Cheryls Childrens Home

via cherylshome.net

Hello to one and all.

Although our wonderful country is growing and expanding in different directions to keep up with the rest of the world. There are still those who are less fortunate than some. If we only concentrate on one side of the country we would end being lop sided, hence certain people who need our help more than ever would be left out.
I have come together with two other innovative individuals, Andrew Siro and Mulunda Kombo to help our chosen charity, Cheryl's Children Home.

We are bringing everyone together and having an event on the 21st of November at Divino restaurant and bar. The event is called Dream Realm. The theme is "when i grow up i want to be....." As i said before the proceedings would be donated to Cheryl's Children Home. Guests at the event would have to dress up as what they wanted to be when they were younger.
This is to take people back to when they were young, as well as to inform them that every child has a dream, and to extend their giving hand to help those who unable to attain their goals as easily as some can.
Furthermore helping them realize the possibility to attain their dream, by us helping them with the donations from the Dream Realm Event.

So if your in Nairobi, on the 21st of November pass by the event and help children achieve their dreams.

Bless!

Posted via web from redbanana's posterous

HUSTLE on BBC ONE.

via bbc.co.uk

To be fair this is one of my latest obsessions the series Hustle.

Hustle is a British television comedy-drama series made by Kudos Film & Television for BBC One in the United Kingdom. Created by Tony Jordan and first broadcast in 2004, the series follows a group of con artists who specialise in "long cons" – extended deceptions which require greater commitment, but which return a higher reward than simple confidence tricks.

I must admit that I'm not a huge fan of majority of English series, never really got into it. However this show alone has single handedly made me reconsider everything I ever said and felt about English shows. The humor mixed with the intrinsic details of their long cons will have you wanting to see more.

Give it a shot at least one episode.... guarantee you will be hooked.

Posted via web from redbanana's posterous

Art Caffe Nairobi

via spotskenya.com

You gotta love it.
Art Caffe in Nairobi has given other competing coffee shops in Nairobi a run for their money.
With signature coffees and cakes, residents of Nairobi as well as visitors to our country, enjoy either sitting inside the "coffee house" or outside on the terrace viewing the surrounding neighborhood of Westlands. Or if you fancy upstairs in the Westgate Mall they have placed a coffee stand surround by couches for the comfort of their customers.
Not only coffees and pastries but they will cater to the needs of their customers. With being greeted with a smile and a menu that will tickle anyones fancy.
Sitting in Art Caffe one can forget their in Kenya and think their in Europe. Kenya is stepping up, appreciate it, love it, support it.

Posted via web from redbanana's posterous

Cycle for Understanding- 70 Days and 70 Nights Cycling from Cape Town to Nairobi

via cycleforunderstanding.org

Who are they?
Aaron Bodansky and Eric Silverman are the founders of the non profit organization called “Cycle for Understanding.”
Aaron and Eric both attended University of Cape Town.
Aaron is from Seattle and Eric from New York City.

Cycle for Understanding:
Cycle for Understanding is an non profit organization which was set up to demystify the truth about Africa as oppose to what the western media portrays.
As they were doing a study abroad in UCT and traveled around Africa they came to discover is not all about poverty, war, crime and death.
Aaron and Eric took it upon themselves to prove this to Non - Africans who have been mislead by various medias.

70 days and 70 nights?
Aaron and Eric both cycled prove that there is much more to Africa than the negitivty that is sprayed across the western world.
Aaron and Eric both cycled from Cape Town, South Africa to Nairobi, Kenya.
It took them both 70 days and over 5000kms.
They proved to people that Africa is beautiful and full of adventures and amazing people that they had come across on their journey.

Support the Cause:
Now that you know their story, we ask you to kindly help get their story out.
As Africans supporting Africa, as well as for the purpose to educate Non- Africans on the remarkable adventure they have embarked.

Gaze at this story its amazing via their website. Aaron and Eric have already started getting press coverage in Nairobi, through RoyKing Ltd. Aaron and Eric are still working on getting their story out, learn more and see their blog stories, www.cycleforunderstanding.org.

Posted via web from redbanana's posterous

Mali women's rights bill blocked

via news.bbc.co.uk

For a nation where over 90% of the population is of the Islamic religion, President of Mali refused to sign the new family law, in stead returning the law back to parliament to be reviewed.
The muslims of Mali are against the new family law,saying the "law is the devils work." The law would have given women more rights than they already have.
Women's devastated to hear that what they thought could have been a new beginning for them, in fact was currently put on hold.
Is there no other avenue that President Amadou Toumani Toure could have taken to maintain a calm and peaceful society, with the comprehension to understand what the law could have possibly done for women in Mali?
In view of the fact majority of the population do not agree with the law, does that mean it is wrong or saitanic? Does this mean the minority should be not be taken into consideration?
Could the law be talking for some of those who are not at liberty to speak for themselves?

Posted via web from redbanana's posterous

BBC - Blast - Home

via bbc.co.uk

CALLING ALL YOUNG ARTISTS:

Browsing through the BBC website I stumbled across a link for "BLAST."
This is a website providing young artists a medium through where they can show case their talent.
It is not only traditional art but even more rad. From modeling competitions to give a young and upcoming model a chance to show case their talent on the run of London's Fashion week. To the ability to upload photographic content so the world can see how one perceives the world through a camera lens.
THe website also includes Events so that the viewers are not left ignorant of what is going on in the world of creativity.
Competitions are held and for those who win get a step closer to their dream or goals.
This website is available to those in Northern Ireland, Wales and Scotland. I hope soon it will be provided all over the world so the rest of the independent artists are also given a chance.
To see more check out this link:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/blast/

Posted via web from redbanana's posterous

BBC - Blast - Home

via bbc.co.uk

artists?....photographer?....model?......fashion designer?.....this could be for you!

Browsing on the BBC website i stumbled on the "BLAST," link, due to curiosity i clicked on it.
Come to find it is a website devoted to young artists and young people who are willing to take the risk in show casing their talent.
From competitions to give a potenial model the chance to grace the catwalk of London's Fashion Week.
There are also tabs for message boards and events that one could be equally interested in.
From uploading ones photos, to the ability to take over 1Xtra program for a day and many more exciting ways to take steps further to achieving your goal .
This website is active in Northern Ireland, Wales and Scotland. Hopefully soon the BBC will take it to the next level and allow others to present their talents around the world.

For more check out the link:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/blast/

Posted via web from redbanana's posterous

A New Language

As you all know I was allowed to take this class without having a photo presentation (I was unaware that I had to take photo I before hand). Being in this class and looking at everyone’s presentations and their improved presentation stimulated my mind in another way I never knew I could.

Having the opportunity to look at every ones photos and being able to make critiques about them was more than I could ask for. If photography was a language I did my best to understand and learn.

Everybody’s presentation was mind blowing especially the seniors who also had their senior shows to present. Deserves nothing more than a standing ovation. I honestly proffered looking at my classmates work than going gallery hopping in Chelsea. For some reason or another I felt more connected to the work that I saw in the classroom than the work at some of the galleries. I felt they were more personal, maybe it is because once a week I spent 3hours and 45mins with them a week.

I would like to say thank you to the class for opening my mind and showing me a new world and teaching me the language of photography. I wish you the best in your future endeavors with photography by your side, wherever it may take you. 

A Class Party with an Ethical Touch

I think of all days Stephan has tried to get us to stay in class for an extra half hour, he finally succeeded too bad it was the last class ever.

I would just take this blog to comment about Stephan’s presenting on his photos in his very first photo I class.

To say the least they were very moving. I especially liked the picture of the four older women sitting down. That specific picture not only makes me people ay “awww” but one can honest feel the love and warmth from that photograph.

I knew more about each photograph due to Stephan explaining the anecdote behind it. This for some reason or another drew me in closer to the photographs it was though I knew a little secret about each one of them.

Another picture that spoke out to me was the picture that was taken in the morgue. With the autopsy utensils and a Polaroid picture of a baby which looked to me like a baby girl. Placed on top of the equipment a picture of a past away child lay. This picture was so disturbing on so many levels but also very upsetting, this picture hit a nerve and I was so sad when looking at that picture. Stephan went on to tell us that he would never show this picture in an exhibition due to it not being ethical and you don’t know how people would react to such a picture with a harsh background of that specific picture.

When Stephan made his ethical comment it got me thinking how much consideration goes through the selection of ones photographs to be put up on display.

I had never really thought about the ethics behind photography and during the class party was eyes were kind of opened to this new perspective to the art of photography.

Fashion->Glamour->Devlin

I remember looking at your first presentation and thinking wow these are some great, bright colorful fashion photos. However some of the photographs not only fell into contemporary fashion but there was a lot of photographs that looked like the subjects were in 70’s, they had a vintage feel to them. As well as the photographs playing both the fields of glamour photography and fashion photography, which you seemed to roll into one very well. All of the photographs appealed to me, but I was keen on two of them especially.

There was one photograph, which was of a lady doing some domestic chores and had a vacuum cleaner in her hand, whilst the wire was wrapped around her leg. She was wearing what looked high fashion clothing and high heel shoes. This not only obtained the theme of a fashion theme but spoke to the modern day woman who tries to accomplish all. High fashion and traditional views of how a woman should act in society. This photograph was full of energy color and presented the audience with many ways to look at it. For example, was it just a woman trying to clean in fashionable apparel, was it trying to say about the “modern day woman” trying to accomplish everything which would be looking good and also taking care of a home, or was it a woman who was attempting traditional views but her garment is saying the total opposite about her.

Another photograph that I was fond of was the one with the dancers in the library that were spread out. I remember Stephan saying that he thought they looked like dancers going mad in a library. I personally liked the fact that the dancers were in the library it was a great change of setting. People are used to seeing a photograph of dancers in a studio with the dancers being in a library it catches the audience off guard. This photograph and an individual and not with the whole presentation was very successful. If you were to maybe work on it as a separate project and elaborate on the theme, I feel it would be just as successful as your fashion photographs came to be.

 For your latest presentation of photographs you experimented with a new style of photography. You took a photograph and cut it into specific bits and pieces. This was extremely different than your previous presentation. I have to say this is by far the most experimental idea I have seen in this class out of all the critiques. I feel you had an idea and just went with it. It was your first trial, I feel that with more ideas to come you will find a way to use this avenue of your new idea to present more work in this method you have come to find. 

Younger Than Thirty-Something

I find it hard to marry smarmy kitsch and irony in any fashion you could deem suitable for an art exhibition. Not to mention, the two attitudes are so inherently unfavorable to begin with that either one would be enough to raise a suspecting eyebrow. However, I am not surprised to see that the New Museum saw this as a potential curatorial thread for their Younger Than Jesus exhibition [currently on display]. I respectfully acknowledge that the New Museum aims to push the bounds of modern conceptual art with their slow rolling roster of group shows each year. However – really guys? No seriously – really?!

Not to sound entirely displeased with the show or seem as though I’m taking on some dismissive high-horse, I did manage to find a few pieces amid the lot that did catch my interest and - by a relative standard to the rest of the show – I was glad to have seen them. And such is the case with most group shows: take the good with the bad, assess each piece on it’s own, and then draw a conclusion. Fine. But my conclusion stands as such: the Younger Than Jesus show missed the mark entirely. And I have my reasons. Firstly, the core attendees of the museum are, by and large, “younger than Jesus” and therefore this current exhibition resonates as something of a peer show to its main audience. Secondly, the show takes on so many different artistic mediums, cramming them into tight corners and poorly labeled spaces, that there is no cohesive aesthetic thread when walking through the galleries: things are cluttered and disjointed. So – by this two aforementioned problems comes the third: too much! And I mean that in all substantial respects of the adage. Too fucking much!

First of all, to title the show Younger Than Jesus is so unnecessarily tongue-in-cheek [and peculiar, considering Jesus died with no real age ever hammered into history he was believed to have been somewhere between the age of thirty-two and thirty-five] that such a name seems arbitrary, aside from the shock value that sometimes arises when religion is referenced in art. Maybe if Gulianni was still mayor, it’d be good for some press, but no such luck. Honestly, there’s no necessity behind referencing Jesus when discussing age here. Was another title option Older Than Jesus In His Teens? Doesn’t have quite the same ring, but same idea right [if it’s even an idea]. Well, be that as it may, a show is never made or broken by its title, and I shouldn’t devote too much attention such things, but let this point serve as the first misfire of many that surround this show.

In respect to the curatorial aspect of Younger Than Jesus, the show was a mess. Large, flaming installation pieces trumped small-scale minimalist paintings, and ground-hugging light installations that required minimal lighting situations shared space with deep-tone monochrome photographs that [obviously – my fellow photo students] require adequate lighting to be truly appreciated. And this type of sloppiness clamored along from piece to piece throughout the entire show, almost to a point where I thought there might have been a reason behind it, but my intelligence is still unable to fully grasp that consideration. I’m still left scratching my head.

Now – for the irony and kitsch and pretentious cheekiness. Much of the work in the show took part in a dialogue about the pitfalls of the modern age and its dependence on technology by debasing the issue at hand or totally dumbing-down the issue to farce and parody. However, any educated, art-conscious, college-educated gallery-go’er is coming into the show possesses an understanding of these truths and doesn’t need Ryan Trecartin [por exemplo] spoon-feeding them his silly parodies in order to get it. So what?!

Like I said earlier, there were some artists in the show that I did like: six, to state a figure. However, out of nearly fifty artists, that doesn’t say much. And a lot of my favor towards these select six was undoubtedly influenced by my immense displeasure with the remaining forty-something. In respect to those artists – who I refrain from mentioning now – I will look into their work further and draw my opinions later. Basically, the point of this entry is to review the show at large – not to highlight or discredit select artists featured in. However, out of nearly fifty artists, that doesn’t say much. And a lot of my favor towards these select six was undoubtedly influenced by my immense displeasure with the remaining forty-something. In respect to those artists – who I refrain from mentioning now – I will look into their work further and draw my opinions later. Basically, the point of this entry is to review the show at large – not to highlight or discredit select artists featured in Younger Than Jesus. And I’m pretty sure I got my point across. So there.

Housewares & Meaning

New Museum

I felt many different reactions when finishing my visit to the New Museum. Unlike most of my peers, I was more intrigued than apathetic to the entire exhibit. Though I agree that the layout affected the show negatively, not enhancing certain works that were pushed into corners or just were simply badly placed, I did find a lot of the work interesting. Interesting is a vague word, I know, but it’s hard to pinpoint exactly what I felt afterwards. As far as the photography went, I felt the photographers were competent and that the works were strong. They weren’t particularly memorable, but I felt they added a lot more clarity to the theme of the exhibition than the super abstract works.



My favorite piece all in all was actually the first one I saw, on the top floor, by Katerina Seda. This was one piece that I felt best expressed the differences between generations. The grandmother seemed so lonely and apathetic, had no spark that this “younger than Jesus” generation holds to such importance. The differences in speaking, humor, and simply energy and interest in the world were showcased well by Seda. According to the write-up, Seda asked her grandmother to draw pictures everyday of objects she could remember from the housewares stored where she had worked before retiring. Her Grandmother at the time was two years from death and had seemed extremely depressed and apathetic, Seda hoped drawing would help her overcome a sense that her life hadn't mattered. The bleak yet enthralling video brought the viewer into the world of an old woman in a changed world, and Seda trying to create meaning and showcase these cultural differences. The drawings that covered the entire wall were comprised mostly of not recognizable objects and their name in Russian. So, really the presentation was on the work of her Grandmother, through the lens of Seda.

New Museum

I arrived late to the museum but when I got there and stepped out of the elevator to the fourth floor I took one look around and immediately felt a need to find a fellow classmate to discuss the show and help me through it. A lot of the works I just tried to observe and take something away from it but the being bizarre for bizarre's sake made it a little difficult. Also the way the exhibition was set up...putting black and white photographs in a dark corner just makes them look extra contrasty and difficult to look at. I think the migratory banana peel is funny...I don't know if it's art but it was clever.

more last minute crits! group c!

Gabe - these were totally different from your others but I like them! I really liked the photograph of the green bucket/rope thing amongst the rubble because of the different colors and textures. I was also really fond of the sky photos because of the lines created by nature and man. I thought they were really interestingly composed.

Emily - as usual you're photographs are so impressive. The way you use the mirrors in your compositions and the way your subjects are able to contort their body make your photographs wildly interesting. I love that I have to look at them for a long period of time trying to figure out what is going on. Adding a second dancer was also a great move on your part because of the way they interacted with one another.

Devlin - I like that you keep trying out different styles of photographing and presentations of your photographs. I really liked your kind of study of textures and colors and I would like to see you take it further and to see what you would do if you continued experimenting with panoramic photographs - either photographing with a panoramic camera or cutting the photos down like you did for these.

last minute crits group B

Aubrey - I liked the photograph of the license plate because it resembled a reflection or a painting because of the colors of rust mixing in with the color of the original car. I also liked the one of the curtains because of the layering effect it created within the frame.

Charlotte - even though you're photographs are of buildings you've found someway to make them all intriguing. I've recently developed an appreciation of graffiti so I really enjoyed how it was represented in your photographs, sometimes being the focus sometimes not.

Maria - I LOVE the old woman - like I said in class, I think older people are wonderful subjects for photographs because their faces are full of lines and character and the woman you photographed definitely had a 'good mug.'

Dineo Seshee Bopape featured in “Younger Than Jesus” exhibition at The New Museum.

By far out of all the museums we have visited during this semester, the exhibition “Younger Than Jesus” had been the most “far out” artwork I have seen yet, it did not stimulate me in anyway if anything it got some what underneath my skin.

 The one installation that has stuck with me throughout my whole tour of the museum was work of Dineo Seshee Bopape a South African artist. The installation as of what looked to be a man but wearing an outfit that looked lumps of material layers down past his feet, and a white vest as a top to the lumpy looking dress. The man at first glance looked as though he was dancing with an umbrella, but if you stayed and scrutinize the black and white video, it looked as though he was practically doing a ritualistic dance with his umbrella. He was moving all sorts of ways and twirling his umbrella and lit light bulb attached to a wire, in all sorts of fashions.

 To be honest at my first look at it I was confused. So I decided to break into pieces to in take and then maybe it will all come to me. So I looked at the surrounding area, it looked like a cheap imitation of a jungle that consisted of glitter and disco balls, and some sprayed silver leaves of plants that were around. There were mirrors that distorted your reflection. Everything appeared to be black and silver, the light source for this specific space came from the video of the George Clinton look alike dancing with his umbrella and light bulb which was lit.

 After fully taking in my surrounding I decided to pay attention to the audio that was coming from the video to see if was meant to make us feel as though we were somewhere else. However when listening intently I heard the sound of birds and the type of surrounding sounds that would remind someone of a type of jungle. I thought to myself well ok that makes sense and just as I am about to leave thinking, I have at least understood something. As I was walking out the mission impossible soundtrack starts to play. Which threw me off completely, and to be honest I was quite frustrated.

 I told Stephan, “I don’t get it!” As he accompanied me back to the installation we found that it was not a man dancing however it was Bopape herself in the costume dancing or doing her ritualistic routine. When mission impossible started to play I look at Stephan as though he was meant to give a full explanation of what is going on. He went on to explain to me that maybe I am not meant to get “it,” I was not fully satisfied with that answer. He then went on to say that maybe she is making fun of mission impossible. How she is dancing to the theme song and how the movie is about a Caucasian man fighting evil and saving people and so on.

 If anyone was interested in this installation, I took a video of it, unfortunately posting the video would not load but contact me and I could possibly email it to you. However if anyone is interested in other African artists here is blog dedicated to them and some more of Bopape’s work is also featured on it http://artspeakafrica.blogspot.com/2007/09/dineo-seshee-bopape.html. 

Emily..

Seeing your first presentation of your photographs of the ballet dancer  in black and white as well as color, was more traditional than your latest presentation. Granted your previous presentation did not entirely celebrate the dancers or the act of ballet as most pictures of dancers do. However the style of the photographs especially the ones in black and white seemed more dramatic which gave me the traditional feel.

My favorite photograph from your first collection was of the subject in the dressing room with the mirror place in front of her. One may find all the things around her very distracting from the main focus which maybe the subject. However I feel the surrounding objects gave the room more life, if there was no material around her she would look very alone and the room would look empty. The photograph would lack character and a sense of fullness, without the materials surrounding her the photograph would look boring so to speak. In view of the fact that in the reflection of the mirror you could also see what was going on behind her, and that was another angle the photo presented the audience with. It came to me that the photograph is not only about the lady, but the surrounding area that gave the audience another storyline to choose from. Within that one photograph there could be a minimum of two different narratives.

 The latest presentation still stayed within the same theme of dancers. However in this presentation you had two subjects instead of one, there was a man and a woman who were in all the photos. If not their whole bodies being in the frame at least some part of their body was, even if it was just a hand. By having the two subjects already gives the presentation some kind of feel, there is a different energy that the presentation gives off which is unlike your previous presentation. The photographs look much neater in the sense that, in your prior presentation the studio had chairs stacked in the back. This could be seen in the reflection of the photographs of the dancer. 

 The photo that I was very fond of was of the two dancers who were on the dancing bars and their bodies looked mangled within the bars and each other. The photo was of their reflection in the studio. The use of the mirror reflection and the two subjects that looked like their limbs were welded together, within the dance bars in a disorientated fashion. The lighting of the photograph was good and better than the pervious lighting in the previous presentation. I also like the fact that the female subject is wearing a black leotard and the male subject is wearing a white fitting t-shirt with leggings, produce a nice contrast in color; especially in the black and white photographs.

