Introduction - Why I Chose Openings |
Rinko Kawauchi |
The reason why I have chosen openings as my personal project is because personally I think it is more interesting and intriguing to the eye, what I like about these images is that it starts of with something basic ( for example: door, window) and then behind or infront of on an object can be something that brings the whole image out and a lot more interesting. |
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Rinko Kawauchi
Rinko Kawauchi is a Japanese photographer, 47 years old. She has made multiple photo books, her latest book is called 'halo'. Kawauchi is most known for her fine art photography. My favourite books of kawauchi are called 'halo' and 'illuminance', what I like about those books are that the images are very simple but at the same time mesmerising. Her work is mainly based on light, if you look at every piece of her work it is always bright and hardly any dark tones.
The website I used for most of my research - rinkokawauchi.com/en/
This image has come from the book 'illuminance', what I like about this image is the light that has brightened up the whole image. The contrast between all colours in the image contrast really well, the mix between cold and warm colours work really well in this image. This image relates to openings because the light has to come through a open space where the trees haven't grown. The trees in the image make the background pop out, sometimes a background of an image can be quite boring but this image is quite amusing to look at.
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This image is related to openings due to the eyes, ears and mouth on the baby. Being born is an opening to life as well for example your going to be a baby, then a teenager and then an adult, these stages of your life is an opening to many different opportunities. This image is from the book 'AILA', the book is not completely connected to openings but I think this images is relevant. The contrast in colours are just right, there are mainly cold tones but the lips, nose, eyes and ears have a warm tone which are the parts of the image that I'm focusing on mainly. What is interesting about this image is that the parts that are in focus are only the mouth and the milk drop, its very simplistic but so intriguing. |
A Mind Map of Openings
Yuki Onodera
Yuki onodera is a Japanese photographer. She mainly photographs dark, gloomy images. Yuki Onodera has made multiple books and my favourite one is sales 'the bee- the mirror', what I like about that book is that it is very dark and gloomy but that only comes from the colour of the image ' black and white', it also looks like a pinhole camera image which is related to openings due to the rim of the hole.
The website that I used for Yuki Onodera - yukionodera.fr/en/works/the-bee-the-mirror/#8
This image is from the book called ' the bee - the mirror'. What i like about this image is that it is an opening to an average day life. The contrast between the black and white colors are good, but the black is a little overpowering for this image but it works well when combined with the white and the grey. This image looks like it have been taken on a pinhole camera because of the rim on the outside. It gives the impression that there looking through an eye because of the shape of the dark circle around the outside. |
This image is from the book called ' the bee - the mirror', what I like about this book is that it is very realistic but simple, the contrast between the black and white is just right and never too over powering. This image is a bit chaotic due to all the shadows that have been made but it makes it more intriguing. The dark edge shaped as a circle makes the image look like its an opening to a different scenery. The streaks around the edges makes the image look like it has loads of smudges and then the shadows on the walls look like drips aswell. |
Testing Using A Instax 6 SQ Camera
Evaluation
Using a instax 6 sq camera is very hard, because it is unpredictable when it comes to getting the image in the centre of the picture ,but when you get it in the correct place and the right lighting it looks really good. What I like about the image on the left is that the only thing in focus is the hair and the rest is blurred but the one on the right the lighting was very dark because I used the setting auto and it didn't adjust very well but if it was lighter I think it would look good because the trees and the branches are in focus but the background is out of focus and that is exactly what I wanted in the image. Overall I think I did alright for my first try on the instax 6 sq but what I would do next is put the setting on portrait and make sure the lighting is good so the image develops well and looks good.
Photoshop
Evaluation
What I like about the first two images is the way it has been layered, the contrast of the colours have worked very well, I think a way to improve these images is to make the black a bit darker and the blues a bit lighter. My favourite image is the last one because its has a darker tone throughout but the background is really clear especially the clouds, it also relates to openings because it has been taken through a window. What I think I can do to improve this image is to make the buildings bit lighter so you can see the detail of all the windows in the buildings. The last image has been edited in a different way to the first two, I have given it a darker tone for the whole image, but I have made the yellow and red a bit more dominant to outline the image.
Exhibition - Tate - Jenny Holzer
Research
- I have 3 galleries to go to but I will only choose 1, my options are V&A, Tate Modern or Saatchi gallery
- The reason I chose to go to Tate Modern is because It is the only gallery that has an exhibition related to opening or I can take pictures which relate to openings.
