The beginning of the day was a brief introduction given by Anne McNeill (Director) and Dr Pippa Oldfield (Head of Programme) explaining there roles within the gallery and asked us where we were in our studies and our motivation regarding photography, it was a relaxed informal ice breaker. OCA students in attendance were Andrew, Allen, Anna and myself with OCA Tutor Garry Clarkson It was followed by a talk and a walk around the exhibition - Chloe Dewe Mathews - In Search of Frankenstein which centers around the location of Lake Geneva where Mary Shelley wrote “Frankenstein” in 1816. The work features the Alps and a network of nuclear bunkers that are hidden within these mountains, sharing similar themes of man made monsters. The work was interesting and engaging. The attention to detail incredible from the framing to the layout of the work itself. The format of prints switched from the large landscapes to the smaller prints of the bunker interiors. Overall there was a dominant landscape format which was intermittently disrupted by portrait formats. The landscape images always separated by the interior images so that landscape never touched landscape. The interior images predominantly grouped in two’s and three’s with the occasional single image. It seemed so natural that the landscape images should be bigger that the interior, small by comparison. This harsh environment, open, isolated, absent of people apart from me looking at this landscape. If I tried hard enough I could hear the sound of the snow underfoot, the whistling of the wind and the cutting cold. This set against the interior, equally has isolating, absent of people apart from me. The interior closing in, cold and clinical with the echoing of footsteps. Both environments bearing down foreboding, we seek shelter from the elements going from the outside in, but once inside we try to escape, we are trapped. There was also two display tables with archive material. One with archive photographic prints some of which showed the same landscape that Chloe Dewe Mathews had captured showing the environmental changes that have occurred over time and the environment impact we have had on the landscape. The other display table with a series of archive books with differing covers. some with open pages. The scanned archive text displayed on the walls taken from Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein was so much larger than the images, almost like when you read a book then you imagine the scene. The text carefully selected to echo the moment when the monster is first seen. The exhibition was effective and created a sense of tension, a feeling that something was or had happened. The work made me think. After the talk on the exhibition we sat down and Anne and Pippa began to talk about how Impressions programmes, working with emerging photographers, the importance of audiences and the artist statement. It was both extremely interesting and informative. They explained that they have
If I understood correctly they have final control over the gallery interpretation of the work - Framing, presentation of the work, its context, images selected and text. In order to engage the audience on different levels. And that all work must be
This all neatly led into the realm of the artist statement which was reduced after a discussion into a nutshell Who, why, where keeping it simple and straightforward using plain language avoiding loading the statement with art speak. Anna had a very useful guide “The Artist Statement : How and Why to Write Yours” by Jennifier Schwartz. This was followed by the portfolio review which involved laying out our work followed by spending 5 minutes walking around viewing all the work on display. All of the work was of what I felt was to a good standard and that thankfully my work didn’t feel substandard. It was great to hear people's thoughts and motivation on there work, it was both interesting and engaging and will be great to read the other students blogs regarding their thoughts and feelings on there review and experience. It was great seeing how different eyes can change and challenge work, for example Andrew who is on the final unit of level one, work centered on a food bank was dramatically changed and altered just by removing half of the series moving it away from the food bank reducing it to an almost set of forensic crime scene set of images. Allen who has just completed level one work centered around identity and self it was pointed out that the colour palette was one of its strong points and that some of the images didn’t quite fit this colour palette. Anna who is level 3 work on a body of work called One Year which centers around communication via letters from a person who was imprisoned for a year. The work I felt was rich and the strongest within the group which I would expect at this stage involving letters, images of locations and of plants, textiles and prints on tracing paper of stains created by the plants which were turned into fluid, the tracing paper then overlaying some of the photographs. Anne and Pippa felt that this didn’t work very well, and it made me think if maybe there was to many elements at work within the project overall. An effect caused by the amount of material I am sure Anna has. It made me think regarding my own work with the Suitcase and the amount of material I also have to work with. At times the amount of material can become overwhelming. Then the dreaded moment came. I explained what the Suitcase contained, what the Suitcase was, it’s story and what it meant to me. The work I displayed were prints from the series alongside original photographs, contact sheets and a roll of undeveloped film from the suitcase. I talked about it (if I remembered correctly) in a straightforward manner. I explained that this suitcase had become an obsession. And I know the story sounds so far fetched even Anne asked me if it was made up - a fictitious suitcase. I explained that I could authenticate the story via news archive footage which I later emailed the link to the gallery.