 This group of photographs are much more cleaner, richer and stimulating to the audience that intakes the photos. I feel you have still somewhat stuck to the same theme, but took the critique from the previous presentation and put it into this presentation. I would like to see how see how the photographs would look with more than two dancers, and what kind of feeling that would generate amongst people, as well what kind of narratives people would grasp from it. With the two dancers especially with a man and woman one can come up with plenty of narratives. Within each photograph and the way the two dancers are structured there is a different story.

 

Younger than Jesus

In retrospect I wish I had spent a little more time examining and exploring the work at this exhibition, but I think my initial gut reaction prevented me from it, which was to roll my eyes all over the place. This may have been a bit hasty, but as I wandered through the museum I felt justified in my cynical reaction. One particular exhibit that made me laugh out loud (not in a good way) and later feel somewhat offended was Sibling Topics (Section A and Section B) by Ryan Trecartin. This overly large exhibit consisted of two separate rooms, in which were rolling chairs, fish tanks with sneakers and wigs, and among any other number of things a video of flamboyantly gay men sped up to accentuate the femininity of their voices. The things they were saying were sexually explicit (what I could understand anyway) in perpetuation of the age-old stereotype that the gay lifestyle revolves around sex. The chipmunk quality of their voices was pretty hilarious at first, but the more I thought about it the more that it seemed like an unfair jab at gay culture. Granted, I didn't read the artist statement (another problem! the statements were more often than not impossible to find) but the whole "piece" came off a bit ignorant and completely over-the-top, which I'm sure was the point, a point which my human mind had a hard time grasping. 

I'd have to agree with Emily, the video of the hands playing Mozart's Turkish March without sound was interesting and made it's point without smashing you over the head with some outlandish, crazy busyness. the idea of putting all that time into perfecting a piece of music to have it unheard by anyone is haunting, and when compared to the frustrations of Middle Easterners increasingly so. 

There is little else I remember specifically about the show, partly because of my attitude and partly because there was so much going on in each area it was near impossible to devote attention to any particular piece. However one thought that I had was that when the impressionists first began their work it was widely and vehemently rejected by the art world. I shudder to think that in a century the work from this show could be as revered as that of Van Gogh. I find there to be a difference between innovation and just plain mediocre outlandishness, and I think most of the New Museum's exhibit favored the latter.

Younger than Jesus at the New Museum

Coming into this museum I already had my doubts, as I’m not a huge fan of most “contemporary” art (not to generalize or anything…) and I hadn’t heard great things about the exhibit. I tried to keep an open mind but I had my concerns. After reading the wall description I was intrigued by the question it posed. It described the exhibit as a collection of works by emerging artists all under the age of 33. The artists come from many different countries and backgrounds but all grew up around the same time of the 1980s and 90s. The description asked if there could be connections drawn among the huge range of pieces. Walking around I noticed a theme of experiential, interactive, and multimedia pieces.
Many of them at first glance confused me, and then on further reading of the wall label, still left me confused. Many pieces “subjects” were ideas and concepts. For example, the most conceptual piece was Opening Hours by Adriana Lara. Her piece was the hours that the museum was open- not the sign- the actual time in which the museum was open. For me this epitomized the show, where the actual subject was the mere idea of the museum being opening, which technically put the museum’s visitors within her piece.
The pieces that were least appealing to me were the busier and confusing ones. There were several in which you had to enter and be surrounded by random objects, videos, sounds, flashing lights, etc. In these, I often was confused on what (or who) was part of the actual piece and what wasn’t. The theme of multimedia was very strong in this exhibit and the reasoning was made apparent to me when I overheard a conversation among a group of middle-aged women. One woman was saying how her daughter was constantly communicating and doing several things at once with an iPod, computer, TV, etc. Those who grew up in the 80s or later have been constantly bombarded with technology that is rapidly changing and getting more accessible and faster. So naturally, our art is fast, rapidly changing and very active.
The two pieces I enjoyed the most were two videos. One was by Cyprien Gaillard whose 30-minute film was made up of several different shorter pieces. The one portion that I watched was of two gangs in St. Petersburg meeting separately and then coming together to fight each other. Gaillard shot the footage illegally from a great distance. While the video was shaking and somewhat fuzzy the action and tension was apparent. Observing the two groups come at each other was a surreal experience. Most fight scenes I have seen have been well choreographed in movies, but I don’t think I’ve seen a real brawl before. I could see the struggle between fear and anger within the groups, especially at the point when they were just feet from each other. There was a strange tension immediately before the first punches were thrown.
The other video that I enjoyed was by Ziad Antar of two Lebanese children playing with a keyboard called WA (showed in the image below). I think at first I was attracted to the mere cuteness of the kids being silly in their pajamas. Then I found it to be a nice representation of a little joy found in an often war-torn country. I’m not sure what was the intent of the artist, but nevertheless I enjoyed the adorable kids making a very catchy song out of a few pre-made beats and one word/sound.
Overall, this exhibit made me a bit concerned on where the art world is headed. It seems as though new artists are so wrapped up in making their process, material and “concept” so developed and intricate that they lose their reason for making art altogether. Let’s not let this happen, my fellow artists!!!

A Few Critiques, In No Particular Order...

Martha –

Your final edit for our show was phenomenally perfect in respect to the image-to-image dynamic that sung throughout the installation. We were pulled in at points and forced to draw back at others, in respect to both scale and content. Short and sweet, your artist statement left the viewer with the task of visual brunt work, which was nice. You didn’t smother your photographs with conceptual wordiness or lofty explanations, and given that a lot of your photographs are somewhat hard to digest – both personally and to members of the audience – this was the perfect move for you. I understand that your choice to go big with certain prints and small with other had to deal with the personal weight of the issues they addressed. However, as an uninformed viewer – that is, not being you – the reasons were lost on me. Although, with that said, the choice to shift scale throughout the installation did create an interesting visual rhythm that I had never considered until seeing it full-bloom.

Charlotte –

Ever since I saw the first few photos from your project, I’ve been hungry to see more of them, and preferably in book form. So when you came in with the idea of making a book, I was elated! Firstly, I guarantee a deposit for one pressing right now. One book sold, right off the bat. However, in this book, it would be great to see less stuffiness and a more objective lens. The photographs that tend to highlight certain graffito are my least favorite because they tend to do the speaking for the photograph. One liners, if you will. Not to say that graffiti can’t be a part of the photographs your making – given a wall or door being tagged – but the images shouldn’t be about the graffiti. Also, I am fan of your more typological pictures: the ones that, masterfully executed, do their job to describe these abandoned façades in their respective spaces. Once you get more subjective, you tend to take on the role of commentary, and I don’t think your work is necessarily about that. At any rate, I’m excited to see this idea manifested, and can’t wait to turn through some book pages very soon!

Devlin –

Because it seemed to be a matter of experimentation, I’m going to pass on any extensive comments about the panoramas you presented last time. However, as a fashion photographer, I think your technical abilities shine better than most, but some of the photos lacked depth or weren’t quite gripping enough. But, I suppose with both of these things being said, the revelation comes that maybe you should experiment more within your fashion/editorial practices. Challenge your framing more or work outside editorial convention. There is obviously a desire to experiment, so why not take what you’re good at and shake it up a bit! The problem with most fashion photography today is that it’s all pretty much the same in that it follows certain conventions or ‘types of looks.’ And based on what we’ve seen, your eye is above that sea of mediocrity. Push a little harder, and I have total faith that you’d create some pretty impressive photographs.


Maria –

You need to shoot more. You seem to be taking on a more traditional documentary approach with your work, which is great – considering that’s the school I tend to take after – but instead of shooting off film like a gatling gun, you seem to be meditating over your shots too much. Film isn’t so precious [yet] that you shouldn’t be shooting several rolls at a clip. The beauty of the documentary approach is that chance plays a major roll in making good images. You can’t control the world if you’re trying to depict it as it is. All you can do is shoot it as it passes – and fast! Also, I would consider using a rangefinder for your type of work. Get more aggressive and take no prisoners. If you see something and get even slightest twitch in your finger, fire the shutter, advance and shoot again!

Gabe –

Your excitement about photography is evident in how you shoot, which is always great to see. However, don’t get caught up with light plays and hard-lined subjectivity. There always tends to be an aim to ‘go for the kill’ when you see something you like, but maybe you should stalk around more [not without shooting the whole time, though]. You’re definitely thinking while you shoot, and you have a mind to compose intelligently, but you need to shoot more in order to exact these things. Aubrey made a point to describe your approach as ‘painterly’ and I find that interesting. However, as she elaborated too, this is not the proper approach for photo making. Be more like a mad dog that sees what he wants, foams at the mouth, and unleashes fury on the subject until his appetite is satiated. Currently, you’re dealing with your photos like a moth [so sorry for the analogy]: when you see what you want, you flutter towards it and burn yourself for being so delicate. Your camera is a machine! Manhandle it and shoot more!

Emily –

I love your work. I also love how matter-of-fact you are about discussing your photographs. The gears are obviously turning in that curly head of yours, and I could not be more interested in your photographs. And I think that’s key – to be interested. They way you make your photographs leaves a lot to the viewer. You allow your audience to fill in the blanks and work with the frame you’ve presented. At Fordham, I’ve certainly seen a fair share of ‘dance photos’ but your work couldn’t be farther from that – if anything, you choose to shoot dancers. The images produced are intriguingly narrative, and while they describe various poses and moves that a dancer makes, they are not one-lined celebrations of the dance. They describe what it is to be a dancer and the complexities that come with that. All I can say is that I want to see more, because thus far, a great portion of what you have shown has been beautiful.

Maria

Maria
When I looked at my notes, I realized that they were similar for both of your critiques, so I'm devoting one post to just you. In both bodies of work, I sensed a much stronger familiarity with black and white than with color; as many have already said, the former definitely displays your strong suit. Your black and white images are much more deliberate in their framing and content, and therefore, much more interesting to look at. With color, I would just suggest shooting rolls and rolls and rolls until you have the same ease as you do with black and white.

Your black and white photos show a real awareness of light and how it plays on your subjects -- exhibited in particular by the images you presented from the junk shop in Brooklyn, and a few of your portraits. While I currently find your still lifes more interesting, I do think your images of people show promise -- two images that come to mind are the photograph of the girl sliding in the snow, and the photograph of a girl walking along a path in a park. Both photographs are composed in such a way that suggests real movement within the frame, both physical movement and the movement of the viewer's eye along the particular shapes. Negative space (in this case being the space between your subjects and the more obvious parts of their environments with which they can interact -- trees, snow, etc.) is your friend, and I think getting closer, and shooting more will benefit you enormously.

WWJD? (I think he would have skipped this exhibition.)

There is quite a bit I could say about the Younger than Jesus exhibition. Like my disjointed comments at the museum itself, I doubt that much of it would make much sense either without devolving into whiney criticisms. From the beginning, I felt as though my opinion of the show was tainted by other classmate's eye rolls and complaints about the New Museum itself. The trip to the museum was spent with Charlotte, decrying the giant "Hell Yeah!" that arcs over the entrance. I was doomed to hate this show even before I set foot inside. I cannot say that I quite hated it, but I was certainly frustrated. Thus, I will focus this entry on a few pieces that did resonate with me, perhaps simply for their more straightforward approaches.

Polish video artist Anna Molska's Tanagram was the first piece I encountered. The video mostly consisted of two muscled young men wearing augmented gladiator uniforms pushing a giant tangram puzzle into various configurations, as a faux Russian folk song, and a recording of the Red Army Choir played in the background. Simple phrases taken from a Russian language manual were overdubbed. The overall aesthetic pointed to the notion of the ideal worker promoted by the Soviet state. The two emotionless young men attempt to find a correct configuration of the tangram puzzle, constantly shuffling around pieces if a certain pattern was not to their liking. Though the exact meaning of the piece was very cryptic, the pieces could be stand-ins for the states of the former Communist Bloc, being pushed around, used, and reconfigured to the liking of the Soviet state.

Though possibly in the worst place in the entire museum, in a stairwell between the third and fourth floors, Ziad Antar's WA was perhaps the most joyful of the pieces I saw. That is not saying much, as most of the rest of the exhibition was noticeably dour. The video itself was rather simple: two children, in their pajamas, singing a simple song, accompanied by an analog keyboard. Behind that is something more complex, as these children are living in Jordan, constantly beset by war. I found this to be incredibly uplifting. It was more than just two very cute little kids singing. It was a reminder that simple happiness can overcome the horrors of violent conflict.

Keren Cytter's short video Der Spiegel was also tucked away in a small, dark corner (I am noticing a trend). The artist's video explored a middle-aged woman's revelation that she is losing her physical beauty and sexual appeal, as she is beset by several younger, underwear-clad women. Filmed as both a paean to, and subversion of French New Wave film techniques, including cinematography and more importantly voiceover. Instead of the narration being given by some unseen, omniscient observer, the narration is voiced by the actors themselves. Sometimes they address each other, and often, they address the camera directly. The aesthetic was extremely simple, with the entire scene taking place in one room (apparently the artist's apartment). The actors were also a few of Cytter's friends. Among the rest of the show, I loved how this video was so unassuming, yet proved to be rather rich.

As for most of the other pieces, I think Jesus himself had the right idea. Post-ressurrection Jesus says in Revelation 3:16, [yes I looked up the quote] "So because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of My mouth." Hmmm...

Artist Visit

One class we had an artist come and present their work to us and talk about their journey with photography. The artist that did come in to talk to us was Anibal Pella.

He had talked to us about life before he discovered photography up until the projects he is currently working on today. He showed his earliest work that was of street photography and its surrounding themes, to landscape photography, and some of poems that inspired some of his projects. In total we were shown 9 sets on his photographs, each were explained to us, and is thoughts and motives behind each project.

The one project he did was called “The Brewster Project Memorial.” This was a documentary set of photographs but not in documentary fashion. Pella went to Brewster, which is located in upstate New York to take pictures for a project. Brewster had a large population of people from Guatemala and other various countries. Pella went around taking pictures of them, but some men especially were not too keen on the idea. For the simple fact that a lot of them had not gathered the right documents to be legally in The United States nor work here.

After talking to them and talking a priest about how he was not getting any of the photos he would need. Pella saw a memorial whilst walking in Brewster in the name of those who had died in World War Two. Sadly soon after seeing the memorial he has seen in the news, that about four –six (not sure about the exact number) men had died in the desert trying to cross the border to America.

So Pella used that as motivation and fuel to his next project, he was to make a memorial to those who had past away in the desert to come to America.

Pella went to places to take photographs where immigrant’s workers would go and things they would do, such as stores that would sell belts and boots from Guatemala. Fences that were built by the immigrant workers, boards where one would look for a job opening and a phone booth where notes were left for those who had messages, and needed to call back home as soon as they could. Not only did he include where in Brewster the immigrant workers would go and do but also he incorporated maps of the desert amongst other photographs like the photographs of the men themselves. Again, the fashion of how the pictures were taken was not documentary however it was a documentary set of pictures.

I think more so the motive behind this particular project pulled me in further than the project itself. The motive and the narrative behind it made the project even richer.

I thoroughly enjoyed Pella’s presentation to the class about his travels and his exploration in different styles of photography it was something new captivating. 

Group B Crit 2-Melissa and Charlotte Take 2!

Maria Take Two!

Maria had a collection of photographs that she has put together to show the class, I found as usual some particular ones that spoke to me more than others.

However I did appreciate the variety of photographs that were presented to the class. From a dead pigeon to a colorful photograph of different types of earrings. This allowed us to see the different types and styles of photographs Maria likes to indulge in.

The photograph of the girl who went falling into the white snow brings out the color that the girl’s outfit, her red hat and her checkered coat and her red hair, with her rainbow-striped socks. Her candid expression of her slipping in the snow makes the photograph ooze warm and positive vibe. There is another person in the frame who is not doing anything or neither is the other person obstructing the main subject to make the audience shift attention.

The happiness that is seen through this the photograph should not be completely written off as it is may not be a concrete reason to appreciate a photo.

Another photograph that was presented to us was of an old woman walking across the street, the light shinning behind her. The light that reflects in her blond or white hair that makes her looks as though she has some sort of saint like feel to her.

Stephan mentioned that old people have such characteristics in them through their wrinkles, as though a story is told through their face. Which could also seem as a narrative for the photograph, the elderly persons wrinkles and facial expression could take the audience through a somewhat journey.

 

Charlotte Take Two!

Charlotte has once again presented us with photographs taken of the abandoned buildings.

She captured the various signs around the buildings that showed us that the surrounding location was abandoned. Such as the messy bushes and the damage of property.

The pictures however did give a chill of creepiness down my back, the fact that the photographs showed that the location had not been visited or even passed by in a span of time.

As you look along the collection Charlotte had presented to the class there were photographs of graffiti, within the interior and the exterior of the buildings. This proved to the audience that there was human life and the location was not completely deserted.

I think that if there more surrounding pictures which would make them fully effective and not only show a contrast with the abandoned buildings, those specific photographs work very well with her project.

The photographs that show the buildings are not totally destroyed, and still have their particular shapes and specific styles. These photographs generate more of a connection with the audience; it would exist due to the familiarity. For example there was a pizza hut building and a taco bell. We could still tell which was which do their style and fixed architecture.  

Younger Than Jesus - New Museum

In general, I didn't find this exhibition terribly exciting, and I found the premise of the iGeneration to be mildly irritating. Ok, so these artists grew up with the internet...and? Having said that, I really did like some of the artists' work, and I also enjoyed the way that the gallery layout makes you wander around, discovering new things around corners and in alcoves.

The first piece that really caught my attention and made me want to stay longer with it, was the film by Ziad Antar. As it was in the staircase and other people wanted to stop and look, or get past, I couldn't stay as long as I would have liked and so I'm not sure if I saw the whole thing or not. The artist was from Lebanon and the statement said that the work explored how art can transcend brutality. Yes, that is a big old cliche, but for someone living in a troubled and violent part of the world, it hopefully is a reality. The singing children were sweet and quite touching, but the part that really grabbed me was the footage of the hands playing Mozart's Turkish March on a silent piano. I thought this expressed perfectly the frustration of the Middle East, where people may shout as loudly as they can, but their voices are never heard. Or it could be seen as censorship, where the fingers play, but the only noise that is heard is the monotonous, unthreatening tapping of the keys, not the expressive music that exists underneath. This work was one of the few that made me stop and think, and also keep thinking after I had left the gallery.

Another piece that I liked was the above image by Shilpa Gupta. The artist seemed to be working with a similar concept to Antar in mind. In this image the subject's eyes are being covered by an unknown second person, and the subject's own hands form the shape of a gun. It is unnerving as the person cannot see whatever it is that he is aiming at. The anonymous hands similarly render the subject anonymous. They can also could be seen as removing responsibility for any action from the subject, either this, or as removing free will. I thought that perhaps the army uniform was a bit heavy-handed but this image is another that made me pause for thought.

Although not photography, and therefore not really relevant to this blog, I just want to mention the piece with the woman drugged and asleep in the bed. (I didn't read the statement, and so I don't know who the artist was.) I had some problems with understanding how this was really art. I understand the difficulty in defining what art is, but I definitely felt as though this was a bit of a cop-out. I think perhaps if it had been the artist himself in the bed, I might have been able to get on board a little more (not literally obviously!) It was quite amusing, but it just brought out a childish urge in me to prod the sleeper and check for drool. I felt as though I should be able to get more out of it than that.

Sixth Critique

Gabe:

The images that I felt worked best this time around were the three of the sky, with the wires and jet streams intruding into the frame. These worked well as a set, more so than each would individually, and also seemed to present a progression of the idea that Gabe expressed in his last critique - that of exploring abstraction using light and colour. I liked the geometric nature of the hard black wires, contrasting with the watercolour-esque sky. The jet streams added interest, another man-made element imposing itself on the natural setting. As was mentioned, I think it would be great to see many more images like these, perhaps exploring the difference - or lack of- between the same subject shot in different locations.

I agreed with the general opinion of the junkyard images. Although there was something interesting about the different abandoned objects, I felt as though it would have been helpful to explore different angles, and distances from the object, from which to shoot. The exception was the image of the cushion. I felt that enough of the background was contained to give context and make the presence of the object seem strange, but that the cushion featured large enough to show detail and engage the viewer. There was something touching about this very human object, dirty, discarded, and useless in this environment.

Devlin:
I was quite surprised by Devlin's panorama-style images, but I really liked the idea and the work was very satisfying to look at. The bright colours and contrasting textures jumbled haphazardly together made for a chaotic effect, but it was sort of fun. Standing back from the images, the bright colours reminded me of a child's painting efforts, and then when I got closer the textures became more important.
I didn't exactly understand why Devlin had chosen to crop his images in this way, as they were not actually taken using a wide-angle lens, but I thought it an interesting idea to use a style more commonly used for landscapes containing a lot of information for the close-ups, which contained very little information. I enjoyed this contradiction.
As Devlin pointed out, this was really an experiment, but it seemed as though it could be the beginning of something that would be interesting to develop with a more specific intent in mind.

Crit2-group C

Gabe:
Your photographs maintain painterly, elegant, and abstract qualities in a way that is more accessible in composition than your last set. This time, you showed groupings of clouds and of a junkyard. Even though you claimed to not have organized the photographs, they are very much cohesive in their respective groups (The portrait stood on its own, but was very lovely in its lighting and tree forms in the background). That said, I think your work would benefit from continuing with these subject matters. Your cloud photographs could add something new to what has previously been seen of “skyscapes” if you continue to pay attention to light and unique composition. My favorite pair, though, was a photograph of the wall of ivy next to one of an inverse shadow figure. The tension between the two is palpable: a straightforward overgrown wall forms a connection with the surreal and ambiguous, twisting figure.

The junk images seem a bit obvious- there are so many photos out there of debris/construction/deconstruction that you would have to really make them outstanding. Since you are interested in the changes in your town, go with it, but as Martha mentioned, more attention should be paid to the frame and space around the objects. Or, you could compare these claustrophobic forms with something like an expanse of sky and cloud (as done in class) for effect.


