"Photobooth" by Babbette Hines (2002)

Hines' beautifully nostalgic book, containing nothing but images taken in photobooths, led me to consider the state of the subjects during exposure in this way. The majority are alone in that small space, isolated from the outside world for just a few seconds. This appears to give them a sense of freedom to do what they want, to be portrayed in a way they alone want to be seen.

With the vision and instruction of a professional photographer removed, these images often provide us with a clearer insight of the sitter's character, in a far more intimate setting.

Since this publication's release in 2002, there has been a noticeable increase in the use of the photobooth in modern media, with users craving the sense of nostalgia and lack of pretension which images of this type entail. For example, this music video by rock band The Dead Weather, demonstrates the contemporary use of the photobooth, as well as the freedom of expression encountered when utilizing it.

"Hang You From The Heavens" - The Dead Weather, 2009

"Indeed, the sitters are orienting themselves towards a future, composing themselves (in fact, they are gauging their own reflections in the pane of glass that intervenes between themselves and the camera), beholding themselves, looking at how they will be seen. They try on this pose and then that...addressing first themselves (there in the mirrored glass) and beyond that the intended other (girlfriend, boyfriend, parent, sibling, penpal, bureaucrat), but beyond that, well, something like the undifferentiated future - the faceless prostperity - us!" - Babbette Hines 

Dale Chihuly's Glass Sculptures

Diverting from photography for a while, I couldn't go without posting about the beautiful glass-work sculptures I encountered at the Halcyon Gallery in London. Built by Dale Chihuly, these pieces are truly awe-inspiring, creating a peaceful and fairytale-esque feel within the space. 


Here are some photos I captured of Chihuly's work - 

Chihuly's love for vibrancy and nature shows through in his many botanical sculptures. In the photo below, you can get a feel for the detail within these, as flecks of gold highlight the shape of each glass petal.

To view a short video on the opening of the show, as well as the gallery itself, click here! http://www.halcyongallery.com/news/dale-chihuly-opens-new-halcyon-gallery-144-146-new-bond-street

Orlan's Controversial Art

French performance artist Orlan designs pieces based around the developments of her own body through constructive surgery. Here are my thoughts on her graphic and controversial works -

I find Orlan’s ideas about changing the “ways to think about one’s body and one’s beauty” interesting, as through this work we find questioning what we ourselves find beautiful. While doing so, she puts forward ideas about how culture - be it paintings, photography, music, cinema, etc – are able to so easily change who we are, whether we're aware of it or not.

However, she obviously takes this to the extreme by physically & permanently altering her appearance through surgery, or later on, through the digital manipulation of her own face. While her message is valid, I don’t believe this means of communicating it is at all necessary.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/artanddesign/video/2009/jul/01/orlan-artist-interview


During an interview with the Guardian (shown in the link above), Orlan seems to place far too much emphasis on the fact that she was the first artist to venture into this sort of work, which makes me wonder whether she just disguises an incredibley extrovert publicity stunt as art; just a way of spreading her name around, and provoke discussion of her work purely due to it’s controversy.

Personally, I believe that this work’s intended message is over-looked purely because it is so shocking. Does it need to be this extreme? Would viewers have a clearer understanding of the work’s message if they weren’t simply blinded by how shocking (& sometimes disturbing) Orlan’s artworks are?

A Question Of Ethics - "Photography & The Law"

"Heads", a series spanning from 1999-2001, documents unaware members of the public in New York's Times Square. The artist behind the project, Philip-Lorca diCorcia, who was sued for financially profiting from one pedestrian's image without their permission, prides himself on recording his subject's unknowing expressions as they go about their day-to-day lives. 

As a response to an online discussion forum set up by the university concerning the controversial work of Philip-Lorca diCorcia in his project "Heads", I wrote the statement shown below - 


"On the whole, when taking photos in a crowd or on the street, I do, 90% of the time, tend to ask people's permission before I take their image, however daunting that may be. This is obviously the more ethical option, and I know if I was having my photo taken by a stranger, I'd certainly like to be aware of it, and to know what it was being used for.

