Evaluation Of Personal Project.

The theme for this project was ‘Personal Project’. I have interpreted the theme by creating my own theme of Depression; I’ve reflected my contemporary research findings in this work by using artist Barbara Kruger for inspiration.

To begin with I drew out a large mind map in my sketchbook, as my chosen pathway was portraiture I came up with ideas that expressed this best.

I then decreased all of the sketchy ideas to 4 main ideas to which my themes were relationships, loneliness /Isolation, Distortion and Mood changes. However I soon dropped Mood changes as an idea and just developed the others.

To get inspiration for these ideas I looked up photographers that expressed these themes in their artwork, amongst whom I found Jamie Diamond, Richard Vantielcke and Thomas Jackson, Each of these photographers had very different ideas about each of my themes and I adored the way they perceived them.

Jamie Diamond was expressing the relationship between mother and child and used her relationship with her mother to recreate this using a plastic toy dolly, which she took to various locations and photographed it.

Richard Vantielcke who expressed isolation and alienation from others by being different and did this by placing a cardboard box on his head and walking around taking photographs, which illustrated a story.

Thomas Jackson who used science fiction and literature to create a darkly humorous narrative about a lonely robot's failure to exist with the natural world.

After analyzing these artists I decided to produce a Pinterest mood board again displaying my three themes in different exciting ways.

Whilst looking on Pinterest I found loads of images that depicted my themes differently from slow shutter speeds for distortion to candid shots of romance for relationships.

After these I looked at artists Andy Warhol and Miles Donovan and adopted their style to produce artworks with my first photo-shoot.

My first photo-shoot was images of people on the train I did this to convey the relationships between strangers and they were in sort of a time lapse of as one person gets on the train they might leave after a while or someone that is sitting on the train might gain a person. I used these images to create a Miles Donovan and Andy Warhol inspired piece-using Photoshop.

After this I took more photographs for my second theme distortion however I took these images at multiple viewpoints so that after I could construct little creations which is just what I did. With my first viewpoint images I produced a David Hockney style artwork, which made my models, face larger than his body, which was very effective for my them. Secondly with the multiple viewpoint images I produced a GIF of a model pulling on her face distorting it out of shape.

Then, I decided to conduct a third photo-shoot depicting my third theme of Loneliness/Isolation and these worked particularly well I had images of my model sitting on a bench playing a guitar and I also incorporated the distortion theme into the photo-shoot by producing images where my model shook his head on a slow shutter speed. After taking these photographs I wanted to improve the quality of them and imported them into Photoshop to manipulate them.

Soon after I took a trip to The Photographers Gallery to look at the exhibition Home truths which overall I found disturbing by informative. Then after reviewing my ideas in a essay style in my sketchbook I decided to take the idea of loneliness and take it to the next level by researching what type of illnesses it can be a symptom of in which I found depression.

After choosing this final theme I captured another photo-shoot trying out the very simple poses to convey this and after manipulating them I researched artist Barbara Kruger.

Barbara Kruger is famously known for her typography on found images, she uses quotes which question feminism, consumerism and classicism. Her bold lettering is produced by using a etching technique whereby she carves the letters into a metal plate and runs this through a etching machine.

I really liked her style and decided to incorporate her style into my final piece by producing 6 GIFS based on photographs I took in my final Depression themed photo-shoot. Although I am highly influenced by Barbara Kruger I wanted my piece to be more personal and not a copy of her work, which is why I changed certain aspects of her context, design and technique when creating my piece.

Each GIF portrayed something different from challenging common stereotypes people have of people suffering from depression to bringing out the subconscious of someone suffering from depression (taken from the NHS website) and factual information about depression also taken from the NHS website. I wanted these Gifs to be very flashy and quick to make the reader consume the information that is being given to them at first glance.

Although to improve my final piece I should have maybe used different models for the different photographs instead of the same model in each print this would make the text relate to the individual featured more.

Also, I could have perhaps personalized each image before putting the bold lettering on them as I only did this for a few of my images.

