Karl Blossfeldt

I looked at blossfeldt’s images towards the start of my personal project of creating surreal landscapes. I found inspiration within his work from the way Blossfeldt displays his subject, almost as a documentation. It is the subject of the images that interest me as the plants look to be some form of alien-like weapons and objects and even like futuristic buildings. Blossfeldt plays with scale in these images making these usually small objects look as if they could be as tall as sky scrapers. This surreal quality is emphasised by the fact the images are in black and white, which I think takes away a sense of reality as the viewer questions themselves on the colour and the subject of the images.
I like the simplistic composition as the attention of the viewer is drawn only to the unusual plant and it’s finer details. In black and white the textures are also enhanced guiding the attention of the looker around the image. I find Blossfeldt’s images very visually interesting and have had a great influence over my own personal work.

(The images above were created by the photographer Karl Blossfeldt)

J H Engstrom – “The Photograph as Document”

When first looking for inspiration for the first project given to us for “The photograph as Document” I came across this photographer J H Engstrom who takes images almost in the style of snapshots. I looked at his book “Trying to dance (2004)” in particular. What I found interesting about this photographer was that there wasn’t really any consistency within his work, the images seemed quite random. There were a few of people standing in the nude which I felt stood out as they appeared to be more staged rather than an act of impulse. I liked this idea of taking images on impulse rather than having to set up the images and really think about it. This was an under current theme within my own project. 

I also found inspiration from this photographer as it was looking through his book “Trying to dance” that I became aware of how much I liked seeing this style of images within a book form. For my own project I created a hand made book containing my own images and (though it had some flaws) I thought it worked quite successfully. I also Like how Engstrom is not afraid to mix black and white images with colour pieces, this creates an odd feeling of surrealism within the book as some images are straight forward shots but certain, more abstract, pieces in black and white spotted randomly in the images make the viewer question what it is in the series they are truly looking at, which makes them begin to look for something that is not there.

(images above were taken from: http://www.jhengstrom.com)

Lee Friedlander

Looking back through some projects, not just work I have created this year, but since the beginning when I first started creating images I have realised what a big influence he has been in my work, his reflection images in particular. I quite like how Friedlander includes his own reflection in some of his images as usually in images the photographer is hidden away. I find including this unusual element sometimes brings quite a dark undertone to his images as he almost appears to be stalking someone as details of himself are still hidden and only his silhouette remains.  Although I find these images have quite a surreal state, I also feel it is almost a documentary of  America at the time Friedlander was photographing (around 1948). Similarly to Atget’s work when looking at these images I feel as if I have been transported into some surreal world where the reflections and reality have merged together to create one unusual cityscape. I also find as the images are taken in black and white, by taking away the colour I feel it almost takes away a sense of reality the image could have possessed as areas begin to merge together in dark and light tones.

(Images above were created by Lee Friedlander and were taken from: https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=lee+friedlander&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=uxJqU9q1MaLE7Aa_u4DgDA&sqi=2&ved=0CAYQ_AUoAQ&biw=1280&bih=644#q=lee%20friedlander%20reflections&revid=1971811323&tbm=isch&facrc=_&imgdii=_&imgrc=4nUqpTSZkMRtjM%253A%3BNYZWp7nx_aomeM%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fjuanjosereyes.files.wordpress.com%252F2012%252F09%252Freflection.png%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fjuanjosereyes.wordpress.com%252F2012%252F09%252F13%252Flee-friedlander-reflexions-of-the-street%252F%3B761%3B508 )

Bill Viola (Visual Studies)

When looking at different installation artists I came across Bill Viola’s work. There was a video that particularly caught my attention as it was filled with such emotion and possessed a strong surreal quality. At first when the subject is not in focus, although the viewer can tell there is a person standing in the darkness, immediately the audience begins to question this idea of reality. Towards the start when the light and water begins to flicker down the body, it is then that this alien-like body truly begins to emerge and a nervous atmosphere begins to set in of what is about to happen. As the water hits the face and breast, it almost appears that the “person” is made from this silvery liquid. It is the emotion shown on the face that makes me feel very uneasy as it give the impression of being in such pain and agony. This agony is even in the body language as the hands stick out in odd angles as she begins to reach up towards her face. It is only when the water begins to slow down does the woman begin to calm herself.

For me this almost seems like a video of a nightmare and, when watching it, I get the sensation and panic of drowning wash over me. I find this work has an incredible impact on it’s audience for what the video possesses along with playing with the idea of human nature and the want to help others in distress but not being able to. This way of working I find incredibly creative using both light and water in such an unusual way to have such an strong impact on the audience. It has really inspired me to create more videos and possibly even experiment with lighting and liquids in future projects.

(The video above was created by Bill Viola and taken from: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UJQmV8aPNao )

A talk from Esther Teichmann

A while before Easter Esther Teichmann came into the University to give a talk on her own work of past, present and future. I enjoyed learning her different techniques of creating images such as, quite like my own personal work, she creates “sets” in her own living room by blowing up background images to quite a large scale and hand edits them with methods such as painting over sections. She talked about the meaning of some of the subjects in her work such as her shell images act like a metaphor of the female body.

Teichmann also showed us a video piece she was working on using a dancer. The dancer was naked and moved incredibly slowly but fluently. It looked to be an exploration of the female form. It was a very beautiful in a way seeing the strange shapes constantly moving, it was almost hypnotic. I found Teichmann’s talk very inspirational, and found she had an influence over my personal work of how I created my own “sets” and even the subject of my images.

