Idea Blog for 02/11

Bear in mind, early last semester I was toying with the idea of the moths serving as a metaphor for the behaviors I’ve developed as a result of my parents’ divorce. These behaviors closely resemble the symptoms of OCPD (obsessive-compulsive personality disorder), of which my dad suffers (anxieties, obsession of cleanliness and organization, perfectionism, rigid moral or ethical values and disinhibition).

While perusing through blogs this weekend I came across an interesting quote by German-American theologian Paul Tillich: “Neurosis is the way of avoiding non-being by avoiding being.” With the threat of non-being, the Neurotic is often creative in his attempts to deal with it by creating an “imaginary world” for himself. Honestly, I almost flew out of my pants. I hadn’t considered the possibility of reintroducing this idea into my work until I came across this quote; it perfectly supports my concept for this semester. I decided to do a quick Google search of Neurosis and came across this:

“Neurosis represents a variety of mental disorders in which emotional distress or unconscious conflict is expressed through various physical physiological and mental disturbances which may include physical symptoms like hysteria. The definitive symptom is anxieties. Neurotic tendencies are common and may manifest themselves as depression, acute or chronic anxiety, obsessive-compulsive tendencies, phobias, and even personality disorders such as borderline personality disorder or OCPD”

This is kind of sad and not something I would normally be excited about, but for the sake of my work, I am ecstatic. It goes on to explain that, as simply defined; Neurosis is a “poor ability to adapt to one’s environment and an inability to change one’s life patterns.”

After skimming through a few essays I found an essay titled Neurosis by Dr. Arthur Janov. The last paragraph reads: “Struggle is what keeps a child from feeling his hopelessness. It lies in overwork, in slaving for high grades, in being the performer. Struggle is the neurotic's hope of being loved. Instead of being himself, he struggles to become another version of himself. Sooner or later the child comes to believe that this version is the real him. The ‘act’ is no longer voluntary and conscious; it is automatic and unconscious. It is neurotic”

I’m mostly connecting with the ideas of being the performer and becoming versions of oneself. The way I see it, the person taking on these other personalities is so they can escape the life they belong to realistically and become a superior person; someone they wish to be, possessing things they’ve been denied as who they really are. In my attempts to protect myself from and escape the issues at home, I (Hayley), have physically and mentally removed myself from my home and who I am as a person. In a sense I suppose I am allowing myself to exist only in my own mind and in correlation with the ideas presented above about neurosis.

Neurosis by Dr. Arthur Janov

About OCPD

About Neurosis

Artist Blog for 02/08

1/19 A Fantasy, Michael Bailey-Gates

11/46 Fashion, Michael Bailey-Gates

13/19 A Fantasy, Michael Bailey-Gates

24/46 Fashion, Michael Bailey-Gates

Michael Bailey-Gates is a young photographer from Rhode Island. His work primarily focuses on narrative and narrative fashion. Many of his sets are constructed indoors and outdoors without the use of Photoshop. He usually commissions work from makeup artists and wardrobe stylists when he works with models. He utilizes light beautifully and very creatively sculpts what materials he has to enhance the narrative properties of his images. Stylistically, Gates seems to have an alternative anti-fashion style that captures the expression of the model(s) and the wardrobe well, and effectively communicates a concept that furthers the images into that of narrative and escapist photography.

I admire his ability to create exterior spaces with little use of props, or simply by the way he photographs the scene. I strive to achieve this in my own work and look to Gates photography for inspiration to use whatever I have (even the strangest of materials) to try and create narrative spaces.

He is also the 3rd photographer so far that I’ve seen use the crown. I was kind of put-off by it but I’m also glad that I’m seeing how different artists use this prop; it only allows me to understand how to separate myself from their work and push my work further.

Michael Bailey-Gates Flickr

Artist Website

Artist Interview

Idea Blog for 02/04

Untitled 1, Kerry McDonnell 2009

Untitled 2, Kerry McDonnell, 2009

Untitled 3, Kerry McDonnell, 2009

Untitled 4, Kerry McDonnell, 2009

Untitled 5, Kerry McDonnell, 2009

So much to talk about! Where to begin?

Because of the snow I was not able to go home this weekend (and given the forecast I don’t think I’ll be able to make it home this weekend either). My meeting was pushed back until next Tuesday so I plan to show Tom these images and discuss with him a few details about them. I did show these in my PowerPoint, but have included a few others here. What does everyone think of these images? I'm considering asking Tom if I can include the 2nd to last image in my portfolio this semester. Also, to set the record straight, my sister will be standing in for myself as I think it is only appropriate given my work from last semester.

