project iii
the entire group met up on the 12. of february in new cross.
the group is:
uel
1 - Mattias
2 - Ali
3 - Joseph Pleass
4 - Sumayyah
5 - Phillipa
chelsea
1 - Joe Myers
2 - Joe Mania
3 - Jessie
4 - Danny
5 - Steven
this is also the swapping list. first swap 1-1, next, 1-2, 2-3 and so on.
the word i got for a start is AMERICA.
this is the text i accompanied with the work:
The idea for the project was inspired by a soviet children’s book I once found, entitled ’There is no America’. The book was published in the 1970’s and is meant for elementary school. It’s basically a short story that often states (as it claims in the title) that America doesn’t exist – asking the children: have you been there to say indefinately that it does? The soviet kids obviously hadn’t and couldn’t.
When you think about it America really doesn’t exist. Atleast not anymore, if it ever did – and definately not in a freedom-for-all way the country is portrayed. In a way it’s a hoax, an enterprise - especially in the light of Wikileaks exposures and overall degradation of capitalistic values in the years of the depression. The american dreamer is obese, not Marlon Brando.
The other side of the work – the part I’m more interested in – is the whole idea of (purposeful or accidental) misdirection and being lost. I like the idea of deliberately altered, faulty to begin with or incomplete maps (when Columbus ’discovered’ America he actually thought he was in India, so by his map, there was no America inbetween). Also the fact that Americans are generally very poor in geography because of their ignorance towards what lay outside of America (I’ve encountered people who thought Europe was a country) – so in a way their world map is limited to America, whilst I present the absence of.
Generally what I would like to achieve with this is at first glance a standard map, but with a major subtraction – to question peoples knowledge and attention span.
The final piece would be printed as a large map and folded, or I’m also exploring the idea of making a globe.
the first swap was a bit complicated, because joe (pleass) lost the swapping list and because he, ali and philippa are in america with tim, there was a bit of a confusion about who was swapping with who. it has been sorted out now and most people have done the swap - although a bit later than intended.
to try and avoid future confusion, i created a facebook group to keep everyone up to date and avoid confusing emails that might not get sent to everyone.
i received my first project to respond to from joe myers and his word to start with was DIALOGUE. it's a text piece describing a conversation he had with a man on the bus. i'm not yet sure how i want to approach this piece, but my preliminary idea is inspired by the font he used - it's a generuc 70's style font. and the 70's always remind me of slap bass, and discoish music made by mufftops. so i'm thinking of making an interactive machine (maybe based on ableton or such) that will able the user to create their own generic 70's music. the idea may change radically, because i'm not entirely sure how to create the machine. we'll see.
2011/02/22
MIKE TROW
picture editor for vogue uk for 6 years.
when starting, he really did not like fashion that much. he had only seen about 4 issues of vogue in 15 years. in a way he just got sucked in.
his first shoot was of nick hornby. really did not turn out that well, but was on schedule - he himself does not know why they stuck with him after that shot.
pointers for photographers
the bigger you are, the more important production and planning becomes. you will work on a tight schedule and be expected certain results from.
especially for fashion photo it's not about pressing a button, it's the lighting, hair, makeup, art direction, correct model that all come together to make the shot.
the research you do and the people you have working on the shoot will finally make the picture.
think ahead: what do you need to get from the shoot, what does the client want.
BE CLEAR, ALWAYS BE HONEST. this way you will not waste time and energy.
also you need to try and keep people happy, be sensitive to others, because ultimately you need a strong and able staff.
it's nice doing what you want - in a way it's imperative to establishing yourself - but you will have to fit yourself to different shoots, different people. on the other hand compromising too much too often you'll become a generic jack of all trades - get lots of work but smaller and less important bits.
because of short deadlines there is not much room for trial and error - you need to deliver.
whenever you work with people (especially famous or famously difficult) find out what they are like and how do you need to be around them to avoid conflict.
a fashion photographe rhas to have an ego to direct, but be able to suck up anything another ego(-maniac) may throw at you.
especially when doing portraits you need to imbue confidence.
specific pointers
ASSIST BIG PHOTOGRAPHERS - find out how it's done.
