FMP 2016 Ideas

Since commencing my 2^nd year on the Photography HND I had become very interested in disability and the perception we have of people with disabilities.  I have already produced a research project where I looked at a group of young people with learning disabilities who worked as a dance company in collaboration with a local college and the Birmingham Royal Ballet.  The idea of this was to show them from the start of their rehearsals right up until their final performance.  I wanted to show them in a positive light, and hoped that when people look at the images I have produced they will see the pride that they have in their performance. 

My critical essay has also looked at disability, but that of military veterans who have been injured in recent conflicts.  Again, it is all about the matter of perception.  I compared two photographers, and how they had portrayed their images.  One photographer had a more subtle approach, whilst the other used a more theatrical approach with HDR inspired images.  The different styles affected how the viewer of the images reacted. 

During my research for my critical essay I had come across a photographer called Soela Zani who had photographed 18 young people with Down’s Syndrome in the style of different artists i.e. “Master John Heathcote” by Thomas Gainsborough, and “Harriet Ann Seale” by John Hoppner.  The photographer has taken images of the young people stylized in costumes similar to the original painting, and in some instances Photoshopped them into the same background as the original.  In some instances she had used a similar background.  Each image is produced sympathetically, but you don’t feel sorry for the young people.  The images aren’t a mockery even though they are a mock up of the original image.

Upon seeing these photographs I thought that I would like to produce a series of images of young people with disabilities dressed as someone they aspired to be, with that in mind I wouldn’t want the images to be seen as insulting.  I would hope to show that I have treated them with the respect that they deserve.

With a view to getting some primary research for our FMP’s we had a trip into Birmingham City Centre to visit BMAG, and the Ikon Gallery.   At BMAG, the Waterhall Gallery they had an exhibition called ‘New Art West Midlands 2016’.  We had a wonder around the exhibit, looking at the various styles, ways of exhibiting/hanging/framing etc.  It was during this visit that I came across an installation by Rebecca Fellows called 0-Lift-Off (2015) which mimics a large scale plane model kit which is impossible to physically construct or fly.  These could sometimes be found in ‘Lucky Bags’ or as party favours.  The originals were made of polystyrene.  What struck me about Fellows’ work was the pixilation of the airplane.  You had to stand back from the display to actually see the full picture, then the pixilation was less evident, and especially if you squinted your eyes.

It was once I had seen the pixilation that I thought about wanting to produce an image, or series of images that were possibly pixelated, and where you would have to stand back to get the full picture.  This I felt is somewhat of a metaphor for what you have to do in life.  I feel that only once you have the full picture that you can understand a person. 

I spoke with my tutor about this idea, and she said that there was an option in Photoshop to apply a filter, pixelate, and then go to color halftone.  Obviously, I would have to look at the filter, and investigate other ways of trying to pixelate an image.  When I was at school I did an art project where I copied an image of Paul Newman, and I reproduced his image by making dots of differing size and colour depth to produce a final image.

Another option in Photoshop would be to use dispersion to break apart the image, so you

don’t have the full image.

Examples of dispersion using Photoshop.

I have looked at several different artists, photographers, and painters, David Hockney, Andy Warhol, and Picasso for inspiration. 

David Hockney, and inspired montages.

Andy Warhol.

Picasso

Portrait of Ambroise Vollard

3 Mini Project Proposals

1.         Take DSLR images of a model, portraiture, studio or location dressed as someone who they aspire to be.

Take DSLR portrait images of a model and then in Photoshop distort the image by either pixelating the image, or using a dispersion technique.  Cover the model’s face with props – flowers, butterflies, their hair, etc.  (I have looked at several YouTube videos on how to produce dispersion of an image, and a Photoshop Bookazine with several different techniques.)

2.         Distorting the image by cutting it, and moving parts about.  Cutting in circles within circles and moving the image slightly.

3.         Use a DSLR, Polaroid or Fuji Instax camera to produce a montage of images of a model, and then creating a portrait of them from these. 

I have just purchased a Fuji Instax mini camera that has a double exposure option, and possibly taking a montage of images again, and again creating a portrait. 

I’m also looking at Polaroid lifts for a different effect.

I now need to consider approaching different people to act as models for me, this may or may not be a person with a disability as the image produced won’t actually be a true reflection of the person I photograph.

When using my DSLR there is no real expense apart from the final printing of the image, but when using Polaroid and Fuji Instax film this could become quite expensive (although a faux Polaroid could be produced using the DSLR).