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Now that I am at the end of this unit I just would like to go back and look at the tutorials I have and look into where they have led me.
From tutorial I I went onto researching for artists that recorded the existance of industrial buildings and I found how the New Objectivism and Bauhaus school dealt with this and other themes such as mundane objects trying to engage the observer with visual stimulus. The photographer had a very defined stylistic approach that allowed the images to trigger our memory and made us reflect upon what they are representing and even if there wasn’t human presence, the human trace was highly notable .
I also went to locations such as Deptford and Tilbury. Some of the images that I took in Deptford were then exhibited at the FEEDBACK exhibition, it took place at the House Gallery (4-18 Dec 2008) and was a very positive event which made me collaborate with all my peers and learn more about their work and, at the same time, learn about mine and how it worked in the context of a gallery with all the other different disciplines. The curation of the work was interesting, there wasn’t much space to explore a lot of different possibilities of distribution but given the circumstances I think that we managed to arrange a quite well balanced exhibition, it looked good.
After tutorial II I was ready to start experimenting with long exposures. Jonathan gave me the idea of going to Area 10 as it was a large industrial depo. I went and I experimented but the results were not satisfactory. That led me to make a lot more technical research into the matter of long exposures, reciprocity failure and digital raw capture. It also led me to look at M. Kenna who practiced night photography with most of his work having an architectural context. After that I had my first good result with long exposure photography…that was comforting. But most importantly the failure of my long exposure led me to think about how I could achieve a good result with some digital imagery, I looked into HDR and also I came up with my own procedure of mixing two different exposures. This is the method that I intend to employ for some of my final results.
In tutorial III we spoke mostly about the research paper, it was a very useful talk and it made my ideas more focused. I also feel that writing this essay has been tremendously useful to contextualize and direct my practice.
For tutorial IV I had a few things to show Andy regarding my practice. I have been researching about how to get maximum tonality on prints from film by using the Zone System, I am still trying to capture part of my work using chemical/mechanical photography. I also had the opportunity of photographing a small pump house and I had processed one of the photographs using HDR and mixing exposures. We also talked about the prototype and this has led me to start investigating photo intaglio processes, the use of video and light boxes.
Discussing what I am doing at the moment with Andy and telling him about the prospect of photographing the Low Hall Pump House he suggested to have a look at the Ladywell Baths in Lewisham. They opened in 1885 and they are now in a state of disrepair. I have found some information about them that I include at the end of this blog’s entry, and I shall investigate what is the best way to approach the council and gain permission to photograph the site. Other 2 places that I’ll attempt to visit and get information from will be The Markfield Beam Engine House and Kew Bridge Steam Museum.
Another point that we discuss it was about the prototype for the final show. It would be interesting to consider showing the images of the interiors portraying a larger statement. Having a way of situating them in relation with the exterior world giving them a stronger sense of enclosure and age. One way of doing this could be to have a projection of the exterior world on top of them. A good representation of the exterior world could be something from nature as opposed to the man-made referents of the photographs, maybe the sky or water…
One thing to consider if I use a masked projection is the light that the projector will inflict on my prints, if they are situated underneath. My initial idea was to print them using a traditional enlarger in fiber coated paper which allows deep tonality, but now I think that the best solution for them to be viewed correctly under a projection will be to display them as film positives in light boxes or as a plan B on LCD screen.
Ladywell Baths (Grade II)
The foundation stone of the baths was laid in May 1884 by Mr. T. W. Williams, Chairman of the Baths Commissioners. The baths were completed a year later, and opened on 25 April 1885, having cost £9000 to build. The architects were Wilson, Son & Aldwinckle of 2 East India Avenue, Leadenhall Street. These architects were also responsible for the Forest Hill Baths which opened in May 1885, a week after Ladywell. Thomas Aldwinckle (1845-1920) lived in Dacres Road from the mid-1880s for about twenty years. In addition to the pools, Aldwinkle also designed Louise House, the Boy’s Industrial Home in Perry Rise (demolished a few years ago) and the Brook Hospital and Water Tower at Shooters Hill.
