Image & Meaning

What I Remember 06

WHAT I REMEMBER
210mm x 297mm
Ink on transparency

Our childhood experiences play a formative role in creating who we are; it influences our decisions and can have a huge impact on the later part of our lives. It is the significant moment of being able to try everything for the first time, where there is room for trial, error and exploration.

In a spate of self-awareness, it dawned upon me that I was struggling with the recollection of my childhood memories. As a means of self-expression, I wanted to convey my thoughts and emotions of these significant milestones through the exploration of movements. Using transparency & light as my medium to play with the idea of “fading memories”, I intend to immerse viewers in the projection of my memories.

I purposefully hung the transparencies lower than the comfortable height for viewers with the intention of making them lift up the work to take a closer look at it.

I was discussing my project with my classmate, Acid, at a half-lit ADM at 2am one day, when she showed me an effect against a dark corner of the wall. She shined a flashlight at the transparencies, making a projection on the wall. It was then that I realised that the effect was blurrier than what was seen on the translucency and could serve as a representation of “fading memories”. I also decided then that this was how I wanted to present my project. It is more interactive for viewers and hopefully will make them to think more about the deeper meaning behind the image.

What I Remember 05

I tried printing out the photos on different mediums for final submission. I felt like the paper base could make a huge difference in enhancing the experience of the photography project.

Printed on paper with home inkjet printer, white space cut out to test the contrast of the paper against the wall as a background.

Printed on transparency with home inkjet printer to test out the effect.

Printed on matte photo paper with home inkjet printer.

Printed on transparency and layered over a mix of coloured translucent paper to test effects of colour on the print.

After trying to print on the few mediums that I had at home, I decided to finalise with printing on transparency. I feel like the use of transparency could open the door for a wide range of effects because of the opacity of translucent printed on transparent. I also felt like the transparency could represent the act of “vulnerability” in showing my past to the world, in the sense of me being transparent about my life events.

What I Remember 04

I finally got down to trying out scanography with a home printer! It’s not exactly a very tedious process, but it’s very dependent on moving the photo at the right timing to get the effect at the right position. Here’s an example of how I did it:

The outcomes from experimenting with various movements to distort the photos were quite interesting, although it is difficult to replicate the exact effect again due to the nature of the process. Anyway, here are some of the methods I tried for each photo:

Currently it looks really really trippy and I quite like what has been produced so far. In my experimentations, I tried scanning extra elements in the hopes of enhancing the meaning of the photos. I’m not really sure if it works or how I can further improve this, will wait for the sharing session to hear what Robert & my classmates think about it so far. I thoroughly enjoyed the process of making, though I’m questioning if the photos look too complex and manipulated to make out what I’m trying to express.

What I Remember 03

Some examples of scanography found in zines:

Using objects to create patterns

Using layers of paper

Using motion & abstraction

I feel that motion & abstraction can be interesting as it does not distract the viewer from the subject matter (image), but brings more attention to certain areas of the photo that the creator might want to emphasise on. In the example shown above, it is also very emotive & expressive although there is a lack of colour. Hope all goes well!

What I Remember 02

I’ve been thinking a lot about how I could express my emotions through editing my photos with a particular medium. I remembered a process that I came across once, when I attended a Local People SG x M2 Academy market. A particular booth caught my eye – while everyone else was selling products, this booth was selling an experience – a hand at making zines, using scanography.

Scanography is the process of capturing digitized images of objects. It uses atypical objects, often three-dimensional, as well as from photography, due to the nature of the scanner’s operation.

The booth offered a wide range of items for us to play around with, from old textbooks & examination papers to a good morning towel. Using these items, as well as the movement of the creator while the scanner was in the process, created an effect that is impossible to replicate.

Examples of the pages in the zine from that flea market:

I love the distortion of the images and how the effect expresses the creator’s movements and probably their thoughts and emotions when creating the zine. I also like how it makes use of existing objects to make art, giving the old object a new lease of life. I would like to try using this method to manipulate my photos to express how I feel about my childhood photos and the stories behind them.

What I Remember 01

I’ve been having problems thinking of how to execute my existing topic regarding human behaviour/reaction and expressing that through photos. I think the idea of using a set-up experiment as a form of research is interesting, but the topic I’ve chosen is really really broad and I had a hard time finding a place to start. (#self-kill)

After contemplating about my topic for the past 2 weeks, I have decided to focus on something that is more personal and close to the heart. The title of my project will be “What I Remember”, and it the central theme will be about memories (or lack thereof). I’ve always had this situation whereby I have barely any recollection of my childhood. I thought of expressing what I actually remember about my past through existing images of my childhood, with the use of old photos and pops of colour, to express my thoughts and emotions about that particular photographed memory.

Before I started experimenting, I decided to do some research on the medium of using colours on photos to see if I could get any inspiration.

I love how the bright red colour is in stark contrast to the black & white background, immediately bringing attention to their faces (or lack thereof). It also draws my attention to the action of the subjects and their dressing.

