Monday 16 June 2008

other photo processes/manipulation- ideas for Post grad forum 19th June

ok- i don't have any time to think and need to get on and do for the forum on thursday- (many blog posts on hold) deadlines with the draft dissertation deadline- which i changed the focus of end of last week- arrgh! so here it goes...

I aim to be testing out ideas for shedseason idea for shed load of laughs or shed your tears- stories from flowers (jordan liked this idea the best, simplest,the pinhole idea might be too complicated? and overlooked might just not work at WCA now not got chosen space- very sadly- save for the shed-and-a-half gallery later in the year?).....

so have this idea to run the story i used for stand up of my nan's funeral and the cat wreath- experimenting with doing this live using 2 photographic methods;


  • lay flower on floor on photographic paper in sunlight before i start story, and finish story by taking if off the paper and sitting and watching it in silence

  • photo of cat wreath coming out of family album, then bleaching it out to nothing and throwing it away

Questions:
1. what happens when its in daylight- change in intimacy in this situation, group of people- change in reception by the spectator.
2. response to story in relation to new photographic methods
3. difference in the duration of the image development/extinction
4. now working in colour- away from monochrome photogram- how's this production and material change affect the reception by the spectator?


TECHNIQUES:


Wrack: From the "Bertoloni Album," 1839
William Henry Fox Talbot (British, 1800–1877)
Photogenic drawing; 8 11/16 x 6 7/8 in. (22 x 17.5 cm)


adapted from ideas about the sunprint (photogenic drawing)- Fox talbot- early photography pioneer- the 'pencil of nature'- using the photo paper ( my intervention could be-WITHOUT chemicals) in DAYLIGHT- non-darkroom- light can come through the window of the shed and allows for projections onto possibly 'tracing paper' windows or curtains


storytelling matched to some experimental techniques to eradicate an image or part of; bleaching out parts of the image- like this creative collage blog shows you, a technique of my ole fave dave mckean. different times to bleach out depending on whether normal photo printed or inkjet. also to think about dilution- as bleach smells- HEALTH AND SAFTETY!- and prolongs erosion time. this is building on corrosion ideas also in decasia film (se previous blog post)

2 comments:

Laura Bean said...

Hey love,

I'm really liking the idea of using so much of nature for this particular idea. There is something very fitting about letting nature bleach out the photograph and destroying a living thing (the flower) when you are talking about death and funerals.

The idea of going back to nature and everything being circular.

I can see why you question intimacy whilst being out in the open. It may be more problematic but if you achieve it much more powerful and fitting. After all funerals out in the open are very intimate as a group of people draw together and shut out the rest of the world even if it is only for a short time.

I can see that there will be some great juxtapositions for you to play with here (which I know you love). I'm loving the idea!!

Love
xx

harriet said...

ah thanks honey! a new direction to test the water, at least it only takes one of the shed season propsed events this time rather than 5!

am actually looking forward to the forum- but need to keep the live demo short to get max feedback.although how many will be there with the research paper deadline looming, who knows!

to be honest have used the photogram process in 3 shows now and am feeling the best way to really understand the spectator is to change the ways to try to generate intimacy and remove the darkness- even if only to help me understand why they were needed in the first place from a performance perspective(not photographic as the process required red light) i like your thoughts about funerals being about shutting out the world, intimate with family and friends. i hadn't really envisaged so much of a connection here with death and funerals- i definitely want to explore juxtapostions- my cat wreath story is funny (she hopes). the idea of 'shed load of laughs' AND 'shed your tears' somehow coming forth- but the participants brought material could be a marked contrast i would hope

not sure about the nature thing- yes floral- but the solvents are man made? or do you mean just letting the solvent sit on the surface and react?