Uriah John Lee - Transformative Storytelling

The 5th task for #phonar was to weave a photographic narrative using only found images (possibly an archive), and as a development: provide a soundscape to those photos which informed the narrative further.



Hearing of my recent interest in the First World War, my mother mentioned my great-grandfather, who served in the war. She then produced an old suitcase which contained photographs of him, and letters he received - an archive of his life. The documents fascinated me, partly because of his unique and special history: as well as a veteran of the First World War, he was also a highly regarded picture restorer at the Tate Gallery, receiving medals in both cases, including personal appreciation from members of the royal family; and also because of the sudden if distant connection I felt to him. I decided to make an audio recording of the conversation between me and my mother as we went through the archive, knowing that it was likely she would provide some interesting stories and anecdotes. I hoped that extracts of the conversation could be used as a backing to the pictures, to tell this family history story.

Simon Roberts

Simon Roberts stated that a central theme to his talk would be that of 'authorial identity', by which he means a photographer should rightly consider themselves as an author of their own projects, and not as an illustrator for someone else's. He explained this with the example of his own career – where after starting out working for a news agency, he soon found himself losing not only copyright, but also any sense of ownership of his pictures, as they were widely distributed amongst newspapers, without the due creditation. Consequently, Simon found himself taking on less news and magazine work in favour of his own larger projects, projects which he felt he had more control over, could take more time over, and which ultimately felt more purposeful to him: enter Motherland - a project which came about through his personal connection to Russia and his desire to counter the cliché tourist images.

Skegness Beach, Lincolnshire, 12th August 2007 from 'We English'

When Simon was introducing We English, he discussed how he approached the project, knowing that he was following a rich tradition of photographic work with the same principal idea.

"I was very aware that I was stepping out within this lineage of photographers that had gone to look at the British landscape. I was very conscious that what I was doing was nothing new, and so it was important when I made this journey, that I wasn't going to be derivative of what had gone before, that I was actually adding to the dialogue – to the photographic narrative if you like – of photographers looking at their landscape."

This was very encouraging to hear for a student photographer. One of our greatest assets is our originality – supported by a close group of like-minded practitioners, and yet to be fettered by the necessity of making a living – but faith in this can be all too easily lost when looking to the intimidating mass of work that precedes us.

James Willis, Liberal Democrat. Dartford, 4 May 2010 (Dartford constituency). from 'The Election Project'

An ingenious contribution to Simon’s success is the use of viewer participation – he was building the audience for We English whilst still making the project. People were invited to contribute suggestions for locations and events to be photographed, on a blog which was part of the project website. This community built up, and was maintained by Simon as the project progressed. On completion he then had a large and diverse group all prepared and interested in viewing, purchasing, and spreading his work. This method was then continued with his most recent work – The Election Project – where people were invited to take and submit images which reflected their own experience of the election.

Simon's practice is a solid and proven example of the benefits of utilising consumer involvement to establish himself as a rightful and recognisable author. He is one of the foremost explorers into photographic trans-media storytelling, and he's done it all wearing a red-checked shirt.

Chapters by Others

Following up my interest in the First World War, I collected and recorded the works produced by others – pieces which I empathised with, in my own attempts to depict certain aspects of this historical event. These are not pieces that I have any specific use for, they are certainly no finished product of mine, but I felt that I should add them to this larger story (as curated on this blog) recognising that they have a part – a chapter – in what I wish to tell.



The Man He Killed by Thomas Hardy



Dulce et Decorum Est by Wilfred Owen



An extract from Birdsong by Sebastian Faulks

Another Person's Story

This is another person's story, or a fraction of it, read from a plaque, in the War Memorial Park, in Coventry, England.



This is a revised production. The first piece had more images to the slideshow, and the received feedback suggested that there was too much to look at, and it was distracting attention from the audio story. Also there was an issue with the content of some of the images, which were perhaps a little too eager in creating the predictable emotions associated with remembrance. I didn't wish to convey or encourage such an expected almost shallow response, so I edited them down to the less 'obvious' images. It is the audio story which I wanted to use to convey the significance of the sacrifice and honour found in the acts of individuals in the First World War, and then the images to explore how these stories are recollected and experienced - and how those individuals are remembered.   

David Campbell on what matters in storytelling.