working with film is good for a start - that way you understand your shutterspeeds, f-stops and lighting much better as there is less room for error.
all in all you need to embrace new technology - to accommodate short deadlines. also you need to be able to produce moving image on the side because of the age of the ipadphoneapp.
establish relationships with young designers straight away - they might become your loyal future customers.
try and include a narrative to the shoot - inspire models, keep the day progressive.
mike trow appeared to be confidently relaxed - a trait that is definitely the norm for a man in his position. i imagine he copes very well under pressure and is able to deliver in about every conceivable situation. if necessary, he did the entire shoot himself or arranged it done in a day. i liked the fact he became the photoeditor of vogue in a sudden, alost casual way that even for himself was a bit of a suprise. in a way i can relate to this very well, because i have done several projects in a similar matter - not quite knowing what i'm getting myself into. but in the end these are the most memorable projects.
i enjoyed the relaxed outlook he had on megastars he had dealt with. it was a bit of a suprise, because when i think of vogue a thedevilwearsprada'esque snob'ishness comes to mind. turns out they (atleast some of them) are people too.
picture editor for vogue uk for 6 years.
when starting, he really did not like fashion that much. he had only seen about 4 issues of vogue in 15 years. in a way he just got sucked in.
his first shoot was of nick hornby. really did not turn out that well, but was on schedule - he himself does not know why they stuck with him after that shot.
pointers for photographers
the bigger you are, the more important production and planning becomes. you will work on a tight schedule and be expected certain results from.
especially for fashion photo it's not about pressing a button, it's the lighting, hair, makeup, art direction, correct model that all come together to make the shot.
the research you do and the people you have working on the shoot will finally make the picture.
think ahead: what do you need to get from the shoot, what does the client want.
BE CLEAR, ALWAYS BE HONEST. this way you will not waste time and energy.
also you need to try and keep people happy, be sensitive to others, because ultimately you need a strong and able staff.
it's nice doing what you want - in a way it's imperative to establishing yourself - but you will have to fit yourself to different shoots, different people. on the other hand compromising too much too often you'll become a generic jack of all trades - get lots of work but smaller and less important bits.
because of short deadlines there is not much room for trial and error - you need to deliver.
whenever you work with people (especially famous or famously difficult) find out what they are like and how do you need to be around them to avoid conflict.
a fashion photographe rhas to have an ego to direct, but be able to suck up anything another ego(-maniac) may throw at you.
especially when doing portraits you need to imbue confidence.
specific pointers
ASSIST BIG PHOTOGRAPHERS - find out how it's done.
working with film is good for a start - that way you understand your shutterspeeds, f-stops and lighting much better as there is less room for error.
all in all you need to embrace new technology - to accommodate short deadlines. also you need to be able to produce moving image on the side because of the age of the ipadphoneapp.
establish relationships with young designers straight away - they might become your loyal future customers.
try and include a narrative to the shoot - inspire models, keep the day progressive.
mike trow appeared to be confidently relaxed - a trait that is definitely the norm for a man in his position. i imagine he copes very well under pressure and is able to deliver in about every conceivable situation. if necessary, he did the entire shoot himself or arranged it done in a day. i liked the fact he became the photoeditor of vogue in a sudden, alost casual way that even for himself was a bit of a suprise. in a way i can relate to this very well, because i have done several projects in a similar matter - not quite knowing what i'm getting myself into. but in the end these are the most memorable projects.
i enjoyed the relaxed outlook he had on megastars he had dealt with. it was a bit of a suprise, because when i think of vogue a thedevilwearsprada'esque snob'ishness comes to mind. turns out they (atleast some of them) are people too.
