Structure: Architecture
In the early 20th century it was felt that the camera was the best tool to document the industrial revolution. One way progress and industry was apparent in our environment was the rapid changes happening in cities, particularly in the western world. Photographic technologies and the camera's ability to quickly capture the construction of the modern world perfectly reflected the speed and modernism of the time.
Since this point, photography of the ever changing, built environment has challenged photographers to create a breadth of responses. Photographs range from documenting the construction and appearance of the architecture to creating images that present a greater concept such as globalisation.
Since this point, photography of the ever changing, built environment has challenged photographers to create a breadth of responses. Photographs range from documenting the construction and appearance of the architecture to creating images that present a greater concept such as globalisation.
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Thomas Kellner - Break the Structure
Thomas Kellner's’ work imitates the wandering look of the eye, showing us segments of the total which come together as one image. Therefore his photographs do not necessarily deconstruct architecture but instead reconstruct our view of it. His work offers an alternative view of famous landmarks, one that intends to question our thoughts on how we visually process them and develop a sense of place. Kellner uses the traditional process of film photography to create montages. Using just one roll of film, he often takes images of the same landmarks or buildings of significance from different angles to later re-arrange them on a contact sheet and create a unique composition. |
My Response:
Before:
After:
For this task I was to use the images I had already taken and edit them in photoshop to the style of Thomas Danthony. I quite like how the ones I edited turned out and I enjoy the way they look.
Nicholas Kennedy Sitton - Twisted
Even though not truly graphics these twisted and manipulated photos really catch your eye with both technique and patterns. Nicholas Kennedy Sitton is a San Francisco-based photographer who uses a technique similar to the special effects used in the box office hit, Inception. Sitton spirals his viewers into an eerie Twilight Zone with his images, into a place where physics don't exist and possibilities are endless.
Interestingly, the photo series Twisted by Nicholas Kennedy Sitton leaves much of the images untouched. To create a disturbed feeling of the surreal, Sitton contrasts the point of disruption with an otherwise typical scene. The result is the heralding of an unexplainable event. By pitting reality against fantasy, Sitton encourages his viewers to embrace their imagination while questioning what is real and what is not. Twisted explores these feelings of uncertainty with one's surroundings in a beautiful and expressive manner.
Interestingly, the photo series Twisted by Nicholas Kennedy Sitton leaves much of the images untouched. To create a disturbed feeling of the surreal, Sitton contrasts the point of disruption with an otherwise typical scene. The result is the heralding of an unexplainable event. By pitting reality against fantasy, Sitton encourages his viewers to embrace their imagination while questioning what is real and what is not. Twisted explores these feelings of uncertainty with one's surroundings in a beautiful and expressive manner.
My Response:
Contact Sheet:
Structure of Architecture
For this task we were asked to go the local cinema and church to test out different exposures.
In a camera, if you adjust say the ISO, aperture and shutter speed will be affected. Same for the others, so if you adjust aperture, ISO and shutter speed will be affected. ISO: This is what controls the cameras sensitivity to light. However, the higher the ISO is, the grainer your image will become, it wont be as sharp. In photography, the grain is actually referred to as 'noise'. SHUTTER SPEED: This controls the speed at which the shutter closes which is pretty straightforward. A fast shutter speed creates a smaller exposure while a slow shutter speed gives a higher exposure. The disadvantage is that with a slow shutter speed you will get camera shake. This means you should either adjust your settings or use a tripod so there wont be any camera shake. APERTURE: The aperture is the hole in the lens which controls how much light is let into the camera. Aperture can also be called the f-stop. It can also affect the depth of field meaning how blurry the background is. So with a low f-stop of f2.8, your background will be really blurry with only your subject in focus. However with a higher f-stop of f22, both the background and your subject will be in focus. |
St James' Church & the Everyman Cinema
The original building was consecrated in 1842, and the church was extended in 1874. The foundation stone for the current building was laid in 1900, and the completed church was consecrated by the Bishop of London (Rev. Arthur Winnington-Ingram) on 30 June 1902. The building was gutted by World War II bombing, and the restored church was rededicated in 1952. The Church spire was completed in 1910, the spire stands 300 ft above sea level-this is how the church got the name "Church on the Hill" The tower is 21 feet square and 80 feet high. On top if this the spire rises to another 82 feet and the total height to the top is 170 feet. |
The Odeon Theatre was one of the original cinemas in the Oscar Deutsch owned Odeon Theatres Ltd. chain. It opened on 9th September 1936 with the British comedy film “Educated Evans” starring Max Miller. Seating was originally provided for 1,827, with 1,217 in the stalls and 610 in the circle. Located on a corner site, the Odeon’s rather small facade is covered with white faience tiles in the central section, with two bays either side that are covered in black faience tiles. On either side are a parade of shops on the ground floor with flats above, which hide the bulk of the auditorium section of the building. Inside the building, the decorative Art Deco styling is considered a prime example of 1930’s cinema styling and even created a style to itself, thanks due in this case to architect George Coles, it became known as the ‘Odeon style’. |
Contact Sheet:
Everyman Cinema
St James' Church
Sanna Kanisto - Field Works
Kannisto observes natural phenomena, but also her own individual position as an actor, experiencer or explorer in producing and interpreting the data. She has worked in rain forests and, most recently, in Finland. She investigates not just the curious species of the rainforests and the more familiar Finnish birds, but also metaphors for seeing, and the codes of scientific visualization. Kannisto’s photographs can be viewed as a performance: she creates field studios that function as both a laboratory and a stage for the photographic process. The images focus on plants and animals that we can rarely hope to see in their natural habitats, while the theatrical presentation distances us from the actual subject matter. |
Contact Sheet:
For this task, we had to stay in manual mode and change the ISO, aperture and shutter speed ourselves. We set up a station on a table. It was white card and a stand for the flowers. We then used natural lighting and started setting up our cameras on manual mode. Some photos I took came out completely dark or overexposed. However after several photos, I started getting the hang of it and it got easier. |
My Response:
Myoung Ho Lee
Myoung Ho Lee is a young artist from South Korea that has produced an elaborate series of photographs. They pose some unusual questions about representation, reality, art, environment and seeing. Simple in concept and complex in execution, he makes us look at a tree in its natural surroundings, but instead he separates the tree artificially from nature by presenting it on an immense white background. He separates his subjects from their original habitat to derange the the difference between subject and image. His work reveals nature by twists and turns. He enacts his work as a 'series of discourses on deconstruction in the photography-act'. |
My Response:
Strand Development
Strand 1 - Patrick Hickley
-Hickley is an artist based in New Zealand who does a lot of contemporary photography. One of his portfolios is the cyanotype portfolio 'complex structures'. Its a mix of photography and textiles; outlines are sewn on top of the image which is then printed on watercolour.
-High key lighting is used which brings out the lighter tones, which is then further emphasised by printing it in cyanotype. The monochromatic blues and whites contrast with the detailing of the red thread.
-In this case the thread outlines the bones and muscles. The thread represents the truth and reality that no matter who we are, were all humans and are made up of the same components; bone, muscle and skin.
-High key lighting is used which brings out the lighter tones, which is then further emphasised by printing it in cyanotype. The monochromatic blues and whites contrast with the detailing of the red thread.
-In this case the thread outlines the bones and muscles. The thread represents the truth and reality that no matter who we are, were all humans and are made up of the same components; bone, muscle and skin.
My Response:
For this task I used these guides for the pictures I had. With these I was able to picture where I wanted to sew and how I wanted to.
Strand 3 - Bobby Neel Adams
Final Development
For my final development, I chose the artist Thomas Danthony as my inspiration.