 

(Images above were created by the artist/photographer Esther Teichmann)

Researching installation artists in general

After being told we would have to create our own installation piece I remember a feeling of fear sweeping over me as I have never worked in this fashion before and the thought of it scared me. However, after researching artists and photographers who use installation pieces in their own work, I became more confident in myself that I would be able to do it. One of the artists I began looking at in an attempt to find some inspiration was Annette Messager.

I find Messager’s work very visually intriguing and find it very frustrating that I can’t get right up close to the pieces and see all their fine details. I have read that a lot of Messager’s work deals with childhood and children’s stories. Although I like how physical Messager’s work is I can’t imagine my own work taking this form as I like more of a photographic look.

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(Images shown in the slideshow above were created by Annette Messager taken from: http://flavorwire.com/142113/daily-dose-pick-annette-messager/2 )

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Christian Boltanski

Another Installation artist I looked at was Christian Boltanski. Boltanski creates installations in various ways using a mixture of media. I find myself drawn to the pieces which use photography in them as that is my area of interest. I particularly like the installation of the portraits lit up to create ghostly features, I find it interesting how Boltanski incorporates the leads from the lighting and how this changes the way the viewers sees the piece as I find it has quite a chilling atmosphere about the piece because of the leads hanging down from each face acting as a form of chain.

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(The images shown in the slideshow were created by Christian Boltanski taken from: https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=christian+boltanski&es_sm=93&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=dfhpU_TXKPHX7Abo74GwBw&sqi=2&ved=0CAYQ_AUoAQ&biw=1280&bih=687 )

Lee Kirby – Installation work (Visual Studies)

Before creating my installation I began looking at artists that used both light projections and installations within their work. Lee Kirby’s work entitled “Pro-ject” looks at light projections and the human form. I found his work very inspiring to see as he creates these images with such amount of detail visible, even though areas have been distorted by the curves in the bodies. In certain images (such as the ship projection) the colours are very vibrant which immediately draw the viewers attention in and guides their eyes to the variety of detail on display. Personally, I prefer the images where the model has stayed still rather than the images showing movement as I like the fact that the projection shows so clearly on the bodies and distorts slightly to fit the models shape. From what I can see there doesn’t appear to be any form of link between what the projection is showing but pure experimentation. Seeing these images greatly influenced me to project onto something which had shape rather than something as simple as a flat wall. These images have inspired me greatly and I plan to use projection more within my own work in future.

I find it beautiful how abstract some of the images become once distorted to fit the human body, scenes that we see in everyday life such as a street or busy road become almost unrecognizable to the viewer.

 

(Images shown above were created by Lee Kirby and taken from: http://leekirbyphotography.com/Pro-ject )

Eugene Atget

Looking back through a past project I did this year I came across my research of Eugene Atget and instantly became re-inspired to create more images as in my project “The Way Home”. Atget’s images steps from reality into a strange alien world where reflection and reality merge together and the viewer questions what exactly they are looking at. I particularly like his use of mannequins and how they replace people and reality, especially where the reflections have replaced areas of the bodies and cancel out small details and replace them with details such as sections of buildings or the surrounding streets. In my own work that was inspired by this photographer, I much preferred using colour photography as I thought this gave my images more depth and made them look more contemporary.

 

 

(Images shown above were created by Eugene Atget and taken from: https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=Eugene+Atget&es_sm=93&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=jARpU_GbGNSV7Ablk4BA&ved=0CAgQ_AUoAQ&biw=1280&bih=687#q=eugene%20atget%20surrealism&revid=1244380846&tbm=isch&facrc=_&imgdii=OIAQEpo5aNzbdM%3A%3BgaXkYm87RZZOaM%3BOIAQEpo5aNzbdM%3A&imgrc=OIAQEpo5aNzbdM%253A%3BhkAmkvMwCFZatM%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fseesaw.typepad.com%252Fblog%252Fimages%252F2008%252F01%252F22%252Fatget_boulevard_de_strasbourg_1912.jpg%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fseesaw.typepad.com%252Fblog%252Fcollecting-mannequins-1%252F%3B300%3B382 )

Personal Project

After experimenting using installations within my project, I found that my images had more of an impact on the viewer and worked at a more successful standard. Using my research of artists such as Thomas Hoepker and Heinz Mack as inspiration I began experimenting creating images using both colour and black and white. The subject of my images have also changed slightly as I have included more than just shells or “Flotsam and Jetsam” in these pieces such as food stuffs which enhance the created surreal landscapes. I am pleased with how these images turned out and plan on continuing developing them.

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(The images shown above were created by myself [Georgia Roach] )

Thomas Hoepker and Heinz Mack research

For my main project of creating surreal landscapes I have begun to look at the works of Thomas Hoepker and Heinz Mack entitled “Sculpture Safari”. These are quite large scale sculptures placed in areas in the Sahara Dessert as well as Greenland creating these very unusual landscapes. I took inspiration from these pieces as when looking at them I felt this feeling of awe and thought how monumental these surreal objects looked against the already strange surroundings. In my own work where I physically make and create the landscapes rather than going out and finding them, I wanted to be able to create this striking sensation and feeling of being awe-struck within my own work. I took note of how the natural lighting in these images had an effect on the sculptures and began to wonder how I would be able to translate this effect over to my own work where artificial lighting would be used.

These images also inspired me by the use of colours in each individual piece and how this had an effect on how they were viewed. Colours such as the pale pinks and warm yellows enhance the surreal quality of the images as the viewer begins to question if it is reality or some other-worldly place.

 

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