Final Portfolio

My photographs explore the monotonous external appearance of contemporary living spaces in Orlando, Florida. Housing complexes throughout the city seem empty yet vast, strangely intimidating rather than welcoming or homely. Every road looks identical with endless rows repeating the same structure. Small details create the feeling of a constructed community hoping to convey particular ideas about the neighborhood as a whole rather than the individual human beings trying to call these structures their home.

            I am interested in how we construct our identity and the ways environments form our conceptions of the self. For example, I wonder how the exterior of our homes affects the way we view ourselves and the way we are perceived by others. In an age when the clothes we wear or the car we drive contributes to the construction of identity, how does the exterior of the structure we call home contribute to perceptions of the self? By approaching these buildings from alternative angles and different perspectives, I emphasize an underlying problem with contemporary structures that are rapidly and uniformly built to meet a consumer need.

Their blank, eerie façades outlined by the continuous blue sky create a surface level appearance of harmony and bliss. However, closer inspection reveals weird empty spaces, sickening saturated colors, and a strange lack of human presence. I photographed housing complexes in deprived and privileged neighborhoods with both similarly ordered, detached, and minimally decorated even extended to the highly manicured landscaping. Through my photographs, I encourage the viewer to contemplate the meaning of these uniform spaces in connection with modernity and the struggle for individualization.

Reading Response #7

It is interesting to consider the huge difference in terms of process with analog vs. digital photographs yet the relatively similar viewing experience we have with both types. The photographic history made such an impression on the medium that while the photographer has an abundance of possibilities in terms of manipulation (or even creating a stimulation completely detached form reality) photographers continuing to stick with the standard photographic language. I was surprised to learn that CGI decreases the quality of images to more closely resemble the “normal” photograph which suggests a connection to the real. Even as manipulations become more and more flawless, as a viewer we still associate the photograph with reality and other visual imaging uses this connection as a means to convince the viewer of the relationship to the real world. On the one hand we have become very photo savvy and cautious but on the other hand, we cannot shake the connections with reality which have persevered since the medium’s invention.

The panic instigated by the introduction of digital photography emphasizes the power of images. The scholars writing in the 1990s seemed to worry about the loss of realism as connected with the creation of identity. Photography is closely tied with human striving for order and understanding. The loss of realism would prevent the photograph from serving to contain and help the viewer understand the chaos of the world. Moreover, the viewer is put in a powerful position when viewing a photograph. The photograph provides the viewer with knowledge, order and the power of looking at perhaps what could not/ should not have been seen otherwise. As soon as the photograph becomes detached from reality, the viewer’s power is taken away. The world becomes more unordered because the viewer cannot distinguish between what is real and what is not. However, I think these concerns could be expressed at any point in photographic history. The photograph provides the comforting illusion of reality but as discussed in previous classes, arguably there is no such thing as photographic truth.

Q. Do we trust a poor quality photograph from a phone over a high quality photojournalistic photograph? Why? 

Work In Progress Critique #4

This week I initially continued to experiment with different manipulations in photoshop trying to convey the same eerie aesthetic as one of the images from the last critique. However, I felt that many of the other images I was taking did not work as successfully with this effect. I continue to experiment and I think my most successful photograph is the yellow block of apartments.  I returned to using sickly saturated colors to create an initial blissful appearance whilst hinting at something unnatural and distancing the viewer from the architecture. I think this photograph most successfully conveys my content because it aesthetically draws the viewer in but also makes them question if all is what it seems. The chairs lined up outside the windows all hint at human presence yet the space seems strangely quiet.

This second photograph that I feel most successfully conveys my content hints at the connection between our façade and external appearances with our identity. Whether it be the façade we present through the clothes we wear, the car we drive or the exterior of our house, they all contribute to how others perceive our identity. The flag hanging outside of the houses gives the only clue as to this person’s identity. The windows seems closed off and vacant, the chairs are empty and the structure’s design with its huge columns is both glorifying yet intimidating. By moving close to the sealed off windows and placing the flag centrally, I hoped to emphasize the limited amount we reveal of our identity on the outside of our home. 

Reading Response #6

When discussing early photography, I think the author brings to light an interesting point – that these early photographers did not see themselves as artists. Only later curators, art critics and other influential individuals in the art world raised their photographs to the status of art by displaying them in galleries. However, these individuals determine which of these photographers become key figures in the development of art photography and who does not make the cut. Photography’s history spans periods of colonialism, racism and gender inequality and I wonder how curators factor in the oppression of different people in deciding which artists they support and promote. It would be very easy for curators to perpetuate the power roles rather than subvert them and show alternative photographic practices from anyone other than the affluent white male. I was excited to read about the many different contemporary shows embracing heritage and gender but I hope that curators continue to look back to photography’s history and expand upon the canon of iconic photographers. I think this is especially important for the big art galleries rather than just the small ones looking at one specific type of art. On page 294, I really love the concept of the show Shifting Focus. The curator encourages women to actively look when viewing the art, and therefore, they subvert the male gaze.