The Ladywell baths were declared to be ‘an ornament to the neighbourhood’ by the reporter from the Kentish Mercury, and called beautiful by Viscount Lewisham M.P. when he formally opened them. The building contained two swimming baths, each 90ft by 30ft, lined with white glazed brick, which sloped in depth form 3ft 6in at one end to 5ft 6in at the other. In the first class bath, the ceiling was of pitched pine with a skylight, and had a gallery running along three sides with dressing rooms under. All the doors connected with this bath opened outwards. There were also 28 private or ‘slipper’ baths. At the time they were built, the baths were, with the exception of Paddington, the largest in London.
The conical roof of the tower of the baths was removed in the winter of 1907/08, as the Baths Committee did not feel that it justified the spending of £60 for its repair. They said that it fulfilled ‘no useful purpose and its claims to be of an ornamental character are…more than doubtful’. The tower itself ‘is built over a deep artesian well which was sunk to supply the new demand for water’. The coping stones of the original Ladywell (which was situated close to the station) were uncovered in the 19th century during works to the railway bridge and in 1896 were apparently incorporated into a fountain which stood in the grounds of the Ladywell Baths.
New swimming baths were built in Lewisham in 1965, as the old building was considered too expensive to run (Lewisham Borough News, 14 Dec. 1965). At the time, it was thought that the old building would be used ‘as a social centre of some kind, although at present, no firm ideas have been put forward. It is highly probable that the main hall will be used for an indoor cricket school or bowling alley, but nothing is certain yet’. The rear pool building was demolished in the spring of 2006 following a fire.
We talked about the essay and I mentioned my interest on how photography represents our times. Photography is seen as something to validate our experiences, as Barthes wrote “a photo is of something”. I am interested in the fact that photography has a role as testimony of historical events, as it happened with Joel Meyerowitz’s pictures. He was commissioned by the Museum of the City of New York to make for posterity the official images of the scene in Ground Zero after the 9/11 events. These pictures where exhibited in the city and later internationally.
Jonathan mentioned a website www.mercurynewsphoto.com where the news are presented in a highly stylised approach. I looked at one of their reportages, “Uprooted”, it is presented as photographs with a voice over plus insets of video. It is beautifully made and it brings back the debate about photography serving a memory function, evoking the memorable and giving a feeling of “pastness”, in direct contrast to the moving image and its “presentness”.
It is very interesting to see how moving image and still image cross over and are integrated. Another example that was mentioned was the film “Hunger” by Steve McQueen where there is a scene that last for about 10 minutes and is a single shot in a straight angle. In the scene Bobby Sands informs a member of the clergy that he intends to commence a hunger strike. This scene is showed to us as an almost still image, accentuating the scene’s gravity and its transcendence.
1- Walter Benjamin, Art in the age of mechanical reproduction: He was
recommended as a good example on how mechanization on the industrial revolution affected art. I could compare this effect to the one the digital revolution has had, although this latter one has happened in a much sorter space of time. A curious example is China were the industrial and digital revolution has occurred in the space of five years.
2- Mark Prensky, Digital Native (www.marcprensky.com): This could be an example on how our contemporary society is being affected by the digital revolution. He talks about the different generations using the terminology of being a tourist or a native to the digital world, how the older generation finds it more difficult to understand the computer language.
3- We talked about locations and how it is a good idea to contact a local history group as they may be of help to secure permissions to access sites and of course a good source of information regarding the history of industrial buildings.
4- Area 10 in Peckham was suggested as a good space to experiment with the camera and long exposures. It will be a good idea to get in touch with them and get access to their premises. I have the telephone number for the manager:
Demitri Lounder.
5- A photographer that works with long exposures: Lennart Alves. He has some very beautiful pictures of trees, state housing and of course…pylons!
AbuGhraib1
MoonlightPicture
Marion 5
After my tutorial with Andy I took with me the following: I would like to start my practical work by photographing the inside and outside of industrial buildings. I will approach the outside buildings in a archaeological manner, I would like to capture them in the urban environment and also investigate their history and use my findings to create collages. Also I would like to approach the inside of the buildings and try to see the significance of anonymous architecture by treating it as an sculptural form. Looking at the factory as a machine of living, a place where memories have been imprinted. Looking at the division in between the public and the private space. I will make sure that I record all the process of my photographic experiments with long exposures.
The work of Rachel Whiteread was mentioned. I had a look at her work and I will write a post about it.
He also suggested visiting some industrial areas such as Tilbury, Isles of Sheppy, Margate and Deptford. I am very interested in visiting these places.