Robert Capa said: “If your pictures aren’t good enough you aren’t close enough.” Todd Papageorge said: “If your pictures aren’t good enough you aren’t reading enough.” Professor David Campbell delivered a talk on ‘Narrative, Power and Responsibility’, within photography and storytelling.

Beginning with exploring the notion of narrative, David mentioned the significance of the relationship between the event and its story. As Allen Feldman states “The event is not what happens. The event is that which can be narrated.” An event – and crucially any implication it may have – is determined by the means of which it has been narrated/recollected/viewed etc. A story is always constructed not found. And the idea of an overall or ‘full’ narrative is a fallacy – this is simply their nature, and one that must be acknowledged by photographic and storyteller practitioners. David therefore urges that the onus be on a consideration of context, of how an individual story will fit into the wider issue, and the importance of research, before producing or telling such a story.

“To me, the work that is most powerful, the work that sustains itself over time, is the work that understands its own context; not only its own context of production, distribution and publication, but the context of the issues that it’s trying to portray visually.”

David went on to highlight the popularity of narrative: the idea that it offers a sense of purpose and meaning, something that is more comprehensive and less ‘messy’ than the experiences of everyday life. Context takes the form of a setting for a statement, idea or event – and can be considered as the wider issue which already holds people’s attention. This coupled with the natural attraction to narrative, explains the interest, demand for, and therefore success of, stories which can be accessed and understood.  

David raised a crucial point about the relationship between individuals and the context: the issue is not an entity to witness, but you can witness the issue in individuals who embody it – and this he states, is one of the most fundamental things to consider when putting a narrative together.

To finish, David brought forward the questions of power and responsibility that an image/story-maker holds, and to what purpose they might direct themselves when they have the potential to effect change. David soon illuminated the fact that it is rare for an image to seriously effect change to the extent that the image-maker may have desired. To counter this, he suggested a greater effort be put to the thought and research of a story, with particular attention to context and narrative.

“…that outcome will be maximised, the prospects for change will be greater, if those ideas of narrative and context are better understood. Because the more that you can relate work to particular contexts – both what’s involved in the issue, and also the channels through which it gets distributed – then potentially the greater impact it can have.”


A full recording of the talk, and the questions that followed, can be found at #phonar.

The Sound of Silence

This is an audio recording I made on the 11th of November 2010, in Coventry city centre. This day was armistice day, marking the anniversary of the end of the First World War.



I was interested in listening to the sound of silence, which of course with a large crowd in a shopping centre is far from silent. I also wanted to draw attention to the atmospheric significance of this event, of the reason that we hold this silence, and why it is important that we do it together. The period of silence is book-ended by the Last Post.

My Father and I - A Spoken Narrative

This is the short story I recorded for the 'Spoken Narrative' #phonar task.



It is factual, something I jotted down at the time, and which I occasionally do with other similar events as they occur. Events which I desire to remember and sometimes to share.

Self-portraiture on the BBC

Art critic Laura Cumming presented 'Ego: The Strange and Wonderful World of Self-Portraits' broadcast on BBC4 last Thursday. She didn't examine photography, but the points of discussion, the arguments, criticisms, and other theories were I think, still applicable to lens-based work. Unfortunately the full programme is no longer available, but the following clip is a good example of where photographic self-portraits could be considered in addition to her point.



Later on in the programme, there was a very interesting scene where Laura Cummings and Patrick Hughes, whilst standing in front of one, contemplated the mirror, or rather the reflection. I remember Hughes' point being the curiosity between the two perceptions of the mirror: on one hand it can be so convincing, so easily taken for granted that it is absolutely real, on the other, its counter-reality - the shininess, the scaled down size, the inverted image, and the struggle and hence the fascination when faced with a mirror.

Pete Brook on the Haiti Prison story.

Pete Brook of Prison Photography delivered a guest lecture for the #phonar module, where he talked about the media coverage of the upheaval to the Haiti prison system following the earthquake there in January. The podcast lecture, with links, can be found here.

We have been given the opportunity to question and respond to Pete, and so follows my thoughts on the lecture, in particular to the concluding points from 20:30.

Hi Pete,

My first question is: why do you think the prison system is likely improved since the earthquake? Because of the 'publicity' it has received, and hence the raised awareness of its major flaws?

