352MC Professional Photographic Practice – Personal Research

March 14, 2015

As discussed in my one-to-one session with Anthony (on 14th January 2015 and 11th February 2015), I will be splitting my research into five suggested research groups (and three groups I feel may be appropriate): Academic, Location, Photographic, Technical, Representation of the Land, Personal, Equipment and Editing Software, and Presentation Options. (Please note: some of the resources included within these research sections can link to more than one of the research categories stated above. In this case, I have simply included them in the research section that suits the aspect of the work that I am looking at for my FMP).

This blog post is therefore dedicated to the research that I have conducted into different photographers/artists that can offer me inspiration for the fact that they are able to produce personal projects that are accessible to the viewer through their contextualization. Within this research section you will find the name of the photographers/artists and the projects that I have researched, examples of their work (if applicable), a link to their website, and brief reflections on their work followed by how I may use them as inspiration for my FMP.

“When I was a girl” by Ann Chwatsky (used as a case study within my Symposium essay):

Please note, as I have already looked at her for my Symposium module, I am only planning on reflecting on the aspects of her work that relate to my current project, before providing suggestions as to how it can influence my FMP (to see a more in-depth analysis of her work, that I included in my final Symposium essay, please therefore visit my “350MC Working with Photography in Context – Definitive Blog Post”)

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http://annchwatskyphoto.com/when-i-was-a-girl/
Within my Symposium essay, I decided to include Ann Chwatsky’s “When I was a Girl” series as one of my case studies, to act as a visual representation to some of the more complex and in-depth memory theories I was discussing at the time
However, although when looking at this particular series her photographic style, technique and methodology greatly vary from that which I am using for my FMP, some of the themes she encapsulates within her collection (including ideas surrounding remembrance and reconnection) make her work relevant to the research I am undergoing for my project
For this particular collection, Chwatsky has produced 12 digital montages that incorporate a variety of photographic layers (varying in subject matter) as a way of creating a visual representation of some of her past childhood memories (relating to the idea of remembrance and reconnection)
Using landscapes as one of her subjects within these digital montages, she explores the idea of conceptual self-portraiture by using these landscapes to represent and express the emotions she was experiencing at the time of the past memory
Chwatsky also decided to incorporate text within her final pieces (through the form of crucial titles) in order to allow a number of viewers to gain an understanding of the personal memory she depicted, which also challenged the personal and subjective relationship associated with memory

FMP Inspiration

When looking at Ann Chwatsky’s “When I was a Girl”, although I am not contemplating the use of her photographic techniques and conceptual styles within my FMP, I have been able to gain inspiration through some of the theories and output considerations she has explored
As suggested above, Chwatsky believes that landscapes can be used as an expressive feature within photography in order to represent emotions and feelings associated with a particular subject matter
- This can therefore be applied to my FMP as I could consider the creation of slightly more dramatic or subtle (documentarian) landscape photographs (through the inclusion of varying natural conditions) in order to represent the overall feel of the memory that I associate with the landscape
However, the greatest inspiration that I will be taking away from Ann Chwatsky’s project is the way in which she has incorporated different features, specifically text, to provide her viewers with a greater contextual understanding and increased accessibility to her subjective and personal project
- Please note, I will be conducting more in-depth research surrounding this idea of enhancing the contextualization of different projects through the use of textual techniques, which can be found under “Text” in the “352MC Professional Photographic Practice – Technical Research” blog post

“War Story” by Mikael Levin (used as a case study within my Symposium essay):

Please note, although I have already looked at Mikael Levin’s work for my Symposium module, I am planning on conducting a deeper analysis into his project (compared to Chwatsky’s “When I was a Girl”) as I feel that it relates more to my FMP. However, to see the analysis of his work that I presented in my Symposium essay, please visit my “350MC Working with Photography in Context – Definitive Blog Post”.