Of course, having said this, by not telling those you are photographing I feel you can capture the subject's subconscious emotion; the expression on their face would reveal far more about that person than the forced smile or pose they would adopt when a camera was directly pointed at them.
As several of my fellow students have said, I think a more ethical way around this issue is to approach the subject after the photo has been shot and show it to them, explaining the reasons for your shooting, the intended use of the image, etc. That way the person is still able to have their say & give permission. 
However, this too has it's problems. If you are shooting, for example, using film or in a busy, bustling area, it would be impossible to talk to each of your subjects, or show them their image.


I think this is going to forever be one of photography's many unresolved issues."

A Look At The Work Of Dara Scully

22-year-old Swedish photographer Dara Scully specialises in the surreal. Her self-portraits have a fairy-tale air about them, as they often depict her within rural settings, surrounded by anthropomorphic animals. The soft focus and natural light of her photographs gives them a dream-like quality, along with their subdued colours and whimsical subject matter. The themes of freedom and escapism run throughout her work, both in the physical and metaphorical sense.

Remaining within the realms of surrealism, Scully's photographs sometimes take a morbid turn, as throughout her project "Escaping From The Wolves". For example, a sense of unease is felt within the viewer upon looking at this picture from the series (below). Here, we can't see what she is running from. All we know is the darkening clouds and ominous mountains in the background appear to be chasing her.

A project of hers I found particularly interesting is "Bluebird's Heart", wherein Scully appears to play with the idea of death. Life after death is also referenced heavily here, as the bluebird leaving the cage in Scully's supposedly lifeless chest, represents the freedom and continuation of the soul. 

For more information on Dara Scully, visit her website: http://cargocollective.com/darascully

Viewer Or Voyeur?

Below are my thoughts on the morality of photography as a means of reporting violent world events. Are the images we see in the media too graphic? Or are they necessary in our learning about the world?

When Colonel Gadafi was executed, I remember seeing scenes on the news & in the papers of his bloodied body being dragged through the streets. Despite the gravitas of that situation, I’m not sure the graphic nature of the images chosen to depict the event in the media can really be justified. Seeing that image plastered on the internet, across TV channels, and along the newsstand shelves at the local corner shop really shocked me and stuck in my mind. But then again, I suppose that was the idea...

After watching a documentary about war photographer Don McCullin, having heard him talk about the “darkness” in him, and his experiences having “left him with an untrustworthy outlook on humanity”, I can’t understand how someone could subject themselves to sights such as this without coming away mentally scarred. I personally couldn’t do it.

McCullin remarks on his days as a war photographer "I'm not what you'd call clean...there were moments when I was excited about it, which was totally wrong." Does this make him a voyeur?

Having said this, I have to admit that while reading this 2010 article from the Guardian (below), regarding the media's coverage of the stoning of a man in Somalia, I felt compelled to seek out the mentioned images for myself. This doesn’t, however, mean I enjoy viewing them. There is a certain thrill, an adrenaline rush, when you see something out of the ordinary. It is the same horror movies and roller coasters are so popular.


http://www.guardian.co.uk/artanddesign/2010/mar/08/world-press-photo-sean-ohagan

In the long run, if you remove the camera from the situation, such as this brutal execution in Somalia, it isn’t going to stop it. So, in one respect these images are merely bringing issues such as war, execution etc into the light. They show viewers things they would not know existed otherwise, who are then able to see the truth about the world and voice their opinions on such matters, but not, necessarily, be directly effected by them. 

Lenscratch "Animals" Launch!

Having been following the well-known photography blog ‘Lenscratch’, I recently noticed there was an opportunity to take part in several online exhibitions. I chose to enter this image (below, entitled "Eye To Eye") into the exhibition entitled ‘Animals’, in an attempt to spread my work more widely around the web!

Having successfully submitted it, yesterday brought about the launch of "Animals". Myself and several of my fellow students were lucky enough to have our work shown!

Visit Lenscratch here! http://www.lenscratch.com/