Introduction
This document details:
a) my original project proposal and latest version
b) my approach to assignment 5
c) my artist statement
d) my assignment images
e) my evaluation & key learning’s
Assignment
5 – Self-Directed Project
Assignment 5 tasks us with
producing a body of work that explores a particular place, type of space or
theme relating to landscape practice.We are free to choose the subject
for this assignment, although you should be able to contextualise the project
in relation to contemporary landscape practice.a) my original project proposal and latest version
The brief is to photograph “Man’s Influence on the Landscape” selecting
areas around my local area in the Forest of Dean where they are impacted in
either a positive or a negative by the actions of individuals or groups.
On an individual scale we each contribute both positively and negatively
in our own small ways and influence our local landscapes - a lot of a little
can soon add up.
It is recorded in my blog here:
I have edited the proposal and displayed this in green text
The Project Brief
The brief is to photograph “Man’s Influence on the Landscape” selecting
areas around my local area in the Forest of Dean where they are impacted in
either a positive or a negative by the actions of individuals or groups.
On an individual scale we each contribute both positively and negatively
in our own small ways and influence our local landscapes - a lot of a little
can soon add up.
I
decided to slightly amend this to “Man’s Negative Influence on the Landscape”
as it was more aligned to my critical essay for Assignment 4 and I thought I
would progress the essay into photographic observations of my local area where
man’s negative impact is visible
Influence and Research
Man’s influence on the Landscape can viewed as both positive and
negative and the work of practitioners such as Salgado highlight that a
decision by man to take no action can have a positive effect on the Landscape.
I particularly enjoy the emotion that I find in his black and white images.
Much of what we see has been so ingrained in our lives that we take it
as normal yet David Maisel using a viewpoint that is beyond most people can
bring home the truth of man’s impact on a wider scale. Alex MacLean also
demonstrated areas of Wales impacted by Man also on an aerial scale.
Sometimes things are right in front of our eyes yet we fail to notice
them and a simple different perspective can bring them to light.
The work of
Andrew McConnell I have found very interesting including his sets named
Fukishima Fall-Out and Rubbish dump. This Chris Packham also produced a set of
images depicting waste. In one respect the work of these photographers and the
quality of images highlights my aspirations in terms but also identifies the
obvious gap in my work and the quality of theirs. However I think the desire to
create images about elements you have a passion for is the more important
element. I currently lack the ability to produce what my heart feels and mind
visualises. However since Photography is a practice there lies my answer –
practice and evolve. Exposure to images and photographers producing the work I
aspire to match will help me contextualise my work and always remind me of the
level I need to aim for.
This
set of images was taken within my local area which is very rural. With the
exception of 2 images all were accessed on foot and at most within a 50 minute
walk from my house. Those accessed by car are within a 5 minute drive of my
house
Likely
treatment:
I would like to work in black and white, I enjoy the contrast and shades
of colours between black and white plus the simplicity of mono. I will give
this some thought. I enjoyed my experimentation for Assignment 2 in trying to
replicate / develop a type of emotion within an image. I will need to read up
on black and white photography and technique and consider using high dynamic
range treatment within my images
In
processing some early images I felt their conversion to mono did not express
the emotion within me and as an image did not convey how out of place with the
landscape the negative aspects were; in mono they were allowed to hide hence I
chose to produce my work in their original colour.
Potential
outcome:
I want to create
a set of individual images but bound by the local of my local area and I want
to demonstrate both the negative and positive impact of man on my local
landscape
I decided to exclude positive images and focus on the
negative with a view, if the images were published, that they would remind
people of how they can reduce or possibly some of their own negative impact on
the landscape. I do submit some images which get published in the local paper,
my blog reflects this. However the desired outcome would be as part of a
gallery exhibition with other artists to help encourage everyone to understand
their personal impact and consider how they can help with their own small
change
Budget Resources
I will need access to specific areas perhaps some achieved at a small
cost and some through a simple request
Estimated Schedule
Given my current position regarding work and being away from home mid
week I estimate around the end of February 2017 / Mid March
Well I completely
missed this by a long way. In my work I have to accept being in different parts
of the country away from home on sometimes very difficult projects. The project
I have just completed was probably the toughest for a number of reasons during
my 18 years working for my employer. I love photography but my work life for
many reasons must always take priority
b) my approach to assignment 5
For assignment 4, critical essay,
I examined the case for the beautification v non-beautification of images that
portrayed man’s negative impact on the landscape. I summarised that there is a
place for both.