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http://www.mikaellevin.com/war_story.html
Along with Ann Chwatsky’s “When I was a Girl”, within my Symposium essay, I decided to include Mikael Levin’s “War Story” series as one of my case studies, to act as a visual representation to some of the more complex and in-depth memory theories I was discussing at the time
However, differing from the work of Ann Chwatsky, Levin’s project not only explores themes relating to my FMP (including landscapes, memory and reconnection), but his photographic techniques and style, as well as his personal methodology can provide similarities and inspiration that I can apply to my final piece
“War Story” provided Levin with the opportunity to create a photographic representation of his fathers writings (that were created on his assignment to cover the “Jewish Story” throughout WWII), by retracing the journey his father embarked on throughout the Second World War – this act of retracing his (deceased) fathers footsteps, experiencing landscapes that can be associated with his fathers WWII memories, provides a clear similarity to the methodology behind my own project (as I am revisiting places within the Lake District that both me and my Grandpa have experienced in the past, allowing me to create a photographic representation of the memories I recall); the act of using his fathers writings as inspiration for his project can also briefly relate to my FMP through the fact that I am considering experimenting with the use of some of Grandpa’s found images to create present photographic representations of the location depicted
Within this project, Levin also clearly considers ideas surrounding memory, landscapes and remembrance by exploring whether landscapes in themselves can hold memories or traces of the past – this contextual idea also relates to my FMP, as I am photographing particular landscapes within the Lake District that either trigger, or are associated with, memories of my Grandpa
In relation to the photographic style and technique, Levin captures the landscapes using a documentary aesthetic which, along with the fact that they are black and white images, can be used to represent the style of assignment his father was commissioned to created during the war, therefore enhancing the retracing and recreating methodology of the project/journey
Throughout Levin’s photographs, the viewer can also notice a focus that has been placed on the paths that both Levin and his father have travelled down – these photographs can be used to enhance the retracing and reconnecting aspects of the project whilst also symbolizing the concept that Levin sought out to investigate which was whether landscapes in themselves could hold traces of the past
Providing a similarity to Chwatsky’s work, Levin’s final exhibition pieces incorporates text in the form of his fathers writings (as well as photos from the original trip), which enhances the viewers understanding of the personal memory and reconnection aspects of the project

FMP Inspiration

When looking at Mikael Levin’s “War Story”, I have been able to gain inspiration for my FMP through the analysis of his methodology, aesthetic styles and output considerations
As suggested above, the methodology that Levin underwent throughout his project (retracing his fathers WWII journey to create a present visual narrative) provides a clear similarity to the methodology behind my own FMP (revisiting places within the Lake District that both me and my Grandpa have experienced in the past, allowing me to create a photographic representation of the memories I recall)
As also suggested above, the act of using his fathers writings as inspiration for his project can also briefly relate to my FMP through the fact that I am considering experimenting with the use of some of Grandpa’s found images to create present photographic representations of the location depicted
Also, Levin’s use of a documentary aesthetic when capturing his landscape photographs has provided me with a visual example that I can aim to achieve throughout the creation of my own landscape images because, as stated before, I want to create a piece of work that differs from the stereotypical representations of landscape (either through the experimentation of different creative techniques or more documentarian style photography) in order to reflect the personal aspect of the project: it is not a conventional project, but a personal one
Another thing that was witnessed in the analysis of his work is that Levin also focused on photographing the paths in which both him and his father had walked down in order to enhance the reconnection aspect of the project
- This could obviously relate to my FMP as I could consider photographing the paths in which both me and my Grandpa experienced as a way of enhancing the projects aspect of personal reconnection
Finally, though, the greatest inspiration I will be taking away from Mikael Levin’s project (similar to the inspiration taken away from Ann Chwatsky’s work) is the way in which he has incorporated text to provide his viewers with a greater contextual understanding and increased accessibility to his personal project
- Please note, I will be conducting further, more in-depth research surrounding this idea of enhancing the contextualization of different projects through the use of textual techniques, which can be found under “Text” in the “352MC Professional Photographic Practice – Technical Research” blog post

“The Unforgetting” by Peter Watkins (suggested in the one-to-one tutorial with Anthony Luvera on the 14th January 2015)

In a one-to-one tutorial that I had with Anthony Luvera (on the 14th January 2015), he suggested that I look at Peter Watkins’ “The Unforgetting”