I really enjoyed the author’s connections between modernity and the fundamental nature of the camera. Modernity reflects the growth of capitalism, the development of technology and advancements in science. Photography encapsulates all of these ideas. The camera itself is a commodity while the taking of pictures commodifies its subject. Also, it was seen as an important technological development rather than artistic development when it first came on the market. Its technical nature makes it the perfect medium for capturing the insensitive cutthroat world of modernity. It is interesting to me that Baudelaire and other early writers responded to the camera as unable to capture artistic expression because of it is mechanical. I think this is what helps it fit so perfectly into contemporary culture. What better way to deal with questions of identity, technology, commodities etc that through a machine that actually represents a part of this modern society? Also, the author shows how later Russian artists used the medium because of its democratic nature and ability to reach large amounts of people to instigate social and cultural change.

Q. Do you think photography/ art in galleries perpetuates cultural elitism as discussed on page 302. On the one hand, artists want to make some sort of comment but often art becomes deeply theoretical or assumes a viewer of a particular culture/ race/ social background etc for it to become understandable. Also consider that even by putting the work in a gallery context, the work is shown to the specific viewers interested in seeing that particular type of art.

Google Reader Response #10

Deciding on which photographs to discuss was easy this week… George Georgiou’s Fault Lines/Turkey/East/West. The artist deals with issues very similar to those in my own photographic series yet interestingly he is discussing urban development in Turkey rather than in the US. The artist considers the struggle in Turkey between the creation of a westernized urban landscape with their cultural heritage. I really loved this quote from the artist - “Cites are becoming carbon copies of each other.” That is exactly how I have responded to the neighborhoods here is Orlando. It is interesting that around the world westernization and capitalism infiltrates building projects which serve to intensify a sense of alienation and sameness in sprawling cities. The artist emphasizes this by contrasting the repetitive infrastructure with the natural landscape surrounding it. Buildings appear eerily alike, following a box grid of rows. The stifling layout is emphasized by the billowing hillsides or greenery. Alongside the landscape images, Georgiou takes photographs of people with an interest in the affect westernization has on them. These people appear cold, unwelcoming, unapproachable and guarded. In many ways my response from the people is similar to my response from the architecture. Both have been greatly influenced by the west and seem unfriendly and unwelcoming.

Reading Response: Chapter 5

Chapter 5 contains so many interesting and controversial topics... It was fantastic! The first part I want to discuss is the issue of the female body in advertising. The chapter discusses the way photographs for advertising usual conform to the status quo in the hope of appearing neutral. However, in reality they are politically charged because of their perpetuation of dominant ideas. In fashion images, the women are constructed to perpetuate the typical gender roles. The author points out that just by focusing on hands, the viewer can see a clear gender distinction. The decorative feminine hand contrasts to the active male hand. The commodification of women is particularly evident in the cutting up of the female form in adverts to ease with the objectification of the female body. The woman is transformed into a sex object in the service of selling a product. The important point here is their influence on young women. I have known two girls with anorexia and I feel the struggles they experienced were greatly enhanced by the proliferation of images depicting the perfect body. I recently watching an extremely shocking documentary on PBS called Girl Model. It begins with hundreds of 13 year old girls wearing nothing but a bikini spoken about as if they were objects rather than people. One man says directly to a girl that her hips are too big and she needs to go on a diet... At 13 years old... and this girl was very skinny. These images on the one hand are ideals which women aspire to become and yet the reality behind the women (or girls) depicted is disturbing.  I really appreciated the authors emphasis on this continuing fight for equality because I too hear that we are in a post-feminist age by many students.

The other particularly shocking part of the chapter was the discussion of Toscani's photographs for Benetton. These shock tactics seem inhumane. There is absolutely no connection to the shocking documentary photographs and the clothes. There doesn't even seem to be a social message. Toscani did not ask the viewer to consider the issues the photographs might address. Rather, their purpose is simple to peak the viewers curiosity, to make you look. It is shock for the sake of getting attention. How could the company justify using a man who died of aids as a commodity to sell a product? I am amazed and saddened that these images did not lead to a loss of sales. I thought I would add a picture seeing as there was not one in the book. I hope I am not encouraging shock tactic advertising by doing so!

