AAD011 Contextual Research and Understanding
Sustainability
Brook Mitchell Photography
Photojournalist Brook Mitchell captures the effects of global warming in Australia, I stumbled across his work while reading an article outlining the effects of climate change and how we are negatively impacting the environment, ‘humans have been influencing global patterns of drought for nearly a century’. I was struck by its’s raw portrayal of the consequences of climate change, we see a child playing with the bones of an animal that died due to drought, It is a harsh reality that the innocence of the future generation is already tainted, highlighting the importance of sustainable living by showing the consequences of ignoring it. This disturbing image evokes a feeling of guilt in the viewer, it seems to say, “look at what you have done”. Typically, an image of a child playing to be full of bright colours, instead we are met with a sombre colour pallet and barren land stretching into the background, painting a lonely picture.
Identity
Signs of Your Identity, Daniella Zalcman
What is identity? This question sends one spiralling, do we choose our identity? Is it something we are born with, something we create, or a combination? To me identity is our DNA, our ancestral lineage and culture, the bones of who we are. Art allows us to explore our identity and the unjust prejudices faced there, Daniella Zalcman captures this with her project ‘Signs of your Identity’ where she captured survivors of Canadian Indian assimilation boarding schools with double exposed images showing their faces superimposed with imagery relating to their past. This image of Valerie Ewenin and her story struck me, when attending the school at a young age she was forced to abandon her native language and beliefs, leading to her forgetting them entirely, she said “I was brought up believing in the nature ways… speaking Cree… and that was all taken away from me. And then later on I forgot it, too and that was even worse.” A broken window is superimposed over her portrait, covering her mouth and eyes to portray her silence, and how she has been stripped of her identity.
Innovation
Handheld Kodak Camera, George Eastman
Innovation is important as it the beckoning of new ideas that have the potential to enrich how we live our lives. Throughout history innovation has had great impact and broken boundaries in every aspect of life from medicine, architecture, cuisine, and art, etc. I decided to look at the first handheld camera as it was this development in technology that ushered photography into a new era, making it more accessible, not just an expensive profession for men.
The first handheld camera was invented by George Eastman in 1888, named the Kodak, it was a box camera that came equipped with film that required you to send the entire camera to the kodak headquarters to be developed. Just two years later the technology was again updated with the development of removeable film in the ‘Brownie’ camera which sold for only $1. Eastman making his target audience woman and children, having accessible film and a good price revolutionised how photography was interacted with and viewed as a new form of freedom, embodied in the lack of a tripod.
Communication
Penguin Random House logo, Edward Young and Angus Hyland-1935/2003
Symbols are an important from of unspoken communication, dating back to our earliest records of human life, we have always found a way to record stories and events. The Penguin Publishing House company logo is a perfect example of simplicity and origin reigning over complex designs, the iconic anthropomorphic penguin and joyful orange background is recognisable and well received by all ages. Staying true to the company and original logo designed by Edward Young in 1935, when the logo was revised in 2003 very little was changed, emphasising the importance of continuity for the identification and loyalty of a brand.
I designed a logo for a wedding dress company. Two lily of the valley sprigs overlap and are tied in a bow, this is to symbolise two people coming together and ‘tying the knot’, the flowers representing purity and good fortune, common wedding themes. I chose lily of the valley as they are the flower of my birth month, relating the business to my identity.
Gender
Peuple Badjao, Pierre de Vallombreasue- 2015
I decided to look at gender inequality in art, more so how we can use art to present or retaliate the issue by confronting it. French photographer Pierre de Vallombreuse travels to indigenous communities in Southeast Asia where gender equality is evident, men and women are viewed and treated with the same regard and woman have an important spiritual role in the community. This photographer captures their freedom with personal black and white images that encompass the mutual respect and bond of the people living in these communities. This presents the idea of gender inequality in western cultures being socially constructed, In a part of the world where the media hasn’t poisoned, gender equality exists.
Place
Homo Algus, Sophie Prestigiacomo- 2012
This image is part of a collection of 8 sculptures at a marsh in Sene, France by Sophie Prestigiacomo called Homo Algus. The location loans itself to the artwork, made of seaweed and mud with algae woven in, these otherworldly figures are an extension of the swamp. The mysterious positions and twisted forms of the figures are not quite human, the marsh personified, this leaves the audience wondering what they are, and what their purpose is, starting a conversation about biodiversity and the role of human in nature. The appearance of the sculptures will change over time due to weather conditions and the organic source of their materials, relating them to the environment as it is everchanging, and yet the same. When thinking about the impact a location can have on an artwork, I think this is a good example of how it can become a part of the work as well as being a means to display it, if this series of work was displayed in a pristine gallery it would almost seem unnatural, having the sculptures in the open as part of an environment takes away a wall in the audience’s mind, this location gives the art a sense of being alive.
Wordcount minus bibliography: 1047
Bibliography
Britannica (2020) George Eastman American inventor, entrepreneur and manufacturer bibliography. Available from: https://www.britannica.com/biography/George-Eastman#ref195733
Britannica (2020) Photography’s Early Evolution, C. 1840–C. 1900. Available from: https://www.britannica.com/technology/photography/Photographys-early-evolution-c-1840-c-1900
Butet-Roch, Laurence. (2015) The bitter legacy of Canada’s forced assimilation schools. The New Yorker. Available from: https://www.newyorker.com/culture/photo-booth/the-bitter-legacy-of-canadas-forced-assimilation-boarding-schools
Davenport, C. (2018) Major Climate Report Describes a Strong Risk of Crisis as Early as 2040. New York Times. Available from: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/10/07/climate/ipcc-climate-report-2040.html
Gray, E and Merzdorf, J. (2019) Earth’s Freshwater Future: Extremes of Flood and Drought. Available from:https://climate.nasa.gov/news/2881/earths-freshwater-future-extremes-of-flood-and-drought/
Hudgins, N (2020) the Gender of Photography, Taylor & Francis Group
Mann, S. (2010) ‘Study Skills for Art, Design and Media Students’, Longman
Oxford Languages Dictionary
Shaffi, S. (2020) How the Penguin logo has evolved through the years. Available from: https://www.penguin.co.uk/articles/2020/september/penguin-books-logo-history-edward-young-allen-lane.html
Smith, A. (2018) Sophie Prestigiacomo ‘Homo Algus’ Invites Swamp Creatures Out of the Wild. Available from: https://hifructose.com/2016/12/08/sophie-prestigiacomos-homo-algus-invites-swamp-creatures-out-of-the-wild/
Stewart, J. (2018) How the Development of the Camera Changed Our World. Available from: https://mymodernmet.com/who-invented-the-camera-photography-history/#:~:text=All%20this%20makes%20Ni%C3%A9pce%20widely,c
Zalcman, D. Signs of Your Identity. Available from http://www.dan.iella.net/signsofyouridentity
Zhang, J. (2015) Fascinating Photos Document Gender Equality in Indigenous Cultures around the World. Available from: https://mymodernmet.com/pierre-de-vallombreuse-souveraines/