After the discussion that we had in the one-to-one tutorial, I knew that Anthony Luvera mainly wanted me to look at this particular project due to the fact that he has created a relatively personal project that has still been made accessible to the viewer
As you will see below, although I thought that the website design was relatively confusing for this particular piece of work (seen above in the screencast that I created), I have therefore decided to reflect upon the concept that Watkins explored throughout this “The Unforgetting” project (which includes information from the projects accompanying text), as well as the photographs and any accompanying aspects I feel are relevant for my FMP followed by the inspiration that I gained for my FMP (in relation to making my project more accessible to the viewer):

http://www.peterwatkins.co.uk/the-unforgetting.html

Peter Watkins: A Screencast of “The Unforgetting” Series from Holly Constantine on Vimeo.

The Concept:

After reading through this projects accompanying text, I was able to gain information surrounding the fact that Watkins’ “The Unforgetting” project was the accumulation of “several years work that examines my German family history”
Following on from this, Watkins goes on to suggest that, through revisiting objects, places, photographs and narratives that have been “circulated within the family”, he has been able to create a project that looks into the personal trauma surrounding the loss of his mother as a child, as well as the overarching themes regarding the notions of time, memory and history
After reading through this piece of accompanying text, I therefore found that the concepts explored in Peter Watkins’ “The Unforgetting” are very similar to those that I am investigating within my FMP
- This is because I am looking into the “trauma of loss” in relation to my Grandpa’s death, the “notions of time” by trying to revisit the past through the recollection of my personal memories, and the idea that “memories and history… are bound up in places, photographs…” (quoted from the text) as I am trying to reconnect to my memories and my history through revisiting specific locations and found photographs that can trigger the recollection of my past

The Project:

In relation to the “physical” aspects associated with “The Unforgetting” project that I feel are relevant to reflect upon for my FMP, these include both the photographs and the accompanying text
Starting off with a reflection with regards to the photographs, as you will see from the screencast video of the website that I have embedded above, Watkins’ photographs tend to vary in the photographic subject that they depict (for example, still-lives, landscapes, and portraits)
- As suggested above within previous research, the inclusion of a variety of different types of photographs (that depict the same subject/concept) provide the viewer with increased visual information regarding the topic, which therefore provides them with an increased contextual understanding regarding the project, thus enhancing their accessibility
- However, as you will see throughout this collection, most of the images he has created are in black and white (apart from some of the installation photos that he has also included on this online page)
  - This therefore provides the photographic project with a consistence that allows the viewer to identify the fact that all of these varying images are from the same project, whilst also being used to represent the historical and memorial concepts of the project
- Also, as suggested within “The Concept” section above, Watkins also takes the time to explore family narratives associated with different objects and photographs (that have been depicted within his still-life images) adding an archival aspect to the project
  - This therefore provides the viewer with both a personal and historical contextualization regarding the project, which enhances both their understanding and accessibility
- Finally, in relation to the photographs that have been included within this project, as you will see from the screencast above, all of these varying images have been created in a conceptual sense, which have been brought together to create an abstract representation of the themes Watkins discussed within the introductory text
  - Now, as with most other conceptually created images, the photographs within this particular project can be analyzed in two different ways:
    - As these photographs have been created as a conceptual response to the themes discussed, many viewers may find it slightly more difficult to understand the context of the project without the use of the explanatory text at the beginning of the collection
    - However, with this being said, conceptual images tend to enhance the viewers accessibility (and understanding) of the personal narrative explored within this project as, although these images still focus on a particular individuals story, they do not focus on them as a person, but as a concept, creating a more generalized reading of the personal narrative depicted
Moving on to the accompanying text included within this project, as with other projects that have included text, this provides the viewer with contextualized information as to what the project is about
- Written by Watkins in a personal, creative, but academically informed manner, this section of text begins with an introduction including a brief description of Watkins personal history and the trigger that he experienced in his childhood that lead to the creation of this personal project
- Moving on from this, slightly changing the style of writing from purely personal to more poetic but academically informed, Watkins then takes time to describe the project and discuss the themes that this collection is illustrating in association with the personal event that triggered the projects creation