- The exhibition I am going to go to is called 'Jenny Holzer'. The reason why I am going to see this exhibition is because it is extremely colourful and has loads of shadows which really does interest me. Another reason why I chose to go to this exhibition is because I can relate it to openings and abstraction at the same time which works really well.
- Another exhibition i am interested in is called ' Ellen Gallagher '. I am interested in this exhibition because it has an amazing piece of art which it very intriguing, there is another piece of the exhibition which links to the Jenny Holzer exhibition, which i really interests me.
- The way I am going to get there is by train. I would get the train from kidbrooke station to London bridge and then change over and get the Brighton train but get off at Blackfriars, to then walk 10 minutes to the Tate Modern.
- The reason I chose to go to Tate Modern is because It is the only gallery that has an exhibition related to opening or I can take pictures which relate to openings.
- The exhibition I am going to go to is called 'Jenny Holzer'. The reason why I am going to see this exhibition is because it is extremely colourful and has loads of shadows which really does interest me. Another reason why I chose to go to this exhibition is because I can relate it to openings and abstraction at the same time which works really well.
- Another exhibition i am interested in is called ' Ellen Gallagher '. I am interested in this exhibition because it has an amazing piece of art which it very intriguing, there is another piece of the exhibition which links to the Jenny Holzer exhibition, which i really interests me.
- The way I am going to get there is by train. I would get the train from kidbrooke station to London bridge and then change over and get the Brighton train but get off at Blackfriars, to then walk 10 minutes to the Tate Modern.
My Journey There
Pictures from the exhibitions 'Jenny Holzer ' and ' Ellen Gallagher '
Bill Leslie
Bill Leslie is a visual artist based in London, he is currently doing a PHD in art at Kingston University London. His art is based around sculptures and the photographic image. I do really like his work, it is very abstract and you don't know exactly what your final product actually is. Bill Leslie and his wife Lucie Leslie run workshops and art projects called 'Leap the Look ', they go schools and exhibitions and just experiment with loads of different objects and photograph them in many different ways.
Telling The Story Of The Workshop
I did a bit of research about Bill before he came to do the workshop an what I found out was that he is a visual artist who experiments with many different objects to try and make something abstract and unusual, its kind like a trial ad error. Bill is happy to use any type of material and try and make it into something bigger and better. Before I even did the workshop I had a clear vision of what it was gonna be like for example being able to experiment with many different materials and have no rules to it and that was what the workshop was free to do anything, throughout the workshop we were using imagination and persistence, without those two Tallis habits the day would have been a lot harder than it already was. During the workshop he got us to film anything but without looking at the camera just using your hand and the way our hands move while walking, the main point to this was looking at the hand positions while walking and how abstract we already are without even thinking about it. Later on we got put into groups, my group was to create the floor based structure, which was interesting but also confusing at the same time, because we didn't have any rules which kind of through me a little but after a bit I got multiple ideas for the structure which ended up very well and make the structure a lot better and more stable. Throughout this I used a few resources such as paper, card, mirror, touches, iPhone and plasticine, these materials were very helpful and made the sculpture work and made it stable at the same time. The workshop relates to openings because every part of the sculpture that we made had some sort of whole or a folding which looks like a door.
Photographs
Evaluation
These images connect with openings in many different ways. the way that these connect is that they are all mainly nature and green only a couple that aren't. What i do like about these images is that they are all adventurous and multiple different features tot he image so many different ways to interpret these images and that is what i like about them. What i feel like i need to improve on is that i need to make sure my pictures have a sharp focus to the image and also maybe try out multiple different angles which will make my image a little bit better than it was before.
Plan
Ideas for my final piece
~ Making images then inserting parts of the images through the original image, almost believable.
~ Getting multiple images and only using the outline the it becomes like a zoom.
~ Creating one big image the cutting them up and re-arranging them.
~ Getting multiple images and cutting little bits out digitally.
Names of artist/photographers ill be researching about
~ Lee Friedlander.
Equipment I intend to use
~ laptop (Photoshop).
Materials I intend to use
~ Thick paper or card to print/place my final image on.
~ White frame.
What techniques/process you intend to experiment with
~ I intend to make my final pieces by the use of digital editing (Photoshop), mainly because it is my weakest area of my course and i feel like i need to improve it and this is the only way to improve it.
~ The techniques that I use on Photoshop are the lasso tool, the magic wand tool and retangular marquee tool.
