Picturing The Body - Online Exhibition Piece

Body (own)  George Rippon

View the collage close up with Zoomify.

See photos of the exhibition here. 

Self Videos

These days I seem to be spending an increasing amount of time in front of the computer. Alongside this comes ever greater opportunities for distraction and mind wandering. Whilst wandering, one has ideas.



Most of these events (or performances) actually occurred before I thought to video them, from being bored, daydreaming, imagining, performing, then laughing; and then considering to share them. Narcissism, performance, self-mockery, a desire to be funny – a lot of this rationale goes back to when I began my nude work. I'm not quite in this place with my main 'bodyscape' work, but I'm still quite intrigued by these themes, and I have some ideas for future work. Watch my space.

The Curator Calls

The 'Picturing the Body' module is drawing to a close soon (officially that is) and in the following few weeks I'm thinking of curating some of the work together into something of a collective piece. At present I'm thinking this will take the form of an online print-on-demand book/catalogue/magazine, most likely using a company like Blurb, also with an online version that can be passed around quite easily. Considering that some strong work has been produced both within and external to the university it seems to me worthwhile to try and bring it together, and have something significant of this project as a whole.

So to all Picbod contributors: please feel free to send me your work for consideration (use email on this blog, or add a link with a comment). This could be your selected final images; or your 'best of' from the weekly tasks; or if there is just one theme which you've been following strongly then send that; basically anything which you feel confident about, and which you feel is relevant to the picturing the body module (image sizes of around 1-3MB should be fine). Obviously spend some time 'editing down', I can't look at everything, I'm only human! I have been going through the links from the picbod post on the New Photographics blog and plucking out images of interest to start making a rough edit, and getting an idea of what you all have to offer.

I'm also open to receiving writing pieces for the book. This could be writing to explain your own work, or to discuss the themes it focuses on, or it could be writing on the themes in general as discussed and lectured on during the module, or it could be writing on someone else's work within the module, whatever has moved, intrigued or excited you whilst we've been doing this project. Probably best to keep this fairly concise, say 250 - 1000 words approx.

Please note their will be no positive discrimination to those in the university or those who are my 'mates'. The work will be biased in the sense of my 'curatorial opinions' as to what will go towards a strong collective piece. This means that some people's work may feature more than others, and some may not feature at all. I think it is better to have a collective piece which speaks strongly of the module and this collaborative project/exhibition overall, rather than assigning everyone an equal space in the name of fair. Having said that, I would hope that all those who have been engaged with the module will have a place in this piece.

Hope to hear from you soon.

Thoughts on Ross Rawlings' Photography

Currently studying a masters in photography at Falmouth University, and a recent graduate of Coventry, Ross Rawlings has been a keen participant of the 'Picturing the Body' free online course. His work can be seen here.

I followed Ross's work online as he went through the 'picbod' course and tackled each of the weeks briefs. There was some positive and engaged discussion on his week two work, which inspired me to write this comment piece, however I've waited till now to write it, because I wanted to see where Ross would take the work (also gives me more material to discuss). So for week one he started with some clearly considered environmental portraiture, demonstrating confidence with his process of engaging people for the camera. It was encouraging to read about.

For week two Ross made use of his method of coupling to the purpose of "creating a narrative, and an image that leaves a lot of questions unanswered." The work was responded to well and lots of talk was taken up around this idea of narrative. Personally I think narrative is not quite the right term, I think of it rather as 'suggesting'. A connection is suggested across the two images, the light leads me to think it is something ethereal or dreamlike. The narrative is to come later, with a greater number of images, when more can be inferred from the work. That is my take on it anyway, it's a term which is banded around quite a lot in photography and open to varied interpretations/uses.

There is no doubting that Ross's technical ability is flawless. He has developed and identified his own style of light – the best word I can think to describe it is 'pearlesence'. And I find his posed photography, where he locates, controls and utlises this light, to be most striking. There is a distinct emotive feel which runs through this work, I struggle to pin it down, but (as others have identified) I can relate it to Rinko Kawuchi's photography. I had a go at arranging some of my favourites. 