Finally, as you can see from the inclusion of all of these varying features, when combined, these have allowed Watkins to create a project that explores a personal narrative and concept, whilst also creating a more universal and accessible project through the enhancement of the viewers contextualized understanding

FMP Inspiration:

When looking at “The Unforgetting” by Peter Watkins, although I found it relatively difficult to understand, as well as the fact that he used a different style of photography to what I am using for my FMP, I still feel as though it has been very beneficial for include within my research as there are sections of this project that I think can be applied to my FMP
As suggested above, the first thing that I thought was interesting to observe was how he tackled the representation of a personal project that includes similar themes to what I am looking at throughout my FMP (as discussed above)
In relation to this, as you have seen from my research above, Watkins has included a large number of varying photographic types (including still-lives, landscapes and portraits) which has allowed Watkins to create a project that explores a personal narrative and concept, whilst also creating a more universal and accessible project through the enhancement of the viewers contextualized understanding
- This could therefore relate to my FMP because, as suggested on numerous occasions, throughout the development of my FMP I have included a variety of archival aspects (such as my Grandpa’s old photographs and collected natural materials from the trips), which could be used within my final exhibition installation piece in order to enhance the viewers contextualized understanding, as well as their accessibility
Also, the idea that the conceptuality of the photographs create a more accessible and understandable project for the viewer (through the generalization of the personal aspect of the project) can also relate to my FMP (especially the feedback that I have received suggesting that my project is “too personal” and needs to be made “more accessible to the viewer” (suggested by both Matt Johnston and Anthony Luvera in numerous one-to-one and formative feedback session – please see in my “352MC Professional Photographic Practice – Getting the “Go Ahead” (One-to-One Tutorial with Matt Johnston)”, “352MC Professional Photographic Practice – Lecture 2 (One-to-One Tutorial with Anthony Luvera)” and “352MC Professional Photographic Practice – Lecture 7 (Formative Feedback Review)” blog posts)
- This is because, in my FMP, I am essentially using conceptual landscape photography to represent the memories that I recall of my Grandpa and, if I can find a way to enhance the conceptuality of my project, this could provide me with a more generalized and accessible personal project
Finally, though, the greatest inspiration I will be taking away from Peter Watkin’s project (similar to the inspiration taken away from Chwatsky’s and Levin’s work) is the way in which he has incorporated the accompanying text to provide his viewers with a greater contextual understanding and increased accessibility to his personal project (please note, I have conducted further, more in-depth research surrounding this idea of enhancing the contextualization of different projects through the use of textual techniques, which can be found under “Text” in the “352MC Professional Photographic Practice – Technical Research” blog post)

“Rachel, Monique” by Sophie Calle (suggested in the one-to-one tutorial with Anthony Luvera on the 14th January 2015 and in the one-to-one tutorial with Anthony Luvera on the 11th March 2015)

In a couple of one-to-one tutorials that I had with Anthony Luvera (on the 14th January 2015 and the 11th March 2015), he suggested that I look at Sophie Calle’s “Rachel, Monique”

After the discussion that we had in these one-to-one tutorials, similar to the work of Peter Watkins, I knew that Anthony Luvera mainly wanted me to look at this particular project due to the fact that she has created a personal piece of work that has still been made accessible to the viewer
As you will see below, I have therefore decided to reflect upon the concept that Calle explored throughout this “Rachel, Monique” project (which includes information from numerous online resources – linked below), as well as reflections on the photographs and any accompanying aspects I feel are relevant for my FMP, followed by the inspiration that I gained for my FMP (in relation to making my project more accessible to the viewer):

Please note, although this particular piece of work is displayed as a both an exhibition and a photobook, I have decided that for this section of my research, I will spend time focusing mainly on the photographs as a series rather than the layout of the installations and publication. With this being said, I have included brief reflections on aspects included in the exhibition/book that I feel may aid in the construction of my FMP, and, if I later decide to create a book for my FMP exhibition piece, I plan on revisiting my gained knowledge from this particular example by Sophie Calle