My suggested explanation as to why the Pakistani floods and other natural disasters have not been covered as intently, is simply because of the drama of it. The continuous, and continuously reported, sufferings of international people, has reached such a regular frequency, that it is more likely to be greeted with boredom and disinterest than shock or sympathy by a western audience. Unless of course it has some original (and potentially cinematic quality) drama. For example (and here's your Hollywood tagline): an earthquake leads to a prison break of ruthless criminal overlords, unleashed on a peaceful and vulnerable community which had previously been rescued from their corruptive grasp! We all like a bit of drama.

I agree with your point that the caption is as important as the photograph it accompanies. But surely the problems of 'cross-reporting' and of no firm narrative/consensus with the Haiti case study, highlight the problem of deciding when a caption is 'correct'.

Thank you for an excellent and informative lecture, I look forward to hearing more of your thoughts.

*Update: Pete has been very generous with his time and not only responded in detail to my questions and thoughts, but also recorded his response which you can find below. Many thanks Pete, I look forward to communicating with you again in the future.

The Proposal

Below is my Research Project Proposal for 'Working with Photography in Context' (as informed by the tutorials evidenced here and here, and the initial research found here).


Title

The Photographic Artist’s Response to The Mirror.

Description of Subject to be Investigated

-       Looking at the relationship through portrait photography between the photographer, subject and viewer (operator, subject, spectator; to do, to undergo, to look) and how it is adjusted to fit to a self-portrait.

-       Examining the behaviour of the self-photographer as a subject – their performance, and how they explore the conscious presentation of self (as affected by the mirror). 

This investigation emerges from work I conducted earlier in the year: Self Videos (and which is continuing) looking at something of an obsession with being the subject – a performer, a desire to be funny, self-mockery, and narcissism.

Anticipated Method of Presentation

An illustrated talk – I feel that talking is perhaps the strongest way to communicate an idea empathetically to an audience. I would also like to include some element of performance to it, possibly have the audience viewing themselves (mirrors or webcam).

Sources to be Utilised

Texts on photography, portraiture, and self-portraiture including:

-       Richard Brilliant’s Portraiture, in particular the chapters ‘Here’s Looking at You!’ and ‘Fashioning the Self’.

-       Essays from Self-Portrait in the Age of Photography edited by Erika Billeter.

Texts on the psychological aspect of this research:

-       Jacques Lacan’s psychoanalytic Mirror Stage concept, as discussed by Steven Z. Levine in Lacan Reframed.

-       The Presentation of Self in Everyday Life by Erving Goffman.

Research into appropriate photographic practitioners including:

-       Interviews (either self-conducted or reading those conducted by others).

-       Analytical and critical writing on their work.

Also I may potentially be able to draw input from my own developing practical work.

Methods to be Used in Acquisition of Sources

My best approach to texts is to read short amounts frequently, keeping notes and then returning to relevant points at a later time – when the direction of my argument becomes clearer. This method will hopefully keep the reading engaging, as well as preventing fatigue. When interviewing practitioners, I aim to give them a brief account of the research being conducted and explain why their work may be relevant to it. This background will then give them the opportunity to have greater interest and understanding, before answering questions.

Methods of Interpretation

I hope to draw some conclusions specific to this investigation by bringing together the three strands of research: self-portraiture and performance (photographical); self-presentation and contemplation of self-image (psychological); the reasons, motives, and intentions behind the work of practitioners. I will then see if I can further establish/confirm those ideas by examining them in conjunction with appropriate photographic work, possibly my own.

Plan/Schedule of Work – Presentation on 18/3/11.

-       Discuss and prepare initial aims of research, locate principal sources for research. [Done]

-       Read widely on the topic up till end of December, noting anything of interest. Gather information from other sources (interviews etc.)

-       During and after the main reading (December into January) analyse and organise the research, evaluating what may be useful.

-       Plan the presentation - the ‘route’ of the argument (January).

-       Return to the sources of research to strengthen the argument, possibly look to further reading if deemed necessary (January – February).

-       Write the argument out in a clearly constructed manner (February).

-       Prepare for the presentation and practise the talk (February and March).

-       Extra time for refining etc. (March).

These are pictures I did not take.