In the week two comments Ross mentioned an open narrative and leaving interpetation to the viewer, he then expressed a desire to present a clearer narrative. Seeing as he has now achieved a succession of strong work which is identifiable to his name, I wonder if this can be done. If he can bring together a body of work with meaning behind it, open-ended or resolved.

All images ©Ross Rawlings 2010, taken from http://rossrawlings.wordpress.com/ 

Preliminary Exhibition

Seeing that the deadline is approaching, I've started to consider what to submit for the Picturing the Body exhibition, and feeling that I have a strong body of work to draw from, I've experimented with a few different methods for editing that work. Sequences, montages, mixes, single images, and the method which has stood out most, (and hence which I'm carrying forward) collages, or grids.

Considering the reduced size of the individual images, and the fact that I still wanted those images to be seen in detail, meant that this collage would have to be seen big. So I had a go at projecting it, taking up as much of a clear wall as possible. In this space the image held quite a presence, and so I began photographing that, and then this became the image, or rather is this now the exhibition?

Inspiration for this image came from Hiroshi Sugimoto's work of long-exposed cinema screens. 

I then thought to put myself in the picture, contemplating my own work, naked of course. The body in its natural form, considering itself in its natural form, but presented in a very unnatural way. Fascinating to see how the colours of the image become more 'real' when projected on to human skin. I am particularly fond of the eye line in the last picture.

Edward Weston

Weston was an early 20th century photographer, most famous for his abstract images of natural forms, nudes, and landscapes. His nude work is not quite macro, and I feel it has more of a pictorial consideration than my own, but it does lean toward the obscure. This manipulation of the human form both physically and with camera/lighting tricks, is what attracts me to Weston's photographs. Due to their pictorial nature, I think his works with nudes are really trying to achieve something different to my own, I wouldn't even refer to my work as being nude. Though I do like Weston's understanding of what the human form can give as a subject,

"I am stimulated to work with the nude body, because of the infinite combinations of lines which are present with every move,"

Images and quote from http://www.edward-weston.com/ 

Bodyscapes (self)

As I had decided at the end of the last shoot, I wanted this project to be about me, to be about a photographer using their own body as a subject to be scrutinised, and hence delivering a statement which isn't critical of another individual, but instead approaches from a universal viewpoint, observing the human form.

Looking over the images I'd already taken, and starting to consider how the work would come together for a final piece, I could see a benefit in making some more images using my body. This will give me a broader selection of images to work with when it comes to editing together an exhibition piece. I also wanted to revisit a few of the 'poses' to see if I could develop them, or improve the light.

The shoot was a success. With the experience of the previous macro sessions, my assistant and I were able to jump straight in there and make some exciting pictures. Pooling these with the previous bodyscapes, I now have a large and strong body of work. From here it's just a question of how or what to edit them into for an exhibition...

Ron Mueck

I was recommended to look at the work of Ron Mueck, known for his large and very life-like human sculptures. Trained as a puppeteer and model maker he entered the realm of fine art with a desire to make very realistic sculptures. There's lots of comment around his work, both critical and appraising, also opinions like "his imaginative figurative sculpture speaks directly but also poetically to fundamental and universal concerns: how did we get into these isolating skins; what is it to be a person, touching others but still separate?" I don't know about that to be honest, but what really caught my attention me was looking at these photographs of his sculptors in situ.

I was very taken aback when seeing them for the first time and suddenly realising that what could have been a human was in fact a huge sculpture, and the little people observing it – they were the real ones. Just from looking at these small images of the exhibition, really provoked a strong reaction in me. And although I found it very disorientating and disconcerting, I have to say I really got a buzz out of it. I wonder if seeing the sculptures in the flesh would have a similar effect, or is it the discreetness of these small photos that is key to evoking shock and surprise. 

Either way, Mueck's work is very relevant to my own, because again of this use of scale to alter perceptions – to 'throw off' the viewer, and when it's done with the subject as the human body, that is particularly impacting. This process, this ability, is something which greatly enthuses me. I can't say how well I have achieved it with my macro work, I may of only started to find it in certain images, or even just in elements of certain images, but I think it is a very valid concept to continue considering as this work develops.