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The Concept:

http://www.dazeddigital.com/artsandculture/article/8992/1/sophie-calles-rachel-monique
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/05/16/arts/design/in-rachel-monique-sophie-calle-eulogizes-her-mother.html?_r=0
http://www.americansuburbx.com/2013/02/review-sophie-calle-rachel-monique-2012.html
After reading through these three online resources that offered varying perspectives on Sophie Calle’s exhibition, whilst still providing information regarding the overall concept of the project, I was able to gain information surrounding the fact that Calle is usually known (throughout all of her projects) to debate the nature and boundaries of intimacy
Within this particular “Rachel, Monique” exhibition and publication, it is suggested that Calle follows her Mother’s death in a reportage-style whilst simultaneously celebrating her life and personality which is linked to the personal memories and experiences that Calle recalls
Also, after reading the interview that was conducted by dazed magazine, Sophie Calle goes on to suggest that a number of the items included within her exhibition and book “aren’t really artworks, they’re just souvenirs” before also stating that she was anxious about the show because “it means a lot to me… This is my Mother we’re talking about and I feel especially close to it. I was worried people were going to come out and say ‘why won’t she shut up about her Mother?’… It was an act of love, not aggression… My Mother loved attention and I show her in a very noble, elegant way.”
After reading through these online resources, I therefore found that the concept explored in Sophie Calle’s “Rachel, Monique” (the death of her Mother and the celebration of her life through depicting memories and experiences) related greatly to my FMP as I am looking into the reconnection to my deceased Grandpa, and celebrating his life, by revisiting places that trigger personal memories of experiences that I had with him

The Series (included in both the Exhibition and the Book):

In relation to the aspects included within the exhibition and the book, after reading the online resources that described numerous features of the exhibition, as well as looking through the accompanying book publication, I was able to see that Calle had incorporated multi-media objects in order to depict the concept described above
- The major exhibition installation, that has been talked about in all three of the resources included above, is Calle’s incorporation of an 11-minute video depicting the death of her Mother
  - Although I obviously wasn’t able to attend the exhibition, from what I have read, this video depicts the last moments of her Mothers life before she sadly died
  - This has obviously been included within the exhibition in order to provide the viewer with visual information that clearly suggests the concept of the exhibition, which therefore enhances their contextualized understanding, thus emphasizing the personal aspect of the project
- The next exhibition installation (that has been adapted for its incorporation within the book) was an audio of Kim Cattrall reading passages from her Calle’s Mother’s diary (which is written in text in the book)
  - This not only, once again, enhances the personal aspect of the project, but also offers the viewer both a personal and historical perspective that enhances their contextualized understanding of the concept behind the project, thus increasing their accessibility
  - Also, with regards to the accompanying text that this creates within the book, similar to the textual pieces that I have researched into above, this also, obviously, enhances the viewers contextualized understanding of the project which, once again, show the importance of accompanying text
- Also, throughout both the exhibition and the book, Calle has included a large number of photographs that appear to have been taken from her family album, through the aesthetics of the images and the accompanying, hand-written captions
  - Although these obviously depict specific individuals throughout their inclusion, due to the fact that they incorporate aesthetics that clearly relate to a family album, these particular images are easily relatable for the viewer (as they also, usually, have family albums of their own), which opens up the general accessibility of the project
- Similar to the work of Peter Watkins (researched above), Calle also chooses to include conceptual aspects, within both her exhibition and her book, which include installations such as tombstones, her Mothers last words sculpted in butterflies, and a stuffed giraffe head
  - Now, although, after conducting research, I know that these particular aspects represent personal memories and experiences that Calle recalls, as these have been included as a conceptual response to the themes discussed, many viewers may find it slightly more difficult to understand the context of the project without the use of accompanying aspects such as the audio or explanatory text
  - However, with this being said, conceptual art tends to enhance the viewers accessibility (and understanding) of the personal narrative explored within the project as, although these features still focus on a particular individual’s story, they do not focus on them as a person, but as a concept, creating a more generalized reading of the personal narrative depicted
Also, when reading through the online resources included above, I also found a section that suggests, throughout both the exhibition and the book, Calle “doesn’t describe her Mother as she might have if she were a literary memoirist or autobiographical novelist”, which, through personal research that I have conducted surrounding the project, suggests that, although Calle has a personal connection to this project, she lets objects from her Mother narrate the story
- This obviously helps to remove Calle from criticism suggesting that she was “too close” to the project, whilst also enhancing the idea of celebrating the life of her Mother through the fact that her Mother has provided most of the installations
Finally, as you can see from the inclusion of all of these varying features, when combined, these have allowed Calle to create a project that explores a personal narrative and concept, whilst also creating a more universal and accessible project through the enhancement of the viewers contextualized understanding

