These photographers are a witness of those events and they should be shared in order for human beings to reflect more deeply onto the world, plus themselves and I think help shake the world out of their indifference. Photography brings forward issues and educate people who do not wish to listen to words. However when looking at these images it is shocking,it almost makes you not want to look or know about why this man has had this done to him because of guilt you were not there to stop it. Yet I feel it is disrespectful towards the stoned man to offer no captions or text explaining why this has happened to him.

"I have been a witness,and these pictures are my testimony. The events I have recorded should not be forgotten and must not be repeated." – quote from James Nachtwey a documentary photographer of war and suffering

If people are more interested about war photography, how its done, why some feel the need to do it and what kind of person it takes. You should look at the documentary War Photographer. It can be found on YouTube and its really insightful. Focusing on James Nachtwey and the stress of dealing with viewing the worst of the world as a job.

Instagram - Good or Bad?

Instagram is an application for smartphones that has recently just been bought by Facebook for $1billion. For anyone who doesn't know the application, it allows the user to take a picture with their phone then add coloured filters and borders to it, to create a 'vintage' effect. You can then upload your photographs taken with the app on to the social network facebook, where friends can see and share with each other. The debate about Instagram is very heated. Many people turn their noses up at it, saying that it is not a true form of photography and laugh at those who class themselves as photographers that use it. While others simple see it as a fast and easy way to share and capture moments with each other, having fun with the many filters that make the pictures more appealing.

I am personally annoyed with seeing pictures taken on Instagram filling my facebook newfeed of mundane objects and scenes, blue skies, light poles, bus stations, coffee cups, office chairs and even paving stones, suddenly are classed as cool and amazing with a old rusty filter place on top of the image. Often the effect doesn't match the subject, a brand new pair fluffy slippers in bad lighting with a dusty scratched old 50s tint effect placed on top? really?

Yet I'm not saying that I think Instagram is a bad thing, as I have seen some very good photographs with good compersions and lighting. However I feel that many people look down upon Instagram simple because normally the bad photographs out weigh the good. Yet it quick and easy giving many people who don't have time or unable to understand film photography a chance to still show their artistic flare, which might have become lost without this app. But it often annoys people who send long amounts of time developing film and working really hard to get an effect, while suddenly instagram can do it in seconds.

Overall I think Instagram is good, if used by people who already understand image composition and lighting. Its very simpler to how digital photography and photoshop are looked down upon, but are slowly being accepted as a art form.

ShowStudio - Selling Sex

I went back to ShowStudio to see their new exhibition called Selling Sex. To read about their previous exhibition scroll down and read my post ShowStudio - In Your Face. ShowStudio is an amazing place and i would advise everyone to check it out and its free to enter! They always display interesting and unusual work, that in most galleries would not. The exhibition contains a mixture of pieces such as photography, film, painting, fashion, collage and even sex toys.

Selling Sex battles against how many images of women created by the media that are done by men, often using the female body to get out to wider audience. The prospective in this exhibition is changed by featuring all female artists, therefore examining an 'self-other' relationship and examining their unique relationships to sex and the female nude. The exhibition allows women a chance to get there work displayed without the ''male gaze''. only 8% of the work exhibited at the Museum of Modern Art is created by women and at the the Tate’s female holdings amount to a only 15%. The imbalance doesn't only exist in fine art. But also in fashion, nearly all famous designers are male and major shots are done by top male photographers. Film women hold only 33% of all speaking roles and only 7% of all directors in Hollywood are women. And there remain only three industries in which women earn more money than men - pornography, prostitution and modelling.


ShowStudios aim is an exhibition made up of exclusively women artists looking at sex and nudity - examining a woman's version of a woman and asking how it differs from a man’s? Is an image of a nude woman empowered in the hand of a female artist? Does it resist traditionally constructed gender roles? Does it mock a voyeuristic male gaze?



The work I felt most draw towards was Porn sewn on Valentino Advert by Inge Jacobsen. Photography graduate Inge Jacobsen is a London based artist who takes found images and makes them her own through embroidering, cutting, and colleaguing.The images she uses are from women’s high fashion magazines and pornographic images found on the Internet. The reason I felt so draw towards this work is I have a personal passion for embroidery and collage, especially on photographic images.