One of the comments made by Pippa with Anne agreeing that the digital text and placement of it “Seemed clucky, maybe the text is too large, maybe it’s the font, maybe it's the digital, maybe it should be handwritten” but they agreed that it wasn’t necessarily the content of the text that was the issue, just its placement and presentation of it. This echoed some of Garry original feedback when he was my tutor for EVY - “Not sure of the strategy of including text (i.e digital crisp text as an “Anchorage” device over the image itself” I did explain that I couldn’t bring myself to hand write anything on the backs of the prints which Anne also agree with. My personal feelings that I could make this project last forever, working within it and from it and in different ways, I felt was being confirmed by the review. It was suggested that the current title - The Suitcase Somewhere and Nowhere, may not work and “Looking for Mr Crisswell” could be a possible title that could work - I can’t remember who suggested this title I think it was Anne. It also confirmed my thoughts that typologies within the archive is a possible avenue to explore but ultimately the scale of the archive makes it difficult to see what to do with it, which is why I feel that there is many different projects within it. Like a true suitcase one that is packed and unpacked. Andrew made a comment about if I knew where any of the place were and that I could visit them and take photographs of the same location this was added to by Anne/ Pippa that I could look for people that knew Mr Crisswell and take their photographs asking questions. But maybe like Anna maybe the amount of material there is a danger of it becoming overly complex in terms of presentation. I am beginning to see that in fact the Suitcase requires many more months if not years of work putting into this project and it could take a lifetime. I have always felt that the suitcase is bigger than me and this is still the case. I felt it was a positive response and experience even if I found it a little overwhelming and stressful this made it difficult to keep track of everything that was said. Pippa and Anne made suggestions on photographers who worked in a similar manner, I failed to make a note of it and for the life of me I cannot remember who they were. In fact I didn’t take a single photograph of the event which I regret. I feel I was under prepared and when I look back I think I could tried to engage a little more. But having said that it was the first event like this I have attended so I can give myself a little leeway. Has an introvert group work, discussion ect ect and openly talking within a large group is not something I excel at or work very well within. I find it quite overwhelming and emotionally quite draining. But by default networks are group based and I will continue to expose myself to these situations by utilising these study events and the online Live Forum, I will learn how to cope within these environments. But this level of face to face engagement and contact not just with peers but our expert tutors who are practicing photographers/ artist plus contact with the very experts within the photography/art world some of us aspire becoming apart of, is an essential journey we must take even if at times it feels like we are walking on broken glass. At such an early stage of the course I feel like I have come along way and I am beginning to forge a meaningful creative network that I greatly value not just via the forum but also face to face contact that it can led to. This I am sure will continue to grow and strengthen over time. Like all partnerships and friendships, it is the level of commitment to time and effort. This investment is the most rewarding, the bigger the commitment, the bigger the reward. 1. What you got out of the day in terms of feedback from us all (and of course Anne and Pippa) on your individual projects. I need to explore different layers and approaches to the suitcase, continue to build upon it. Maybe looking at seeking out people who knew Mr Crisswell, selecting different typologies within the suitcase. That maybe I need to be looking and telling the story rather than telling half a story. I can see and understand that peer networks and expert feedback and partnerships are essential has a developing photographer and for the development of current and future projects. 2. What you may have drawn and related to (both in your present projects as well as generally for the future of your photography) from the Chloe Dewe Matthews Exhibition. It can take years for projects to develop reaching a point that it is ready even to be considered for an exhibition and that partnerships with galleries is critical. Chloe Dewe Matthews work shows a multilayered presentation is an effective way to visually engage with its audience through the use of both text - artist statement, scanned archive text from Mary Shelleys journal, archive photographs and books with the main body of work - photographs of the landscape and interiors of differing sizes and orientation. This approach to the suitcase is something that needs consideration for the future. 3. The value, difficulty and challenges of portfolio/exhibition visit days such as this. Value It has been invaluable and is quite difficult to articulate, it has given me a brief insight into the running of a gallery and how they work in partnership, something that I otherwise would have not have been exposed to. The face to face contact with other students who are working on/ at different levels and units, seeing other students working in different ways, using different approaches which help broaden my views and gives me a chance to ask questions about their work, unit and view there work has a physical print which is a very different experience to viewing a digital image. The opportunity to begin to form student and tutor networks beyond the virtual realm. I have met Garry, Allen and Andrew a number of times in the flesh and keep regular contact online this will help form a stronger network and friendship over time. The feedback given within the portfolio review both by experts and peers adds an additional layer of review and reflection which complements the online formative tutor feedback, online email/ forum/ hangout peer feedback which can only add to our development. Difficulty The main area is time, location and financial restrictions. This portfolio was a big opportunity for the fee I paid £20 which was a huge bargain, many portfolios reviews I have seen cost up to £100, something at this moment I could not justify. There is always the time element - life, family and work and of course the location of the event my maximum travel time is 2 hours in any one direction. When you combine all of these elements it can provide quite a large barrier. Challenges I think the fear/ stepping outside of the comfort zone for the portfolio review was quite a factor, stepping out into the unknown is never easy but very rewarding. I know that the more I do it the easier it should become. I also felt quite unprepared, I forgot to take photos of the day, I didn’t take good notes and the review feels like a blur. Maybe next I will recorded the audio on my phone. All photographic material kindly provided by © Garry Clarkson www.chloedewemathews.com/in-search-of-frankenstein/ http://www.impressions-gallery.com/
4 Comments
11/27/2018 11:05:07 am
This is a terrific review of the day, Alan. You remembered so much from your feedback that I feel I was there, despite having missed it. Your Suitcase idea is such an original project which I look forward to seeing one day.
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Alan Fletcher
11/28/2018 12:16:49 am
Thank you Anna, I really enjoyed your work and look forward to seeing it again.
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11/30/2018 05:20:00 am
I love your image layout - it is very explicit about the relative space and positions of the 3 main elements of the hang. Great! Leave a Reply. |