FMP Inspiration:

After briefly looking at “Rachel, Monique” by Sophie Calle, I soon found that there were a number of different aspects that I thought were incredibly beneficial for me to research into, that could also be applied to my FMP
Similar to the work of Peter Watkins (discussed above), as suggested, the first thing that I thought was interesting to observe was how she tackled the representation of a personal project that includes similar themes to what I am looking at throughout my FMP (as stated above)
In relation to this, offering a similarity between Calle and Peter Watkins’ work, as you have seen from my research above, Calle has included a large number of varying installations (within her exhibition) that, although they have technically been provided by Calle, represent the Mothers’ personal perspective and association with the project, which has allowed Calle to create a project that explores a personal narrative and concept (without appearing to get “too close”), whilst also creating a more universal and accessible project through the enhancement of the viewers contextualized understanding
- This could therefore relate to my FMP because, as suggested on numerous occasions, throughout the development of my FMP I have included a variety of archival aspects (such as my Grandpa’s old photographs and collected natural materials from the trips), which could be used within my final exhibition installation piece in order to enhance the viewers contextualized understanding, as well as their accessibility
Also, as suggested above, similar to the work of Peter Watkins, the idea that the conceptuality of the photographs create a more accessible and understandable project for the viewer (through the generalization of the personal aspect of the project) can also relate to my FMP (especially the feedback that I have received suggesting that my project is “too personal” and needs to be made “more accessible to the viewer” (suggested by both Matt Johnston and Anthony Luvera in numerous one-to-one and formative feedback session – please see in my “352MC Professional Photographic Practice – Getting the “Go Ahead” (One-to-One Tutorial with Matt Johnston)”, “352MC Professional Photographic Practice – Lecture 2 (One-to-One Tutorial with Anthony Luvera)” and “352MC Professional Photographic Practice – Lecture 7 (Formative Feedback Review)” blog posts)
- This is because, in my FMP, I am essentially using conceptual landscape photography to represent the memories that I recall of my Grandpa and, if I can find a way to enhance the conceptuality of my project, this could provide me with a more generalized and accessible personal project
Finally, though, in relation to the book publication that Calle created to accompany the exhibition, the greatest inspiration I will be taking away from Sophie Calle’s project (similar to the inspiration taken away from Chwatsky’s, Levin’s and Watkins’ work), is the way in which she has incorporated the accompanying text (and audio in terms of the exhibition) to provide her viewers with a greater contextual understanding and increased accessibility to her personal project (please note, I have conducted further, more in-depth research surrounding this idea of enhancing the contextualization of different projects through the use of textual techniques, which can be found under “Text” in the “352MC Professional Photographic Practice – Technical Research” blog post)

“The Dad Project” by Briony Campbell (suggested in the one-to-one tutorial with Anthony Luvera on the 14th January 2015)

In a one-to-one tutorial that I had with Anthony Luvera (on the 14th January 2015), he suggested that I look at Briony Campbell’s “The Dad Project”