"The Dailies" Exhibition by Thomas Demand

At the Sprüth Magers Gallery in London I recently saw the work of artist Thomas Demand. Thomas Demand is often known for making photographs of three-dimensional models that look like real images of rooms and other spaces. However for the exhibition the work that was displayed was different from his normal style. It is a collection of photographs that were studies everyday and mundane objects. Things you would often pass thinking nothing of it or in some case looking at it only as rubbish. Yet Thomas Demand almost forces the viewer to notice these day-to-day object that often go unnoticed and realise the beautiful in them.

In The Dailies, Demand for the first time experimented using an out of date process of printing called dye transfer, which involves fixing dyes with gelatin to ordinary paper. Very similar to technicolour, fixing each primary colour to the print paper one at a time. Demand chose to use this print process because its over saturated colour, however not garish effect. I found the style of print beautiful, it created an image depth not normally seen now a days, as well as an almost pop-art feel. While talking to one of the gallery staff, she informed me that this style of print process has actually stopped in production, meaning that no more of the gelatin fixing dyes are being made anymore. Meaning that is possible that Thomas Demand could have used up the last of the remaining supplies and these are the last photographs to ever be made in this process. Which I find weirdly upsetting as it make such rich and bold prints.

Double Exposure Photographs by Florian Imgrund and Dan Mountford

I have always found double exposure photography to be beautiful and very effective, however the works of Florian Imgrund and Dan Mountford really show the outstanding effect that double exposure can create. Two different artists I found through flickr, yet very similar, as they both merge portrait and landscape photography into single photos using double exposure.

German photographer Florian Imgrund got his first film camera in the summer of 2010 and has made incredibly good use of it since. All of his double exposure work is done completely in camera without the use of photoshop. Working mostly in black and white, he creates a dark and eerie feel in his photographs.

British photography and graphic design student Dan Mountford studies at Brighton University, England. The photos shown above are from his series called "The World Inside Us". Dan describes this series as “a visual journey through our minds by calm and tidy means which the reality of everyday life does not show.” He explores the use of double exposure in his photographs, successfully isolating parts of an image in camera with no help from Photoshop.

"To The River" Exhibition by Sophy Rickett

I went to the Arnolfini Gallery in Bristol to see the work of Sophy Rickett. The piece I saw was 'To The River' a new video/sound installation, filmed during the spring equinox on the banks of the River Severn. The film focuses on a group of people a waiting for the Severn Bore to pass. The Severn Bore is a tidal surge that sweeps up the estuary of the River Severn during a certain time of the year, it is one of the largest in the world and many people come to see it. The piece investigates the relationship between humans and the natural world.

Sophy writes: ‘The project will explore issues that have resonance locally, and also globally. I am interested in ideas around politics and the environment, and also in the very demanding and teleological relationship humans have with the natural world. I am also interested in the Bore as a subject in itself, and equally in its ‘agency’ in broader philosophical and cultural terms.’

The film is projected on three different screens in the corners of a large dark room, each screen is edited to play different parts of the film at the same time. A recording is played in the room, a mixture of crowd talking and waiting for the wave to pass and the low rumbling of the River Severn in the background. The sound echos around the room, surrounding the viewer. You hear the crowd joke and banter, while trying to entertain themselves in the cold while they wait. For a long time the crowd suddenly fall silent while small waves pass, this silence seem endless in the dark and you feel the same anticipation as the crowd, until a women breaks the silence and the crowd being talking again.

Taylor Wessing Portrait Prize 2011 Exhibition at National Portrait Gallery

I went to a exhibition at National Portrait Gallery to see the Taylor Wessing Portrait Prize candidates and winning photograph. Many different photographers enter, both young new artists and established professionals hoping for the chance of winning and getting their work shown in one of the top gallery in the country. The work is picked anonymously and judged according to its photographic values.

One photographers work I liked was Olive Selling Dresses by Kenneth O Halloran. What I liked about the images is the angle of the camera, shot at a low eye level, something unusual when viewing a child. The tones work amazingly, the cold pale blue tones of the dresses on display in the background contrast well with Olive's Freckled warm skin tone and clothing. He found Olive at a boot sale, so I'm some way this is a form of candid street photography. He asked for her permission and her parents before talking the picture, and I think he did a wonderful job in capturing her.