To create the Barbara Kruger lettering on my photographs I opted for a personalized way instead of using a etching technique, So to create this effect I first painted a piece of paper red and then cut strips from it and this was my base for my newspaper letters. The process of my final piece required a high attention span and sharp eyes as I had to manually search for the letters I needed though newspapers and this proved difficult when not all my required letters were there.

Overall I am Very pleased with my Final coursework outcome, a lot of hard work and research went into it as well as a lot of experimental photo shoots. I think my final outcome was really successful I accomplished what I set out to do and in the end it looked even better than I thought it would so for me that’s a accomplishment in itself.

Final Piece Gif's

These are my Final piece Gif's which I've put together by combining my plain un-design images with my Barbara Kruger inspired images. I wanted these GIF's to be very flashy and quick to really just sort of get the viewers attention and make them consume my quotes into their mind.

Inside My Gif's

These are the layers of my GIF's, Each Gif is very different in terms of the layers, However I've made them all quite fast and flashing as this is the variable I wanted all my GIF's to have in common.

For this GIF I wanted attention to be payed to the nails with the words displayed upon them, So I made the hands quite bright whist leaving the hair quite dark.

For this GIF I've added a quite orangey layer and a layer with no background this is to make the background be the focal point to the image. As I wanted this to suggest she is alone in her thoughts and by displaying the outside world this conveys this.

For this GIF, I've added really dark layers as well as really light layers to get the effect of the darkness caving in on her.

For this GIF I've changed the colour of my letter 'M' as I mentioned before I want the 'M' to represent her as how she feels, different isolated from the other letters/people.

Ive increased the brightness on some of these GIF'S to make the lettering on her arm stand out really well when the loop comes to it.

Barbara Kruger Inspired Final Piece

These are my Final Piece Photographs personalized in a Barbara Kruger style.

These Bold words 'You wont see me cry' were chosen because of the narrative I previously wanted this picture to portray which was the projection to the outside world that every thing is okay when its not. I've also added smaller words on the fingernails of this photo which are symptoms of depression.






These bold words 'depression is a illness' was taken from the NHS website about depression, it stated that most people think that depression is a sign of weakness and it can easily be snapped out of which isn't true depression is infact a illness.
I've also added part of this article to the mirror in a dripping effect these words define depression and some of its symptoms briefly.

This image is my simplest composition as I think the words describe the picture fully. I've chosen to use these words because as I explained previously she feels she has none but herself so depends on the comfort of her stuffed animal which she knows isn't real so her subconscious speaks and tells us how she is feeling which is 'I'm Alone'.

Following the same principal of the other images I produced this piece. I've chosen to use the words 'Im not strong' because when you are depressed you don't particularly feel at your strongest and sometimes people who are depressed don't like to admit this, so in this picture the subconscious is speaking for my model telling the audience her true thoughts.
The green coloring on the letter 'M' really stands out and this was done purposely to again portray that she feels different from everyone else she feels like this letter 'M' like she doesn't fit in.

These bold words 'I'm Fine' are again common words used by those who are experiencing depression I've taken these words from a story from a website about people and they stories about depression. The smaller words on her arm define depression and state that it is not a sign of weakness this was taken from the NHS website.

 

I've chosen this lettering to challenge the many stereotypes people have about depression one in which is that 'He she is too young to be depressed' which again isn't true depression can effect anyone men and women young and old.

 

 

 

 

These bold words were taken from my earlier narrative I wanted to portray of the darkness carving in on her which is a common thing to feel when your depressed , you feel as thought the weight of the world is on your shoulders and your simply cant cope anymore. The mini words are taken from a article on the NHS website describing the symptoms in which most people experience.

Barbara Kruger Analysis

Barbara Kruger is a artist and not a photographer however, I found her unique style inspirational.

Kruger was born in Newark, New jersey in 1945, since then she has gathered a huge design background. She attended Syracuse University, The School Of Visual Arts and Design and studied with Diane Arbus at Parsons School of Design in New York.