After the discussion that we had in the one-to-one tutorial, similar to the work of both Peter Watkins and Sophie Calle, I knew that Anthony Luvera mainly wanted me to look at this particular project due to the fact that she has created a personal piece of work that has still been made accessible to the viewer
After conducting some brief research into the project, I noticed that the main aspect of it was a selection of photographs with accompanying writing, but that there was also a video created by Campbell (for The Guardian Newspaper – embedded above) which discussed the concept behind the project, as well as filming behind the scenes aspects, which was then used to accompany the main photographic feature
As you will see below, I have therefore decided to reflect upon the concept that Campbell explored throughout “The Dad Project” (which includes information provided by the video for The Guardian), as well as generalized aesthetics with regards to the photographs, video, and any accompanying aspects I feel are relevant for my FMP (as I want to focus this research primarily on the ideology behind the personal becoming accessible), followed by the inspiration that I gained for my FMP:

The Concept:

After watching the documentary style video that had been created for The Guardian Newspaper in order to provide an accompanying, digital aspect to the main photographic feature of the project, this provided me with information suggesting that this projects was created by Campbell to document a narrative “of an ending without and ending” and a relationship that she was “still exploring”
Campbell then went on to share the main reason behind the creation of the project through stating that this was her attempt to say goodbye to her Dad with the help of her camera, and later opened up with the fact that this project was both “a dedication to his needs and a distraction for her grief”
- When looking at this particular concept of the project, I therefore feel as though it greatly relates to my FMP as I am attempting to document the memories I recall of my Grandpa (in the Lake District), which has allowed me to continue in the exploration of his life and the relationship that I had with him
Also, in this particular video, Campbell’s Dad talks about his reasoning’s behind agreeing to the project and said that this would be a project for the both of them, an opportunity to learn more about each other and their lives
- This particular ideology could therefore relate to my FMP in terms of the semi-collaborative aspect I attempted to instill at the beginning of the project (that I proposed in each of my proposals, please see the blog posts “352MC Professional Photographic Practice – Original Proposal”, “352MC Professional Photographic Practice – Revised Proposal”, “352MC Professional Photographic Practice – Second Revised Proposal”, and “352MC Professional Photographic Practice – Final Proposal”), as, not only was I planning on completing this project with my Dad, but I also wanted to use this project as an opportunity to not only learn more about the life and my relationship with Grandpa, but also wanted to use this project to learn more about my Dad and his relationship with his Father

The Photographs and Video:

As briefly suggested above, for my reflections on both the photographs and the video, I have decided to simply analyze some of the more generalized aesthetics that can be associated to the idea of creating a personal project that is both understandable and accessible for the viewers
Bearing this in mind, I am therefore going to start my reflection off with the main, photographic feature that Briony Campbell created for her project
- When looking through these photographs, it is clear to see that they have been taken with the idea of documentation in mind (due to the subjects that they depict – including portraits, self-portraits, and still-lives), which have mainly been captured by Campbell (apart from one archival photograph that has been included at the end of the series)
  - As previously discussed in numerous pieces of conducted research, although these images are depicting specific individuals, due to the varying photographic type used (as suggested above, portraits, self-portraits and still-lives), as well as some of their close-up nature (that generalizes the photograph due to the decrease in identification), provides the viewer with a wider range of (generalized) visual information, allowing them to gain a greater contextualized understanding surrounding the project, thus increasing their accessibility
- Also, although I will not be going into the specifics of the aesthetics used throughout this project (as stated above), when looking through these images, it is clear to see that they have been captured using carefully considered aesthetics in order to enhance both the narrative and the emotional association within the single image, whilst also contributing to the projects narrative as a whole
  - This therefore provides the viewer with further information regarding the concept of the project through their symbolic reference to the emotions associated with the event, thus enhancing their contextualized understanding an accessibility to the project
- As you will see from the link that I have included above, each of the photographs within this particular series incorporates the use of accompanying text
  - Written by Campbell in a personal and poetic manner, these pieces of accompanying text elaborate on the personal story (and the opinion that Campbell shares) in relation to the narrative that has been captured within the photograph
    - These pieces of text also make reference to past events, as well as personal feelings, that enhance the projects personal, historical, and philosophical context
  - Varying in length depending on the photograph that they are associated with, these pieces of text often lead on from one photo to the next, creating a flow and a rhythm that the audience should follow in the reading of the photographs
    - This considered rhythm could also be used by the viewer to represent the pace in which these events were documented, making reference to the longevity of the events captured throughout the project
  - Each of these choices incorporated in the text therefore provide the viewer with a personal, (and sometimes historical and philosophical) contextualized understanding surrounding Campbells relationship with her Dad which allows them to gain a greater understanding and accessibility to the project
- As stated above, the second piece of reflection that I am going to conduct is in relation to the accompanying, video aspect that Campbell created for The Guardian Newspaper
  - When watching this video, the main contents included an interview with her Dad that discussed both the narrative and concept they were documenting and his viewpoint on the project (as suggested above), as well as a narration from Campbell that discusses her personal thoughts with regards to this project (which is similar to the accompanying text included within the main photographic feature)
    - This obviously provides the video with a contextualization surrounding the personal, historical, and philosophical aspects of the project, allowing the viewers to gain a greater understanding to the projects concept, increasing their accessibility
- As you will see from the video embedded above, this video includes a mixture of both film and photographs (some of which were not included within the main photographic feature)
  - Most of the photographs and footage have been created and edited by Campbell, but she has also decided to include some archival aspects, such as photographs from her family albums
    - These photographs, footage, and archival aspects have obviously been carefully considered not only to document the death of her father, but to also celebrate the life that he lived
    - However, similar to the photographs included within the main, photographic section of the project, this variation of types of lens-based footage obviously provides the viewer with a wider range of visual information (referencing the personal, historical, and philosophical), allowing them to gain a greater contextualized understanding surrounding the project, thus increasing their accessibility