As photographers interested in exploring the denotative  deeper meanings and content, how do you respond to stock images which are basically stripped of meaning so that they can be re-purposed?

Google Reader Response #9

This week, Natan Dvir’s photographs from Fototazo caught by eye for their ability to force the viewer to look twice. On first glance, I simply saw another advertisement with saturated colors and idealized figures. Only when the viewer looks closer can they see the small people inhabiting the space surrounding these large-scale advertisements. One of my professors once said that we see more images in a day than a person from the Renaissance would have seen in their whole lives. How does this affect us? Is it possible to appreciate any image to the same degree when we are constantly bombarded with imagery? Dvir’s photographs show billboards towering over people, leaving the “real” people seemingly insignificant and distant. They continue their everyday lives completely oblivious to the monumental commercials towering over them. Frequently the billboards show idealized depictions of the human form dwarfing normal people walking along the street. But these billboards are normal. No one thinks anything of it. The streetwalkers do not stop to question the proliferation of commercial imagery. Dvir’s photographs make the viewer consider how we interact with large-scale advertisements and what this suggests about modern life. 

Work In Progress Critique #3 Response

 

This image fits particularly well with my concept because of the interplay between the overpowering structure and the absence of human presence. The photograph seems both intimidating and quiet. The building is approached from a low angle emphasizing its authority over the photographer. The dark set back passages suggest emptiness and a fearful environment. The building does not look like an appealing place to live. Here, the repeating forms are presented to emphasize the lack of human presence and the loneliness of this monotony.

For the initial manipulated image I hoped to add a sense of drama through my creative decisions. I emphasized the dark passageways to create a sense of emptiness. I focused specifically on enhancing the dominance of the structure.

For my second manipulation, I experimented with the way color could change the viewer's response to the building. The strange unnatural yellow projected onto the side of the building creates an eerie discomfort which is less prominent in the more naturalistic depiction. While the color is usually associated with warmth and the suns rays, its strange placement allows the building to seem surreal and almost dreamlike. Yet the buildings dominance remains, especially as a result of the cold blue reflected on one side and the dark mysterious set back passages.

I enjoyed this so much that I started experimenting one more time with the image, this time pushing the surreal element even further. I wondered how the image would look by creating an airy light atmosphere in conjunction with the overpowering structure. The building almost becomes ghostlike and even more frightening to approach. The absence of humans becomes more apparent as the viewer almost senses this building is from another world. It becomes harder to imagine that someone lives here. The building becomes alien, foreign and cold. I wonder if this pushes my ideas too far because the viewer may not be able to connect with the building as an apartment someone currently lives in... Does this make my message too overt?   

Google Reader Response #8

This week I wanted to respond to the Lenscratch Portrait Exhibition post. Continuing last week’s discussion viewing photography through a feminist lens, I could not help but respond to the way women are depicted vs. the way men are depicted in these blog posts. Scrolling through the photographs, the majority of the women are depicted in two different ways. Many of the women are presented as sexualized wearing revealing clothing or looking at the viewer in a seductive manner. They are objectified for their body and the photographer shows no interest in conveying a deeper message about who these women are.

 If not overtly sexual, many photographs show the woman as passive, looking away from the camera and allowing the viewer to objectify her more easily. Here is an example of a depicted couple with the man looking directly at the viewer and the woman averting her gaze (I can't help but think of Barbara Kruger's work). This subtle different empowers the man and disempowers the woman. 

In contrast, the men are depicted as strong, looking directly at the viewer and sometimes approached by the photographer from a low angle.

While of course this is not the case for all of the images for the portrait exhibition, it is interesting to see that these typical ways of viewing the different genders are still evident in portraiture photography. 

The photographs that subvert these norms are the ones that capture my attention the most. I am encouraged to consider the sitter in a new way and understand them as more than simply a gender type. 

Here the older woman is powerfully addressing the viewers gaze with an intriguing facial expression. I cant quite work it out. Perhaps she is showing a sense of pride or mocking the viewer in regard to the achievements she lays before us. I am forced to ask questions. I think of the woman as more than an object. I start to read the complex symbols laid out in the hope of better understanding the real person. 