 

Kruger's style is very unique and adopts the DADA movement style of using found resources and producing something new. Kruger takes found photographs and personalizes them by adding a red border and white lettering on top which are filled with quotes to add to each image. Much of her text questions the viewer personally about feminism, classism, consumerism and individual antimony and desire.
Her work however could be seen as contradictory as the black and white photographs she uses normally come from mainstream magazines that portray the issues she is addressing.
Kruger's work has appeared in a variety of places from exhibitions in museums and galleries to very much public places like bus cards, billboards, posters and train station platforms.

Kruger's use of personal pronouns such as 'You' or 'We' addresses the reader directly and makes them feel as thought she is talking to them which I think is very effective if your trying to get a message across.

This idea was used in Russian and English propaganda posters, they used personal pronouns in a more aggressive way to try and pressure men to join the army. A very famous example of this is this poster below.

 

 

 

 

Three aspects that make this poster successful are 1 the staring eyes which seem to follow the reader no matter where they stand to view it. 2 the pointing hand pointing directly outward at whoever may be reading it and 3 the personal pronouns 'your' and 'you' which involves the reader with the poster.

 

I really like the picture behind this print because of the technical elements involved IE solarisation. However the words Kruger has chosen to place on this image don't really seem to illustrate her point well if she wanted this meaning to be effective I think she should of chosen a image with either a woman bleeding or a woman pasting a lot of makeup to show the things our bodies go through.

 

However I think that this print is a great example of hers because the image underneath supports her quote very well. The woman in this picture holds a looking glass that enlarges her eye which conveys that she needs the looking glass to see things which the eye cant. So by adding this quote it enhances the meaning of the photograph behind it. This print also feels like she is exploiting advertising posters that are sexist towards women in the 50's displaying them as housewives.

 

A lot of Kruger's images do relate to her added quotes I just think at first glance it isn't quite clear.

However Barbara Kruger's style is something I want to adopt into my work but instead of using found images I will use images from my final depression photo shoot.

I will place text on my images using newspapers and magazines instead of etching onto a plate and printing this like Kruger did.

I will use quotes from the NHS website on Depression and also story's and catchphrases from people who have dealt with it. I'm using Kruger as inspiration but I don't want to use her techniques materials directly as then it would just be a sort of dedication piece to her which is not what I want to portray.

I want to use Kruger's style to raise awareness and offer facts that inform people about depression and that also challenge some common stereotypes about it

 

Final Photoshoot: Depression

This is my Final piece 'Depression' themed photo-shoot

 

 

 

 

 

This is a Print from my photo shoot, I placed the teddy bear with her to demonstrate isolation from real people and the dependency on her teddy bear. For this image I've Manipulated it on Photoshop by changing the contrast to very dark black and decreasing the brightness.

.For this Image Ive gone for a crying look, however instead of crying for all to see ive shown her crying with her hands covering her face to portray that she doesnt want attention she doesnt want other people to know she cant cope.Reading on the NHS website this is very common for people who suffer with depression they dont want to admit they need help. To improve this image I changed I it to black and white an adjusted the contrast really high to show the sparkly nail varnish and the detail on the fingers.

For this image I wanted to again demonstrate the isolation an sadness she feels by making her staring at the wall blankly, also I wanted to

make it as if she sees something on the wall as if she is hallucinating. To improve this image I adjusted the exposure an transformed it to black and white, I wanted the edit to demonstrate the darkness craving in on her

For this image I wanted to capture my model staring at herself in the mirror with no reflection because people that are depressed have a complete change in personality they aren't the person with the same characteristics as they used to be and this is what I wanted to convey in this piece that my model has changed so much during this illness that she doesn't even recognize herself. To improve this image I changed the colour to black and white and increased the brightness to give it this airy blurred look.

For this image I wanted my model to hug her legs to convey she feels as if she has no one else but herself and she's hugging herself for comfort.
To improve this image I zoomed out a lot to first establish where my model is sitting as this adds more character to the photograph instead of a posed model in a set up location. I also adjusted the colour to black and white and dodged the outside to make it as if the sun is really shining but her mood contrasts this.

For this picture I wanted my model to be in a dreamlike state, staring out the window and hugging her knees and in the same way I've deliberately positioned her next to a closed fence to illustrate that she feels as if there is no way out. To improve this picture I used the dodge tool to really lighten her skin and the burn tool to really darken her hair and dress as well as changing the whole image to black and white. 

