-

Politics and identity:

The first image I have chosen is a political piece by Barbara Kruger called 'We don't need another hero' created in 1987. This piece is about the gender roles and stereotypes that are put onto children at a young age and I believe that this piece as a whole is a criticism of our society. The image is black and white which I think causes there to be a strong contrast between the light and dark colours and tones, this also allows the red and white border and banner to stand out against the black and white background, the red pops out at the viewer and draws the eye to the message that has been written. This piece features a small boy flexing his arm with a small girl leaning over and poking it with text running through the middle of the image stating 'We don't need another hero'. When looking at the boys face, I can see that it is scrunched up with the effort of flexing his arm as if the action itself is taxing for him and taking a lot of effort.  He is also glancing over to the girl which I think is to gauge her reaction and to seek validation from his peers and to impress them. I believe that the face of the boy indicates how he truly feels about the action that he is performing.  He looks as if he is putting in a lot of effort, as if this is something that he doesn't usually do and is out of the ordinary for him.  I believe that this creates an atmosphere of reluctance and forced compliance.  He is doing something because it is what's expected of him not because it's something that he wants to do. When looking at the girl I believe that she seems curious as if this is something new, something that she has never seem before and I think that allows a sadness to resonate through the image as the viewer watch two children taken from their innocent mindsets and put into narrow minded boxes. I believe that the text running through the middle of the image sends a strong message to the viewer, it states that 'we don't need another hero' and I believe that this message paired with the images of the children in the background allows the viewer to question the society that they live in and what they have been taught.  It invokes an atmosphere of defiance and rebellion and encourages the viewer to push back against these dangerous stereotypes. I believe that the decision to use images of children rather than adults causes the piece to be more impactful, there is still time to protect these children, to allow them to grow into who they want to be, to allow them to be free, and I think that this creates a feeling of determination within the viewer as they are forced to reflect on their own lives and question what they can to make a positive difference within our society.

The second photo that I have chosen is an image taken by Richard Billingham, born in 1970, and depicts a family member. This is a part of a series of images of his family in the flat that he grew up in and is an insight of how he was raised and his childhood. When looking at this image there is a man sitting on the floor and this fact is emphasised by his dark trousers that provide a contrast to his surroundings of a bathroom leaning on top of a toilet, the lighting is dingy, dark and artificial which I believe creates a moody and oppressive atmosphere. The subject is leaning on a dirty toilet and sitting on a dirty floor and I believe that this conveys a feeling of sadness and desperation, this man is living a life that many people live but not many people want. I think that this images invokes and atmosphere of honesty and openness, Bellingham is showing the viewer his family and his life and is not glorifying or idealising it for the viewer. I believe that these images are raw and unfiltered, the man is looking down, seemingly passed out and there is not eye contact or connection to the camera or viewer. I think that this creates a disconnect between the viewer and the subject, and invokes a voyeuristic feeling, the viewer is on the outside looking in and they are helpless as they watch on. Overall I believe that this piece is a message about life and identity, everyone is different, we have all led unique lives that have made us who we are.






Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

-
Image
 Photographing light: As a development from my initial ideas I wanted to explore and experiment more with light so I began taking photos of the artificial light that I am surrounded with, which included street lights, exit signs and ceiling lights, however, I found that when looking at the images of the exit signs and lights I thought that they were quite boring and I believe that I would need to develop them further either by editing and manipulating the on photoshop or by collaging them for them to be successful, but I think that they are a good starting point. I thought that this was an interesting development from my initial ideas and I have become interested in the way that light interacts with its surroundings, the majority of my outdoor photos have been taken at night which I believe provides a nice contrast between the light source and the night sky as well as provides a nice gradient of light across an object such as a tree trunk, and I believe that my most successful photos h
Read more
-
Image
Artist Research: Mandy Payne  https://mandypayneart.co.uk/portfolio/paintings-gallery/ Urban Landscapes  Issues of gentrification  Inequality Social housing  The flux of city environments  She is interested in: Brutalist Architecture  Notions of utopia\Dystopia  Finding beauty in the ordinary\overlooked  Materials: likes using materials that have a physical connection to the sites that she depicts  Surface texture and fracture are important concerns for her and her paintings  Concrete  Spray paint  Glass fibre panels Marble  Micro masking tape  Oil   Techniques and media used in this work: - Painting  - Spray paint and oil on glass fibre reinforced concrete  - Urban landscape  Use of tone  Depth and perspective  Thought out composition  Follows the rule of threes  Focal point ( tunnel under the bridge ) Lack of colour and use of gray and black  convey the feeling of a monotonous life  Attention to detail ( lack of leaves of the tree indicate it is a winter setting ) Lack of people comb
Read more
-
  End of year project: Final evaluation: For this final project I decided to merge the collections project and our end of year final project together due to the way in which my collections project was evolving and the time that I had left. The focus was mainly on bicycles, cogs and the way that they interacted with each other and their surroundings, and originally I wanted to create a series of photographs of people on bike rides and interacting with their bikes. I was very focused on the machinery and industrial aspect of the bikes and cogs and was inspired by artists such as Johnny White, who often incorporates metal and movement into his works, and Mike Brodies 'Train Hopper' photography series which was gritty and industrial. I felt connected and inspired by these artists and moving forward I wanted to develop my piece into something that explored connection and interaction a bit more.  Having one on one sessions with the course tutors helped me a lot and I was able to look
Read more