Emily:
By working with mirrors and human forms again, but removing color and simplifying the background, you have created some beautiful photographs. Your frame is full and energetic, but not to the point of distraction. Figuring it out is half the beauty. The addition of another dancer- particularly a male dancer- creates new tension and psychological dynamism, especially when their limbs get confused. There is urgency and a sense of calling in their expressions and movements that seems natural, organic-- is she saving him? Are they competing? They reach upwards towards the lights, as if they are energized by them.

In order to emphasize that organic energy, the photographs could benefit without the slippers or heavy makeup. I almost want to see photographs of the dancers with mirrors in the woods, mixed in and confused with branches. It would be an undertaking, and potentially tacky, but it might be worth a shot.


Devlin:
As you know well, your set of panoramic shots are beautiful but more graphic than thought provoking. I found the black gradation, birds, and red painted hole in a brick wall to be particularly pleasing. Fortunately, there is a lot you could do with this medium, as it is so appealing to the eye. You could push the cheeky, ironic, pop art factor, but it seems like you’d rather get more conceptual with the project. One suggestion is a texture study of a certain neighborhood, or of several neighborhoods contrasted. Or, you could cramp several forms into the space as if it were coming down on people (fashion models?) I look forward to seeing where you take this.

Cervin Robinson's "By Way of Broadway"

I recently went to the exhibit “By Way of Broadway” at the Municipal Art Society of New York. The photographs by Cervin Robinson document the several different sections of Broadway. The exhibit is made up of black and white and color photographs taken within the last few decades. There was a map of Manhattan showing the exact location of where each photograph was taken. But on the walls, the photographs’ locations were all mixed together. He often used a slow shutter speed with a small aperture that turned most of the people into blurs while flattening the buildings and creating a large depth of field.

This exhibit was meant to focus on the architecture, and how it changes in each section of Broadway. This is an important aspect to remember when viewing the images because if you are expecting “street” photos, you will be disappointed. For the most part the photos were oddly (and sometimes poorly) framed and somewhat boring. I think my boredom stemmed from the fact that I was expecting interesting street shots, like those of Winogrand and Friedlander, which used interactions of people on the sidewalk to create dynamic images and narratives. In Robinson’s photos, there were rarely people; and if there were people, they were rarely doing anything neither interesting nor were they the focus of the image. But when I reminded myself that they were about architecture I managed to find some interesting shots. Here are some of my favorites:























































I found the photos taken uptown were more interesting especially in their mix of color and wording. The people are also more interesting in the uptown shots. I found some of the black and white photos to be somewhat Ansel Adams-esque in their intense detail and tonal range, yet used man-made buildings instead of nature. For example:











































Overall, I was underwhelmed. I would have liked to see more images of Broadway in the Financial District, as that area is the oldest area on the island. The contrast of new and old buildings in that area might be interesting.

Group A Crit

Crit 2 A

Martha- I love the additions of your newest triptych. The sense of physical pain in the middle photograph is remarkable- the red grid pattern almost looks like burns or sharp, thin cuts. I’m curious to know how you made that pattern appear on your back, almost in a concerned way, and that is a feeling that comes out of viewing this picture. The two accompanying rubber band shots also do much to enhance the visual aspects of the middle shot. Also, it was brought up that you should maybe reconsider the order of the two beside the shot of your back, but I thought they worked best in the order you chose. Anyway, your show is already up and looks great, so my other comments are irrelevant at this point, but I loved “On a Divers Show.”

Olivia- Like everyone else said repeatedly in class, I would love to see your vision applied to another photography medium. Not that I don’t love your Polaroid, because you know I do, but I do think the tiny frame can be really limiting. Also, just the general framing, color capturing, and flash, make all of your photographs appear one certain way. That way is nostalgic and beautiful, and captures your subjects in an ephemeral way. Even if it’s just scanning and then editing or printing them in a larger format, I really think your work and your vision both could really benefit from a change and a little more breathing room. That said, I greatly enjoyed the new prints you showed us, especially the ones in which a foreground was enhanced by the flash. One that I recall is the foreground branch being highlighted, then the dark tangle of branches receding into the back- this was a favorite. Here is one way you’ve found to manipulate the very few settings on the Polaroid. With this technique you can create depth within the flatness of the Polaroid.

Emily, Gabe & Devlin - 2

Emily
Your sense of space and the frame work as strongly for you as before with your previous set of images. By adding a male figure, though, the dynamic changes completely. The close cropping on the dancers and your ability to work the mirrors within the space creates a disorienting experience for the viewer. One thing I noticed in particular was that in several images, there were three figures present: one physical female body, and two reflections -- one male, and one female. The way you presented these images, staggered with others in which it was impossible to discern whose limbs were whose, offer a fascinating take on gender roles, both within the realm of ballet and and outside. Your ability to work so closely with dancers and their trappings is both a strength -- as with the barres and the wall-to-wall mirrors, which facilitate the physical positioning in the images -- and a weakness -- the distracting dirty ballet flats on the male dancer and the pointe shoes on the female dancer. One thing I particularly enjoy about these images is that they manage to be, in many ways, about dancing -- specifically, the body politics and the unique misery that goes along -- without being facile and obvious. By outfitting your subjects in less characteristically dance-related garments, your images could be that much stronger.

Gabe
Viewing your images, I had a slight advantage in that we had previously discussed a few directions you were hoping to follow with your project about your hometown's steady decay into a tourist trap. In the junkyard photographs you showed, the frame was quite tight, and your subjects flat in the center -- i.e., the forlorn, abandoned pillow -- and I found myself wishing the frame would expand a little more to provide some context for where these abandoned things ended up. I think experimenting with a larger format would benefit you with this particular project, because it's easy to document various refuse in a town under reconstruction, but not so easy to describe an environment that was once of a certain character, and is now becoming something completely different. Wider, more conscious framing will help this project, I think. Regarding the photographs of the sky and contrails and telephone lines, as most of the class said, shoot a billion of them and really hone what it is you want to describe -- I think you're off to a great start.

Devlin
Your panorama-style images were really nice to look at, a great color/texture study. As you said in class, the images you showed were the very beginning rumblings of a project, so talking too much about content is a bit irrelevant. I will say, though, that the sort of puzzle-piece effect you achieved by fragmenting the environments and man-made structures you photographed and shuffled them around to create a different whole image could be an interesting way to talk about location, how it appears, and one's physical place within it.

Critique 2- Group C

Emily:
In light of your first critique, I was very excited to see what you had prepared for your second. You did not disappoint. Just as before, you said true to your visual style, paying keen attention to bodies of the dancers and architectural forms of the space. This time, your choice to shoot solely in black and white, with a evenly lit, simple background has only helped your images. This removes context and makes the overall nature of the images much more nebulous.

I am intrigued by your choice to add a second dancer. It completely changes the dynamic of the narrative, and adding a male dancer imbues that narrative with even more emotionally charged connotations. I liked how you began to explore this male/female set up, with them as allies in some photos, and struggling adversaries in others. The exact nature of their movement and their narrative is ambiguous, leaving the viewer to fill in the blanks left conscientiously empty. With the addition of the second dancer, the studio itself became less of a character as in your first set. As you experiment with more photos like this, I would suggest having a clear narrative in mind for each series. This will help you not to create and let your viewers follow distracting tangents. As Stephan said, consider having a loose script or outline for your dancers to follow.

In terms of experimentation, I would encourage you to consider working in some sort of black box, or white box studio, and removing the "dancer" references from the costuming. Perhaps they could be dressed in plain, street clothes. Or perhaps you could take more of an art director stance, and carefully choose which colors various dancers should wear with relation to that project's narrative. Just as I was looking forward to see your second set of images, I think I am equally excited to see how your work is going to progress.

Devlin:
The experimental work your presented was extremely graphic in both composition and cropping. In terms of the series as a whole, I feel that the most successful in terms of your intent were photos of stripes, bands and textures of various architectural elements. The images that were more representational, and cropped to match the more abstract images felt gimmicky, and not done with purpose, unlike their counterparts. The only exception to this, was your triptych of the statue images, (which was my favorite, and arguably the strongest) though these were really an entirely different construction than the single strips. You had noted that these were merely experimental, and might be the inception of a new project. I think exploring how various images can link together, much like your statue shots, could be very valuable. Keep it up.

Group B Critique 2-Aubrey Take Two!

Within Aubrey’s collection three pictures grasped my attention than any others. The first one was of the girl bending down to smell some flowers outside a shop. I particularly fancied the lighting of the photograph, the contrast of her hair to the colors of the flowers. The photo was taken at night and you can see this because it looks as though the lighting outside the shop she was at seemed to be lit up. The surrounding darkness allowed the girl and the flowers have some kind of glow to them.

The second picture seemed to have the same or similar lighting. This picture was of a little girl that was presented with which looked like a tea set. The young girl was perched up on her seat and had a specific facial expression. The little girl did not have a full smile nor a frown but what seemed to be a “cheeky” grin looking straight at the camera. However this picture had specific lighting as well, the lighting only hit specific places in the restaurant not giving the audience enough to actually know what was going on in the background or what was taking place around the little girl. The subject herself was lit enough to see her and her facial expression nonetheless she was not fully lit up by bright lights, but dimly. I like how the lighting worked out in this photo, although the lighting could and did to some people in the classroom as romantic lighting.

The third picture looked like a Southern gothic style photo, of a man standing with his arms folded in what seemed to be a big house. Behind the man was a statue that was out of focus; this did not mean it was irrelevant due to its strong presence being there. When I focused on the picture the words that came into my mind were Plantation

Racism

The word coach came to mind some one said because of the beads he wears around his neck could act as a whistle.

Even if the man looked like he has a strong physique and strong stance he was wearing delicate glasses. The glasses he was wearing could also make him seem like something else for example, a father or a teacher. The beads also could act like prayer beads, however the one concept that did stay with me was the southern gothic feel one gets from the picture.

 

 

Second Round of Crits

(in no particular order...)


Gabe
The work you showed this week seemed much more focused/coherent in terms of subject and aesthetics, as well as more deliberately executed than what we saw in the last critique. I was definitely able to identify a like sensibility between these photos and the stronger ones from your last crit. In case it wasn't said enough, the "object" photos--the pillow, the broken shovel, etc.--need breathing room and a context of some sort for them to read as anything much more than simple factual representations of objects. In these photos, you need to consider what sort of narrative or meaning you want to be readable in the images. I was quite intrigued by the cloud/wire photos. Particularly with respect to the composition and lines, they struck me as "painterly"--the arrangements of the elements in the frame seemed very deliberate and harmonious, but included some slightly off-kilter detail (notably the short vertical line and three smaller horizontal lines of the telephone pole peeking into the bottom of the frame, which was otherwise dominated by strong diagonals). As someone pointed out, if you are interested in pursuing these photos, you should make hundreds of them, allowing for both the most elegant and the most visually unappealing so that you can see the gamut of dynamics within the frame and their possibilities.

Emily
Your photos continue to be intriguing and well-executed this time around. The most interesting ones to me were those with the most disorienting contortions and tensions (e.g., the one of the man twisting his body around, with his full body in the frame), and those depicting interactions between the forms of the man and the woman. With respect to the latter, you should maybe think about what sort of narrative or implications you wish to pursue, as the addition of a second dancer makes the dynamic much different (and more interesting) than the work we've seen with only one dancer; the fact that the second dancer is male, in particular, changes that dynamic enormously, making the meanings behind the photos much more loaded. That is probably the main thing I would advise you to think about at this point: you are obviously capable of making strong and intriguing images, so now you just need to hone in on an angle in terms of the message or story your photos as a group are transmitting. (As a side note, a few photographers came to mind when I was thinking about your photos: as Stephan suggested, a lot of surrealist photography is akin to the disorienting images you make; also, some of Andre Kertesz's photos came to mind:



Just something to chew on, I guess!)


Devlin
I felt these new sets of cropped faux-panoramic photos could go a number of ways. I didn't really see the significance of the groupings as they were on the wall (except for the vertical statue ones) beyond being highly graphic and visually appealing (or from a design standpoint), but I did think they could be divided into two groups: the close-ups of highly textural and colorful surfaces, and the crops of larger more representational/contextualized photos. The first group, as it was, is stronger than the latter, and I think this is one direction in which you could take this project: a study of texture and color with a highly abstract method of shooting. Regarding the second group, I don't think these photos were successful. If you want to pursue such photos, you should shoot them panoramically from the get-go, and incorporate enough context to give them meaning as individual photos, since their subject matter is so much more factual and straightforward than the abstractions of surfaces, which lend themselves much more readily to cropping without losing a huge part of their significance.

John
I know you didn't have a second crit, but I'll go ahead and give you my feedback for the final edit of your show. I am very happy with it! I am glad you narrowed it down to a few strong images (there is one I'm not crazy about, but I understand the reason for its inclusion, and I will refrain from raining on your parade, because your show is sweet regardless) rather than a larger group which you originally had in mind. They really feel like a coherent group, all with a similar sense of depth and dynamism, and they get your idea across quite articulately. I don't know if I've said this to you before or not, but I think this project is a huge departure from your previous work, in a good way: your shooting has less of a tendency towards straightforwardness than it has in the past, and it has given the resulting images a more complicated narrative, as well as that depth and dynamism I mentioned before.

Martha
I think the photos that ended up going into the show are very effective and it looks great! While I am not privy to the specific reasons for your choices of color or black and white, size of prints, etc., for each different emotional trauma, which you touched on in your first draft of your statement, I definitely get a distinctly different feeling from each set (the small black and whites, the hand and foot diptych, the triptych, and the pillow diptych), even if I can't know what precise experiences they spring from in your own life. I am very happy to see how your thesis has come into its own as a highly mature treatment of what you started out with at the onset of your project.

Charlotte
In terms of what you're considering for additions to your show's body of work for its book form, it might be interesting to put in some of the more detail-oriented photos, as well as some with more of an angle to the shot, to punctuate the largely straightforwardly-shot show pieces, which are dominated by full-building shots. As Stephan noted, with the book form, you're working with an entirely different means of presentation with a different dynamic, so there are a number of ways to arrange and add to the core set of photos--you should try out a number of different edits and sequences before deciding for sure on what goes in, as it is a completely different editing process from that of a gallery show.

Dierdre
Last week after we looked at your work, I started thinking about how I really want to see more of your photographs which incorporate people. Based mostly on what I've seen of such photos in Large Format, you seem to have a stronger grasp of the interaction of people within the frame than you do of more environmental shots. One that comes to mind which struck me was a photo you showed of a woman in ethnic dress, including a head wrap of sorts, walking past a window filled with Halloween masks; this sense of elements in the frame and their interactions seems to work better in your photos which incorporate people, especially those shot in a roving-street-photographer manner. I would be interested to see what you've shot in that vein recently. (That said, you obviously shouldn't stop shooting other subjects; my photographs of people are pretty sub-par compared with those shot in my "serial killer" M.O., as we saw last week, but I still continue to shoot them. Likewise, you should keep working with subjects that you have less of a firm grasp on so as to try and master them.)

Maria
Oppositely to what I just wrote about Dierdre's photos, I feel like your people photos were the weaker ones in the group of work you showed last week. I see that you are reaching for a narrative of some sort in many of them, but it isn't readily coming across to the viewer. I think a big part of successful street photographs of people is really luck. If you want to get the shots Winogrand got, you have to shoot roughly 32,394,809,729 rolls each time you go out, just like him, and a few of the shots will surely have been lined up fortuitously such that an intriguing narrative is created. So, I suppose my advice to you on shooting people is of that nature: shoot a lot and perhaps you'll find a method which yields strong results. With regards to the color photos, I felt, like your last crit, that they were less successful than the black and white ones. The color shots tended to be less meticulously composed (as the black and white were), though, rather than their being simply about punchy colors, you seemed to be making a more conscious effort to not worry about the color in many of them, as we advised you last time. This is good; now you just have to train your eye to fill in the gap left from the importance of the colors with more careful attention to the other elements of the photographs such as composition, etc.


(Thoughts on Alex's and Theo's photos to come!)

crit 2b

Crit 2 B
Aubrey- I love this new chapter in your life / evolving style. Honestly, most of these images were more intriguing to me than those in your previous critique. There was a certain level of sophistication yet light-heartedness to the set that made it particularly memorable. The theme of familiarity and warmth was more discernable in this set, whereas the last set seemed like a searching for meaning and acquaintance with many areas and objects. I enjoyed most the pieces that had a discernable sensory feature that grabbed my attention- like texture. The curtain shot was absolutely beautiful- I really got a sense of its texture and feeling just by looking at the image. Great progress all in all, it shows that you are very well-versed both in photography and in your own style- something I wish I could attain.

Charlotte- Interesting new shots and additions. The most memorable shots were ones that focused on a foreground and background rather than a straight-on building shot. I especially liked when life, such as plant growth, or the presence of human life, like graffiti, trash, etc, mixed and added details to the buildings themselves. One of my favorites was the one of the old billboard with the long grass and cement path in the foreground. This sort of composition was enticing and attracted the viewer in an adventurous sense, rather than just an aesthetic one. What I mean by this ‘sense of adventure’ is that there is some sort of human presence- a pathway through the trees- rather than just a forgotten lot.

Critique 2- Group B

Aubrey:
Although the photos you showed were in the same photographic style as before, this set was noticeably lighter in both tone and subject matter. There was a greater focus on people in this batch, which seemed to produce more intimate images. The inclusion of more sunlight did not detract from your trademark loneliness in your location shots. You have approached these photos with an element of delicacy, absent in your senior thesis.
While most images were beautifully shot, a few needed more visual information, were a bit too tightly cropped, or were simply "one-liners." These images might work within the context of a larger, more narrative body of work.

My favorite photo from this set was the cake-like white house, strewn with oddly muted party decorations. I was drawn to the tension between the seemingly forgotten festivities that the decor represents, and the utter loneliness of the scene. So many questions arose. When was this party? Who was this part for? Why is no one there? There was the possibility for an entire narrative within this one frame. (Plus, I may or may not have been craving cake at the time.)

Charlotte:
Of the larger edit of images that you showed for potential inclusion in a book form of your senior show, felt that there were quite a few that would enhance what you displayed for your thesis.

Much like your those in your show, some of the strongest images were those that paid close attention to geometric quality of the structures. There were a few that did not adhere to your strict formalist style. These were too divergent from your original edit.

Several classmates noted that they felt that the shots with graffiti tags such as "The End is Here," were a bit heavy-handed. I have to agree. However, I would not throw out all of your images entirely. There was one shot, the corner entrance of a big box store, where the graffiti essentially became a texture, because of the harsh geometry of the composition.

I found the shots of the empty billboards to be somewhat comforting and hopeful. Perhaps it was because they reminded me of family road trips. Or, maybe it was because that these signs could be used again, allowing for a rebirth of sorts. Including these images, along with those of blue skies, and natural elements coexisting with the decay could form a compelling dialogue, should you choose to print your book.

Maria:
Like Alex's second critique earlier, my notes for you were very similar to before. Please forgive my brevity. Again, you showed a wide range of images, varying in size, color range, format and shooting style. Once again, I feel that you approached your black and white photos more thoughtfully than your color photos. Throughout, though, you seem to gravitate toward slight, fleeting moments, as evidenced in the girl falling in the snow, the slowly dying bird, and the flying feathers of the pillow fight. Without seeming redundant, (which might be impossible at this point) I encourage you to bring the same sensitivity to detail in your black and white photos, to your color one. As I continue to beat this long dead horse, I would encourage you too shoot more of a given situation until all the key elements align perfectly, then take a few more.

Deidre:
Upon initially viewing your photos, I felt that your prints were not up to your normal quality. Overall, they were too gray, too dark and too small. This was very unfortunate. A good reprinting will certainly be of benefit.

Of all your photos, I was especially drawn to your images from the Bronx. They were surreal in their mysterious desert-like landscapes, complete with out-of-place rock formations. I felt as though I wanted to explore the scene more, and see where this place was, and what might lie behind these rocks. Similarly, I found the chess board scrawled onto a rock to be a surreal union of geometric and organic forms. I really would like to see more images in this direction. This might be an interesting angle from which to photographically explore your interest in the Bronx.

Fifth Critique

Aubrey:
There was a noticeable difference in the work Aubrey showed in this critique from that for the last one. This seems natural though, as the work for the last critique was by necessity all based around the same theme, whereas this time she got to present a different range of things that she had been working on. The colours were brighter and in general the tone seemed more lighthearted.
However, the strongest image was that of the balloons and in contrast to the overall feel of the work, this image was quite sad. The desaturated colour of the feeble leftover balloons and the washed out background created a feeling of melancholy. The party was long since over, and it seemed like it had been a pathetic sort of an effort to begin with. Signs of human life but no actual human figures, as in this image, are always a bit poignant, as are human efforts to manufacture a 'good time'.
Another very strong image was the one with the man's figure in the foreground and the small figure lurking behind, watching. This could have been a still from a horror movie, the figure in the background was extremely creepy. It also seemed to represent the voyeuristic nature of photography, as the man was being observed both by the camera and this strange figure, seemingly unawares.
I also liked the image of the girl staring out of the frame with what appeared to be a vision of the Virgin Mary behind her. This trick of light and shadow appealed to me and I liked the framing of the shot.

Charlotte:
The images that worked best for me were the ones where, although the building was vacant, there were signs that recently this hadn't been the case. I found the ones where there were still bright, cheerful colours more interesting and unexpected within this subject than those showing peeling, crumbling dilapidation.
In particular I liked the image of the building with the shiny copper awning. I thought this was something different that provided a nice contrast with the rest of the work. This image was sort of touching as the copper was still almost ridiculously shiny, and it seemed to give off a feeling of optimism even though no-one cared any more.