For this assignment I’ve chosen
to take non-beautified images portraying negative elements man has caused
impact on my local landscape. I’ve aimed to perform a reportage style
observation of this impact.
Electricity transport (Assignment
1) machinery, irrigation, chemical (fertiliser / pesticide), house building,
Power are all negative impacts caused by man on rural landscapes (Assignment
4). To some degree these are toward the end of the scale where individuals may
have limited impact in changing this but in groups stand a better chance. My
focus for assignment 5 is where as individuals we do have a choice of how much
we negatively impact our landscape
Not only is the landscape around
us changing, but so is each generation, its values and awareness and care of
what changes can be made and how they can impact our landscapes. Personally I
believe I was brought with manners, accepting and very grateful for second hand
clothes / toys / bikes etc. I probably had the cane, rarely answered back and
always ensured lights in rooms etc were switched off when not on use, litter
was never left on the floor and if something broke you tried to fix.
The current generation appear to
have more of a disconnect with their environment. We live in a disposable world
where we replace elements like clothes, footwear, electronics, cars at far more
frequent intervals than in the past. Perhaps we have become more material than
we were in the past and we think more about ourselves than the landscape around
us.
Perhaps I never looked for it
when younger but there seems more of an inclination to discard waste
inappropriately but then these days we have more outlets providing instant
goods.
I have
confronted a number of individuals who I have seen being directly responsible
for causing a negative impact on the environment. In the main these people have
reacted positively.
In this
assignment I’ve looked at the negative impact of others on my local landscape and
also touched briefly on my own impact.
c) my artist statement
Tutor Feedback
Firstly I would like to thank my tutor for what turned out to be lengthy 1-2-1 conversation on skype which I found to be extremely helpful and interesting and of course very relevant to my development. The ability to ask questions and for advice in this dynamic environments was extremely valuable and I am very grateful for this
I have amended my personal statement. I think I was being too honest and clearly as my Tutor confirms appear to be confident and professional and of course inspire confidence in viewers / visitors to my practice
My Images were printed but I had not converted them to the sRGB color space. I had a discussion with the printers and resolved the issue. My assignment prints were re-printed and I believe a big improvement on those I issued to my tutor direct from the printers.
I do use the Facebook "OCA" forums and whilst there is knowledge to be found there there is less likely to be the constructive and helpful critique and advice that would be found in the true OCA forums. I have been a more frequent visitor there and as I start my next L2 module I would be there more often.
I have now amended the narrative with each image
d) Assignment Images - reprocessed following tutor feedback
Image
1
Man's and nature's discarded objects
Image 2
Cardboard clothing
Image 3
The mask of the litterbug?
Image 4
No holding back nature
Image 5
The seasoning of nature?
Image 6
The over-seasoning of nature
The over-seasoning of nature
Image 7
Identification Parade
Image 8
Saplings on the march
Image 9
Image 9
Personal rubbish
Image 10
Communal Rubbish
Image 11
Fruits of the planet
Image 12
The Hangman's scaffold
Fruits of the planet
Image 12
The Hangman's scaffold
Evaluation of my work for
Assignment 5
I do
find myself falling short of my aspirations for each assignment and do seem to
fail to capture the missing element of narrative or sufficient narrative within
most of images. That said my drive and desire remain strong and it pushes me on
to try to take more considered risks and expose myself more to the
photographers work that inspires me and I find interesting
I was initially
tempted to produce a set only of top down images as my set starts but I
wondered that as viewer one would become immune to this type of image and so
having started like this I then changed my approach and expanded the frame to
include the more obvious elements of a landscape both rural and urban. I wasn’t
sure if this was the right thing to do but in the end trusted my initial
judgement. A small set of say 6 images I think could work for the top down view
but not set greater than this, in my humble opinion. I felt it important to
include aspects of my own impact on my local landscape rather than sit in an
ivory tower and judge others as I am innocent.
I would
hope that a local audience to my images would at least raise recognition of
people’s own actions and a reflective thought first might turn a potential
negative impact to a positive one.
A
challenging assignment but of course it was set by me. I think these challenges
of my assignments to date push me further and I no longer worry about falling
short but look instead to what I have gained by going forwards.
Tutor Feedback
Tutor Feedback
I amended and added some extra images and these are used as pairings in a blurb book I have produced for Assignment 5 as per my Tutor's kind suggestion
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