FMP Inspiration:

After briefly looking at “The Dad Project” by Briony Campbell, I soon found that there were a number of different aspects that I thought were incredibly beneficial for me to research into, that could also be applied to my FMP
Similar to the work of both Peter Watkins and Sophie Calle (discussed above), as suggested, the first thing that I thought was interesting to observe was how she tackled the representation of a personal project that includes similar themes to what I am looking at throughout my FMP (as stated above)
In relation to this, as you have seen from my research above, Campbell has not only included a variety of different photographic styles (including photographic portraits, self-portraits, and still-lives, as well as film and archival aspects), but she has also carefully considered the aesthetics of the images/video in order to enhance the viewers contextualized understanding of the projects concept (through the use of increased visual information and symbolic aesthetics), which has therefore increased their accessibility to the project
- This could therefore relate to my FMP because, as suggested on numerous occasions, throughout the development of my FMP I have included a variety of archival aspects (such as my Grandpa’s old photographs and collected natural materials from the trips), whilst also experimenting with the aesthetics of my (documentary) landscape images in order to represent the emotions associated with the connected memory, which could be used within my final exhibition piece in order to enhance the viewers contextualized understanding, as well as their accessibility
Another piece of inspiration that I am planning on taking away from Briony Campbell’s work (similar to the inspiration taken away from Chwatsky’s, Levin’s, Watkins’ and Calle’s work), is the way in which she has incorporated the accompanying text (and audio in terms of the video) to provide her viewers with a greater contextual understanding and increased accessibility to her personal project (please note, I have conducted further, more in-depth research surrounding this idea of enhancing the contextualization of different projects through the use of textual techniques, which can be found under “Text” in the “352MC Professional Photographic Practice – Technical Research” blog post)
- After briefly researching into this particular aspect of her project, I also feel that the personal and creative style that she used could be experimented with through the development of my FMP exhibition piece, as I feel like it captured the same documentary but poetic sense of the personal and emotional that I feel would greatly represent the concept of my project
Finally, however, the last, brief piece of inspiration that I am going to be taking away from this particular project, is Briony Campbell’s use of accompanying video in order to enhance the viewers understanding of the project
- Now, as suggested above (when researching into Patrick Keiller’s and Jane and Louise Wilson’s work), Anthony wanted me to experiment with the use of video and, although I didn’t really reflect on the specific aesthetics of the video that Campbell created, I feel that I can use this piece of video as brief research and inspiration into my video experimentations

Category : 352MC Final Major Project

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