Maria:
My favourite image was that of the pillow fight as I felt it was framed and printed particularly well. It was quite unexpected to see all the action - the jumble of limbs and pillows - in the bottom few inches of the frame leaving the rest to be taken up by the calm austerity of the buildings. The size of the print enhanced the perception of the buildings' height and made the image all the more successful.
The dying bird was another strong image and knowing that it was on the brink of death lent it a really morbid tone. I agree that this image might have benefited from Maria's moving around and capturing the subject from all angles to see which worked best, as I felt that the arch of the bench could perhaps have complimented the shape of the bird's wings better from a different viewpoint. I do not agree that the bird should have been moved as a) that raises the question of manipulating the truth in photography, and b) it would have been just plain mean.

Deirdre:
As was mentioned in class, some of Deirdre's images had been printed too dark, in particular this seemed to be the case with the very images in which seeing the small details was what was most important.
Having said that, printing is just printing, the hard part is finding interesting subjects to shoot, which Deirdre had done.
The sequence of the man selling tickets for a comedy club was both sad and funny at the same time. As I couldn't tell what he was doing, what came across was just a basic air of desperation. I thought that this sequence sort of illustrated how unkind the camera can be, as probably this person didn't at all see himself as the pathetic and desperate character that he appeared. His mundane job became a kind of symbol of human plight when captured and presented in this way.
I also really liked the image of the chessboard drawn onto a rock. The graphic nature of the man-made element against the natural texture and pattern of the rock made an interesting contrast. It also leads you to wonder what the story is behind it, why someone would draw that there.

Fourth Critique

Martha:
I was very impressed by Martha's triptych, and a large format presentation certainly increases the dramatic nature of the images. As discussed in class, I would have liked to see the two outside images switched over, just in order to see how this would change the interaction between the three.
I still got the disturbing feeling of some underlying violence from the work, either domestic or of some kind of self-harming, and I felt uncomfortable looking at some of the images, as though I was intruding into something dark. Both the marks down the back of the centre image of the triptych, and the crease down the spine in the image where the hands manipulate the back are scarring of a sort, one having been inflicted upon the body by an outside force, the other inflicting it upon itself. All the pictures where the flesh is being manipulated show a distortion of what is natural.
I didn't agree that the image of the figure in pantyhose on the stool was without tension or that it didn't fit with the rest of the work. There was a tension there, it was just of a different sort. The constricting nature of the pantyhose means that they manipulate the flesh just as the hands do in other images, just in a less visible way. However, I did agree that the sweater and the stool were distracting.
With regard to the title, I think a simple dictionary-style explanation of the word 'divers' would be enough. I don't think any additional lines of the poem in order to put the word into context are necessary.

Olivia:
On a second viewing I still liked the polaroid format that Olivia favours and I can definitely understand the attachment to it. There seems no reason to stop using something that feels comfortable and which produces work like this. However, I think Stephan made a good point when he said that in some cases, as he was focusing solely on the image within the border rather than the polaroid as a whole, it would be good to see just the image itself on a larger scale. It would be interesting to see the polaroid and a larger format of the same image alongside one another to see how this changes the way they are viewed.

Theo:
The way Theo presented her work this time was more cohesive, and it seemed as though she was headed in a clearer direction. I like her gritty, black and white, street photography style, and I felt that she had captured some great moments.
The images of the demonstration with all the crosses were my favourites, although I was also spooked by them. They looked to me like a witch hunt, maybe a scene from 'The Crucible'. In one of the images, I got the feeling of being overwhelmed by the mob as the figures seemed to be closing in on where Theo was standing with the camera. In the other there was a lot of depth, subject matter-wise, the closer I looked the more engaging detail I found.
I also liked the shot in the subway where the silhouetted figures were framed by the pillars, although I agreed with the comment that it would be stronger if there had been some action within each of the individual frames.

Alex:
I preferred that Alex had not arranged her work into groupings this time around. Presenting each image as an individual allowed us to see it more clearly for what it was, rather than leading us to spend time trying to work out what a relationship between a pairing might be.
I liked the image of the three statues and the three figures in the foreground. I thought that the way the living figures had been captured on different planes, and the way they were all facing in different directions gave the image a disconnected feel. There was no more human interaction between the living people than between the stone figures. I also thought that the monk-like hooded figure gave the image more drama.
Also interesting were the oddly coloured images. In particular I liked the sickly-yellow one with the cockerel. This image was very peculiar but the colour and the almost abstract nature inexplicably came together very successfully.

Edward Burtynsky, Manufactured Landscapes

While I can certainly appreciate the mastery Burtynsky displays with his photographs of haunting, surreal landscapes of manufactured waste and rows and rows of identical factory workers, I found his statements to be problematic and honestly, a bit disturbing. One important part of taking successful photographs is that those photographs speak for themselves, and what Burtynsky's photographs are clearly presenting is an argument against mass-consumption and waste, globalization, and the conditions in which factory employees live and work. Clearly, Burtynsky has a healthy concern for our environment, and how contemporary industry is effecting the world we live in. However, in the portion of the film during which he spoke to an audience at length about his work, he suggested that his photographs were meant to be objective, and that he had no real agenda one way or another in taking and presenting them -- that he hoped his audiences would simply "think more" upon viewing. I'm not sure if Burtynsky is speaking out of fear of his sponsors and their potential alignments, or out of smugness, but there is simply no way that a huge image of hundreds of factory workers in identical clothing stacked together like the very objects they are assembling for a mere pittance is in any way "purely objective." Burtynsky's photographs are in no way absent of an agenda -- and the problem is, that's fine. Perhaps my attitude stems partly from the fact that I am in support of the ideas that his photographs are purporting: that we need to be more aware of business practices on both a large and small scale, and also need to be more careful about consumption, waste management, etc. The thing that I simply can't understand is Burtynsky's refusal to align himself with his own photographs. What does he stand to lose?

That said, Jennifer Baichwal's direction was totally on point. That opening continuous shot is one glorious piece of filmmaking.

Crit 2- group B

Maria:

There is much you can learn from your own processes between black and white and color. While, in general, the black and white images are stronger, there are many qualities in your color work worth pursuing. As I see it, the black and white tend to be neat, formally ordered, and controlled, especially with the borders. The color, on the other hand, is generally painterly and ephemeral, with strong use of light and longer exposures. Where you apply these techniques across technical boundaries is when your work is best. For example, the landscape (Canadian, apparently, not Hawaiian!) with its artificial color and strong, formal framing is a beautiful shot. However, the color photograph of the old woman with hair light would benefit from meticulous framing. When it comes to the black and white images, they could use more attention to light and motion seen in your color works. An exception, however, is the photograph of the dying pigeon. It is not disturbing, but graceful, angelic. The cigarette butts strewn around are like flower petals in memoriam, and the arc of the park bench complements the shape of the wings well (as mentioned today, though, there could have been more negative space around the figure- shoot from many angles). The knowledge that the bird was not dead, but dying, adds a poignant energy to the image.

As John mentioned, you do seem to be gravitating towards stuff, and this works in your favor in the case of the Mary icon at the Cloisters. But in general the image should do more than show a lovely thing, but interact with it, as it is easy to get stuck in the possessive nature of photographing an object.

 

Deidre:

The images of a seeming expanse of desert in the Bronx and a chalk checkerboard on a rock have a surreal, almost haunting quality that is appealing. The former could especially benefit from being printed big. In general, the photographs seem detail-oriented and could be made bigger with more contrast and clean edges.

The series of a man selling comedy (not picking up women, as I assumed!) is a clever depiction of the human saga of desperation and failure. He’s a dynamic subject, and I’m sure you could catch great expressions from people walking by as well- pursue it and it would be a strong series. 

Group B - critique 2

Aubrey
Like everyone said today, this particular batch of photographs feels like a pretty large departure from the body of work you showed for your senior thesis. What remains in these photos, though, that is also a huge part of the photos you showed before, is an attention to detail that is so strong that each successful image is evocative by way of being associative with ideas or things not present within the frame. The photograph of the license plate exhibits this in particular: the rust climbing over the bumper looks, at first glance, like a mountainous landscape against a clear blue sky, which suggested to me immediately where the car had been and where it has yet to go. The sort of promise of the open road that this image evokes is all the more arresting, and poignant, because what we are looking at is not some Yellowstone landscape, but the rusted over bumper of a dilapidated car. With this image, and some of the others, there's some kind of reinterpretation of the environment happening, not a removal of context, but a redefinition of context provoked by, for example, the odd quality of light radiating off the flowers and into the girl's face in one image, and the captured movement of a cigarette going to a man's lips echoed by a swoop of Christmas lights on the wall in another. The images that weren't as successful lacked this quality -- for example, the man with his hat over his face, and the seated couple on a bench -- where their environments remained unchanged by your lens.

Charlotte
As said in class, it's difficult to describe the subject matter you've chosen without being heavy-handed or repetitive. The photographs that were least successful were the more obvious choices: overgrowth of bare branches, graffiti in abandoned buildings. The photographs that were most successful opened up a world where the abandoned monuments of consumerism coexist with healthy -- if not lush -- greenery and rainy streets: basically, the world we are -- for better or for worse -- living in now. The idea that an empty billboard post can impose itself upon an otherwise reasonably well-cared for landscape and the way the sky inserts itself where an advertisement would otherwise be framed is fascinating, and provokes a dialogue about what consumers actually might want that we otherwise haven't really heard. Similar to that is the larger print of the copper-topped building that may have been a restaurant in a past life. Even though the architecture is ugly, vaguely recognizable, and easily associated with the overpriced, mediocre dining experience that chain restaurants offer, the way the light hits the copper overhang and the clear, cloudless blue of the sky behind it is somehow still inviting -- and the question of why is what returns me to that image over and over.

And, in the next post, I'll talk about Maria's work and the regrettably short look I had at Deirdre's work before I had to leave class for my unfortunate, unfortunate job.

Crit 2- group A

Martha:

I am especially fond of the large triptych from your project. The photo of your back is much stronger with defined imprints and the colors of the two side photographs complement it well: the rubber bands being the same color as the skin, palms the same color as the markings. The pulling sensation you mentioned is also very strong, as the lines line up dynamically from one photograph to the next.

As far as the black and white photo issue goes, after consideration and second-guessing I would rather see the photograph of you stopping your ear than the image of the line on your back. The back line photograph is more immediately appealing- and maybe this is why it should not be picked- while the ear photograph creates a sensation. I believe Emily mentioned something about stopping the sound and playing with sensory perception. I do not think the pantyhose photo is at the same level as the other two because of its passivity and distracting velour-like material (maybe it’s just me).

When it comes to the title, the statement should have either a definition of divers with a reference to the poem or, ideally, a few lines of context from the poem without a definition. There’s a fine line between overwhelming the viewer with information and being overly short. All in all, it really has come together cohesively and is a lovely and thought-provoking body of work.

 

Olivia:

Martha referred to the Polaroid’s in which the flash hits one branch hard and the background maintains its surreal, natural light color. The layered effect is draws the viewer in while the industrial nature of the organic forms is a strong contrast. The painterly intricacies, depth of the subject matter and simultaneous flat nature of the medium form truly beautiful, serious images.

The issue of trying new mediums may be inevitable, but even so, by pushing the comfort level and releasing some control I’m sure you could still find a way to portray your temporary emotion or escape in your work.

 

Theo:

Your photographs are rich in detail and curious in their overlapping elements. What you could seek is simplification- not by reducing the amount of elements in the frame, necessarily, but by bringing importance, light, or emphasis upon certain portions. That is why the photograph of the three businessmen is so strong: there are four main components, the men and that woman photographing them. The negative space around the figures brings them out more. And the way in which you shot them, from the side, is an intriguing comment on transparency- we can see through the choreographed artificiality of the pose. The same can be done with your more complex, full frames as long as there is a focus on light and an awareness of negative space. The Jesuit protest set has a lot of potential (those white crosses are just too good), so keep shooting dynamically and with attention to the frame.

Theo's Critique -One end to another .

After looking at Theo’s photographs during the 4th critique I feel that without even trying she has executed three types of photography. She successfully took theatrical photographs with the man playing the guitar in a dark room, with nothing to focus on but the man and his guitar. The lighting provided the photographs with a seldom aura, the lighting allowed us to see the subjects face and how either his head was down or how his facial expression gave us an inkling of what he was feeling. With nothing else to focus on hence no environment it became very cinematic.

Street photography, documentary photography again something Theo did very well especially with the skateboard photograph. I remember that specific photograph was really appreciated by the class. Out of the street photographs I really admired the photograph of the girl in some kind of rally on the street. The photograph captured her whole facial expression; she had dread locks and piercing and what looked like she was laughing aloud or shouting. The photograph was black and white as so was the skateboard photo, but there was something about this particular photograph. The energy was raw and positive, not to mention the photo was edgy as well.

New York as basic as it could be with a romantic flare to it, the definition of that, is presented in the picture of the couple walking in the tunnel, in Central Park. On the opposite side of the scale is a picture of motorbikes that is in black and white, which showed us a somewhat tough New York. These two photographs show New York in two different lights and within their respective lights the pictures, I thought were taken well.

I do not feel that in any way Theo would need pick what category she would like to follow through with, sure in the long run she will. However with the right positioning of the photographs one can appreciate each group for what they are and what they are trying to say to the audience observing them.

Edward Burntynsky-“If we destroy nature we destroy ourselves.”

The first ten minutes of the movie is one shot with the camera moving from right to left through a manufacturing factory in China. Through this shot we see different stages of production, we can see this because the speed the camera moves at slow pace at each stage however it does not come to complete halt.

After first shot a narration occurs, a male voice with American accent. As the man is talking about nature in relation to manufacturing non- eco friendly products one quote he said stuck with me throughout watching this movie. “If we destroy nature we destroy ourselves.” Thinking about this quote and looking at the pictures taken of the waste and thinking of how we don’t think about the production costs in conversation to our consumption.

The photos could simply just look like waste dump. To the average person they would not fully comprehend what those pictures mean for our world, and what we are doing to it. However his pictures in some sense could still stand out for the beauty of them. It sounds simple and undemanding of an individual but I still feel it should not be written off and that element is still important for each photograph.

The one photograph leaps into my mind is the portrait of the older Chinese woman sitting on her porch with this tranquil look her face. Nonetheless there is a pile of E- waste beside her porch, E- waste is derived from computers being sent back to china, they recycle specific bits from the computer and replace them in upcoming new computers. The piece that reaches to me about this photograph is the waste that sits right next her, waste that eats at our world and the elderly lady’s expression is more of an acceptance of what has happened or is happening around her. Sadly I got not get a hold of the specific photograph I am drawn to.

“Manufactured Landscapes,” was surrounded about a theme I had known about before, but it opened my eyes in a new way using the photography and the narration as a medium.

I love Edward Burtynsky

About half way into this movie I realized that I had seen at least one of Edward Burtynsky’s images several years ago and thought “wow, those are the kind of images that I like and would like to take.” This image has stuck in my head since then although I had forgotten who took it. Of course I couldn’t find the exact image online but here are some that I also love:


Perhaps since then, I have been interested in the idea of industrial landscapes. Environmental issues of waste and overconsumption have become very important to me as well and would like to use photography as a way to show the damage that humans have done to the earth. I think Burtynsky has done this successfully. Burtynsky’s images are powerful and beautiful. His use of color, form and symmetry transform crowds, pipes, piles of cds, and many other things into images that are both pleasing and painful to look at. Even though he says his images are not “political,” I definitely see them dealing with current issues from a critical perspective. I understand his desire to be neutral (especially after dealing with similar themes in my own thesis). If he were to give the images an argument, they would easily offend many people and turn people away. But if they have no message or point, then they are just photos (that used a lot of resources to make) and many people could also be turned off by them as they are “just” images of boxes, oil fields, and ugly cities.

His photos reminded me of another photographer. Subhankar Banerjee photographs in the arctic refuge, trying to show the public that it is not a barren wasteland. He shows beautiful formations of geese, caribou, and manatees in their habitats that are deteriorating due to human destruction. In addition to his enormous photos, he has lengthy captions that explain the environments and how certain companies are on their way to destroying them. His photographs have been used in arguments against drilling in the arctic. On of his photos is below:

CARIBOU TRACKS ON COAL SEAMS II | Coal and The Caribou | 2006

I'd post more but its hard to put photos up on the blog.
His website is: www.subhankarbanerjee.org/

Critique 2- Group A

Martha:
I was very impressed that you had completed the final edit of your show to the extent that you had created a scale model of the set-up. You have made some good edits from the last time you presented your work.

While the placement of your hands and the folds of skin in the photo of your back are quite elegant, the small inclusion of the bottom corner of the window frame is a distraction. As was said by some of the other students, this can trigger ideas of a woman in a domestic space, perhaps even violence against women, which would be a misleading direction. I would not include it in your final edit, unless photographing a similar image in a more nondescript space is possible.

Also, the image of you sitting on the stool, facing a corner does not quite fit with the rest of the photos. Where all of your others include some sort of active participation- stretching, folding, reaching, etc.- I feel that this image is too passive.

I very much like the large scale of your diptychs and triptychs. Their formal quality (as well as their arrangement) allude to religious iconography.

Overall, I very much like how your show has developed, and cannot wait to see the show actually come to fruition.

Olivia:
You again showed us polaroid images similar to those you used for your senior show. In this particular crop, I liked the contrast between elements illuminated by the camera's built-in flash, and those illuminated naturally. I am intrigued by your choice to include more naturally forms with this edit. Still most were photographed quite graphically.

During the critique, several students questioned why you only use the square 600 film, polaroid medium. While I certainly appreciate your work, and your devotion to a medium and brand that has become something ephemeral, I do not want you to pigeonhole yourself. You had said that you liked the immediacy of creating with polaroid, both the instant print and instant frame. I would encourage you to explore other forms of instant film. Perhaps you could look into polaroid backs for medium format cameras, or even scan and enlarge your 600 film polaroids. I think this experimentation will get you to challenge yourself and keep you creating good work.

Theo:
This time, you only showed photographs in a documentary/ street photography vein, though you still maintained a similar style as with your last critique. I understand that this set of images was comprised of both new and existing shots. That said, I noticed a tendency to have too many conflicting elements in the frame (though this definitely could have been just in your older shots, I am not sure). I noted in my last entry about you, that you gravitated toward taking photos with layers, with the main action focus not always apparent. I felt that this time there were several photos where this layering only worked to your detriment.

For example, the image of the girls holding "free hugs" sign also featured a rather awkward looking woman with a video camera prominently to the side, causing a bit of discord (and not in a good way). When asked whether you had meant to focus on the woman or the girls, you said you were focusing on a third subject in the background. As someone noted in class, it seemed as though there were several good photographs squeezed into one image, that when placed together simply did not work. You need to pare down what you are aiming to shoot so that the frame is not too crowded with conflicting elements. For quick street photos, concentrate on one of a few coalescing elements. For more carefully planned, I think a wider angle or panoramic lens could help with the claustrophobic nature of a few of your shots.
Nonetheless, you are off to a great start.

Alex:
I feel that my notes for both of your critiques are quite similar, so I will avoid being redundant. You continue to prove yourself as capable with your style of photography. Again, I would encourage you to wait (all the while taking pictures) until all of the elements coalesce into a particular moment. As much as possible, stay around and watch. There were quite a few of your photos that felt as though they were not quite complete, or unbalanced. That said, you I very much like the direction you are taking.

Crit 2 - group A

MARTHA

I never saw your photos from the first critique but I really liked these for your gallery show. They reminded me of the photographer who took a self portrait and then manipulated his face with scotch tape and took a second self portrait - just the idea of 'manipulating' your body parts in photographs.

OLIVIA

I really like and appreciate what you are able to do with a polaroid. The way the flash makes certain things pop in your photographs, creating layers, is a really interesting technique. I think it would be interesting to see what you could do with other cameras because what you can do with a polaroid is really impressive.

THEO

I think as a street photographer you do really well with getting in close in certain situations. I think the most successful photograph that you showed us was the one of the woman photographing the men.

Manufactured Landscapes

In the beginning of the film I thought it was strictly a piece that showed where things came from, factories where things are massed produced, I didn't think there was going to be a motive of the film, to turn the viewers pro or against anything. It made me think of Georges Franju's french documentary "Blood of Beasts." It is a film showing a day in a slaughter-house. The film does not have an agenda, it is simply stating the facts, and showing where your meat that you eat everyday comes from. 

As the film goes on and shows all the recycling that goes to China, the e-waste and the lead and waste that get into drinking water the film starts leaning towards a "green agenda," which is not a bad thing at all, it's actually really interesting to see where all of this "stuff" comes from and where it goes when we're done with it. I'm also really interested in the idea of landscapes totally transformed by men, "landscapes that we change in pursuit of progress." For example the city who's inhabitants were paid to take it down to make room for the dam that was going up. People were willing to tear down their city and build new homes elsewhere so that there would be progress made. 

Group A Crit 2!

Martha- I love the additions of your newest triptych. The sense of physical pain in the middle photograph is remarkable- the red grid pattern almost looks like burns or sharp, thin cuts. I’m curious to know how you made that pattern appear on your back, almost in a concerned way, and that is a feeling that comes out of viewing this picture. The two accompanying rubber band shots also do much to enhance the visual aspects of the middle shot. Also, it was brought up that you should maybe reconsider the order of the two beside the shot of your back, but I thought they worked best in the order you chose. Anyway, your show is already up and looks great, so my other comments are irrelevant at this point, but I loved “On a Divers Show.”