Another artist work that captured my attention was Oliver by Kelvin Murray. The surreal qualities of the image is what drew my eyes towards it most, a young boy in a raincoat standing in a shower with a sad face. For me the whole pictures has a very depressing and defeated feeling with in it, as well as a feeling of silence. These feelings are heightened by the use of pale pastel tones and dull shadow. Something quite quirky and unexpected about this photographs is that Oliver actually won in a raffle to be photographed.

When looking at Micheal Britt's Photograph of actress Kiera Knightly I was quite sceptical at first. As I felt it was unfair to be entered as by using a famous person it put the rest or at least most of the other candidates in the competition at a disadvantage. As many of the viewers will connect much more easily because there is already fame around the sitting and it can be related to because she has been seen before. However this picture hung on a wall at the far back of the exhibition and was still already to capture my eye from far away. It really grabs your attention because it has a good composition, interesting colour palette and soft lighting. Something else quite refreshing about this picture is that it is unphotoshopped, strange to see a celebrity like this. Yet I feel it is this that makes the picture so powerful. Making her seem more human like everybody else, still able to get wrinkles. The simplicity is also beautiful, a simple head and shoulder shot, which allows you to really appreciate her beauty.

However the winner of the Taylor Wessing Prize was a disappointment, as well as the runners up. To be honest I felt quite sad when moving around the exhibition as I was surprised that this work is meant to be the top portrait photography being made in the country. But I felt like I was walking around a room full of mostly depressing people staring down the len of the camera. There was little excitement as all the picture where pretty much the same. The winner was a portrait of a young girl with a somber face holding a ginger guinea pig that matched her hair by photographer Jooney Woodward entitled Harriet and Gentleman Jack. A ginger child with animals won last year, giving the impression that if you wish to win enter a pretty ginger child with a cute fluffy animal.

"Monsters of the Id" Exhibition by David Cotterrell

I went to the John Hansard Gallery to see the work "Monsters of the Id" by David Cotterrell. The exhibition is a mixture of video, audio, interactive media and artificial intelligence a hybrid of modern technology. The work was specifically designed to display in the Hansard Gallery and the technology had never been used for display in a gallery before. The layout of the gallery was changed for the exhibition, even adding new rooms and walls. The exhibition captured the disorientation of a civilian observer within a militarised environment.

As you entered the exhibition you was presented "Observer Effect" a large visually curved barren landscapes, as you stood within the space, slowly dark unnerving figure would appear and walk towards you. The amount of figures that appeared depended on the number of people in the room, however while i was their only four figures appeared during my two hour stay but the work was still only in testing at this point.

Upon entering the second room you find the work "Searchlight 2". The information taken by the sensors in the previous room is translated onto a long desert landscape of "Searchlight 2". You see yourself projected onto this work as a small fleeing figure moving across this landspace. The work symbolises the way in with aerial drones pick up movement within war zones. The piece is made out of piled white chalk which cracks and shifts similar to that of desert sands, i found this fascinating as of the sheer amount of time it must have taken to complete. The work is quite chilling as it makes you feel so watched and small within a landscape.

"Apparent Horizon" is the third piece of work shown in the exhibition, it is displayed in to small rooms parallel to each other, you stand within the doorways and before you is shown two domed landscapes. Apparent Horizon shows our role hovers between sublime reverie and the quiet anxiety between of periods of violence. Final in a smaller back room has a set up room that shows the inside of a military field base. The piece places you in the centre of what would be the surveillance base in the war zone. The room contained authentic military equipment and allowed you to walk about it freely.

ShowStudio - In Your Face

I travelled to London with some friends and we came across a gallery called ShowStudio (1 - 9 Bruton Place, London, W1J 6LT) and by came across i mean searched for hours. I really wanted to see the exhibition that was being held called In Your Face, named because the work being shown is very bold and defiant. The exhibition show work ranging from fine art, sculpture, film, fashion and photography, yet they all shared the same idea of being 'in your face'. Coming from a BTEC Art & Design course I always find myself drawn toward all types of mediums in art not only photography, i look at the work displayed and get inspiration to add to my own practice.

