Reading over the brief for this assignment I came across Rinko Kawauchi as one of the examples for research and inspiration. watching the YouTube videos of Kawauchi expressing how she expresses art and creates was very interesting and beautiful to learn about and I tried my best to introduce this into my photobook. Rinko Kawauchi is a Japanese photographer who focuses on the ordinary things in life that are overlooked and she makes them poetic and beautiful within her work. As someone who has always appreciated photography, knowing its not always just a matter of point and shoot and that it involves a lot of process and love. ‘ when I have a photoshoot I feel nothing, the world and me are together, I forgot my body, I am existing’ this is a direct quote from Kawauchi, she expresses how photography is something that grounds her, she isn’t worried about the past or future when she is taking photos and she expresses how therapeutic it is and how she is just there in the moment. I tried to use some of Kawauchi’s technique in my photos, focusing on the things that I see every day. My lights in my home, the ware of the brick and windowsills in my rented home, dishes after breakfast and an unmade bed with loads of pillows. as I was taking these photos I thought ‘maybe these will be a little boring or uninteresting’ but bringing them up on my laptop after I was shocked. these are things I see and use every day and with the right angle, camera or lighting they can be so much more than that. I found this project very therapeutic as Kawauchi feels when she has a camera in her hand. One thing I loved about Kawauchi’s work was her continuous use of light and close ups. noticing in certain photos that the closer you get the more colour and pattern may be exposed. This photographer has most definitely become an inspiration to me and has opened my mind to the thought of continuing photography for the love of it or perhaps to study.

Photography PowerPoint1 (1)

Light : The first two images in my photobook are of the warmth and comfort of artificial light. Light in an integral aspect of photography and is often overlooked in daily life. I used reflections on a lampshade to create a golden glow as well as an upshot from the blind side of a floor lamp as it emits its light upwards. I left the photographs entirely unedited as the hues and shadows were perfect.

Doors: For the next set of pictures, I focused on the under the stairs cupboard door in my house. Coupled with a stark white banister, the door really stands out. The light in the background tumbling down the stairs adds depth to the photograph, but the main focus remains at the forefront. The close up picture shows the small imperfections and details it has to offer, something that would usually pass us in our household by but is mesmerising in this level of detail.

Degradation: For this piece, I focused on the outside yard in my house. The window sill and the back wall have been significantly aged over time. Painted and re-painted, I found the detail irresistible and used a black and white filter to bring more of these peaks and troughs out.

Structure: Structure was based on the linear aspect of these photos. The bricks and the books both seem familiar to each other just by the way they remain parallel to one an other. I edited both of these in a black and white filter to focus on the stark and mathematical feeling of the shots.

Morning: The softer, more subtle aspect of these photos needed to be emphasised with the addition of some brightness. The simplicity of the pictures reminisce of lazy Sunday mornings, beginnings and awakenings. I feel that these two images are my personal favorites as the simplicity feels more real and homely, something we can all relate to and yet overlooked or unseen by us all most of the time.

I felt I was stuck in the house for too long and wanted to get out and create outdoors. I took myself to Ormeau park where I found a picnic bench and started sketching for my concertina. From the weeping willow threes to the lonely bandstand I found myself being able to create more being out in nature. I decided to fold my work like an actual accordion out of experimentation and curiosity and I was happy with the result, I liked how every time you opened the piece back up you discovered something new. The coloured tissue in the sky, the thick acrylic paint layered up, the water colour paint and charcoal bleeding through the piece. Using this many different media’s in a piece really excited me and I was so happy with the turn out.

Here are a few pieces dedicated to my surroundings. What I see when I look out my window and what I see surrounding me inside my home. I had never really used charcoal and was interested to see how it would turn out. I also used some water colour in one piece and I really like how water colour and charcoal bleed together.

“Three weeks in May” (1977) Suzanne Lacy

Suzanne Lacy is an American artist, writer and educator who uses public art, video and performance to express her views, and that of others, on social issues and injustice in past and modern-day America. She began to become a cult figure as an artist and activist in the 1970s. This piece, “Three Weeks in May” was a detailed encapsulation made between May 8th and May 24th in 1977 in Los Angeles which focused on a variety of reported sexual misconduct and sexual assault crimes committed and not perused or acted on by law or other within the city in said timeframe. Lacy collected reports from police and in doing so came up with a stark and striking piece of urban art of the time. Simply using the word “RAPE” and printing it on a map relative to the various incidents around the area delivers a harsh reality to the world we lived in and still occupy. In addition to the bold red, a faded red stamp was used to detail acts of sexual violence against women in the area. In the weeks after the piece was crafted, Lacy didn’t stop making sure her point would go unnoticed. Whilst preparing to exhibit this piece in a gallery, Lacy found herself inspired to bring the work to the streets where the violence occurred daily in the hope of garnering more attention to the serious issues that were happening.
As a woman, I myself have experienced times where I have been treated differently because of my gender and find this to be a very powerful piece. Not only I but many friends and family who are women experiencing the same thing. Times when you’ve felt helpless and or scared. Art like this really speaks to me because it reminds me that there are people out there fighting, making statements and not staying quiet.

“The Folk Musicians” (1941-1942) – Romare Bearden

Romare Bearden was a very famous activist and artist in the 1940s. Romare Bearden’s work was built up of personal memories but mainly focused on African American culture and history.
“The Folk Musicians” is an observational piece on lower class and underprivileged African American life. The stark use of colour matching dark, warm browns and oranges with some vivid blue features to me comments on the overwhelming sense of ”the blues” which was a prevalent aspect of African American life contrasted with the warm, homely colours representing the kind nature of many of these humble men and women of the time. The blues is even more emphasised by the central character holding a guitar, a common sign of despair and comfort alike. Another small detail in this painting is the use of a bleak background, and what looks like dead trees lining a dusty southern road. Although the personality of the three men is apparent, the desolate backdrop is a reality hard to ignore. The simple brick wall helps to move the three characters, all bunched together in the foreground, into our main focus. This allows their personalities to jump out of the piece, help us to see the emotions, the underlaying suffering but also the honest nature of the three men. Romare Bearden does a brilliant job contrasting the emotions in this work. Deeply inspired by the Social Realist artists of the great depression era in America, the suffering, strife and empathy of the characters is well presented and fully felt by the audience.

These are my mark making tools. They are made up of sticks, string and hot glue. These are the following things I used to make the heads of these tools:
•sponge
•Brillo Pad
•cotton buds
•sticks
•lavender
•cactus
•basil
•aloe Vera
•broken vinyl
•toothbrush
•leaf
•sage