Olivia- Like everyone else said repeatedly in class, I would love to see your vision applied to another photography medium. Not that I don’t love your Polaroid, because you know I do, but I do think the tiny frame can be really limiting. Also, just the general framing, color capturing, and flash, make all of your photographs appear one certain way. That way is nostalgic and beautiful, and captures your subjects in an ephemeral way. Even if it’s just scanning and then editing or printing them in a larger format, I really think your work and your vision both could really benefit from a change and a little more breathing room. That said, I greatly enjoyed the new prints you showed us, especially the ones in which a foreground was enhanced by the flash. One that I recall is the foreground branch being highlighted, then the dark tangle of branches receding into the back- this was a favorite. Here is one way you’ve found to manipulate the very few settings on the Polaroid. With this technique you can create depth within the flatness of the Polaroid.

Group A, crit 2

Martha

Your title, When On a Divers Shore, adds a whole new dimension to the pieces you presented in class. The images you have are already arresting in how tacile each texture -- skin, carpet, hair -- appears, and the claustrophobic framing of hands manipulating feet and back evoke a sense of desperation and extreme discomfort within the body. However, the line from the John Donne poem you mentioned today -- There is nothing you and I can do when on a divers shore, I may have mixed up a preposition or two, if I have, please correct me -- direct that desperation somewhere new. Now understanding the use of divers as an archaic form of foriegn, the body depicted reads as terrain to be discovered -- or rediscovered, and the lines that appear, whether within a wall, drawn by your hand, or formed by a crease in your back, seem to be an attempt to map that terrain. That line, as I said in class -- nothing you or I can do -- removed from the poem and placed in the context of your thesis, does not read as romantically charged; actually, the you is more aggressive than anything else. By including that line, you as an artist are directly addressing your audience, and, coupled with the work itself, speak to how, in an unfamiliar place, whether that place be in a grander, geographical sense or in the more intimate setting of one's own body, all you can do is learn yourself.

Olivia
The immediacy and the unpredictability of the Polaroid medium you are so comfortable with turn basic elements of both the natural and man-made world into a sort of otherwordly, private atmosphere that feels removed from both time and place. The best example for this is the Polaroid of the purple sky with a harsh-lit tree in the foreground. Both the instantaneous nature of the Polaroid and its characteristic white frame remove the photograph's elements from any recognizable context, which is part of why the Polaroids are so arresting. During class, people made mention of trying other mediums, perhaps within the realm of Polaroid -- Alex mentioned slides; one idea, albeit a bit high maintenance, could be to shoot with slides and then invest in a Polaroid slide printer? That form of printing has the spontanaeity of the Polaroid camera you're using, but offers more options in the post-shooting stage, i.e. pulling the film apart while the emulsion is still wet and transferring the image to different types of paper, etc.

Alex
Your work on the whole indicates a real comfort with the settings you choose; each shot feels planned, deliberate. While some did mention a need for a third element in shots like the black and white one of the two men, one seated at a fountain in the background and one standing in the foreground, I found that shot in particular to be successful on its own. The tension between the two figures, and the seated figure's body language -- almost as if he is about to stand -- makes the photograph feel as though you captured the moment just before something happened. Typically, in the case of candid street photography, one would want to capture the moment when something -- whatever it is -- did happen, but sometimes, that moment just before can be loaded enough. That said though, getting closer is always an advantage.

Edward Burtynsky

I found Jennifer Baichwal's documentary "Manufactured Landscapes" fascinating and was really impressed by Burtynsky's work, in particular the images that came out of the time he spent in the factories in China. The footage shot inside the factories was almost hypnotic because of the mind-numbing repetition of the work and the weird almost-silence in a room filled with so many people. It was also heartbreaking in the sense that the people were dehumanized, clearly coming second in importance to their productive output. I think Burtynsky's images successfully captured this.

I was surprised to see the photographer directing where the crowds of workers should stand, in a project that was primarily documentary. I wasn't really sure how I felt about it, however the end result was probably better for it. I suppose this is part of that fundamental issue in photography - how 'truthful' the camera is, and whether it really matters. The fact that the workers had been uniformed in order to become just another part of the factory itself is kind of upsetting, and I think this image is particularly powerful.

Burtynsky's images are strangely beautiful, considering the harsh and hostile environments in which he was mostly working. The repetition of the forms in the piles of waste and in the clone-like workers is almost soothing, which is odd as the inherent issues are anything but.

I enjoyed the footage in the construction site, as the photographer got right in amongst everything and really became a part of it, his work becoming just a part of the general industry.

The scale of the deliberate destruction of the Three Gorges Dam project was pretty overwhelming, it seemed to represent the whole issue of our destruction of the planet in our striving for progress. I was entertained that the subjects of the photos critiqued them after shooting.

I think Burtynsky's work definitely makes a political point, (I seem to have used the word 'issue' several times in describing it anyway!) but I don't really see how it could be avoided. For the most part, his documentary style of photography is pretty much capturing what was there, and if a political message comes out of it, then it is because it is so glaringly obvious that the photographer couldn't avoid it being a part of his work, even if he wanted to.

Burtynsky- Manufactured Masterpieces

Manufactured Landscapes was a great documentary that illustrated the changing world around us through both a moving picture and a SLR lens. Rarely do films focus on the time, journey and skill that a single shot requires while giving the viewer an inside look into Burtynsky's powerful large-format techniques. To balance the meticulous techniques that the pictures required was the explanation of the behind-the-scenes filming that showed the people and country that took shape behind the lens. Together, the result was the (sur)reality that is the landscape of industrialized China- in images and narrative. I was both touched and taken aback by the things I saw in this documentary. What struck me most was the general sense of population- the grand scale of everything presented. Tens of thousands of workers and factories, millions of recycled objects - from wire to batteries. Reflecting China's enormous size, power, and population is the amount of waste produced. A set of images that stuck with me were the mounds of "recycled" parts, especially the mile-high pathways of tires-




The amazing repetition in these stills is overwhelming. The same patterns and shapes, the same materials stacked upon each other in a neverending pile, leading far as the eye can see. While one described these shots in the film as "beautiful," he made sure to emphasize that it was only through Burtynsky's lens that the scenes took on an aesthetic appeal. From behind the image on paper, as we saw, the landscape was far from beautiful. Discarded tires, used rubber, TRASH- is the reality of the image. And the reflection of that reality is the enormous amount of waste that the world has produced and has no function or place for. It was simply mounds of trash, the results become a country ruthlessly quick to catch up in the industrialized world.



The assembly line style photos featuring people acted many times in the same way the repetitive landscapes do. The extreme quantity of bodies, colors of clothing forming patterns in the mass, the standard posture of the workers- these qualities reflect a basic, preprogrammed community. All of these people are faceless, nameless, without personality; they appear practically as machines going about their uniformly programmed duties. These meticulous and extremely dull-seeming primitive tasks, in assembly-line style, stripped the workers of individuality. However, unlike the ambiguity of the moment featured in Burtynsky's photographs, the documentary was remarkable in its ability to reveal to the viewer these workers' separate lives and personalities, their words and explanations, of course while focusing on their simultaneous identical duties.

This film had messages that ran deep but didn't act as a judgmental documentary. Rather it displayed the reality of conditions of poor rural, and not rural, industrialized China. The images on their own act as beautiful, colorful, perfectly composed glimpses into an ugly actuality.

R.I.P. Helen Levitt

Perhaps this is irrelevant in a class about "contemporary" photography, but my favorite photographer passed away the day before yesterday.

(My all-time favorite photo.)

Photographs by Katy Grannan and Collaborators

Katy Grannan makes portraits that “aren’t easy”, photographs that may leave people uncomfortable but, for this reason, have longevity. After her talk at the Aperture Foundation, however, I was able to find comfort in her images or, maybe, simply through her process.

The talk began with a Roland Barthes quote- “Photos have the pressure of the unspeakable which wants to be spoken”. Then she continued with a clip from Gray Gardens, in which Little Edie is speaking to the artists through the camera, and in this way, collaborates in the creation of the film. Finally, Grannan told us of her grandmother, the wife of a mortician whose home would temporarily serve as a funerary home. She would photograph the positive aspects of her life, creating “willed optimism” in her life, “tangible proof by way of a photograph”. It is the state in between reality and fabrication (you know, the one that keeps coming up again and again in contemporary photography) that captivates Grannan and fuels her work.

Starting in grad school, Grannan would put vague ads in the local Massachusetts paper for models. Most of the models were 20-something females home again after college, most chose to pose nude, and usually the photo shoot was a one-day secret, much like a one nightstand. She would photograph them in their homes in color (and later, black and white), making slight changes to the environment and posing them in rather “iconic portraits of reverence”. One of the first photographs is of a plain, pinkish pretty girl crouched in a plain, pinkish living room in her underwear. What stands out- the punctum- is the bright white of her tampon string between her legs. These “unintended revelations”, unplanned and, thus, seemingly more real details are comforting to Grannan and shocking to most others. She had set parameters for work, but not everything could be predetermined. “My discoveries were more important than what was invented”, she said. As Garry Winogrand said, photographs should be “intuitively choreographed”.

Untitled, 1998

Grannan proceeded to bring new subjects outside, not to breath-taking landscapes but rather to pieces of nature just outside of suburbia. One series, entitled by the model’s name and date of birth, is of the subject lying in the same grassy spot. Though not as individually contextualized as the interior photos, it still portrays a person out of place. Grannan mentioned a particularly interesting dynamic between she and the male sitters in this set- the slightly aerial composition reveals the reversal of traditional roles in art, yet emphatically.

Paul, b. 1976

Then Grannan moved out West and the photographs changed greatly. “The Westerns” is a series she still is working on. Though similar in terms of process, the theme is of new beginnings, harsh light, new prospects and the “new normal” (in other words, more bizarre subjects). She then began working closely and over a longer period of time with two middle-aged transsexuals, Gail and Dale, and an ever-changing personality, Nichole. These images are lovely aesthetically and quite personal.  Although the subjects are strong and unpredictable, however, there seems to be less chance for that punctum. It is also the temporary nature of collaborations that is so poignant in the earlier works. These subjects needed a way to feel visible for that one day-- the photograph will even persist longer than they. And in the one-day photo shoots, there is a palpable discomfort in the unusual intimacy and a sense of overcoming, like her grandmother’s snapshots.

Gail and Dale, Ocean Beach, 2007

Now, Grannan has moved from 4x5 to medium format, shooting more immediately the nobodies who walk in LA on white stucco walls. Her “version of street photography” seems promising conceptually- the relentless light of LA and the struggle for fame, a depiction of short-lived reality based in happenstance.

 

Grannan admitted at the end of the talk that she was talking “around” the photos, and not truly of their meaning. However, I do not think the photographs would have resonated with me nearly as much if I had not understood her process and how it affects both she and her subjects. The pressure of the unspoken in her photographs that Barthes referred to has not been alleviated, but her work certainly sheds a new light on the meaning of place and identity, existence and co-existence, risk and comfort. 

Crit1- Group C

Emily:
The fact that reflections make up the majority of the photographs' composition is innately compelling for a variety of reasons. First off, it comments on the dancer's process of constantly critiquing her own form and movements. For this reason the dancer's eye-contact is key. Also, the interaction in space of organic body forms and artificial room constraints creates a palpable tension- and confusion- that draws the viewer in to the frame. Where does her body end and the reflection begin? It seems that where you can continue to push the project is the choreography of the frame, experimenting with bizarre poses within the construct of a studio and its mirrors. You could even go to another location with a mirror (contrast the dancer with natures organic forms... the woods?)

Theo:
Thinking back on the critique a few weeks ago, what stands out most clearly in my mind are two photographs side-by-side: one of the Alps, with its layers of trees/people/train tracks/mountains, next to the icy green, curving tainted glass forms and rigid body of a man in the airport waiting area. These two together seem to realize more fully the themes addressed in some of your other works. Since you showed your portfolio from the last couple of years, there is bound to be variety. The documentary-style black and white photographs are gritty examples of traditional street photography. The reflections in water are calming and abstract. The guitar and No Shame series are interestingly lit and sincere in the portrayal of its performers in a space. There are straight-on photos ("The Score") and winding compositions, such as the tunnel in Central Park. In comparison, the Alps and airport photographs seem all-encompassing, bringing up themes of realism/surrealism, depth and negative space, and peoples' forms in an environment with street sensibility. Maybe I'm just one for pairings and sets, but I would like to see those images in a string of photographs that describe place and act as foils for one another.

 

John:
The outstanding photograph in my mind from your series is a portrait of a man obstructed by a pointed hand emerging from the left. There are several reasons why this photo in particular is successful: there is a sense of mystery in being denied vision of this guy's eyes, there is diagonal movement within the vertical composition, and an elegance in the crisp black-and-white print. Psychologically, it brings up some questions- is there a reason why we aren't allowed access to this guy's face? Who is pointing, and to what? The abstracted body parts, juxtaposed textures and compositions are what take these pictures from just party pictures to good party pictures. Someone mentioned an interaction between chaos and care in your photographs- it's as if through the drunken confusion, there is a moment of clear vision, of transparency. The majority of the set shares in these themes, except the horizontal color photograph of a semi-satisfied couple. The narrative in this photograph- two people, two facial expressions, dull color- is too easily assumed in comparison to the complexly composed set of photos. 

Gabe:
I appreciate the risks you're taking with over-exposure and soft focus, but as was mentioned in class, it should represent more than just a technical slip.  For example, the Barack Obama photograph is composed of much blurred motion and confusion, but his face peaking out from the crowd is powerful. I can also recall an over-exposed image of a tree's leaves, which is lovely but more so when paired with the lit-by-headlights night photograph of another tree. They are beautiful in their different, yet atypical, representations of nature. 

Critique 1- Group C

Emily:
It was clear from her black and white and muted color photographs of dancers and their reflections in rehearsal mirrors that your background in dance has informed your composition and approach to this series. You have not merely created photographs illustrating a set of dance moves, but instead have focused on the geometry of the interior space, and lines of the body. I feel this makes for a more substantial photograph.

Your use of the mirrors was fascinating, as your composition and angles made for some disjointed skewed images. There was a focus on the eyes, with the dancer looking directly at her own reflection, or using the mirror to look into the camera. In addition, the interaction between the dancer and her reflection and the dancer to the studio (which, in some shots, acts as an additional character) allowed you to explore the space occupying the dancer's mind in ways that a more straightforward dance photo would not.

As some had stated during the critique, the rehearsal space clutter in the background some of the images was a bit distracting. Clearing that out would certainly put more focus on the dancer and her movement. Overall, I am very impressed with what you showed in class, and am excited to see where you take this excellent start.

Theo:
One of the very first things I noticed about your images was that they all had a very keen sense of the theatrical and cinematic. Whether in your street photography, or in your more staged work, you shoot as though the people and objects in front, around and behind your main subject are layers of set pieces. These formal aspects set up for the action, very often with a strong diagonal leading to the focal point. Other key elements are often in the details. You give special attention things that are small within the frame, or initially might seem unimportant. A prime example of this would be the young boy, behind the glass and trinkets of a shop window.

A good deal of your critique focused on your divergent photography styles in the work you presented. Some said it was as though three separate photographers had displayed their work. I am not going to say much on that topic, as I feel enough has been said. However, I do understand that you are still exploring, and that the photos you showed for the crit were not meant to be a cohesive body of work. As you continue to shoot and edit, one style will begin to emerge over the others.

John:
The photos you showed us taken from various parties inhabited a strange limbo, between posed and candid images. Unlike the many party photographs that seem to be clogging the internet and various magazines, yours are more carefully captured and composed. These are not the result of hasty snaps, but that of astute observations, coupled with a quick finger. It was almost as if the action was in slow motion, with you at normal speed, allowing you more time to capture more meaningful moments and compositions. There was a surreal elegance amongst the chaos.

I felt that your most successful Images where those that featured layered elements, where limbs, hands, and facial elements have jutted into frame and overlapped. I felt that some of the others, such as the boy lying on the floor with the bag over his head and the nude girl facing the window did not quite fit, and seemed a bit cliche in terms of party photos. Whereas I could stare at the many details of the layered photos for quite some time, after an initial look, there was little to keep me looking at these. I know your are quite prolific in your photo-taking, so I would encourage you to make smart edits when it come to your show.

From London

Photography exhibitions seem to be very scarce in London right now, and the October Gallery in Bloomsbury's exhibition of the work of Chinese artist Huang Xu was the only one I could find.

The works were large scale C-prints of what, from a distance, looked like wisps of smoke but on closer examination of the images and the press release, proved to be old plastic bags (and apparently used condoms, eew!) found in the rubbish heaps of China and digitally remodeled in 3D scanners. Somehow Xu managed to fend off transmittable diseases long enough to produce some really beautiful work (presumably with the help of industrial strength rubber gloves.)

The images resembled Chinese silk wall hangings and were very attractive, however I definitely needed the deeper meaning explaining to me in order to appreciate the work at anything more than the 'pretty' level. The caption on the press release was "What, if you could see it, would a burst credit bubble look like?" and went on to discuss the shifting balance of economic power, and the irony that just as China used to ship silk to the West, the West now ships its used plastic bags East. I have to say I didn't get that from looking at the images, but I was interested to know it all the same.

I liked how this artist had made waste into something attractive, a form of recycling...sort of. The elevation of rubbish into art is something I usually find a bit tiresome, as it has definitely been done and overdone, however the message behind this particular set of images seems particularly relevant and therefore worth delivering.

Just something I found amusing...

I stumbled upon this photo (photographer unknown) of tourists posing with the Leaning Tower of Pisa, and found it to be a more interesting, less arduous and self-serious take on the idea of multiple perspectives for a single photograph which Barbara Probst deals with.


Haha.



Relatedly, I think the biggest problem with a lot of conceptual photography is that it too frequently gets too caught up with the concept, causing the photographer to neglect the actual quality of each individual work as a photograph.

Funny Games, by Michael Haneke (1997)

What I loved most about Funny Games, directed by Michael Haneke, is what also makes it so problematic, and that is how wonderfully ambiguous it is. Set at a family's summer home, the film depicts the rather rapid devolution the family's would-be idyllic vacation takes into absolute horror. Pacing works in Haneke's favor: the film opens on the husband and wife playing everyone's favorite game, Guess What Opera This Is, while the husband drives his wife and their child down a winding country road. The family settles in, preparing breakfast for the next day and rigging the boat to go sailing and getting the golf clubs ready, all the things families do on vacation. Two young men, presumably working for the family's neighbors, stop by to borrow eggs. They end up staying, breaking the husband's knees, and, eventually, killing everyone.

Now, one could argue that Funny Games is a successfully scary film because of what it doesn't show, because of what it leaves to the viewer's imagination: for all of the gross, gory things that happen -- smashing a knee with a golf club, savage beatings for both the husband and wife, a slash of the knife here, three shotgun blasts to the chest -- we never see any of it. All of it transpires off-screen, and we are left to create what that would look like for ourselves -- and I suppose it's the common belief that what we imagine is always worse.

But, very obviously, Funny Games is not a horror movie -- not traditionally, anyway. Rather, the film is more an indictment -- of what, though? It isn't just the gore Haneke leaves out -- in a scene of psychological torture, the two vagabonds pose an ultimatum for the wife in which she must strip, or they will kill her husband. So, she strips -- she is The Loving Wife, after all -- but we don't see that, either. Is Funny Games an indictment of horror films, and the exploitation of all involved -- characters AND audiences -- or is it an indictment of films, and, for that matter, photographs, period? What Haneke seems more concerned with is humanity's obsession with voyeurism, and why we expect -- even want -- to see what he leaves out: a naked woman being shamed, a chest exploding in blood -- slasher and horror porn fodder, basically. It's true, these genres are incredibly popular -- especially now, again, with remakes of exploitation horror films like Wes Craven's Last House On the Left. Why are we so obsessed with being able to see the worst possible -- and why do we expect a happy ending, after all of it? Cleverly -- and cruelly -- enough, Haneke presents our release on a silver platter: the wife miraculously grabs a rifle from her aggressor's hands and shoots him in the chest -- but, his partner in crime, scandalized, grabs a remote control and rewinds the scene. By jerking us around, Haneke is provoking some interesting questions that are, to me, more horrifying than all the smashed kneecaps in the world: why do we love to watch other humans suffer? Why do we write stories about human suffering at the hands of other humans? One could argue, Because it happens -- but is that enough? Besides, no one approaches films like The Texas Chainsaw Massacre for their pitch-perfect documentary style; we aren't looking to learn anything from these films, only to be entertained -- so why is that how humanity gets its kicks? We can celebrate how well shot each scene is, distance ourselves to view the work as art and nothing more, talk about the narrative -- but why like this? Why at all? And are photographs to be held by the same standards?

Interesting questions. But by asking them via the medium of a narrative film, Haneke could be doing one of two things: being a huge hypocrite, or being very tongue-in-cheek. If it's the former, there's nothing really left to say. But if it's the latter, if Haneke is just playing a joke on us, scaring us by showing us how disgusting we can be and then brushing it off, does that mean that the questions don't actually matter? Or is there some middle ground we can eventually reach?

I have absolutely no idea. But, I did hear that the recent remake with Michael Pitt from Hedwig and the Angry Inch was awful.

Not So Funny Games

As I watched Michael Haneke's 1997 version of Funny Games, I found that I was unable to divorce myself emotionally from the action on the screen. This was despite the repeated breaking of the fourth wall, and other reminders that this was just a projected image on a screen. Perhaps I tossed these aside as being simply "art house film techniques," allowing myself to fall deeper under the manipulation of the director. Despite these offers of some sort of psychological respite (however genuine or practical), I still found myself becoming infuriated at the insolence of teenage boys, and horrified at the extreme violence perpetuated against an innocent family. I question why I did not walk out. It may have been that I thought I needed to stay, as this was a class. Perhaps I wanted to find some sort of resolution by the film's end. Little did I know there would be none. As I had my hopes for the family's rescue raised and dashed repeatedly, I continued to cling to every thriller or horror movie's promise of (at least temporary) justice. Moments we as moviegoers have been trained to mark as foreshadowing for later redemption proved unfruitful. When the lights turned back on, I found myself emotionally drained. My mind went back to a key point in the film, where one of the young men nonchalantly asks the struggling wife, "Would you mind cooperating?" I felt that this could also directed toward the film's viewers, asking them to cooperate with the manipulation both onscreen, to suspend disbelief, to play Haneke's game by his rules. I, for a moment, certainly did.