I like how the tone of the blue matches that of the filter of the photo. Giving the photo a very “soft” feeling. I also like how the brush strokes provide some form of depth and direction of an imaginary face although there isn’t one in the photo.

The textures of the paint caught my attention because it gave a very three dimensional effect to a 2D photo. The mix of blues and whites also divides itself from the mundane black and white of the rest of the photo. The sharp angles direct the eye, further emphasising and framing certain parts of the photo.

I will start trying out by adding colour onto the photos and see if I can achieve the desired effect to bring out the emotions I would want to express.

Image & Meaning

Initially, I briefly presented that I would like to explore the theme of Behaviour, which is defined as the way something behaves in response to a particular situation. I identified 3 sub-areas where behaviour can be observed – human, objects & nature, or mix of two. I have yet to decide on a specific direction, but it is likely to be focused on human behaviour as it is the most relatable to ourselves. The two kinds of human behaviour that immediately popped up in my mind are Thoughtless Acts & Reactions.

Thoughtless acts – subconscious actions that we perform without actually taking notice.
Sitting with a gap between one another, commonly seen on MRT trains & areas where communal sharing is necessary.
Walking/balancing on a platform – for example on the curbs of pavements, long benches, etc.

Walking along tiles meant for leading the visually impaired.

Reactions – responses to a certain situation, a way of expressing emotions.

Emojis are expressions that people use to communicate emotions virtually, most often used in text messages as part of sentences.

Browsing usersub.

Gifs are a series of images combined to show a reaction, tell a short story, or a re-enactment of scenes in a humorous manner.
Memes are usually images or screenshots from a video or movie of a person or situation with a fixed facial expression. It is often accompanied with text that adds a sense of humour to the overall composition. There are many versions of text that accompany a single image.

Ideation

#1 – To do an experimental set-up that catches people in the action of performing a thoughtless act. I observed that people tend to look at themselves whenever there is a reflective surface, to ensure that they look as good as when they left the house. My initial idea was to have a reflective surface with a hidden camera to capture that behaviour.

#2 – To do a compilation of reactions in various forms (online media), to show how an image of a person with a fixed expression can be modified with various types of text and have multiple meanings.

I will try to think more about the theme and if it is what I really want to work on. At the moment it does not feel that right, and I think it is difficult to express something through photography if the creator does not feel for the project. Hoping the right inspiration will come soon!

Thirteen Images

1 Something that is not “NTU” at all
I’ve heard that this school was known as Pulau NTU, but I’ve honestly never expected to have so many forested areas as part of the campus. The place in this photo looks ethereal & NTU is starting to feel more like an army camp.

2 Something not studying in NTU
I was trying to be a bit “deep” here. (#damnstep) We are physically studying in NTU, but does that mean our shadows study too?

3 Somebody studying in NTU
This photo is quite literal, though it has a bit of word play. It shows someone studying (noun) at the ADM library. However, the student also studies (verb) in NTU (which no one understood during my presentation I’m so sorry guys).

4 Useless image you see
To me, this photo is pretty useless because it would have been impossible for me to take a photo of the “No Photography” sign if I didn’t use a camera… RIGHT?

5 Useful image you see
I feel that this signage, often seen on toilet doors, is essential. The world would be a very awkward place if toilet signs indicating the genders did not exist.

6 Nature
In this photo, I observed two types of nature. The first is the moss & water on the surface of the ground. The second is the nature of the ground material to weather under outdoor conditions.

7 Urban Nature
I observed that these brown stones are only found in indoor plants but not outdoor plants. This is a form of urban nature because it is used to nurture plants in indoor conditions. (P.S. these things are really useful to throw at someone)

8 Urban
Urban and technology are two topics which are very much intertwined with one another. These solar panels on the rooftop of ADM are a form of modern technology and is an accurate representation of an urban society. (plus they look very cool & modern)

9 Singapore
This is a country known for its fines, bans & strict laws. Most of the signs include similarly themed graphics, a huge red circle with the line striking across & a basic illustration of the object or activity that is banned. So this photo seems pretty relevant.

10 A place where art is shown
Art can be seen almost anywhere, including outside the toilet, as shown. But also notice how the art is also painted across various surfaces and not just done on the wall conventionally. (Also, how many cubes can you see in this picture?)

11 A place where art is made
Art is made on a white board because new art can be created over the remnants. However, the remnants are also a form of art on their own. Because art is art, don’t question.

12 A photograph with a faculty
Here is a photo that plays with the reflective surface of the ADM building. It shows a faculty in the photo with a faculty, with another faculty, with another faculty, etc. I really lost count.

13 A photograph that shows what the Earth Observatory of Singapore (EOS) may be about
In my own interpretation, the EOS should have something to do with a celestial body that affects the earth. The sun is essential for life on Earth to survive and hence, might have something to do with the EOS. (Warning: please do not stare at the photo below for too long)