2011/02/10
SEMESTER B
group project iii
group:
alice whehelan GD
joseph pleass GD
philippa rabbitts GD
sumayyah GD
mattias malk PHOTO
ali, joe and me knew we would want to do the semester b project together. philippa i have worked with on the first project and sumayyah i've met before briefly.
the idea for the project came in to being straight away after forming groups. joseph proposed a project about correspondence(inspired by an exhibition he saw. an englishan and american started an exchange responding to eachother's work). the group liked the concept and we started discussing technicalities.
at first we thought of doing the exchange within the group, but soon found it would be a dead end. then joe remembered a friend in chelsea college and that we could have an exchange with 5 people from there. this started of us having a project to do for a week - sending them the project to draw inspiration for their work, again with a deadline of a week - they would then send it back again. we finally decided on all the 10 people doing 1 project per week and exchanging simultaneously - so all in all 100 pieces of work in 10 weeks (10x10).
we decided to mull it over during the holidays.
sumayyah knew a space in hackney wick called the stour space which is a charity that supports local talent. there was a viewing on the 7. of february - the gallery is spacious enough for the project and they are really up for giving us the space and any support they can (curators, publicity, contacts). at the moment the opening is planned for the 12. of may and the exhibition will be up for 3-4 days.
saturday, 12. february we've planned a meeting with all the participants (including the chelsea guys) in new cross to get acquainted and do the draw (everyone brings a word to put in a hat for the draw that will start off the whole process. the next exchange will happen in a weeks time and every week after that). i plan to do video interviews with all the participants - once in the beginning of the project, then half way through and then a final recap. this will become an illustrative video of the entire process through all the participants.
all in all there is a great mix of different disciplines including graphic design, illustration, moving image and photography. i definitely look forward to the opportunity of getting to be inspired by work from different people and media - and in turn use different methods to suit my intended output. pretty much have fun with it and enjoy the absence of conceptual pressure.
i had an idea to have a talk as a part of the final exhibition as well inviting someone with a background in cultural studies or media to come and conduct and mediate an exchange with visitors - i'm the only one who has had an exhibition before and know from experience that this can prove to be a very good assett to a successful exhibition - evoking actual reflection and reaction is a part of the project anyway.
at the moment everyone is eager to get started and the project is taking off really well and feels as though is taking on a life of its own.
group project iii
group:
alice whehelan GD
joseph pleass GD
philippa rabbitts GD
sumayyah GD
mattias malk PHOTO
ali, joe and me knew we would want to do the semester b project together. philippa i have worked with on the first project and sumayyah i've met before briefly.
the idea for the project came in to being straight away after forming groups. joseph proposed a project about correspondence(inspired by an exhibition he saw. an englishan and american started an exchange responding to eachother's work). the group liked the concept and we started discussing technicalities.
at first we thought of doing the exchange within the group, but soon found it would be a dead end. then joe remembered a friend in chelsea college and that we could have an exchange with 5 people from there. this started of us having a project to do for a week - sending them the project to draw inspiration for their work, again with a deadline of a week - they would then send it back again. we finally decided on all the 10 people doing 1 project per week and exchanging simultaneously - so all in all 100 pieces of work in 10 weeks (10x10).
we decided to mull it over during the holidays.
sumayyah knew a space in hackney wick called the stour space which is a charity that supports local talent. there was a viewing on the 7. of february - the gallery is spacious enough for the project and they are really up for giving us the space and any support they can (curators, publicity, contacts). at the moment the opening is planned for the 12. of may and the exhibition will be up for 3-4 days.
saturday, 12. february we've planned a meeting with all the participants (including the chelsea guys) in new cross to get acquainted and do the draw (everyone brings a word to put in a hat for the draw that will start off the whole process. the next exchange will happen in a weeks time and every week after that). i plan to do video interviews with all the participants - once in the beginning of the project, then half way through and then a final recap. this will become an illustrative video of the entire process through all the participants.
all in all there is a great mix of different disciplines including graphic design, illustration, moving image and photography. i definitely look forward to the opportunity of getting to be inspired by work from different people and media - and in turn use different methods to suit my intended output. pretty much have fun with it and enjoy the absence of conceptual pressure.
i had an idea to have a talk as a part of the final exhibition as well inviting someone with a background in cultural studies or media to come and conduct and mediate an exchange with visitors - i'm the only one who has had an exhibition before and know from experience that this can prove to be a very good assett to a successful exhibition - evoking actual reflection and reaction is a part of the project anyway.
at the moment everyone is eager to get started and the project is taking off really well and feels as though is taking on a life of its own.
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