#constructed image

[sydstyx]

Industrial Wasteland: 

Who Controls Us?

Review 1 Constructed Image

[eviepeaches]

[ladygagas]

GAGA / FIVE FOOT TWO / Coming September 22

[americanphoto]

© Lori Nix

From: A BEHIND THE SCENES GLIMPSE INTO THE STUDIO OF LORI NIX AND KATHLEEN GERBER

[hannahboothpvd223-blog]

Yasumasa Morimura - Various Works

Morimura’s work looks at three categories of image to ‘recreate’. These are Celebrity Culture, Art History and Photo Journalism pieces. He’s a japanese man masking himself as mainly public figures. Completely the opposite end of the spectrum to Gillian Wearing’s work as he does not know these people only the lives and identities they lived out in the spotlight. He is exploring the idea of this constructed identity that they lived in the media by masking as them. He also looks at the image of himself as people he idolises or others idolise, as in do you become like those you idolise because you idolise them? Either subconsciously or consciously. 

[hannahboothpvd223-blog]

Lecture notes from 10/3/16

Constructed Identities: Portraits and Self-Portraits

In everyday life do people change their identity? I believe so, I think each person has a set of various different social ‘identities’ that they switch between. Whether this be through subtle appearance, the language they use or their mannerisms. I would feel uncomfortable talking to a lecturer the same way I speak to my friends as I feel the first is more formal. The same with appearance, I make more of an effort if I’m going somewhere with my boyfriend than I do for a 9am lecture in uni. Social situations change people in subtle ways and I guess you could call these ‘constructed identities’. The next set of portraits are constructed in this way and explore similar ideas to this, they also explore the idea of self-identity and the identity of others.

[hannahboothpvd223-blog]

References:

2008. Beneath the Roses. First Edition Edition. Abrams.

Darcey Steinke, 1998. Gregory Crewdson: Dream of Life. 1. ed Edition. Ediciones Universidad Salamanca.

Gregory Crewdson - Various Works

In his own words Crewdson wants to “tell the story through light and colour” (from the previous video). He uses elaborate settings and film crews and equipment to create his perfect image. As if this wasn’t enough he then superimposes each perfect bit from each negative to create a seamless image in which the lighting and colour is perfect in every way. This I believe is what makes his images look uncanny, they almost look unrealistic and more like a painting because like a painting the light and colours appear in a way that is not real (because it’s joined from a lot of negatives). He creates these huge narratives from one simple shot, often using domestic locations to tell the story of just ordinary people. The enormity of the backdrop and the work that takes place is what makes them feel dreamlike as well as the subject. He often makes his models look off camera and making their eyes look glazed, this again adds to the surreal effect of his photos.

The fact that his photos are in domestic locations creates a familiarity about them but the sheer scale of his productions plus the stitching together of his negatives make them at the same time unfamiliar which is why I feel his images are so engaging. 

[hannahboothpvd223-blog]

Gregory Crewdson video - watched during a session