Google Reader Response #7

This week I wanted to discuss the Urbanautica blog post about the series Animal Portraits by Dwi Putra Sepiyana. Formally these photographs are very simple. The artist photographed different animals looking directly into the camera lens with a plain white background. I couldn’t help but think of passport photographs and the desire to create an objective photograph of the sitter. By referencing this common photographic type used by humans and taking these animals outside of their natural habitat, the viewers is forced to interact with the animals in a different way. Perhaps the viewer notices different physical features or makes connections with human characteristics. The artist points out that the viewer responds differently to gecko, which appears to be smiling, to the toad, which looks grumpy. However, the gecko pulls this facial expression before it bites down on its food. The artist brings the viewers attention to both the similarities and the differences that we share with the animal kingdom by placing them in this objective space. The viewer is asked to reevaluate their assumptions about these animals and question what we can really learn from an external expression. 

Reading Response #4

I really enjoyed reading this chapter and there were so many interesting points so I’ll just pick out a few that caught my eye. At the beginning of the chapter, the author discusses 19^th century scientific uses of photography to categorize people and to understand their inner character through external clues recorded through the camera. Looking at photographs in magazines today, while these images are not in a scientific setting, similar ideas have stuck and I think we still associate external features captured in a photograph as containing the power to reveal a persons inner character. Photography and classification have continued through biometric security further connecting these 19^th century scientific yet usually racist images. I was shocked to learn that these technologies are set up to configure to the dominant or ‘normal’ white male and subsequently there is an inability for the system to register marginalized groups. I think this is a major issue that needs to be addressed and it suggests we have grown little from those initial scientific images.

I also found the feminist arguments addressed in this section extremely interesting. One point discussed by the author was that as capitalism has developed, there has been a rise in the fetishistic depictions of women. Life becomes more about commodities and photographs allow the viewer to more easily transform the woman into an object to be possessed. Moreover, I think it is interesting to consider the ways women adopt the male gaze. The recognition that we are being looked at as merely an object can cause the woman to view herself and other woman as an object. She surveys herself and other woman in a way that disempowers the woman whilst reinforcing the dominance of the male gaze. Magazines aimed at woman show other woman caught in unattractive poses and therefore encourage the viewer to objectify and mock the figure. A vitally important point made by the author was that while this seemingly comforts the viewer, in reality it encourages the woman to be more aware of their physical flaws. In my opinion, objectifying and criticizing another woman results in women remaining in a marginalized position. We rarely see photographs of men caught at a bad angle or having put on a few extra pounds. On the other end of the spectrum, women are depicted in magazines as perfection though extensive photoshop editing. Neither depiction is ‘true,’ yet the viewer adopts the male gaze, objectifies both types of depictions and recognizes the photographs closeness to reality causing her to question her own physical appearance.

Q. Is all porn objectifying to women? Or does it allow for a woman to own her sexuality? 

Work In Progress Critique #2

This top photograph is the one I feel most successfully deals with my content. There is an eerie mood to the image because of the lack of people. The bold saturated colors make the houses seem on the one hand idyllic and on the other foreign and cold. The houses continue far into the distance with only small manicured shrubby breaking up the monotony. The pathway seems to hint at the presence of people whilst emphasizing their absence. The strange light in the foreground is the only unique element to the composition and adds to the surreal atmosphere whilst metaphorically symbolizing a longing for uniqueness, for a break in the monotony.

I struggled with this series of photographs because they were taken on a cloudy day. Once I compared them to my previous images, I realized they are far more successful with the saturated blue sky. So I decided to try different ways of manipulating the images in photoshop to achieve the same effect. I am really excited about the image below but I am wondering how this will fit into the series as a whole. It shows the same architectural style as the houses photographed last week but here it is still in the process of being built. 

Google Reader Response #6

This week I was drawn to the Lost Villages Project by Neil A. White.  The artist documents the battle between the North Sea and mainland England with erosion worsening as a result of rising sea levels. Villages founded in Roman times slowly fall into the sea. At first, I felt nostalgic looking at these images and thinking about the breezy English coastline. Some of his photographs emphasize the beautiful expansive coastline trailing off into the distance. The images remind me of the Romantic notion of the sublime and the awe-inspiring quality of nature. This is especially evident in images with a few people dotted around the photographs engulfed by the enormous beach and cliff sides around them. Other images provoke fear and astonishment at the power of the ocean. Sometimes White zooms into the destruction making it seem even more tangible. For example, he shows parts of houses lying on the beach with waves crashing around them. Other times he provides a broader perspective showing the magnitude of the erosion. A particularly starting image shows a road split in half with one side fallen into sea. Some photographs appear calm and quiet while other have a sense of impending doom. The series forces the viewer to reflect upon our effect on the environment and the environments effect on our lives.

Also, I started looking at some of his other work and his series It's Rubbish really caught my eye...