I’d like to discuss with Tom that I am considering having Hayley (my sister, I’m going to refer to her by name now-FYI) wear a crown for each shoot. However, I want the crown to symbolize her escape but I don’t want the images to be about the crown; it will be implied that she is wearing one in the images you cannot see it. I’d also like to discuss the idea of her wearing a different colored crown for each “escape.” I’ve done similar photo shoots before using the crown and each time I’ve had to make her a new one because they’re easily damaged. Using a different color crown for each shoot will more obviously suggest that she’s had to make a new one each time. I’m also interested in this idea because I think it emphasizes the fact that these “escapes” are only a temporary solution to the issues at home and the act of having to remake one each time stresses that these escapes are not real and cannot last forever. In addition, I plan on having her dress differently and in a different location for each final photograph, which will also suggest that the color of the crown varies on who she plans to pretend to be that day.

I’ve also considered including our dog in some of the photographs. What I’m drawn to about the images above is how protective Hayley is of the Charlie (the dog). Essentially, Hayley “escapes” to protect herself (her sanity) from my parents’ divorce; I see Charlie as an extension of Hayley; as a manifestation of her protection of herself.

Lastly, I’d like to introduce a fashion element to these images in the way they’re shot as well as the wardrobe chosen. I feel that last semester’s work is a little inaccessible and by making this semester’s work applicable to a wider audience it will not only elevate last semester’s work but help get people interested in my work as a whole.

What do you think?

Artist Blog for 02/01

Love in the Afternoon, Spread in Allure Magazine, Norman Jean Roy

Teen Vogue, August 2009, Norman Jean Roy

Harper's Bazaar, August 2009, Norman Jean Roy

Norman Jean Roy is a fashion editorial, advertising, and celebrity portrait photographer who began his career in Paris after having quit his job for Saturn as a graphic designer. However, Roy considers himself a documentary portrait photographer, as he sees his job as an opportunity to document his life; “it’s not the photography that matters, it’s the journey.” In 1999, Roy was named one of the 30 most promising photographers under 30 by PDN magazine. Currently based out of New York, Roy has shot for numerous advertising clients such as ABC, Coca-Cola, and Nike. He’s also shot for major magazines including Vanity Fair, Vogue, Harper’s Bazaar and a slew of others.

In an interview with Mamiya as one of their Master’s Showcase exhibits, Roy describes his approach to his subjects as “run-and-gun.” He prefers to do little research on his subjects as he thinks working this way allows him more freedom by being able to shoot his subjects how he sees them without being inhibited by prior knowledge; he finds there is something enticing about the rawness and unpredictability of the moment. When asked about his lighting, Roy mentioned that he lights his sets himself, commenting on how a lot of people put too much emphasis on lighting: “I think it’s another thing to just react to light, to allow the photograph to be what it is.” He goes on to discuss his different lighting methods, using minimal light (such as an on-camera flash) for some shoots, and having to use 10 to 15-packs for others.

I work very closely to Roy’s process and perhaps this is why I am so connected to his work. It is evident in his photographs that he operates on the fly and that optimism and confidence in himself as a photographer is very apparent and equally inspiring. While I am not working with celebrities, I am still able to feed off the personalities and moods of the models I do work with and I can easily agree that working in this manner is freeing and much more gratifying. I think over-planning, let alone planning, is incredibly hindering and could potentially upsets the authenticity of the photograph. Roy’s process of “run-and-gun” is most obvious in his fashion and/or portrait photography that he shoots on location. There is an emphasis on working with-and reacting to-the light and atmosphere with which he is shooting. His images are candid and effortless; exuding an honesty that I don’t think is present in many other fashion photographers’ work.

Norman Jean Roy Photography

Interview with Mamiya

Visiting Artist, Kerry McDonnell, 01/27

Charles, Vasa, Minnesota, Alec Soth, 2002

The images in Soth’s series Sleeping By The Mississippi definitely make the viewer aware of the space between the subject and the camera/photographer, however that separation-that space- is a bubble; a bubble full of air. I take away nothing from these images other than perhaps the slight comical appeal of a man raking leaves in his pajamas, or that the man standing on his porch in a jumpsuit holding planes might like to travel. I can’t connect with these people and I have a hard time accepting his attempts to pass through space and “connect the dots of fragmentary photography” to tell a story. Perhaps that’s all he wants the viewer to understand. Or perhaps I’m thinking of his work too shallowly. To me, his images were quality, well-composed shots of homes, fences and people he’d meet along the sidewalk or in a park. I felt his work tried a little too hard to relate to things such as Hockney’s “Paralyzed Cyclops” and Eggleston’s “Democratic Forest.” I can see how these apply to his work, but they seem a little desperate and too much of an afterthought. For instance, his “The Narrative Machete” I found strove to communicate words his images failed to.

However I was interested in his process of photographing his subjects. The amount of time it takes him to set up his shot allows the person to relax and “come into themselves” where they start to think about their own lives instead of how they’re looking on camera. Working by this method does allow the photographer to capture the subject in an instinctual and chaste sort of way, which makes the viewer’s experience of this person much more genuine and honest. However, I think this process of isolation between the photographer and the subject is what is important to him as a photographer and his work instead of the actual image itself; and it is that process that doesn’t seem like it’s communicated properly and is therefore inaccessible by the viewer.