What I learned at the Armory Show- Part 2

At the Armory Show I learned that 1) I really hate crowds (I already knew that, but crowds + art is even worse) and 2) just because there is something on a wall and we are expected to look at it, doesn’t make it art! After traveling among rows and rows of extremely uninspiring work I finally came to this conclusion after stumbling upon one gallery (possibly Galerie Frank Elbaz but I’m not sure). In it were rectangles of colored Plexiglas with their plastic covering pulled off slightly, left hanging off the plexi. That’s it. I can guess the artist's idea had to do with the use of an ordinary material that is often used by artists and seeing what kinds of patterns and colors the plastic forms when pulled off... but come one. Yikes.

The upper level of the show was slightly more interesting because there was a lot more photography there. There were a few galleries displaying the classics like Weegee, Bill Owens, and Andre Kertesz. Some photographers that I found interesting were:

Adam Bartos: His work is very quiet and subtle. I like his use of muted color and gentle light.

Andrew Moore: Formalist to the max! Love it!





Saul Leiter: His work is from the 1950s and 60s. He was one of the early color photographers.


And I also liked the work of Todd Hido, Stéphane Couturie and Guy Tillim who Aubrey already mentioned.

One "not-photographer’s" work that I thought was very interesting was that of Kolkoz, of Galerie Emmanuel Perrotin. Kolkoz constructed “images” using frames within frames within frames, etc. I personally found it funny because I don’t particularly like frames, especially large, ornate and gaudy ones. To me it almost mocks the absurdity of those frames. I liked his (?) way of turning the decoration into the subject, forcing us to look at the object that is supposed to highlight a painting or photograph, but can often overshadow it. He turns the frame into the art itself.





Another thing I learned at the Armory show: I don’t have the slightest desire to go back.

GROUP C CRIT

EMILY

I loved your photos. I thought they were beautifully constructed - very well thought out. My favorite photograph was the one with the foot and leg in the mirror. It was so obscure but it worked really well. I loved your use of lines whether they were lines in the ceiling, floor or the lines made by the dancer's body. 

THEO

I really like that your photographs were "3 different photographers." It's good that you are able to experiment with different types of photography in the process of finding your niche. I enjoyed your photograph of the Alps and the photograph of the skateboarder and also the one of the woman biting her nails - that photograph was very intense. 

JOHN

I can't remember all of your photographs exactly but the only ones I didn't think worked were the color one, the one of the girls back and the guy lying down, the others worked really well together. I really like the way you frame and fill your photographs. I also really liked what Gabe said about your photographs being "a balance between chaos and something carefully composed." 

GABE

The Obama photograph was one of my favorites that you showed - I liked that anyones face could have been where his was and it still would have worked for me it just happened to be that you captured Obama. I also think that the blurring of your images is an interesting concept and you should keep on truckin with that idea and see where it takes you although the advice from the elders in our class was pretty good - blur with reason. 

Critique C

Just as a preface, one thing that is great about this class is that everyone's work is so different. Now that we've seen everyone's individual presentations, it's remarkable the variety of photography the entire group and each person has cultivated. That said, critique...

Emily: Your style is beautiful. It's obvious that you have an eye for capturing the fluidity of body movement as well as creating emotion in posing your subjects. Your photographs of the dancers seemed ageless, as did the model, and this is one reason why I preferred the black and white images. They left the date a question mark and made the images almost vintage looking. Every single one of your shots was focused on the model and her reflection(s). Most of the time the body of the dancer in the foreground was well placed and balanced the reflection nicely. However, in one or two photos I felt there was just too little of the woman's actual body to communicate her physical presence- be careful to avoid just showing a sliver of her in the frame- the images worked best when the reflection and body were taking up about the same amount of space. I enjoyed the patterns that lined the background of each image, especially when the checkerboard ceiling was caught in black and white. Overall, beautiful shots, you have a clear vision.

Theo: Your photography pleasantly surprised me in its variety. As Stephan showed, you have many different styles and outlets that your photography takes and that's great. Redundantly, it would benefit you to have a certain frame of mind when you shoot so you can channel your vision into the style you most prefer. Then your photography would take on a more sophisticated and specific aim. That said, I really liked the street shots, and I think black and white worked perfectly. The woman "pulling out her retainer" was one of the best, I feel like I could keep looking at it again and again, yet it did seem a bit overexposed. Other memorable shots that focused on line and composition were the mountains/phone lines shot (beautiful- the body language of the sitting boys was so relaxed) and the airport shot. Many of your shots could benefit from being larger, both so that details could be more easily deciphered and so that larger prints could work together to hone your vision. 'The Score' was another favorite and made me think of how lucky a lot of your shots were- perfect lighting and perfect moment. However, as I looked at them, I realized they weren't 'lucky' shots- they were just Yours.

John: As I said in the critique, I was both intrigued and confused by the set of images you put up. I actually liked all of the images on their own but together they didn’t fluidly express any meaning or theme- other than hip kids having a good time. When I spoke to you about your work, it became clear that you try to steer clear of typical ‘Nicky Digital’ party shots. It’s obvious that this process has evolved into the layered and detailed types of photography you showed at the critique. The shot of the passed out guy on the cardboard was the most stereotypical of the set, but I still liked it because there was visible attention to framing and the moment and it’s much better than the typical ‘passed-out’ shot I see from less intentional photographers. The best was definitely the pointing arm on the far right. The printing was actually so pearl-like that it enhanced the spookiness of the image. Again, perspective was carefully considered in this shot, and the layers unfolding into the darkness made the image really haunting. All in all I see your perspective and praise it, but I see a lot of potential for where it would go, too, if you continue to use the same frame-of-mind when shooting your friends. I would also encourage you to shoot your best work not only at parties- I’m sure interesting moments unfold around your everyday life in the daytime, and then your work might even take on disorganized subject matters that are harder to shoot well.


Gabe: The overtones of your work are primarily concerned with and communicated through color, exposure and focus. When honed and used as an additive to already perfect shots, (or potential shots) these experimental techniques can add much to a photograph. I got the idea that you were primarily concerned more with these externalities than the composition of the shot itself in the work you showed at the critique. I like this ‘playful’ approach to photography, for without this type of editing, it’s easy for photographs to become boring or unnoticeable. It worked well in some of your shots- I liked the blurry legs’ shadows on the pavement and the colorful shapes that were produced through the shallow depth of field. On other images, like the smiling woman, I felt the soft-focus was all wrong. I would have been more interested to see that shot in focus, accentuating her expression and the clever cropping. As in class, I recommended that you take the large format photography class so you can really get an idea of how to utilize focus. I think you would really like it, and it forces you to really examine what you want to emphasize in the shot. My favorite shot was the headlights on the tree, hands down. I disagree when others commented that it needed ‘more’ because the lack of an illuminated object on the right I felt added the element of obscurity in the dark woods. In regards to your pairings, I felt you got a little hung up on putting the shots together by solely visual aspects. I felt there was a lot of potential to give the series more meaning by fitting together shots that related not only on the light and color in the frame, but something deeper. Contrasting images will also help the viewer to pick up on unusual and great details of each shot. All in all, I like what I’ve seen, and I know with a little rearranging it can only get better.

Critiques from 3/4

Emily:
I was impressed with your ability to work with the dancers and the mirrors together to create very graphic images and shapes. It is clear that you really visualized the pose and how it would reflect in the mirror. You were successful in creating very strong lines and shapes. I thought the constant focus on the reflection, and not the actual dancer was interesting and possibly significant. I’m not sure if I preferred the color or the black and white. The green and yellow tones of the color images were a bit grotesque at times. The use of black and white with ballet photos feels like it could run the risk of being too overdone. I feel like images of ballet dancers are so classic that the use of black and white could almost be too much. As I said in class I would like to see more images with a cleaner background. I liked the interaction between the dancer’s body and the lines of the bar, mirror, and ceiling, but I think the chairs and stuff in the background were distracting especially at certain points when the body would fade into the black of the chairs.

John:
Overall, I think you have done quite well in your aim to photograph your peers in the party atmosphere with a slight edge and steer clear of any cliché party shots. I think your images don’t just focus on how hip, fashionable, crazy, drunk, etc the people are. They have dimension and movement and create a detailed, intimate environment. The 3 images on the left (the color, the girl looking down, and the nude woman) were my least favorite. I think you know why the color photo and the nude did not work- too straightforward, didn’t fit in, etc. I know most people like the photo of the girl looking down, but it has always bothered me. I like that it is layered and dynamic with the hand in front and the faces in the background. But it really bothers me that we are looking at the top of the girl’s head. I’m not sure if it is that I want to see her face, if the top of her head is just too awkward for me, or if it’s something else. I think the other three on the right were much stronger, especially the balloon/mouth photo and the man with the hand in front. I think the noticeable theme of hiding or masking is interesting and adds to your thesis. Many of your subjects’ faces are partially hidden by something. This theme can be stretched to resemble a sort of shyness or insecurity of growing up and being unsure of who you are at this transition point in life. I could be digging too far but it’s definitely evident and could be significant.

Theo:
The first images I noticed in your set were the bikers, probably because they were in my eye line and they were extremely dark. I assume they were printed down to bring out the highlights of the bikes. The graphic lines created by the shiny bikes were strong and made my eyes vibrate a little (does that sound weird?). Other than that, though, those images were not that compelling. Biker dudes are crazy but I think if you were going for a more street photography angle, the images should be closer, more intimate, funny and/or composed better (and lighter! I couldn’t see anything except the lines on the bikes and the sunspot on the pavement). One image that I thought was interesting and funny was the stilt walkers and the two kids. The postures and different sizes (due to perspective) of the two kids on either side were quite amusing. One child looked huge and somewhat like the traffic cone next to her, while the other child looked miniature, especially next to the stilt walkers. I personally enjoy street photography that is sometimes silly or ironic (Friedlander!!) and makes you ask what the heck is going on. This image was definitely heading in that direction.

Gabe:
I definitely agree with some of the others that the Barack Obama photo was your strongest. I’m impressed with your luck with that. It really looks that he is being pushed down into the crowd by the paparazzi and their giant cameras. Will he make it out alive? Who knows??
I said in class that the images of the light on the wet ground need more. I am sorry that I don’t have anything more specific for you but I’m not sure what “more” is either. The images were just too simple, small, and straightforward. Maybe a larger expanse of wet pavement would create a nice graphic image or shadows and something/someone else would add something. I can see the attraction to nice light like that but for it to be a lasting image it needs to provoke something. I saw this image at the Armory show by Ray Metzker. Maybe it will help, because I really can’t clarify what I mean…

What I Learned At The Armory Show.

Well, first off, I learned that there is a lot of really bad art! Second off, I learned that, no, contrary to my speculation, the Hitler moustache will never make it as a style of facial hair that people can actually wear. (There was a guy...yeah.) Thirdly, I decided I really cannot abide art that is text-based; obviously you are not a good enough artist to make the art speak (non-verbally) for itself, as it should, but you are also apparently not a good enough writer to just write about it instead. Stop making art please! You're hurting my soul. (Ref.: Neon text reading "Capitalism Kills." Guh.)

But this is all really beside the point!

I saw a lot more good photographs than I predicted I would. Among my favorites were South African photographer Guy Tillim's street-style color photos. They were, of course, a documentary set of work by default, but there was a subtle grace to them which elevated them in my mind from the level of mere documentary:







Stéphane Couturier's large format color photos of Havana were also quite striking. Less concerned with people and more with the forms, textures, and colors of the urban Cuban landscape, I was drawn in by a graphic element, but not one unfounded by a tangible and relevant meaning. One could sense the real essence of Havana--its history, its political turmoil, its spunky and colorful cultural institutions--as transmitted by the city's artifactual and architectural self, in his photos.






Todd Hido's large landscapes through half-foggy, rain-wet windows possessed an oddly memento-like quality that brought to mind an eerie deterioration of memory:





There were a few of Hellen van Meene's haunting portraits of adolescents which I thought were quite beautiful. I am always impressed when an artist successfully combines two antitheses (in this case, grace and awkwardness) to create a harmonious image. Actually, now that I think about it, these images remind me of what my original idea for my thesis was supposed to be. (There is a reason why it is not my thesis anymore.)





Finally, I was intrigued by the photos of Andrew Bush, whose career is much further advanced than the bulk of the artists at the Armory Show, but whose work I was previously unfamiliar with. There was a great amount of wit behind his candid color photos of people in cars next to him on the street. They almost function as portraits--conveying the drivers' characters--which act in part through the type of car they drive.

A Photograph in Itself

Gail Albert Halaban- “Out My Window”

This was one of my favorite galleries we visited on our most recent Chelsea tour. All in all, I thoroughly enjoyed the entire collection of images, which appeared to show an invisible spy’s view of New York City. The images that most fascinated me were the ones that were a straight shot into another apartment or several apartments. In these images, it seemed as if the photo could have been taken out of thin air. Unless there was a purposeful emphasis on the foreground, the images gave no impression of the space they were themselves in, which drew in my interst. Each seemed to be its own unique urban snapshot of a different family or group of related people. The lighting was ethereal and the comparison day-to-night photos of the same apartment building cast them in completely different moods and even eras. The spotlighting of different apartments through the residents’ own unaware choices made for a landscape that Halaban had little initial control over. The details of every figure in every lit window in every apartment building, however, lead me to believe that he was very patient and extremely detail oriented in waiting for the perfect shot. Photographs that focused on one window in particular were also seemingly perfectly timed, to capture both the urban landscape and light at its peak as well as the emotion and posture of the subjects.








The foreground-oriented shots also tickled my fancy but less so because of the obvious posed nature of the subjects, the somewhat clichéd stances, and the lack of specific details through the window(s) themselves. However, they were successful in generatating the façade of each “character” Halaban was attempting to create, from the rich bathtub woman to the couple embracing over coffee. These images were more surreal and less grounded in observance, and he was clearly striving for an less anonymous viewpoint. All in all however, these shots of New York endeavored to compare and contrast the different elements that vary all of us. Lifestyle and wealth is the most obvious thing expressed through one’s apartment and this exhibit showed a range of economic earning, without having to say so. Apartments from penthouses to ground level were shown and it was clear that at least two different Burroughs were also represented. Halaban contrasted stages of life, from a baby ripe to see the world, pushing on the glass with his pudgy fingers to an old woman, staring wearily out on the same view she’s seen for years. Both in subtext and in visual language, aesthetic diversity of apartments and living situations were shown and compared. Also, the Robert Mann gallery is the ideal showcase for this exhibit, with huge windows overlooking other apartment buildings; it almost made me feel like I was part of my own photograph.

Third Critique

Theo:
The images of Theo's that I liked best were the ones in which she had explored using lighting. In particular I was drawn to the image of the woman holding out the paper and thereby obscuring her identity. It was a dramatic and intriguing image and the stark bright light trying to reach her face made for an uncomfortable feeling of an interrogation to which the woman would not succumb. I also liked the one which Stephan pointed out of the guitarist who appeared almost just as a floating head and arm, it was kind of surreal and definitely drew me in.
The street photographs could perhaps have been a little less contrasty, although in a way the high contrast worked in some, as it enhanced the gritty urban nature of the subjects. Of these, the ones I was least interested in were the ones of the motorbikes as I think they have been used as a subject many times. However, Theo had captured some really good fleeting human moments, such as the image of the woman with the dreadlocks stuffing her fingers into her mouth. I also liked the relationship between the two tiny children watching the stiltwalkers.
I agreed with Stephan that it seemed like the work of three different photographers, and I didn't see this as necessarily a bad thing. I think that this showed that Theo had been exploring many different interests photographically, and also showed a progression in her work. Of course, when working towards a specific project a more deliberate direction would be helpful, but many of the class are not at that stage and therefore should not get too hung up on this aspect, in my opinion.

Gabe:
I just want to start by saying that I don't think that the whole soft-focus style of photography can be just dismissed out-of-hand. However, as Aubrey pointed out in class, there should be a definite reason for using it. Although Gabe's reason was not immediately apparent, he did have one and I think it would have been helpful if he had been allowed to tell us what it was before the discussion. I realise that work is supposed to speak for itself without an artist's statement, but in the case of our class, much of what we are looking at is work-in-progress, which is therefore unlikely to be in a complete enough state to speak for itself. If we are allowed to hear the idea behind people's work, we can make more helpful suggestions as to which direction people could possibly go in, in order to get this across to an uninitiated viewer.
Generally I would agree that photographs of celebrities are not the most thought-provoking, but I thought Devlin's comments about the image of Obama were spot-on. He really did look like he was drowning in a sea of people who all wanted something from him (sorry for stealing, Devlin!) and knowing what we now know about the massive difficulties and expectations that Obama is facing makes this image quite relevant, and not just a paparazzi-style snap.
I liked the bluish-purple colours in the set of three images shown on the right. In particular, the middle, abstract image. I'm not really sure they worked as a set however, because although the colour linked them, the subject matter did not. For me, the two with the orange light (I think a sunset, and a reflection on a sidewalk) worked the best together.
I did agree that if the idea in some of the images was an abstract exploration of light and colour, that the subject needed to be less recognizable, for example, in the image of the feet.

John:
I really liked the size of John's black and white images, and I also thought that it made sense to show just a few as it was then easier to really focus on every detail of each. The theme of partially obscured faces seemed to me to have developed naturally, rather than necessarily being something that John had set out to capture.
My favourite was the image of the girl looking down (the extreme left of the black and whites). There was a lot going on around the periphery, with many different textures, but somehow, rather than detracting from the face, it drew you in to it. However once she has drawn you in, the girl does not meet your eye. There was a sense of movement in the image, the swirling patterns on the shirt and the cascade of hair, but the face is still, framed by all this movement. I was pleased to get the chance to focus on this one which I had seen in the other critique room many times without knowing whose work it was.
I liked that these were captured moments but that they could easily have been staged for a magazine shoot.

Gallery Tour -- Chadwick Tyler and Gail Albert Halaban

Gail Albert Halaban's Out My Window was my absolute favorite of the gallery shows we have visited every semester. With the kind of ethereal, alien, seemingly sourceless light that Gregory Crewdson pays so much money for, Halaban does him one better by providing images that are more interesting than a could-be still from a modern noir film. Halaban's narratives are not overly contrived, nor do they have an obvious hand manipulating them -- rather, they are quiet, almost stolen moments of ambiguity -- loneliness? happiness? -- in strangers' lives that we are normally not privy to -- and therefore, that much more obsessed with. The ambiguity comes from all sides: her subjects' faces suggest emotions that are difficult to decisively pin down, and in some images, it's difficult to discern whether or not her subjects are meant to be visibly aware of the camera's presence.

Chadwick Tyler's Tiberius. While the idea of carving out a hole somewhere in the bustling metropolis of Manhattan to look like a cave and using that as your space is interesting, if the work is bad, then it becomes an irritating gimmick. Chadwick Tyler plasters the walls of his makeshift hideaway with photographs of girls and young women in various states of distress and undress, with dirt smeared on their faces, camisole straps ripped, and ribcages jutting dangerously from their skin. In 2009, I cannot fathom any real use for piles of dreamy, romantic images of beautiful, shamed females writhing about in wide-eyed squalor -- especially when those images are conceived of, and made, by a male photographer. I know, I know, he mentions them each by name, and he says it's a celebration of their beauty, but I can't let him get off that easily -- does he not realize how problematic, and also boring, it is now to celebrate the supposedly intrinsic beauty of women? Does he not understand how backward it is to celebrate the alleged fragility of the female form, and to again fetishize the weak female? I hope he was being ironic. Not that that would help much, because then it would just be annoying for other reasons.

critiques, critiques, critiques: redux

John:
As I said in class, I think the photos you're putting together for this project often tend to benefit from a subtly graphic (not in a pejorative sense) quality of motion and composition--the photo of Katherine looking down, the guy with the finger pointing in front of his face, the balloon photos, the 'fro photo (not shown in class). And I think in the most successful cases, that sort of formal/graphic element dovetails nicely with the idea behind this set of work, the ecstatic abandon of a cross-section of young people on the verge of growing up, but still sort of straddling the line and enjoying the best of both worlds (i.e., youth and adulthood), and all the subordinate narratives and ideas which arise from that setting. In terms of the specific work you showed yesterday: I know you mostly threw that color one in because it's a good new one and resonates on some level with your thesis, though it won't be going in because it transmits its message in a different, less ecstatic way, and because you've got a solid pool of black and white from which to draw anyway. (And as a side note, if you were considering including color, my feeling is that it would weaken your show, because the fundamental abstraction of black and white elevates the subject matter to a more "legitimate" [for lack of a better word] level for the viewer, who might mistake color photos more easily for simple party photos, and because black and white lends an elegance to photos whose subject matter is made up, on the most basic level, of wild young people drinking and debauching, thus prompting the viewer to look for the loftier narratives which you are channeling.) Also, I've never felt the nude photo of Daria fit well into the set, and while I can think of legitimate reasons why you personally might be compelled to include it, I think the sentiment behind that would be unfortunately undercut by the campy feeling that I get from that particular photo. At this point, obviously, it's just a matter of editing what goes in the show, and otherwise you're solid.

