Project 2: Impossibilities of Being

Password: 4D

Description

My sequence is based on the transformation of a person through makeup in 3 different settings: school, shopping and concert. The makeup is the lightest for school, followed by shopping and the heaviest for the concert. The images represent the different moods and formalities of each location, and how people change depending on their environment. The 3 mini-series are composed similarly to each other, with a photo from each series having a counterpart from each other series.

Mona Hoobehfekr – She did a series on make up in Iran, where she took photos of women and their make up after wearing the hijab became compulsory and women started to feel more self conscious. I tried to replicate her photos of make up in my series by taking photos of mine for each set of photos.

 

Reflections

Subtle changes in appearance can elevate one’s physical appearance to suit the environment or situation he or she is in. Make up has become a formlity in which we introduce ourselves to a situation or environment through our physical appearance. It aids in setting the proper register of behaviour for the setting. Through this assignment, I’ve grown to be in tune to intrinsic human behaviours that express themselves subtly through small things like putting make up.

The Dot Walked – And Now It’s a Line

Overview

(1/4)New Doc 10_12

(2/4)New Doc 10_13

(3/4)New Doc 10_11(4/4)New Doc 10_14

Favourites

Ambiguous – A lack of obvious meaning or interpretation, I achieved this by coating some twine in black ink and running this under the press. The resulting shape does not look like it was made by any one object or method, illustrating ambiguity.New Doc 10_9

Spontaneous – Happening without planning or external stimuli, the splat from this spatula in a random way on the paper was a completely spontaneous decision. Black ink was used on the spatula, as well as smeared onto linoleum and then mono-printed onto the paper as a background. New Doc 10_10

Turbulent – Not stable, the opposite of calm. Black ink was splattered onto the page in a haphazard manner, and then smeared and scratched in with a spatula, mimicking movement and chaos upwards, with sharp edges to show tension.New Doc 10_8

 

Sketchbook

(1/7)New Doc 10_7

(2/7)New Doc 10_6

(3/7)New Doc 10_5

(4/7)New Doc 10_4

(5/7)New Doc 10_3

(6/7)New Doc 10_2

(7/7)New Doc 10_1

Fire & Ice

Some say the world will end in fire,
Some say in ice.
From what I’ve tasted of desire
I hold with those who favour fire.
But if it had to perish twice,
I think I know enough of hate
To say that for destruction ice
Is also great
And would suffice.

For a start I have chosen a more literal approach to the poem, showing the first imagery that comes to mind as the poem is read.

Fire & Ice (1/3)

Fire & Ice (1/3)

This image, Fire & Ice (1/3), shows the morphing and joining of 2 different kinds of skies, a fiery sunset-esque scene representing destruction in fire and an icy storm ridden sky symbolising destruction in ice.

Fire & Ice (2/3)

Fire & Ice (2/3)

The face in Fire& Ice (2/3) encompasses the desire and almost sick enjoyment of hatred, especially in the eye. The red iris signifies burning, intense emotions and destruction.

Fire & Ice (3/3)

Fire & Ice (3/3)

For Fire & Ice (3/3), I was going for the feel of desolation and abandonment after a raging fire and all life has evacuated. I gave this image a blue tone to suggest iciness and an eerie calm.

 

Images from:

http://www.freeimages.com/photo/woman-eyes-passion-desire-1437666

http://www.freeimages.com/photo/apocalypse-thunder-1153434

http://www.freeimages.com/photo/apocalypse-1549110

Curating Self

Task 1: Me

Task 1 shows hobbies that I like to do on a regular basis to relieve stress or to fill up spare time.

Me (1/3)

Me (1/3)

My first photo, Me (1/3), shows items that I commonly interact with while crafting.

Me (2/3)

Me (2/3)

Me (2/3) shows how my table looks as I sketch and draw.

Me (3/3)

Me (3/3)

Me (3/3), showing me singing/mixing music and covering songs.

 

Task 2: Object and Representation of Self

The object I chose is a ribbon that is part of the Victoria Junior College Choir costume. I was in the choir from 2013-2014, and forged many important friendships and precious memories as a member.

Object and Representation of Self (1/3)

Object and Representation of Self (1/3)

Object and Representation of Self (1/3), showcases the first step of getting ready for a choir performance: putting on make-up.

Object and Representation of Self (2/3)

Object and Representation of Self (2/3)

Shown is Object and Representation of Self (2/3), depicting the happiness I feel when donning the full costume before a big performance.

Object and Representation of Self (3/3)

Object and Representation of Self (3/3)

Object and Representation of Self (3/3), above, shows how I still long to be in the choir even though I have to let go. The emptiness in the background of the photo represents how nothing else can replace it in my heart.

 

Task 3: My World

The place I chose for this task is the Choir Room in Victoria Junior College. The Choir Room means a lot to me because it offered me a place of comfort and happiness during the tough times in JC, as well as a place to spend time with my closest friends.

My World (1/5)

My World (1/5)

My World (1/5) depicts the scene you wake up to after taking a nap in one of the sofas in the room, a common activity for most of the members.

My World (2/5)

My World (2/5)

The teddy bear in My World (2/5) symbolises the comfort choir members can seek in the choir room. The deck of cards represents the fun and games that the choir members partake in while spending time together there, and the set square and eraser dust show that the room also serves as a place for study and learning.

My World (3/5)

My World (3/5)

My World (3/5) shows the scene that you would see when the lights are out while people are resting. A gentle beam of light comes in from a slot in the door.

My World (4/5)

My World (4/5)

The storage cupboards, study table and instruments are shown here in My World (4/5). A section of the cupboards used as a changing room can be seen in the left side of the photo.

My World (5/5)

My World (5/5)

My World (5/5), shows the view as you step out of the Choir Room back into the school. 

 

 

Reflections

Through this assignment I have learnt a lot more about photography than I previously knew, like good composition, focal points and lighting, and how all of these things can be changed during editing in Photoshop. I have also learnt many things about myself and how I feel about VJChoir. I’ve always taken my membership of the choir for granted and didn’t realise how much I did not want to leave.

Catherine Opie – Self-Portrait/Cutting (1993)

Catherine Opie is a Los Angeles-based photographer who has been documenting her surroundings since the early 1990s. She investigates the ways in which photography can document and give voice to social phenomena in America.
The artist is known widely for her color portraits of individuals across American culture that explores issues of identity, community and highlight various thriving subcultures. She also has the ability to blend deeply personal histories with the currents of contemporary society.

Opie took photographs of lesbian sadomasochistic practices and various subjects who enact or inhabit sexual practices and cultures. Thus, she has described her work as ‘twisted social documentary photography’. Most notable of all are Opie’s self-portraits, in which she lays her vulnerability out in the open, such as in this image ‘Cutting’ in 1993.

Self-Portrait/Cutting is part of the series comprising photographic portraits taken in the gay/lesbian community that first brought Opie significant attention as an artist. For this portrait, the cutting was done by an artist called Judie Bamber, who’s paintings explore themes of gender, sexuality, temporality, and memory. The image offers something deeply personal, even confessional, showing how she longed very much at the time to start a family. The photo was taken soon after she broke up with her partner at the time, which enhances the feel of the piece.

Catherine Opie took the self-portrait against an emerald green backdrop, decorated with a decadent drapery and foliage motif, recalling noble Renaissance portraiture. However, she sits turned away from the camera, refusing our gaze. Her back became a surface for cuttings that depicts in a childlike glyphs a tranquil scene of lesbian home life, but the drawing’s tender and sympathetic tone is disrupted by the raw, visceral means through which it was created, undermining any possibility of interpreting the scene as a simple, unfettered image of domestic normalcy.