Donovan Wylie the Maze Series, his influences, and what I've learnt from his approach

Donovan Wylie the Maze Series, his influences, and what I've learnt from his approach

Unfortunately as occasionally occurs in the module notes, the links don't always work. However I did listen on youtube to a number of interviews with Donovan Wylie which included:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=naoxP-iLvqU#t=272.721



I also discovered the following from part of the url in the course notes:

BELFAST EXPOSED ONLINE ARCHIVE:

http://www.belfastexposed.org/about_the_archive


Magnum holds a set of 80 Maze images produced by Donovan Wylie:

http://www.magnumphotos.com/C.aspx?VP3=CMS3&VF=MAGO31_10_VForm&ERID=24KL53Z3Z3

This is very interesting, the images are very repetitive and I realise that what he is trying to do is to express perhaps the feeling, the emotion of what prison life must be: monotonous, repetitive, bland. 

Up until image 40 there is no release from constantly viewing fencing on either side of the frame. The images are shown on my laptop at about 2 inches square but its amazing that I feel as if I am there and I am trapped, enclosed, and restricted. The images made me feel uncomfortable. Having just read Camera Lucida the "punctum" in these images is amazing. I think this could be one of the first times I have had such a feeling , though fleeting, of despair and instantly its made me connect to films we've discussed earlier in the course notes such as The Road, The Book of Ely, even Legend. Whilst these images make me feel enclosure, they also make me feel despair and this was something present in the films I mention but I feel it more from these images.

The images move on to what perhaps is an exercise yard, and a building and i almost feel I am pacing round this yard looking at elements i see everyday from different positions in the yard.

There are a series of images of what looks to be different cells which are exactly the same and the bed linen folded in almost military style; its the different window curtain in each cell that differentiates the cells, but only just. Working away from home mid-week and being restricted in the main to a hotel room reminds me of the hotel, sometimes different rooms but the layout the same, perhaps some pictures hung in the room differentiate the room.

The Maze held both political and criminal prisoners and I suspect a number of innocent people. If prison is seen to be a place to be punished then the monotony of everything would probably break all but the hardiest of men. However with punishment one would want to reform prisoners and I would wonder how this could happen.

This has been very inspirational to see the images and to listen to several of Donovan Wylie's interviews has helped me firm up my approach for Assignment 6 and given me suggestions for how I can further consider and re-formulate my ideas for Assignment 2 by using certain imagery styles to create an emotion, I aim for emotions of a specific nature, in the viewer. 

Interestingly in his video Outposts, the perimeter around the people is for security to keep people out as opposed to the Maze where its designed to keep people in:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VQekhfX73zE