Emily:
The way you were able to frame a dance photo in a new and different way from what one typically sees, abstracting the figures in the photos in a certain way, was impressive and intriguing. You incorporated the geometry of the space--the bars, the lines between mirrors, the gridded ceiling--into a sort of dialogue or interaction with the organic forms of the dancer's body, something which your run-of-the-mill straightforward dance photos by and large fail to do. I wasn't really distracted by chairs and other items in the background of the ballet bar photos as Charlotte was, though when she pointed it out, I thought it might be interesting to remove such context clues from the photos and see how that might affect how the viewer reads them. With regards to the issue of color versus black and white, I like both. I didn't think the color was distracting or took away from the elegance as I think some people said they were; most of the colors in the photos were fairly muted, with some little accents of bolder color here and there (e.g., greens and reds in the chairs and curtains). I'd like to see more experimentation with abstractions of the dancers' figures, through framing, reflections, or however you might see fit.


Let me preface my comments on Theo's and Gabe's work by saying (as prompted by apparent feelings of hostility in class) that I know you guys--and this goes for Maria, Alex, et al, as well--should by no means feel like you should have an absolutely clear-cut idea or direction for your photos as a whole at this point in the game. We (seniors/thesis people) have been dealing intensively with our projects for a long time now, while you all, in fact, should still be exploring and feeling out what it is you want to shoot. Not all of you may have been taking as many different photo classes as others have lately, or some have maybe even just discovered your interest in photography, and are still feeling out your shooting habits and personal eye. So, I will discuss my thoughts on the work you showed with that fact in mind.

Theo:
As Stephan pointed out, your photos variously appear as though three different photographers might have taken them. Now you just have to try and hone in on what it is that makes your photos specific to you as a photographer, that makes them characteristically yours. The only way to really feel this out is to shoot, shoot, shoot, like a maniac in all different settings (street, performance space, personal space) and different mediums (black and white, color, different formats?!), and then look at everything you've shot and try and isolate a common thread. Regarding what you showed in class, I saw the most potential in your black and white street photographs. While the other styles we categorized your photos in may certainly be interesting and useful, I was most intrigued by photos like the bent sign and the skateboarder or the person with dreadlocks, and found them to be more successfully executed than some of the other work on the wall. I did also like the two photos of the guitarist in which the frame was mostly black except for the bright spotlight on him. If you further pursued and experimented with street photography, I'd be interested to see if this sort of style (i.e., that of the guitar photos) could inform those photos in some interesting way. As street photography has sort of already been "done," on the most basic classical level, I think you might be able to bring an interesting sort of eerie quality to your street photos by incorporating some of the techniques you used in the less traditional photos.

Gabe:
If Theo is to approach her work inductively, that is, working analytically from what she has in terms of photos to determine what her particular personal technique (or the "cause," in scientific terms) is, then Gabe must work deductively: I see a distinguishing quality common to most of your photos--a soft, ethereal quality--but now you must make work knowing that that is an aesthetic you are interested in, and it must be work that will successfully display that quality in a meaningful way. I suppose this brings me to the point that was made in class that if one uses hyper-soft focus, or underexposure, or blown-out light, or other things of that nature, there must be a reason for that decision which speaks to the meaning of the photograph. And, as you said, you did have reasons for using those effects, but what is essential is that that intended meaning is perceptible and readable to the viewer without explanation, or even context, as a set of photos is no good if the individual photos cannot stand up on their own as strong pieces. I've seen your black and white before, and I can see the common thread in those as well, and I know you are capable of making good photos. I also think you are capable of doing interesting things with the aesthetic you're working with; you just need to be more deliberate about the choices you make in creating the images.

Old made new again

Elger Esser, Sonnabend Gallery

I found Esser's work to be a breath of fresh air in a photography scene stifled by the conceptual (see metal p

ipes wrapped in snapshots of a Dior retail store cocktail party sticking every which way out of the walls). These ultra traditional prints, both the large shipwrecks and silver photographic etchings, spoke of a different era, one all but forgotten in the contemporary photography scene. One would assume these prints are relics of the past, but upon closer inspection all were made within the last few years. The attention Esser has paid to the classic, traditionally beautiful works is so evident it makes them feel more special, more cared for. In contemporary photography so much of the process is lost to modern technology, but each of these images felt personal. The images of the shipwrecks, whose large sizes imparted a sort of epic feeling, were to me the most interesting. The subtlety of the muted colors, which seemed to be applied in a sort of photographic pointillism, created a somber, nostalgic tone that hit me in the gut. I think the beauty of this exhibit was its straightforward nature. It allowed the viewer to appreciate the work for what it was in a return to traditional, handworked photography.

Chadwick Tyler, Tiberius

This exhibit was for me the most interesting in terms of gallery space and display. The entrance was quite literally a hole in a solid gray wall, missed by most passers-by (ourselves included). Therefore when we entered the space it felt secret, special to be there. Once inside, it was dimly lit (a bit too dimly I thought) and cold as there was no door on the entrance. It made one feel like they didn't want to spend too much time in there. However, I found the work fascinating. The women in the photos were all reminiscent of classic nudes, yet another return to an earlier time. Interesting, too is the fact that many of these images, specifically of the girls with dirt on their skin and vulnerable expressions on their faces (see left) resemble the work of Great Depression photographer Dorothea Lange. Seeing these images at a time when our economic situation is frighteningly close to another depression generates a visceral reaction. However, the contradiction here is that these are "fashion photographs", and clearly these girls are all getting paid to look that vulnerable. Regardless, the reference is a little unnerving. In terms of display, the whitewashed gilded frames serve as a perfect case for each image. The clean stark white of each ornate frame encompasses the images of the dirty girls, creating a tension that gives the photos an added punch. I also appreciated the artist's statement, which cut out any BS or exposition and provided a simple explanation which gave the viewer a direction to go but not a destination. Overall I was inspired most by this work (predictably i suppose) as it was both fashion and art, two things that should not be divided but have been looked upon as such.

Gallery Hopping in Chelsea 25th Feb. 2009

Elger Esser.


We had visited numerous galleries in the Chelsea area of New York City. The second viewing we as a class went on was Elger Esser’s exhibition, he had various photographs on display Some were more grasping than others, and some were the complete opposite style from each other. They varied in different color prints and different compositions.

The one photograph however that did capture and secure my attention was The Seacliff II. The photograph is of an abandoned boardwalk that looked to have seagulls on it leading to an abandoned boat, which also resembles a ferry. The boardwalk however casts a lovely shadow on the yellow colored sandy beach below, the contrast between the dark shadow and the yellow sand comes out in the photograph really well, in addition makes the shadow stand out.

The photograph more or less reveals the color yellow. The lighting and the colors of the photograph looked as though they had been tampered with. The only colors that do not blend in with over all yellow are the shadow of the boardwalk, the boat/ship at the end of the boardwalk and the sea. The color of the beach was more yellow than white, realistically the color of the beach would be more of a white color that a yellow one. The color of the ocean/sea was green, rather than a mixture of the two colors green and blue. The type of green did not even closely resemble the colors of the ocean or a sea for that matter. The color of the sky was also a light yellow hue, this could have potential to make the shot seem as though it could have been taken during hours of dusk or dawn for that matter.

Another element of the photograph that also enticed me was that there was a lot of space in the photo; the horizon blends in with the sky eventually. Taking a step back to further in take the photograph noticing that the sky holds majority of the photograph therefore the ample amounts of space in the photograph.


Chadwick Tyler.

As walking towards 20th Street we made an unexpected stop into a gallery showing called “Tiberius” by Chadwick Tyler. The gallery seemed to be hidden along the walkway. The photographs that were on display were all black and white and ranged when it came to composition. Some looked as though they could be placed in fashion magazines and others looked somewhat morbid.

Nevertheless there was one picture that did get a reaction out of me. It was a photograph of a woman who was wearing a black fur coat with a hint of a white shirt inside, she had her hair in two messily put up buns on either side of the top of her head that could have easily resembled horns. She had black make up smeared across her eyes, while she posed with her eyes looking up half open. Her head was tilted to a certain angle. The model looked possessed borderline devilish.

This photo was again in black and white however it was a dark photo, the models were pale, or came off that way due to the dark make up they were wearing. Some of the photographs were lighter toned but the one that specifically caught my eye was dark toned.

Galleries 2-25

Elger Esser's photographs at Sonnabend struck a cord within me. Maybe what struck me lies simply in the subject itself: desert land and deserted castles in the Aragón region, at which I’ve gazed for hours from car windows in summers past. Memory can be powerful in the consideration of photographs. Although Stephen mentioned the manipulation that must have gone into the process- highly saturated colors and exaggerated contrast- the photographs still retain a natural quality. The textures are thick and complex, and the large prints are bottom-heavy with a tranquil air. The earth tones and compositions were soothing to me. In comparison to Esser’s large, hand-colored prints of centered ancient-seeming shipwrecks (which were nonetheless very compelling), the C-Print landscapes are organic and straightforward. Esser’s black and white vat paper prints of nature are traditional in subject, but artificial in the quality of light, and the bright white of trees, leaves or boats harshly punctuates the photographs.

On a very different note, Hasted Hunt’s “Contradictions in Black and White” formally echoed the Aaron Siskind from a few weeks ago, yet not with as much anxiety that Siskind's simple diving photos carry. Most of the photographs consist of abstracted forms on a white background. Interestingly, there was a photograph of fur again, similar to Bernard Voit’s “L’Oeil du Tigre I” in its ephereal air, and a shimmering sand photograph, Michael Flomen's "Barfield" reminiscent of the Sugimoto show. In other words, much of the work was unremarkable in the sense of new concepts. However, I found Ray K. Metzker’s photograph (#21) of a stoplight, wires, and floating houses mirrored, silhouetted, and floating in a white background to be fresh and interesting. The shapes are not only beautiful but tense and energetic in their composition.

Paper Eyes and Fireflies: Gallery Tour 2/25

I had some trepidation about what to expect the "To Be Determined" show (forgive me, but I completely forget the gallery name), but I was able to find some impressive work. After getting past the digital snapshots from a Louis Vuitton party, glued around metal tubes, and scans of stock magazine photos of women eating ice cream, there was actually a photograph that really caught my attention beyond something merely bizarre, or gimmicky, or a misguided attempt to be edgy.

One of the most eye-catching photos in the whole gallery space was that of a crisp, black and white print of an eye, under a thin layer of liquid, in a red developing tray, against a black background. (I did not catch the artist's name. If anyone knows, please leave it in the comments.) The overall image was very graphic, and from a distance, looked as if it could be a very detailed illustration. There were links visually between the eye in the print and the developing tray itself; tear duct was echoed by the corner spout of the tray. Consequently, the liquid in the tray, perhaps developing fluid, could be seen metaphorically as tears. In addition to being visually appealing, the larger photo makes an interesting statement about the nature of print creation, with the developing tray acting as the tool, or eye, by which the image can been seen for the first time.

In the "Contradictions in Black and White" exhibition at Hasted Hunt Gallery, I found myself drawn to two large photos by Michael Flomen. To be honest, I could neither tell what the photographs were of, nor how they were produced. At that point, all I could ascertain was that there were traces of natural elements (leaves, flowers branches), obscured by what looked to be some sort of translucent material, and illuminated by a series of tiny lights. I considered these two for a while, postulating as to what these might be. Possible theories that emerged included holiday lights hanging from a flowering tree, behind a sheet of plastic, and even an aerial shot of a series of campfires casting strange shadows. Both of these speculations proved to be incorrect as I later found out that the images were nothing more than fireflies walking and flying across photographic paper. I was in awe. In an age of photography being so digital, I loved how such a primitive, yet original process could produce such engaging work.

feb 25 gallery tour

I think out of all of the galleries the photographs done by Gail Albert Halaban. I think the gallery that the photographs were shown in complemented the photos because it was on the 10th floor of a building and you can look out and see the city from the point of view of the photographer. I like that Halaban took photographs of the same buildings at night and during the day so that one can compare and contrast the apartment buildings and see how during the night who closes their blinds and who opens them during the day. I wonder if the photographs were set up or candid because in a few the subjects eyes catch the camera. I love the idea of photographing people in their spaces/homes. People in general are wildly interesting and to be able to capture them in their personal spaces interacting with families, dogs or just resting watching T.V. is great.

At the Sonnabend Gallery I really liked the Clay Ketter photograph "Presidente." I was really drawn to the more dull colors and the various textures found throughout the photograph.

At the contradictions gallery I enjoyed the separate photos of the cars placed on the wall in rows of five. It gave the feeling of movement, as though I was in car driving down the road with all these others. I was also drawn to the photos that (I think) were multiple exposures because at first glance one might look at them and think they're just cloudy but if you study each individual photo hard enough you can find the subjects beneath the fog.

The landscapes done by Mark Ruwedel were really impressive. I wasn't much into landscape photography until I got hold of a large format camera. I liked how the photographs were grouped with like photographs. One group, what I gathered, was nature with fragments of human whether it was telephone poles, buildings or tire tracks and horizon lines, landscapes with architecture, landscapes with vanishing points and large boulders on either side of the vanishing point, and landscapes where there were holes in the land.

Not sure how I felt about the Mauricio Alejo works. I wasn't exactly moved by the balloon type bags attached to the tubes...I did like the photograph of the white sheet floating and I thought it was pretty cool how the mirrors lined up, but that was about it.

The "To Be Determined" gallery was alright, the ice cream photographs looked a bit seductive. I did like the picture of a picture in a developing tray and the photographs of the German album covers.

Some of the Walter Niedermayer photographs were so large they looked like drawings or paintings. A lot of the kids sledding look like a painting - it's a really open white scene dotted with children. I don't like the ski slopes that have the blue sky behind them, I feel like when there is the blue sky present it dominates the rest of the photograph.

Galleries 2/25/09.

Elger Esser, Sonnabend Gallery:
I was instinctively really drawn to the black and white, Pictorialist-style images. A criticism that could be levelled at Esser is that he is just pointlessly recreating something that has been done, and many believe is done with and obsolete, but I felt comforted by this confirmation that the traditional techniques are still sometimes being used to produce work. I feel that the amount of time and effort that must be invested in production by the older methods gives the artist a kind of affinity with the finished product that is expressed to the viewer.
However, as Stephan mentioned, the subject matter was not fascinating, and that leads me to think that perhaps the exhibit was maybe a little too self-consciously just about the technique, and that the artist could have given us more. There is comfort in looking back nostalgically at better days, which is what these images projected, as the artist had deliberately selected scenes which could have been from 100 years ago. I felt a sense of calm when looking at them, but perhaps it might also be interesting to see how our modern world looks through the eyes of the old techniques.
Also, as was pointed out, the gallery could take more overall care with presentation, as peeling or wonky labels don't look good!

Contradictions in Black and White, Halsted Hunt Gallery:
The first feeling I got from this exhibition was one of irritation. It really annoyed me that I didn't know whose work I was looking at without having to carry around a sheet. Perhaps this was a deliberate tactic to make you look at the exhibition as a whole, but I didn't appreciate it, perhaps because the theme of black and white was not really interesting enough to carry the show as a whole.
I liked some of the images, mainly the ones which contained geometric shapes and were therefore sort of satisfying to look at. This was only on a superficial way though, not in any way which made you want to think about the image any further. The black vs. white/positive vs. negative idea is not very innovative in itself, and the individual images weren't enough either.
I did enjoy the rather gimmicky idea of the firefly images, but again only in a fleeting, superficial kind of a way.
The handout annoyed me too, as it seemed to be using a lot of words to say not very much at all.

Gail Albert Halaban, Out My Window, Robert Mann Gallery:
This exhibition was the one I liked best this week. I enjoyed the glimpses into people's lives, captured in their private environment. Looking at people through their windows is always fascinating, and this exhibition allowed you to do so without feeling like a stalker!
I thought the contrast between the images that looked at people through the window, and the ones that looked through people out of the window worked well, and gave the work more variety. Somehow the relationship between the photographer and the subject seemed more intimate in the images where they had been captured through a distant window, as opposed to the subjects that were in the same room as the photographer. Perhaps because the figures in the same room ignored the camera and were mainly focused entirely on the scene outside the window, just looking out, whereas the other images were looking out of the window, but also into a person's life in which the viewer can perhaps feel a little included. The figures in the same room as the photographer were physically closer but seemed deliberately cut off, emotionally.
I have seen some other similar work, but felt that this artist had pulled it off more successfully than others. Each image was different and absorbing, with two subjects to engage with, the city and the human.

Mark Ruwedel, Westward the Course of Empire, Yossi Milo Gallery:
I liked this exhibition, as the images were deliberate reflections of the images of Western Expansion, which were some of the ones I enjoyed most in Photo History class.
I thought the idea of revisiting the sites was interesting, and the use of the large format camera made for a direct comparison between past and present, although in style, the two could have been interchangeable.
The work showed the shift in priorities from the old to the modern, without really showing anything that comes from our modern world. The tone was rather melancholic, with the railways, once such a symbol of pride and innovation, now decaying and forgotten as the world has moved on to the new and improved.

Walter Niedermayr, Robert Miller Gallery:
The scale of Niedermayr's large ski scenes was impressive, but I am not really sure how I felt about them in general. I think that the size of the images pointed out the overwhelming vastness of nature, and in comparison the small specks of humanity appeared very vulnerable.
There was something a little odd about the colours, something that didn't seem natural somehow, but I couldn't work out exactly what it was. The colours of the figures were very saturated, and perhaps seemed even more so against the glaring whiteness of the snow, but the sky did not seem as vivid as might be expected.
I don't know that the subject was really interesting enough to warrant more than one set of images.

Second Critique

Alexandra: As was mentioned by various people in class, I also thought that many of the pairings of images either did not work, or were unnecessary. One pairing that did work for me though, was the image of the child hugging the woman paired with the image of the dolls. Each image could have also stood alone, but the pairing made them even stronger. What worked well was the contrast between the joyful, warm human nature of the hug, compared with the eerie, cold, plasticky dolls. Also, there was contrast between the life and movement in the hug, and the coffin-like appearance of the box that the dolls lay in, discarded symbols of a dying childhood.
I could see where Alexandra was coming from with the idea of the images being from different times but with the tendency to shoot similar subjects. If this had been just about black and white versus colour, representing different time periods, this would perhaps have been a little too obvious. But I got the impression that it was more about a shift in techniques while the subject matter remained constant.

Olivia: I haven't seen a lot of Polaroid work and so for me, the novelty of this alone made me really excited by Olivia's images. The size of the image makes you really step up close and get involved with the subject, even if that subject is only a fascinating colour or hint of an object. I liked both the random line-up of images and the deliberate paring of images that completed one another, and I think that by presenting both layouts shows a range and depth in the work that only one of these alone might not. I enjoyed the care with which Olivia had created the sets of images that completed one another, and was intrigued by the idea that a small format had been deliberately chosen, but that this was seen as not large enough to contain the whole idea, which needed two or more frames to complete it.
I was confused by the discussion over whether Olivia had successfully imposed her 'emotions' on the viewer through her work. Is it the artist's job to make sure that the viewer feels the same way that she does about her work? Maybe I just got the wrong end of the stick about what was being said.

Deirdre: These images portrayed a grim, almost post-apocalyptic world and seemed very pessimistic in their outlook, which is perhaps appropriate these days. The numerous images containing fencing made me feel as though I should back off, as though I wasn't welcome. It was unnerving that, although the images were documentary-style, there were no people to be seen. I agreed that some of the images looked as though they had been taken hurriedly, and perhaps a little more time could have been taken with the framing if the shot.
I like the idea of a comparison between the two areas of Park Avenue, but also agreed with others in the class that perhaps a different approach to the subject might reveal something more interesting. Although it was mentioned that this was a work in progress, I think it might have been helpful in evaluating the project if there had been some of the images from the Manhattan end of Park Ave to compare these with.

Maria: There was a big difference in style and mood between the black and white, and the colour images. Like most people I think, I preferred the black and white images as they seemed to be more deliberately framed and the subject more carefully chosen. They seemed to have had more personal investment in their creation than the colour ones, which were more like fleeting moments on any random night. There seemed to be only a transient interest in the subjects in the colour images.
I did think it was good to see both sets of images alongside one another though, and to see the shift between styles and subjects.

Critique 1- Group B

Alex:
Much of the discussion of your travel-based photos was centered around the presentation of your work: pairings of color photographs against black and white. Though I do feel it is important to make intelligent decisions when displaying your work, and consider how photos will relate to one another when displayed together, some of the stronger points in your work may have been overlooked. You have a keen eye for quiet and personal moments in your travel-based photos. This seems to be the case whether you're working in film or digital, color or black and white, or photographing people or inanimate objects.

As some of the others noted, in terms of your human photos, you should continue to push the situations you are in even more. There were a few images that could have benefited from you spending a bit more time with your subjects. Keep taking tons of photographs of the same set-up. While this might seem obvious, I think it would enhance your images even more.
Overall, you are developing a strong, prolific body of work. If you continue to make intelligent and ruthless edits, it can only get stronger.

Olivia:
Your abstract polaroids of architectural elements and winter branches focused heavily on line, color and shape, using the white frame of the polaroid itself as a continuation of these forms. The juxtaposition of the hard building lines with the otherworldly colors of your skyscapes and the organic branch forms, created a rich dialogue between the images. This, coupled with your choice of pairings, in which the lines from one photograph seem to connect with another, was even at one point described as lyrical.

That said, you need to be sure that you are not forcing your sets. Some images, for example, the tree branches highlighted with flash over a deep purple sky, worked just as well, or even better on their own. Again, be careful in your display choices.

Deirdre:
The images you showed of the Park Avenues in Manhattan and the Bronx were united in their dismal, bleak, even harsh lighting. A few of your images may have been heavy-handed in terms of showing the poverty in the Bronx, but you had some good pieces in the mix.
You need to be more careful with your composition. A lot of the photos you showed looked a bit like snapshots, or as if you had to be quick and clandestine about photographing the area. The photos were also too closely cropped. Several students mentioned that the photos subsequently felt claustrophobic. Perhaps a wider angle lens and certainly more careful composition would help with these issues.