How do these experiments relate to my chosen theme
~ It relates to openings because you digitally make little holes in the images and add a picture behind so you can see it through, i could easily do it manually but doing it digitally is a lot easier and makes it look more realistic.
What do I hope to learn while doing this project
~ What I hope to learn during this projects is being able to go onto Photoshop and be able to quickly edit an image without thinking about it.
How do i want to present my final piece
~ The way i would like to present my final piece is by having a few images on card and present them on a frame (A3).
~ Another idea is to create one big final piece and print it on card and present it in a white frame.
~ Making images then inserting parts of the images through the original image, almost believable.
~ Getting multiple images and only using the outline the it becomes like a zoom.
~ Creating one big image the cutting them up and re-arranging them.
~ Getting multiple images and cutting little bits out digitally.
Names of artist/photographers ill be researching about
~ Lee Friedlander.
Equipment I intend to use
~ laptop (Photoshop).
Materials I intend to use
~ Thick paper or card to print/place my final image on.
~ White frame.
What techniques/process you intend to experiment with
~ I intend to make my final pieces by the use of digital editing (Photoshop), mainly because it is my weakest area of my course and i feel like i need to improve it and this is the only way to improve it.
~ The techniques that I use on Photoshop are the lasso tool, the magic wand tool and retangular marquee tool.
How do these experiments relate to my chosen theme
~ It relates to openings because you digitally make little holes in the images and add a picture behind so you can see it through, i could easily do it manually but doing it digitally is a lot easier and makes it look more realistic.
What do I hope to learn while doing this project
~ What I hope to learn during this projects is being able to go onto Photoshop and be able to quickly edit an image without thinking about it.
How do i want to present my final piece
~ The way i would like to present my final piece is by having a few images on card and present them on a frame (A3).
~ Another idea is to create one big final piece and print it on card and present it in a white frame.
Lee Friedlander
Lee Friedlander is an American Photographer, who takes black and white images. What I like about his work is that every image is an opening to another bit of the world or another persons life, its kind of like an image in a bubble, each and every one has a different meaning. Mostly all his images have strangers in them doing there own thing and not knowing that they are being photographed.My favourite book of his is 'America By Car', the images in this book are very much the same but different which makes these images so abstract.
The method of my first experiment
Evaluation
This image is very different compared to my other images that I have made. This image is two images layered on top of each other. What I like about this image is that it looks like a window in the sky but also quite confusing to the eye. In addition, what makes it look more interesting is the cold tone filter that I have put on the whole image. The contrast between colours are very strong there is a warm tone and then a cold tone but combined it looks completely different. On the other hand, the way I think I can improve my image is by adding different layers to the image which could then make the image more abstract and eye-drawing. I could also cut other parts out of the image to create a completely different affect on the whole image.
The method of my 2nd experiment
Evaluation
What I like about this image above is that throughout the whole image there are little bursts of other parts of different images which then intrigues you to know what the original image was and what images have been added to this final piece. The whole image has a warm tone throughout and the base is a cold tone as it is greenery. The contrast I colours has blended really well and quite sharp at the same time. The way I think I will improve this image by maybe adding a sharp border (white or black) to make the image more powerful and stand out more. Another way I can improve my image is by adding a different colour tone on top of one of the images and the punch holes into it which will give the image a completely different tone and feeling to the image.
Method of my 3rd trial experiment
Evaluation
This image is creating a zoom affect to it as the image go towards the middle and the smaller it gets the more it looks like a zoom of pictures. What I like about this image is the way all the images later up but only having the outside showing, kind of like a pictures of borders. When all the images are put together the way all the colours have contrasted together it creates mixture of all these different colours and tones which create a good affect throughout the image. What I think I can do to improve my final image is by adding a powerful image in the centre of the image to bring the whole image back out again, so it looks like it zooms in then zooms back out again. Another way I could improve my image is by adding more images to the middle until physically can't to make the zoom go even further in.