Depression Photoshoot

 

This  Is my first photo-shoot with my now chosen theme 'Depression', below I've tried to improve these images in a variety of ways to make them relate to this theme.

 

 

For this image I wanted the main focal point to be the eyes as I made him look emotionless for this picture. To improve this image I changed the colour to black and white and added a grainy texture to one of the layers to give the image a sharp detailed look.

 

 

For this image I wanted to add a dark a gloomy look to my models face and also make him look slightly ashamed of himself. To improve this I first transformed the colour to black and white and them decreased the brightness of the image and increased the contrast all completed using Photoshop.

In this image I wanted to convey it as thought my model was pondering about something and to improve this image I again switched the colour to black and white and increased the contrast.

 

 
 


For this picture I again wanted to add a sad depressed sort of look so I photographed my model alone in a field with his hood up and hands in his pockets to convey the feeling of alienation and isolation.
To improve this image I increased the contrast and also increased the red and blue tones.










For this image I wanted to get him sitting by the window as if he is waiting for someone to come home in fear of others, he sits by the window to prepare himself for this human encounter.
To improve this image I dodged and burned him to make him very silhouette like and dodged and intensified the bright light shining in so it reflects a car approaching the house.

The Photographers Gallery Review

 

The exhibition Home Truths was introduced with a  rather large definition of the content of the exhibition printed on the wall, the description read: " A home truth can be simply understood as a fact that is somewhat discomforting to acknowledge or may cause embarrassment..."

The overall theme was mainly about the relationship a woman can have to her baby I believe the exhibition achieved this is a different way as the photographs were not cute and ones which would be stored In family albums instead the photographers seemed to explore more the hardships of having a child in a explicit an in my opinion disgusting way.

 

One of the less explicit photographs which I liked is by photographer Fred Huning.

 

This picture features a rather young mum with her child both holding cameras in the way of there faces, whilst the 'Mum's' camera appears to be more contemporary the child holds a polaroid.

They are both sat on the floor of a house this is speculated because of the plug socket situated to the right of the composition. The time of day is morning as the sun appears to be out and producing shadows on the floor next to them.

I would say this work emphasizes the theme of relationships and the artist has done this by conveying a common hobby which this family share, but what's discordant about this is that the child possesses a older model of a camera surely if this was to work he would be holding a toy camera but I think this idea links into the theme of home truths being quite strange.

The artist has used a front shining light to give a effect of a split shadow in this picture, its effective because by shining the light here its enhanced the colour of the clothing making the reader pay more attention to the creases in the jeans.

 

This is another image which caught my attention by Hanna Putz.

 

 

This photograph features a woman holding her baby on top of her shoulders, the baby is nude whilst she is wearing a long dress.

As this picture was studio staged its hard to tell what time of day it is because of the artificial lighting but I think this work is about the connection between a mother an child how the baby fits perfectly on her shoulders how his shape blends in with hers to form essentially one figure.

By shooting this photograph in a studio its given a pure white background perhaps to suggest innocence and purity.

I think this photograph is very successful in its portrayal the use of shape is the most significant element to this piece and its been used very well.

 

Throughout the exhibition there were a lot of disturbing images that incorporated the theme of being uncomfortable to observe for this reason I chose to analyze the less explicit images out of the exhibition.

However I feel this next image related more closely to this theme:

 

This photograph is by Ana Casas Broda this image features a woman looking very distressed with markings on her body.

This image looks as if it was taken from a studio because of the artificial lighting coming from the front of her, I can tell that this is artificial lighting because of the blank dull background and the positioning of the light. I think this piece clearly demonstrates the hardships of motherhood and this is evident from her facial expression as well as the various childlike doodles on her body.

 The Concerning element to this piece is that the woman is nude and these doodles are on her nude body which connotes that she was playing with the children naked which allowed them to doodle on her- that is the discomforting bit to this.

This piece relates to the theme effectively and directly the compositioning and various already talked about elements to it make it so.

 

Overall I found this exhibition to be very disturbing but the very few images that weren't of this explicit nature were interesting and related to the theme well.