Okay, to start with no concept. “shoot first, ask questions later“, following instincts, & intuitions.
Q. What methods and methodologies have you consciously applied to your practice to date to communicate a concept or an intended meaning?
Spend some time looking back through your archive:
Q. Can you identify and describe methods and methodologies in your practice that convey meaning, that you might not have intended at the time?
Q. Have any of these practitioners given you any inspiration for strategies or methods that you might ‘impose’ upon yourself to expand the creative possibilities of your own work?
A. I like the idea of the collaboration with the public e.g. write one word that comes to mind when you think about the environment.
1a. Investigate one or two of the practitioners discussed in the Methods and Meaning presentation,
or any other practitioners or bodies of work you might have an interest in. Identify their methodologies: you may wish to think about their research strategies, technical considerations, and their presentation choices. Where apparent, identify the photographer’s intentions and/or the conceptual underpinning of the work.
1b. Write a short entry (c.150 words) to the forum below explaining, in your own words,
how their methodologies contribute to how YOU interpret the work.
Please insert an image or a hyperlink to examples of the work with your entry.
Mandy Barker creates photos of ‘marine rubbish’ washed up on beaches. Apart from the obvious need to collect the objects in the first place (which she sometimes enlists the help of the public), one of her key signatures is creating the illusion of a beautiful galaxy made up of these objects. For me, this illusion works on many levels. Firstly, the photo draws me in because it is simultaneously familiar and strange. The sheer number of objects (as well as the idea of an endless galaxy) reminds me of the scale of the environmental problem. The beauty and intrigue of the image makes me pause to take it all in, perhaps much more so than a straightforward photo of the object in-situ on the beach.
https://www.mandy-barker.com/work
In the webinar this week you are asked to discuss a strategy you employ in the making and/or presentation of your work and how these choices affect how your work communicates your intended ideas. You should prepare one or two images to share with the group. (Have ready screen resolution jpegs or a PDF.) These might be examples of work you are making at the moment, or you might have some older work you would particularly like to discuss. If you wish to share your ideas around another practitioner’s particular strategy, that is also ok.
On a recent long walking trip, I got into the habit of taking “first person shooter” style shots. The ideal combination of factors was:
An obvious path being followed in the foreground
A beautiful landscape in the distance that the path was heading towards.
bonus if it an landscape without people or man-made objects
By taking the shot while I was actually on the path, I hoped it would invite the audience to get a sense of the experience that they were on the walk themselves. The hope is that by being more ‘visceral’, the photo allows the audience to be more empathetic to the landscape rather than perhaps dismissing it as a pretty shot. Maybe even encourage them to get out there themselves. And as I was doing this for charity, hopefully, there was also more empathy for me and so they would be more likely to donate.
Note, this concept only became apparent after I came back and examined all my photos
Reflections.
Q, What challenged you?
A. Imposing limitations was a good thing.
Q. What surprised you?
A. Even established photographers take photos and think of the concept afterwards. How does that work in MA context?
Q. What do you feel you learned?
A. Interesting to think what limitations I could apply to my work as well as power of collaboration with person whose photo you take.
A. Never heard of Psychogeography before
Consider also the points raised in the presentation:
Q. What methods and methodologies have you consciously applied in your practice to date to communicate a concept or an intended meaning?
A. 365.
Q. Can you identify and describe methods in your practice that convey meaning, which you might not have intended at the time?
A. first person shooter
Q. Have any of the practitioners you looked at this week (including your peers) given you any inspiration for strategies or methods you might ‘impose’ upon yourself to expand the creative possibilities of your own work?
A. Get person to write what word they think of when they think of the environment. **** Ask about permission required? *****