Shizuka Yokomizo
Analysis Of This Image Above-Assessment
In this photograph there is a lot going on, the main parts that stand out to me is the man in the middle of the image, the slightly blue curtains and the bright green plant on the right of the image. The way the background has been layed out is very unusual because everything is all over the place, nothing has been organised. This photograph all together reminds me of an average building and a man just standing at the window staring out. Yokomizo has captured this moment and made it a little unusual compared to other images because he isn't expecting it and is completely unaware of this picture has been/being taken. This image is naturalistic and relatively abstracts because the image has a cold tone throughout the whole image and is quite boring/bland which is naturalistic, but the abstract side comes across by the amount of different objects scattered around in the background. The way the photographer has captured the light has worked really well because the light has been lightly brightened throughout the whole image. The space is represented in this photograph as having a foreground and background mainly, all the most eye-drawing parts of the image is either I the foreground or the background. The whole image constantly in focus, there isn't a point of the image that isn't out of focus, this gives us a sense that Yokomizo has used a really good camera to get this image. The most intriguing part of the image is the the man standing the the centre of the image, because of his body language and facial expression it looks like he is extremely tired or he could be reflecting on what happened that specific day which could link to the un-organised background or he is daydreaming? The questions I would ask the photographer would be where did you take this image and how did you get the snippet of this persons life and what type of camera did you use to get such a clear shot. The image is different to real life mainly because it is completely in focus and everything is perfect but in real life nothing and no one is perfect, this links to openings because when you talk to people about your problems you are opening up to them. If i was living in this image it would make me feel quite depressed because everything surrounding the man in the image is dull and depressing which could reflect of how you would be feeling on a day to day basis. What works well in this photograph is the cold tone colours throughout the whole image, the colour reflects on the body language the man in the image is showing us.
Summer Images
First trial of taking images through acetate
Evaluation
The first trial of taking images through acetate didn't really work as well as I wanted it to. I think the main reason was because the lights weren't as bright as I was expecting and because it was dark it didn't shine through enough to brighten up the image. In addition, there was strong winds which didn't help as the acetate wasn't staying in a fixed position for a long amount of time. The way I will improve the images is by taking them in daylight to get good enough light to see the image clearly or shine a bright light through it to get a shadow or a pinpoint of light.
Final outcome
Final evaluation
Throughout this project I explored the theme of openings. My first thoughts about the theme was that it will be a challenge when it comes to thinking of experiments to do but when I think of one and/or do one it flows quite easily. As I slowly developed my work my ideas and feelings changed by having more ideas coming to me and having an urgency to attempt them all except from just trying the ones that look good in my mind, this helped me nearer the end as I was at a standstill and needed and idea to come into place, which was when the projecting my images onto a wall, I was hesitant at the start but when i tried it out it turned out a lot better as i imagined. The artist I researched was called rinko kawauchi and Yuki onodera, they do completely different work but when combined together they really inspired me to experiment with many different ideas and different types of opening images. My images are mainly abstract in many different ways and that's the main style of all my pieces that I make. Throughout this process I have mainly focused on the media side of things (Photoshop) as i normally do a physical copy of my experiments, so by editing my images and adding them onto each other it might improve my editing skills. I have also used acetate in my final piece mainly because i haven't really experimented with it as much as i would have liked to in the past but in the end it turned out really well and made me stretch that little extra just to make my final piece more adventurous. The way my investigations have changed throughout the process of my ideas, for example, at first I was thinking of just doing a Photoshop image on an A3 piece of paper in a white frame; then it developed to putting my images on acetate and taking pictures through the images with a light behind it but that didn't worked as well as i imagined, then my final main idea was projecting them onto a wall and in addition onto a hard copy of one of my edited images. What i found most challenging about this project was coming up with so many different ideas and thinking them through individually to find out what ones i needed to try to make the best outcome for my final piece, my aim for all my images was trying to be imaginative and thinking outside the box for all my ideas. They way i have chosen to present my ideas is by combining all my edited images into one piece and projecting them onto a wall and also onto a hard copy of one of my images. I am hoping to create a collage of my images all my best images and overlapping them so the joining of the images are connecting in the middle of the hard copy, I also wanted to try 3 images projected onto the wall but it didn't look as well as i wanted it to so i just did 2 images projected which looked loads better. I think i have successfully explored this theme as i have tried many different ideas even if they have failed or worked successfully and i have also gone out of my comfort zone which is good and have paid off in the end as my final piece was completely different to what i normally do. If i had more time on this project i would have made/ tried out more ideas that i thought of which could have made my final piece even more experimental and out of the box, i could ave also presented it in a different way or framed it. What i hope viewers will understand from looking at my piece is that it is a big scramble of different ideas and many different images, and they could also understand how my theme openings can be presented in so many different ways for example in abstraction, projecting and/or framing the images that would have been made.