Following on from last week's task, I was inspired by Michael David Murphy's 'Unphotographable' website, to write my own 'unphotographs'. This notion excites me, and is something that I part stumbled on a little while ago. Frustrated by photographs that were often a let down to what my eye experienced (this is as likely a fault of my technical ability) I started to take satisfaction in simply looking and remembering, of taking photographs without a camera. I would still use my eye, and then my memory to fix the image in my mind. It may not be as accurate nor as defined as a camera's depiction, but it is equally if not more loaded with my emotion, with my artistic bias, with the subjectivity of my memory - which in a way makes the image more my creation. I may not be able to show it visually, but I can still share it descriptively. At the time I could only label this little revelation with the very lame title of 'Lookography'. To have discovered Murphy's site, and his solid execution of this idea is very encouraging. So now I'd like to share two of my own 'unphotographs' which I've had stored for a while.


This is a photograph I did not take of a young, probably second or third generation, British-Indian woman, standing in front of her colourful, well-stacked perfume stall, in the brightly lit glass entrance-way of a shopping centre. She stands with a confident pose, weight on one leg, and stylishly dressed in red and black, whilst her eyes move from one passer-by to the next as she seeks out her next potential customer. The bright sunlight shatters through the glass, reflects off the white-tilled floor, and surrounds her dark hair, skin, and clothes, with a pearlescent mist.


This is a photograph I did not take, at the evening of a Folk Festival, looking in through a caravan doorway at a man and his three year old daughter facing each other, lit by a single dim light in the low ceiling. The man, tall, with his hands on hips, looks down at his daughter, frowning slightly, and thoughtfully, having just asked her what she wants for her dinner. She looks back up at him, with an expression which perfectly describes her innocence and uncertainty, whilst trying to think of an answer.          

Golf Tee Crack Racoon - Unphotographable Phiction (sic)

A trans-media project, using a text of the same title from Michael David Murphy's Unphotographable website (unphotographable.com) and a photograph of Alec Soth's from his project Sleeping by the Mississippi (alecsoth.com/​photography)



My interest in the clever use of writing to tell an alternative story, or even to tell a story alternatively, drew me to this piece by Michael David Murphy. It was a challenging yet intriguing sentence to read, and to speak, but one that I felt had the potential to encourage second views/listens; the humour of it also appealed to me. After compiling the various sound elements (ambient golf course, golf drives, plastic bags, executive snobby golf-types, and wet farts) to reinforce the story, I felt that to show a picture of a dead racoon or drugs bag would be too 'easy'. I wanted to subvert the piece, to add to the confusion of it, but still retain some of its emphasis. Considering it as a rather dry and ironical piece of writing, led me to think of Alec Soth's photography. Also I could imagine a link between the setting of the writing, and the aesthetic of the landscapes which Soth photographs. I only wanted one picture so as not to confuse the overall piece, or detract from the told story; and I wanted that image to have a slow reveal so as to again encourage the viewer to be quizzical.

The feedback suggested that it was perhaps a bit too vague and confusing. On reflection, I can appreciate this, but also the consideration of how different elements of a media artefact can come together so as to compliment and support one another. This enhanced understanding is what I will take forward for future productions.

Pursuing a Hypothesis and/or a Question.

The priority for this week was to begin considering the proposal, and for me that meant narrowing the topic down a bit. I needed to pinpoint a hypothesis, or at least determine more specific questions to investigate. 

I began by talking about a few ideas and notions (those mentioned at the bottom of my previous post) with Ed Dimsdale. I expressed my curiosity to the performance, or the 'performativity' of a self-portrait. At this point Ed mentioned the Mirror, which led to us discussing the consciousness and fascination with the mirrored-image of self; how one uses a mirror to recognise oneself; the modes of presentation and performance which follow studying from one's reflection.

Ilse Bing Self-Portrait with Mirrors

We considered a few examples of methods of photographic practice in this area: using a mirror, using the self-timer on a camera, using a webcam (or Photo Booth which mirrors the image on the screen). I was then able to form the following question (hypothesis) from our discussion: What is happening, or what is at play, when a photographic artist, uses a mirror (literally or otherwise) to present self?

From this conversation, and relating to the now more specified direction of the investigation, Ed suggested Erving Goffman's book The Presentation of Self in Everyday Life.