I must say that I’m really looking forward to starting assignment four. Though, I’ve used text before – in some regard – to support my images’, I never really had an understanding of how, and why, to use them together in an effective manner. However, now I’m nearing the end of ‘Part Four’, I feel my understanding – from what I’ve learnt anyway – has improved enough to go into this assignment with a level of confidence that will hopefully see me deliver a solid piece of work, which is relevant to the brief and my desired intentions.
I usually have a number of ideas to explore at this point. However, at present, I’ve only two. That being said, I’m certainly not feeling discouraged by this. The underlying theme will be a continuation from previous assignments within this module, where I will once again explore the notion of coronavirus and lockdown. However, both ideas would see we produce work which is very different to anything I’ve done before, in the fact that ‘people’ won’t be the main subject – in photographic form anyway. I’m excited about this prospect, and feel this particular assignment, which will be part of a larger body of work at the end of this module, needs to diverge slightly in regards to subject matter, to help show my development as both a student, and a photographer.
My first idea revolves around the banning of bonfires and campfires, in and around Edinburgh, to “keep the air clean for people who are self-isolating”. Though, this was a regulation that was created back in April, the idea was sparked more recently, when I was out on my daily walk. It was a period when Edinburgh was being blessed by warm weather, and as a result, the general public hoarded to the village where I live, which is considered a ‘beauty spot’ because of the beach and stunning river walks. Apart from many individuals’ clearly ignoring the covid-19 safety advice given to them, I was astonished by how many fires had been lit on the beach, and pockets of dry land hugging the river. At the time, the ‘regulation’ wasn’t at the forefront of my mind, and I was more concerned about the careless scorching made to the grass, plants and some small trees. It wasn’t until later that day, did I remember the banning that was in place, and thought this could make for an interesting project that explores a perhaps less cared about topic surrounding lockdown. I revisited Paul Seawright’s work – in particular the ‘Fires’ series – which I first came across when doing the ‘Context and Narrative’ module. I’ve always felt he managed to capture what could be considered a dull subject – burnt out fires – in a captivating and meaningful way. Seawright’s work can only be described as allusive, and he is known for purposely creating “obscured” narratives that “gives its meaning up slowly”, in order for it not to become too journalistic in style. I feel this is an important factor I must take into consideration, as though my photographs’ – unlike Seawright’s – would include text in some form, they mustn’t be too reliant on the words in order for the viewer to understand their true meaning. Compositionally, each of Seawright’s images’ are similar, and all contain objects that have been damaged by the fire that act as the focal point, ultimately creating the interest that would otherwise make for a featureless photograph. It’s important I try to do the same, however, I won’t know if this will be achievable until I start the photographic process.
I’ve thought long and hard on how to make the text relatable to the underlying theme, and in which way to present them most effectively. I feel the words need to come from those individuals’ who have been directly involved with the ban. For example, the imposers, or those it’s trying to protect i.e. the vulnerable and emergency services. I’ve found that spoken words in audio form are limited in this regard, and I’ll be reliant on what was said in the papers, and online. This means the text would need to appear in the form of captions, or be presented in another way that’s seen within the image. Though, the caption would be the easiest option, I feel I have an opportunity to be more creative. After reading Michael Colvin’s project ‘Rubber Flapper’, I was impressed by its originality, and the extent Colvin went to, in order to tell his fictitious story. I’ve drawn inspiration from the fake newspaper he created, and feel I could incorporate something similar into my work. I feel however that this wouldn’t be a quick process, and due to strict timeframes, I’m not sure how achievable it is. Another idea I had, and one which is perhaps more realistic, yet still creative, is to produce placards one would see during protests. I think this has relevance to what we are seeing throughout the U.K currently, though, I fully understand this is a different issue altogether. It also has pertinence to the picket lines from 2002, when fire services across the country went on strike to demand better pay. I remember vividly, firefighters huddled around bonfires, waving their placards with messages of their demands. I would use this idea from the perspective of the ‘vulnerable’, and feel that overall, it would be fitting because of the subject matter being explored.
Since my initial research, I’ve been out to see the remnants of the fires, in the hope to plan for the photographic process. Rather annoyingly, a week of bad weather has erased almost all evidence, and quite honestly, they aren’t worth photographing, especially for an assignment. I was at least hoping for some charred items to be evident within the ashes, but at best, only faded scorch marks remain. I did manage however, to take a couple of photographs, to demonstrate my thinking – without the placards of course. In hindsight, I should’ve gone out earlier, as I really think this would have made for an interesting project. I’m not discounting it all together, but understand that I’m reliant on such things as the weather, stricter policing and ever changing policies.
For my next idea, I drew inspiration from OCA tutor, Les Monaghan, who recently produced a series called ‘Heard in Lockdown’. It reflects on the thoughts of six locals to Withernsea, regarding their lockdown experiences. Made to be representative of postcards, each pack was distributed to all residents within the town, in order for them to reply and share their personal stories. Not only is the concept creative and meaningful, the process is reconnecting a community that would have been separated, due to the current events. What interests me specifically – as I hope to achieve this myself – is the relationship between the text and image, and how the chosen words – presented in the way of captions – adds meaning to the photograph, rather than describing what is being depicted. With some of these captions possibly being described as ‘complementary titles’, as a viewer, the way we interpret, and ultimately form a meaning from those specific examples, is certainly challenged because of the relationship between the text and image. For example, on the occasions Monaghan depicts statues within his images’, it could be initially implied that they are responsible for speaking the words, relatable to the caption.
I would produce a similar style project, by reaching out to individuals’, to find out about their thoughts and experiences surrounding lockdown. The text would be presented in the way of audio – specifically the participants’ spoken words – which would support the relevant image. As I’ve not yet received any recordings, I do not yet know what I would be photographing in regards to subject matter. Though, I’m thinking that I would depict within the images’, the elements of nature, to resemble one of the aspects of lockdown, many of us experience less of. I like the idea of incorporating into the surrounding landscape, an item that specifically relates to the text associated with that image. This would also create juxtaposition between the natural, and man-made objects, the viewer would identify. I would need to ensure that the item didn’t mirror the text in literal form, and that it allows for the “viewer’s interpretation to be opened up” – as described in the brief. Until recently, I had great difficult in applying both video and audio to my blog. Below is an example of how I would present my work.
References
BBC News. (2020). “Coronavirus: Bonfire ban to protect those self-isolating” [Online] Available from: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-edinburgh-east-fife-52262030
Paul SeaWright. (2003). ‘Fires’ [Online] Available from: http://www.paulseawright.com/fires
YouTube. (2013). ‘Catalyst: Paul Seawright’ [Online] Available from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WszamWSHE50
Open College of the Arts. (2015). ‘Rubber Flapper’ [Online] Available from: https://www.oca.ac.uk/weareoca/photography/rubber-flapper/
Indy Media. (2002). ‘Firefighters Strike and Solidarity’ [Online] Available from: https://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2002/11/47700.html
Les Monaghan. (2020). ‘Heard in Lockdown’ [Online] Available from: https://www.instagram.com/lesmonaghanphoto/
Boothroyd, S and Roberts, K. (2019) ‘Photography 1: Identity and Place’. Barnsley, Open College of the Arts.












































