I’m now nearing the end of Identity and Place, and feel this would be a great opportunity to finish the module with an assignment that is again themed around Coronavirus and lockdown, but that will ultimately conclude my covid-19 ‘journey’ – the subtheme to this assignment (Journeys). Looking back on the module, I’ve truly been inspired by it all, and believe I’ve managed to produce some of my best work to date. However, I need to think of the most appropriate way to finalise the ongoing theme of Coronavirus and lockdown, and careful consideration is needed, when deciding which areas of this module are the most appropriate to achieve this
Image and Text was a new concept to me, and creating photographs’ based on what had already been written or spoken about, was a practice I had no prior experience in. However, this unfamiliarity, allowed me to explore and develop my skills within a new area of photography, which helped me gain a better understanding on the relationship between an image and its intended interpretation, based on the supporting text. I believe I made some progress in this regard – from Exercise 5 to Assignment Four – and this has given me the confidence, and inspiration, to explore the notion of ‘image and text’ further. For my last assignment, I collated sound clips from individuals’ – based on their experiences of lockdown – prior to taking any photographs’. This was something my tutor appreciated, as he believed it made the series more personal. Taking that into consideration, I intend to apply the same method once again, but rather reach out to others, I will provide the spoken text. Of course, this means that my final images’ will need to be presented through video – a process that is time consuming, but enjoyable.
Also, and quite surprisingly, I thoroughly enjoyed Removing the Figure. Having the opportunity to photograph objects and scenes with the exclusion of ‘people’, was incredibly refreshing, and a lot easier than previous ‘parts’ found in the module for obvious reasons. Absence and signs of life, was of particular interest, and developing a better understanding into why photographers, such as William Eggleston, choose to document subjects’ that may be considered banal to most, was an incredibly important learning point for myself, and changed my viewpoint drastically on this particular style and practice of photography. My initial idea, is to photograph objects, associated with the present phase of the pandemic, whilst taking into consideration Eggleston’s ethos of capturing “life today”. I like the idea of creating a typology series, documenting the 2m social distancing boxes / lines found on the floors in supermarket isles, and think it’s an appropriate subject that’s relatable to ‘journeys’. Another idea I have, is photographing people standing in queues at various locations – restaurants, hairdressers, supermarkets etc. – however, removing them from the scene entirely – through Photoshop – but keeping their personal belongs evident, in particular their masks. I think visually, this is an interesting concept, but ultimately, my hope is that as a viewer, you should be able to form a better understanding of the type person ‘standing’ in line, based just on their belongings.
References
YouTube. (2013). ‘Imagine’ The colourful Mr Eggleston’ [Online] Available from: https://www.youtibe.com/watch?v=3JZ_HkaTXh8
Iain Barbour - BA (Hons) Photography 