I am also attracted to the juxtaposition of his straight-forward style of photography and his descriptive and poetic use of words (and I’m okay with enjoying that element on a superficial level). Sleeping By The Mississippi is about his travels in wandering from one place to the next for which the river is a metaphor. Although, what is frustrating about his juxtaposition in this case is that he dampers it by including images of beds to reinforce the motif of sleeping (and his supplementary interest in dream theory and logic). This acknowledges too much and flattens his imagery and the overarching concept.

His more recent work Niagara has a little more foundation as I think it was rebirthed out of itself. It started as a project about love and romance until he explored and sought deep enough, whence a darker, more sexual theory took hold. It became about the question of why newlyweds flock to Niagara Falls, which he explains as being “weird and sexual.” I can trust his concept for this work easier than I can trust and accept his concepts for other work and I’m not entirely sure why; maybe because it originally spawned from the love of his girlfriend, which seems much more personal and relatable than his desire to travel.

I enjoyed Soth’s lecture; I thought he spoke carefully and with intention. Clearly he has a passion for what he does, which-as always-is inspiring.

Alec Soth Website

Sleeping By The Mississippi

NIAGARA

Artist Blog for 01/25

Purging, C-print, 60x48", Sarah Hobbs, 2009

Denial, C-print, 48x60", Sarah Hobbs, 2009

Escapism, C-print, 48x60", Sarah Hobbs, 2009

Sarah Hobbs is a photographer/installation artist who attended the University of Georgia where she received her BA in art history and MFA in photography. Her first solo exhibition titled Emotional Management is on view at Solomon Projects in Atlanta, Georgia.

Hobbs’ work in her sixth and most recent series Small Problems in Living further investigates phobias and obsessive compulsive behaviors. “Her wit and sensitivity towards this touchy subject matter creates a familiarity and accessibility which allows the viewer to become engaged with the work” (Solomon Projects). Hobbs has been able to translate intangible, mental conditions into physical, isolated incidences that echo the complex, cycling nature of the human condition.

Hobbs exhibits her work in large format, printing her photographs fairly close to life-size which allow the viewer to assume the role of the photographer. Printing at this size is an important part of integrating the audience into the physical and psychological space of each image. “What sets Hobbs apart from other photographers working in a similar vein is that she both constructs an illusion and at the same time exposes its materiality to the viewer” (Solomon Projects).

I am most interested in her photograph Purging, where she has taken pages from a diary and erased its contents and hung them systematically on her wall. What appear to only be blank pages are revealed by the eraser shavings that litter the carpet. There are slight traces of the words that used to fill these pages, whose original purpose was to alleviate anxiety of the every-day. It seems this process became frustrating and in an attempt to forget, the writer erases the physical trace of these memories and proudly hangs them on the wall. Ironically, this effort to forget is a reminder of itself and the memories erased. And perhaps these hints of words and sentences suggest that the subconscious never truly forgets.

Much like my own work, the tasks completed in Hobbs’ images may seem unnecessary to the viewer, yet completing these tasks is a significant component to the person who performed them. While my work was only in reference to memory, the task of trying to successfully recreate memory and interrupt it was a critical step in overcoming my fears and anxieties over what the trauma of the divorce has made of me. I can connect with Hobbs' work because earlier last semester I originally spoke of the moths metaphorically representing the mental and emotional behaviors I have developed as a result of the divorce.

Viewing Sarah Hobbs’ photographs has helped me begin to gauge- and understand the function of- escapism: exactly what I am trying to communicate in this semesters work. I view Sarah Hobbs work as a consolation that comforts the viewer by creating a tangible experience from mental disorders that the viewer can identify as their own. Her work reassures me that I am not alone.

Solomon Projects Website

Solomon Projects Artist Page: Sarah Hobbs

Solomon Projects: About the Artist

Fall 2009 Senior Portfolio Work

Memory 1, Forgetting, Digital Photographs, 16x20", Kerry McDonnell, 2009

Memory 2, Forgetting, Digital Photographs, 16x20", Kerry McDonnell, 2009

Memory 3, Forgetting, Digital Photographs, 16x20", Kerry McDonnell, 2009

Memory 4, Forgetting, Digital Photographs, 16x20", Kerry McDonnell, 2009

Memory 5, Forgetting, Digital Photographs, 16x20", Kerry McDonnell, 2009

Memory 6, Forgetting, Digital Photographs, 16x20", Kerry McDonnell, 2009

Memory 7, Forgetting, Digital Photographs, 16x20", Kerry McDonnell, 2009

Memory 8, Forgetting, Digital Photographs, 16x20", Kerry McDonnell, 2009

Memory 9, Forgetting, Digital Photographs, 16x20", Kerry McDonnell, 2009

Memory 1o, Forgetting, Digital Photographs, 16x20", Kerry McDonnell, 2009