I went because i heard that one of Nick Knight's photographic prints was on display but while there i found myself also very interested in the work shown elsewhere around the exhibition. All the work dealed with different ideas of portrait and I found this very interesting. I found the gallery very easy to move around in the and staff very willing to name and explain what the peices were about as none of the work came with text, perhaps to leave the veiwer to make you their own ideas of the work.

The work of Nick Knight that i went to see was 'Devon' (1997). It is a photograph of Japanese/American model/actress Devon Aoki dressed Alexander McQueen shot for the cover of the style magazine Visionaire in 1997. The photo is a combination of two visionaires in the fashion, a world famous fashion photographer and a world famous designer. The work is meant to be confrontational and thought-provoking, and captures Aoki with a dark, futuristic style. The colours are muted and cold, along with Aoki serious expression makes a powerful emotion come from the photo. As i stood in front of the image I felt as if she was also looking back at me, i feel this is very important in portrature.



Another display of work I found interesting was 'Sauna Faces' by Stephen Doherty, 2011. The pieces are created using crayon, coloured-pencil and watercolour on coloured paper. Sauna Faces is a series of illustrated characters of a mixture of regulars, one offs, or first timers at a gay sauna. Some are people he has met, others are constructs of what Doherty imagines must be commonly shared feelings among sauna-goers.

"Lonely, lovelorn, unlucky, messed-up, his drawings trace the lines of psychological tragedy and desire that overspread the faces of men who are constantly looking, and being looked at, on the prowl, yet unmistakably vulnerable and lost."

Though I didn’t know of the meaning behind the work while I was there, I could still understand the ideas of emotion he was trying to show in his use of colours and drawing style. I find it interesting that he is dealing with the emotions of people doing an act that I can imagine much of society look down upon, making them equal human beings.

Out Of Focus: Photography Exhibition By Saatchi Gallery London

I went to the Saatchi Gallery to see the group exhibition Out Of Focus: Photography. Designed to give students, both British and international, a chance of exposure and a opportunity to display their work in an established gallery. The Saatchi Gallery is known for displaying innovative and contemporary art and this exhibition was not a let down. However the exhibition lacked structure and flow, yet it matched perfectly to my own personally way of liking to view book. Allowing you to wander the gallery rooms and become excited to what you might find in them.

One of the most captivating of artist works were the beautiful landscapes of the American west by young photographer David Benjamin Sherry that can be found in gallery space two. His photographs are dramatic mountainscapes with otherworldly light.The dreamy and surreal colours were cast at exposure or later during printing, and the kind of colour cast that he created depended completely on his mood at that time.

Mat Collishaw's work can be found toward the back of the Saatchi in gallery space 10. His large 'photographes' are made from hundreds of tiny ceramic tile, places together to make the illusion of a large scale pixelated photograph. The tiles make a high gloss finish, as well as the placement of tiny mirrors mixed within the lightest patches to add to the effect. My favourite piece of out of the three being showcased was Madonna. The face of Madonna is a cropped photographed of an Indian women taken after her village was destroyed by a flood, a timeless and tragic face. Mat Collishaw uses mosaic to immortalise his subjects the same way images of saints where in early churches, while the pixelated effect refers to the Internet culture of today.

The work Hannah Starkey's women in everyday scene can be found in gallery space 12. I found it strange to come across her work within the exhibition, especially as i was lead to believe the work was for upcoming artist. Not already established photographers, yet it was still a pleasant surprise. She explores the everyday experiences and observations of inner city life from a female perspective. She see herself as a street photographer, however her style of shooting is not the average candid approach of many street photographs. First finding an location then waiting till finding a person who she finds interesting to appear. She asks for permission from the sitter and tell them what she wants, creating structured and controlled photographs.

On the lower ground floor space of gallery 15 can be found the work of Richard Wilson, the only permanent installation at the saatchi gallery and has been on display since 1991. Viewed from above from a platform the viewer is shown a infinite pool of black, making the illusion of a highly polished floor. The installation fills the space to transformed gallery 15 into a expansive and epic visual space that mirrors the saatchi's architecture. The pool is made from used sump oil which has flooded the room, a thick and pitch black liquid. A beautiful and absording piece, but be perpared for the slight smell of engine oil up your nose!