Throughout the images you showed, there seemed to be an underlying idea of ownership and possession or lack thereof that defines both the areas in the Bronx and Manhattan. This is not to say that those in Manhattan should be portrayed as the "haves" and those in the Bronx should be shown as the "have-nots." Instead, an exploration of what sorts of ownership, (for example, cars, fences, pets, lost clothing, signs, etc,) help to establish certain spaces in these two Park Avenues.

Overall, you've chosen a very interesting topic with which to work. Be sure to avoid the pitfalls of tackling too many large issues, or heavy-handed subjects, such as yards full of junk in the Bronx. Conversely, I would also try to avoid only looking for elegance in the Bronx and neglect in Manhattan, as this still relies on assumptions about the areas and a simple, cheap subversion of those ideas. That said, keep taking tons of photographs and making smart edits. Your concept will most certainly be fine-tuned along the way.

Maria:
As much of the rest of the class noted, your black and white, film photographs are much more refined than the color photos taken digitally. As a whole, they were more carefully composed, with much more attention to light, line and content. Perhaps it is due to the nature of the black and white, film medium being more precious than the the more instant and disposable digital process.

You had mentioned that your color photographs were to focus on the quality of light at certain time, with a special focus on colored light. However, I felt that many of these light elements were not sufficient to carry a photograph. Either there needs to be more visual substance in the shots, or they need to be pushed to a point where they are painterly abstractions. At this point, they are neither one, nor the other.

Of your black and white photographs, I really liked the loneliness of the figures in your portraits. You capture them with a great degree of sensitivity. That same thoughtfulness is applied to your photos of the junk shop. These, like your portraits are atmospheric and mysterious, with countless details, carefully filling the frame. If this same conscientious process you use when photographing in film is applied to your digital photos, you will be well on your way to creating a strong and diverse body of work.

Also, Here's an Art Blog

http://www.todayandtomorrow.net/

A blog I look at regularly for fresh and trippy additions to the art world.

Critique Group B

Critique B

Alex: I really liked the casual style of your photography. The shots were reflections of your travels, the things you’ve seen, and details that intrigued you. I liked the contrast between black and white and color, but I felt sometimes that the color didn’t add much. When one shoots both black and white as well as color, I feel like there needs to be a distinction between them. Obviously not as dramatic as the one I presented in my critique, but I feel that you should choose which medium to shoot in for a specific reason. That was also why the b/w and color pairings didn’t always work for me. I understand that the images were paired together to show two different points in time, which I liked, but it would have been more successful if you had shot at both locations in both film and digital. Then I think there would have been more ambiguity and mystery to the shots instead of the pairings seeming predictable. I like the small frame you used in your shots and I think the trimming of the borders was beneficial to each shot. One of my favorite shots was the advertisement with the woman lighting a cigarette- very elegant and timeless. I also really love the “Buro” shot with the large-format set up- the framing was perfect and in this case I felt the color was perfectly necessary. The naked woman shot was also very interesting and spooky, it would certainly benefit from a larger print size. All in all, I liked your shots and some pairings, but don’t be afraid to place a picture on its own.

Olivia: I will always love your work. The linear connections of your combinations take the art of arrangement above the medium of simple photography- it adds elements of transcendence- drawing, geometry. I loved the way they were so neatly arranged on the wall as well, especially in the corner, where the series was broken by a right angle. Though I’ve never seen your poloroids on their own, I was surprised and excited to see them as solo entities- they worked beautifully, especially the ones that were less about lines and more about organic shapes and color. The more natural direction I see your work heading towards is wonderful, and I think Polaroid is a great medium for the colors you were capturing. Though someone commented that they saw little of you, the photographer, in the shots, I completely disagree. When I see your shots, I can look at them over and over again wondering why and how you took them. Also, it was interesting that with the solos you claimed to see potential in them for series. That made me really look at them and see if I could, in a way, predict what you might transform them into. However, though some of them would be better in a series or combination piece, I really think that a lot of them were amazing on their won and I would hope you would retain their unique strength by keeping them individual. The ephemeral ness of your shots is what gets me in the gut and really makes me feel nostalgic. Each image is perfectly shot to capture a specific moment- sunset, shadow at midday, a color that only comes into the sky once in while. The traditional ideal that the Polaroid implies is transformed into real moments in art with your dreamlike style. I adore it, and love where this new direction is taking you. My only criticism is that I did not really enjoy the ocean and almost completely black Polaroid pairing. I felt that the ocean image was too strong and could have found a better mate or even stood on its own.

Diedra: I enjoyed your documentary photography. The project became more interesting when I found out what its purpose was and I’m excited to see the Manhattan Park Avenue contrasts. It was interesting that you were shooting in digital because the shots really resembled black and white work prints. I would be interested to see your large format shots of the same area, because I feel they might have had a bit more of a focus whereas these seemed a bit “grabbed.” The theme of possession was certainly heavy throughout all shots- what’s yours and what’s theirs was distinguishable but the message of “you are what you own” was expressed well. I’m not sure if this is applicable to your idea for this project but in class I kept regurgitating the idea of “you are what you love.” This potential theme coincides with the lack of people in your project. I would love to see more people, their expressions, if they “love” what they own, or if they simply own it. I enjoyed the one shot of the woman walking across the street, unknowing, and I think the project would greatly benefit from the addition of ‘people’ shots, both anonymous and unknowing and those aware of the camera. I do realize, however, that this is the Bronx and it’s a little hard to pull it off, but if you could, it would be awesome. I loved the shots that had many different focused and were more panoramic. What I mean by this is the type of shot that isn’t cropped too tight or with a focal center point that you look at and then are done with. My favorite shots were the one with the perfectly focused flag behind the fence among waste; the overlapping patterned fences, the dilapidated front lawn. These I looked at over and over because so many details were both intriguing and telling. Your shots are certainly accurate and fascinating views of ruin, but I’m still looking for a personal interjection, not a judgment, but a suggestion.

critiques - groups A + B

AUBREY

I liked what Emily said about your photographs looking like you've sneaked up on an inanimate object and surprised it. I think your use of light at night is done really well (I'm remembering a photograph from large format with the ball of light and you wouldn't tell us how you went about it). I loved the photograph of the red curtain and I thought the light coming through the window was great. I wasn't there when you gave your statement about your photos but I think it had something to do with the idea of home or place? I felt like the photographs were more of a "day in the life of..." sequence but maybe if I had heard what you originally said I would see the home sense in your pictures.

DEVLIN

I really like that your portfolio shows an intense range of what you're capable of, from head-shots to that antelope looking girl. I won't go into the argument of fine art photography versus fashion photography because...I don't even know where to begin and I'd need to start my own blog to tackle that. I think you've got a really good start at working different things in order to find your niche in fashion photography. Keep on truckin!

CHARLOTTE

I got an extreme desolate feeling from your photos. Like I said in class I thought the photographs were taken in Buffalo, but when you said Connecticut it was a little more intense for me because when I think of certain parts of Connecticut I think of "high class." I liked that the salmon pink color was present in a lot of your photographs as a way to tie them together and just in general I think the colors in all of your photographs were really well printed and not too intense.

ALEX

When you first explained it I really liked the idea of pairing photos from two different times in your life, black and white and color. Some of the pairings really worked well for me, specifically the color one of the two guys outside of Buro (don't exactly remember what it was called) and the men cleaning the window. The men cleaning the window was actually one of my favorites of all of your photographs - I loved the light coming through the window I thought it was beautiful.

OLIVIA

Your polariods blew my mind. How you used polaroid film and the colors you were able to capture were really unbelievable. I have never seen polariods in this context, I was always a big fan of using them for scrap-booking. I liked the photos as you showed them, separate from each other, each photo was able to work on its own and didn't need the support of another photograph being taped up next to it.

Critique 1 groups A + B

Martha:

My favorite works of yours are the ones with specific actions that are, seemingly, without purpose. The portrait series of you on the bed behind a pillow has a lot of the twisting, folding, claustrophobic tension in a compressed composition, and I would like to see more of the same. Furthermore, I found the photograph of the imprinted squares on your back very compelling, though the marks could be slightly more noticeable.

I am having trouble seeing where the illuminated hand(puppet?) set fits into the project, as they seem much more carefree and spacious. They also lead the viewer to wonder what each sign means, and if this is your intention, the connection should be made clearer through visual cues or layout. Another suggestion would be to incorporate mirrors into your shoot, not only as a point of visual interest but also as a comment on self-reflection and identity.

Aubrey:

I really loved Maria's way of describing your photographs as "urban delicacies". The discovery of normal objects, and the presence that they have in relation to the photographer, are truly apparent and moving. I find within the images not so much a longing for home but instead a temporary attachment and comfort from found beauty. Also, the personality of each kind of lighting is strong yet complementary. I know that the photograph of the toes is disproportionately intimate in comparison to the rest of the project, but it works so well in the narrative of discovering things close and far, both personal and detached. I just love to think of a course of a day starting or ending with that image. All in all, a really beautiful and pertinent set of work.

Devlin:

The images of your set that are strongest, in my opinion, evoke feelings of an earlier era. Some could be categorized as decidedly from the 50's, 70's, or 90's, but generally the less blatant, the better. Your photos are competent and you've made strong images in many styles of fashion photography. I know there is pressure to make your photographs more "artistic" instead of "fashion-y", but it would be best to avoid the terminology altogether and shoot what interests you. As has been said, it could be beneficial to focus on one genre at a time or create your own trademark to stand out stylistically. Working with one model at a time, and posing he or she in distinct ways, may help develop a personal approach.

Olivia:

Your photographs were so very enigmatic partially because they did not slip into the typical category of a Polaroid. They are often snapshots of friends, or as Stephan mentioned, are innately nostalgic or longing. The Polaroid also conveys a sense of immediacy that is in its nature. Your images, though delicate and beautiful, are not pictures of a specific time, dated with a permanent marker and pinned onto a wall after being shot. They defy time- the surreal colored skies, lit spaces, ambiguous forms. It’s as if you looked up in a dream, seen a fleeting image of sky, and remembered it the next day.

As far as the coupling issue, I think the already existent pairs of photographs make sense, and as discussed, a few stand alone's interspersed could break up the pattern (Theo's remark on your work as a poem is so very appealing to me). However, if you feel that the earlier and later sets don't fit together in your mind, they could operate separately. 

Charlotte:

You showed a solid set of photographs that convey the bleak reality of the economy as well as the somewhat comical forms of mass-architecture. The evenly dispersed bright colors do not take away from the dismal character of the images but instead add another layer of interest and cohesion. What I find most interesting are the bits of nature trying to break through the artificial landscape.

My only suggestions would be to make the sky a more seamless in the panoramic photograph and to (please!) include the photo of the abandoned Pizza Hut surrounded by autumn trees in the show. It is a perfect fit in terms of color, form, the power of nature and neglect.

Deidre:

I found your set interesting in the sense that it shows uninviting scenes that are, nonetheless, very controlled- dilapidated houses all fenced in, a forsaken landscape riddled with posters and warning signs. Because the Park Ave NYC/ Park Ave Bronx contrast could get too obvious, you could possibly play off some of the understated dichotomies you find (such as the controlled nature of the Bronx. Maybe Park Ave in Manhattan is less regulated or possessive in that way?) There's also the option of expanding the reportage by photographing Park Ave in Brooklyn or Queens. 

As previously mentioned, large format would serve this project well in describing the place and picking up on details. I also am a fan of the P. Diddy Ciroc billboard in an iron jungle with the small Park Ave sign peaking up from the bottom right. With a larger negative you could really demonstrate such complexities. 

Maria:

Even though your digital and black and white photographs differ greatly, it was intriguing to see your two processes juxtaposed.  I am also currently deciphering the ways in which I shoot, since usually it's without forethought. I would recommend continuing to develop both mediums and picking up on and pushing the habits for each. Also, try color negatives or slides. The black and white were favored by the class partially because of the subject matter but, also, because you are more invested in each photograph due to time and expenses. The black and whites were interesting in their detail (maybe you should shoot in large format as well). Although I agree that the rough edges are overwhelming, I liked all the white space around each image that bring the viewer's gaze in like a window. As far as the color digital photographs, I have seen some of your other work and found them more stimulating, playing upon the idea of fleeting memory and color, flashes and streaks. Keep shooting the party photos but, as Joe always says, "Imagine we all hate these people. Then make it good". 

Comments of Crit 1

Critiques
Apologies for the tardiness of these comments on the first critique!

Martha: Much of what I’ll write was already noted, but reiteration is always helpful. Your images had a sense of personality that is rarely found is shots as ambiguous as yours were. I’m not a big fan shooting only self-portraits (I think it’s way too limiting for a medium like photography) but I found that the most successful ones were the shots that focused only on one part of your body. I enjoyed the feeling of stress and tension in the arch of the foot and the squeezing of your back. I also thought the removing of clothing from frame to frame was another element of interest that gave meaning to your shots. Little details are what make your work good. The revealing of different tattoos through different lenses of the body was intriguing and labeled the figure in the images as unique and specific, taking away the possibility of ambiguity, seeping identity onto the canvas of skin. I felt through all of your images a theme of the journey to self-acceptance. No judgments were implied or meant to be absorbed through your series but it did seem that there was a tone of searching and frustration, not to mention the theme of revealing yourself in bits. None of the images felt particularly more decisive than another, and I feel they worked well together. My one criticism was that I did not really feel a connection to the images with the cups or objects representing a piece of you. They lacked the intensity of the others and didn’t fit. Also, the hand shadows seemed out of place as well. I liked them, especially ones that showed strain in their motions, but I think you would benefit from picking the best of them and figuring out a more comprehensive way of fitting them into the rest of the image set.

Aubrey: Color was the first thing I noticed about each of your shots. This could be both a bad or good thing from the perspective of a critique, but I really enjoyed the entire series. The colors brought animation and context to each image. The variance both made each frame unique and distinct but also brought a sense of consistency to the themes and feelings the set evoked. My favorites were the shots that had little details that the viewer could rediscover and visually pick at while observing your images. One of these was the torn open wall with what appeared like lights on the inside. Though some commented that it didn’t fit seamlessly into the set, I thought it carried a sense of mystery even deeper than many of the other ambiguous shots. I should also mention that it reminded me of Animal Collective’s album cover for Strawberry Jam, which is detailed and hectic in itself, but I even liked your shot better because the ‘stuff’ behind the wall was only slightly revealed, letting me wonder. The image with the two men, in the red room, with the three blurry lights in the upper left hand corner was another favorite. The little glimmering detail of the light bubbles was so intriguing and I felt added so much to the frame. I also loved that this was the only shot focused on an interaction between people. Again, regardless of what others said about it not fitting in, I thought it added much to the image set itself and I loved it. I saw most in your images warmth through perspective that made each shot radiate. You were in each image, not just behind the lens, but also in the details and choreography of the entire shot. I felt emotional baggage just looking at each shot, a sort of heavy but admirable observation.

Devlin: I think you definitely have a future in fashion photography. I agree with the comments others made telling you to tone-down your style and pick on direction to go in, because the set you showed us had so many conflicting styles that it was hard to appreciate each shot on its own. It was difficult to figure out the range of styles according to decade-oriented approaches- vintage vs. 90s vs. modern- it was distracting from your vision. Some of the shots were cheesier, headshot types that obviously were meant to put the focus on the smile and the radiance of the model. These shots, nice as they were, I don’t think meet your full potential. The style I feel you succeeded most with was high fashion, glamour shots. I felt like I could see some of your shots in magazines, and I can only imagine what professional models, wardrobes and a commission would do to benefit your vision. My favorite was the very Marc Jacobs-esque model with big eyes and a crazy side ponytail. The classic beauty shots also met the epitome of glamour and fit into the vision you should head towards. The shots of the dancers bothered me most. All in all, though, your style was very different and remarkable, you just need to focus and go with exactly where you want to.

Charlotte: I enjoyed the diversity between sets and thought they were organized very well in regards to personal theme and aim. The set up was very beneficial to the viewing of those coming your show. I enjoyed how focused they were and how they did not deviate from the ideal you set forth for each one. Set one was one of my favorites and the shapes were great in contrast. The steady horizon line also was a nice feature as a constant between all images. The larger size also benefited these frames. Set two was my favorite because there seemed to be something ‘off’ about all of the photos and it was very intriguing. The chunky figures were most standout, like the red figurine and organic ness of the vine creeping near the movie theater tiles. Set three was great too; it exemplified the dilapidated and empty feel that the other sets suggested. All in all, the sets completed each other’s implications and that was what made the entire thing so inclusive feeling. I also enjoyed the era-ambiguity of the entire set. My one criticism was that I felt the cropping was a bit tight and I would have liked to see more of each image fully.

Look a Little Closer

I generally enjoyed the exhibition that was on display at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. I thought the photos definitely complimented the title of the exhibition “Reality Check.”

My favorite photo of was “Panorama, Urban Warfare Center, Tze’elim,” by Shai Kremer. At first glance the picture could look like a landscape photo of the town called Tze’elim in the early hours of the morning. The time of day could be told by the lighting of the photograph. Then you look at the title of the photo “Panorama Urban Warfare Center” and it doesn’t reignite with the photo. However when you look close at the photo one can spot the various set ups of the American military forces, and the roadblocks they have placed. The photo of captures the lights in the mosques that could and did symbolize that prayers were being conducted at that hour. Including the soccer pitch that was a cemetery.

At first I already liked and admired the photo but when I looked a little closer and scrutinized the photograph I found there was an underlying story to it. The story can be seen by recognized by the army bases in the picture. As well as reading the description we are told that the town changes when the military is training. The peace and tranquility of the town is put on hold while the mosque prayers are taking place and there are helicopters hovering the town. Yet the picture captures the town early on during the day before the chaotic day starts for Tze’elim.

This photo was in no way tweaked or digitally altered. This was definitely an inspiring piece of work to me. I already enjoy photos of various landscapes, but what I truly appreciate from photographs is the story behind the photo. I feel it gives the photo character and a little something more special to it.

Critique 1- Group A

Martha:
The repetition of twisted and folded forms, (largely of the body, and at least one of fabric in some firm) connect the images formally. The deliberate manipulation of your body creates a notion of arrangement and a process of some sort, the nature of which is left enigmatic.

Many noted a feeling of claustrophobia, desperation, tension and even pain in this body of work. The series of three on the bed with the pillow behind your back, and your arms twisted can perhaps illustrates this best. Personally, I felt that this reminded me of some sort of domestic abuse, with someone locked away in a room, slowly succumbing to insanity. Again, I like how the reason for these actions is never clearly defined. The mysterious nature lends a layer of eeriness to the set, even allowing the viewer's imagination to get carried away.

I felt, however, that the images of the cups did not quite fit with the rest. As some of the other class members also noted, their forms were a bit too rigid and geometric to with the looser forms and folds of the body and fabric in other shots. Overall, you seem to be constructing an intriguing narrative.

Aubrey:
I had been familiar with your work before your critique, and had even been privy to hearing the process of creating your thesis. I have seen your concept become gradually more defined, and was very pleased with the progress you have made.

Though technically all photography deals with light and its absence, the work you presented was dealt with atmospheric light, both from light sources and the effects of light on objects. Though not all night shots, most of the work you showed was a moody, ambient, even cinematic juxtaposition of light and dark. This cohesive visual style helped to further the purpose of your images, to convey your ideas about loneliness and disconnect. Overall, your work presented ideas that were at odds with each other: wandering versus home, intimacy versus the unfamiliar, inclusion and connection versus detachment and separation. These oppositions effectively create tension in your images.

During the critique, several people mentioned that they did not like the inclusion of people in your series, among more scenic and object photos. True, the inclusion of people does change the narrative presented. However, I feel that the human shots you had shown are necessary to fully. Also, the inclusion of more red, another point of contention in the class, would both link your series formally, and provide visually arresting points in your narrative. You need to consider what direction you want your piece to take, and edit accordingly.

Devlin:
The fashion work you presented was certainly technically proficient, and you showed us that you are capable of executing various visual styles well. When I first took a look at your work, I was astonished, as I felt that these were almost images torn from a fashion magazine from the 1980s or 90s. I am not sure if you were trying to evoke the photographic style of these past decades, but if that was the case, you were certainly successful.

While you have excelled at showcasing the clothes, I feel you need to work on connecting with the models. With the style in which you are working, you essentially are creating characters; they cannot be mere mannequins. I also feel that you need to focus on not overworking your set up, as some of your images are too fussy.

As some of the others in the class noted, you as a photographer seem to be absent from you work. You need to find your personal style, and cull inspiration from sources other than just fashion photography. That said, you are off to a great start.

Charlotte:
I found your documentation of recently or long-abandoned chain restaurants, strip malls and big box stores to be fascinating. The subject of overdevelopment and disuse has always been a concern of mine, and your images really resonated with me. I liked the strict formalism of your pictures, and your efforts to highlight the geometry of the structures. This creates a connection with the decaying geometric forms of ancient ruins, making the structures you photographed serve as monuments to a time of growth, and even excess.

One element I really enjoyed was clues in the form of architecture and remaining elements of signage, to what these structures once were. I also liked your inclusion of images with a bit of nature reclaiming these abandoned properties. Seeing grass and weeds protruding through cracks in the pavement, or vines crawling up the side of a building hint that some form of rebirth is possible.

Overall, I am impressed with your edit. However, I feel that you need to carefully consider your arrangement when it comes to hanging. I felt that some of the pieces were too close together when you showed them in class, though I understand that this may have been just for the sake the critique, and not in any way their final placement.