What does the 'Grey Area' mean?
The 'grey area' - even the definition can convey a sense of ambiguity. In my mind, the phrase 'grey area' is a mental feeling of being uncertain on a specific topic, such as whilst learning something new and you haven't completely developed a full understanding about it. In addition to this, a 'grey area' could be interpreted as a physical space being unknown and undiscovered.
In regards to photography, a 'grey area' would be whether a captured image is a genuine representation of something. For example whether a photo is simply acting as propaganda and false advertisement or it is accurately reflecting the events in society. It may also be an area of space in an image simply around your particular focal point, possibly such as negative space.
In regards to photography, a 'grey area' would be whether a captured image is a genuine representation of something. For example whether a photo is simply acting as propaganda and false advertisement or it is accurately reflecting the events in society. It may also be an area of space in an image simply around your particular focal point, possibly such as negative space.
Our initial task:
We were asked to take a sequence of roughly 20 photos that included at least 5 of the following subjects:
- The back of someone's head
- An empty room
- A view through a window
- A small object shot in shallow focus
- A sign
- A worm's eye view
- Looking up
- An open book
- A gesture
- A note
With these incentives, these are the images I produced:
- The back of someone's head
- An empty room
- A view through a window
- A small object shot in shallow focus
- A sign
- A worm's eye view
- Looking up
- An open book
- A gesture
- A note
With these incentives, these are the images I produced:
After shooting these photographs, we were asked to create some sort of a story line with chosen captions. From the images I took, this is what I formed:
'All this was oddly comforting to me' | 'The camera was no longer an instrument that recorded presences' | 'This has happened to me before / I'm just telling you what I know to be true' | 'Your whole life's about to take a turn for the better'
Once more, we were asked to produce 20 images with each of these objectives in mind:
- A disguised portrait
- A doorway
- Tree bark
- An empty path
- A message
- A broken fence
- An abandoned object
- A glass or cup
- A disguised portrait
- A doorway
- Tree bark
- An empty path
- A message
- A broken fence
- An abandoned object
- A glass or cup
After viewing these images, I asked someone to narrate them as well as they possibly could. This is what they composed::
The Grey Dream
Glass of crystal clear on a wall of opaque,
Gate to shut open to none,
Gaze of rock open to all,
Green seen by few bronzes used by many,
Grill garden gripped by decay,
Grey cloudy hands gifted with a chance of rain,
Graft of metal with the matter of breathability,
Gangs intertwined in the confines of privacy,
Graffiti on the matter of growth,
Gated without the locks of idea,
Gable broken free of personality,
Garth of blending with fear,
Gabbro on the strings of containment,
Gravity of steel down and below,
Gatekeepers trade of the tool,
Gaining temperatures to a demise,
Grass grew to the state of solids,
Gather for the exploits of red hands and white noses,
Gifts by the manufacture mainframe,
Gaffle hands of the small to the sky,
Grabbing the grass growth to solid,
Grasped thread for the sake of touch,
Griped protection in a love of life,
Geometric links from links of nature to man,
Grinding rust to take air to give distance,
Gainfully chosen to coincidence,
Gratefully to be bound by gravity to none,
Griefully unchained but none to gravity.
With the images, they decided to create a poem in order to narrate and attempt to link the images. Due to their title of 'The Grey Dream', they challenged themselves to initiate each line in the poem to begin with the letter 'G'. I didn't expect them to create a poem at all but reading it is beautiful.
The Grey Dream
Glass of crystal clear on a wall of opaque,
Gate to shut open to none,
Gaze of rock open to all,
Green seen by few bronzes used by many,
Grill garden gripped by decay,
Grey cloudy hands gifted with a chance of rain,
Graft of metal with the matter of breathability,
Gangs intertwined in the confines of privacy,
Graffiti on the matter of growth,
Gated without the locks of idea,
Gable broken free of personality,
Garth of blending with fear,
Gabbro on the strings of containment,
Gravity of steel down and below,
Gatekeepers trade of the tool,
Gaining temperatures to a demise,
Grass grew to the state of solids,
Gather for the exploits of red hands and white noses,
Gifts by the manufacture mainframe,
Gaffle hands of the small to the sky,
Grabbing the grass growth to solid,
Grasped thread for the sake of touch,
Griped protection in a love of life,
Geometric links from links of nature to man,
Grinding rust to take air to give distance,
Gainfully chosen to coincidence,
Gratefully to be bound by gravity to none,
Griefully unchained but none to gravity.
With the images, they decided to create a poem in order to narrate and attempt to link the images. Due to their title of 'The Grey Dream', they challenged themselves to initiate each line in the poem to begin with the letter 'G'. I didn't expect them to create a poem at all but reading it is beautiful.
Photos narrating a true story:
We were asked to capture 5-10 images that narrated a true story or personal experience. For me, my initial thought was to narrate a recent break in that occurred next door to me which involved drugs.
Throughout these images, I tried to create a sense of ambiguity as to the events that occurred, yet still create the same atmosphere which was felt in the moment. The first image represents the initial break in (due to the broken glass and the fence behind it). Due to the lack of cleanliness and roughness around the glass bottle, a sense of unsafely is created, which accurately reflects the feelings conveyed at the time of the event. The second and third image contain tape from an investigation, which occurred prior and after the break in. Despite the council being informed that the home was not being used as a genuine living area, they chose not to interact with it - which later resulted in other’s doing so.
There is a theme of red in these images; red being the colour to connote danger, violence and anger. The theme was initially unintentional, however it continues to underline the seriousness of this break in and allows the images to perfectly reflect the true occurrences.
There is a theme of red in these images; red being the colour to connote danger, violence and anger. The theme was initially unintentional, however it continues to underline the seriousness of this break in and allows the images to perfectly reflect the true occurrences.
Documentary Uncertainty:
For me, the idea of documentary uncertainty links to the fact that photography can no longer be a sole piece of evidence when attempting to prove a factual point. We now know the ways that photos can be edited and changed in order to create a new perspective or a false interpretation of an event (or anything). An example of this would be when Stalin removed people out of photos in order to erase their existence from history. He did this when the individual was executed or even to just make himself look more 'handsome' in an image. This happened a lot in history and often acted as a method for propaganda.
"While the notion of a document is historically tied to ideas of certitude and confirmation and is primarily used in the legal realm, this certitude has all but vanished from contemporary consciousness. The experiences of the 20th century, its large-scale enterprises of propaganda and disinformation, have created an attitude, which could be called habitual distrust as well as advanced media literacy. Documentary modes still appeal to institutional modes of power/knowledge and cite their authority, but the effect is rather a perpetual doubt; a blurred and agitated documentary uncertainty..."
-- Maria Lind and Hito Steyerl, ‘The Greenroom: Reconsidering the documentary and contemporary art’. |
Seeing is no longer believing. The very notion of truth has been put into crisis. In a world bloated with images, we are finally learning photographs do indeed lie. - Barbara Kruger
Even before starting this photography course, that statement held a very powerful message for me and as soon as the idea of "documentary uncertainty' was mentioned, that one quotation immediately popped into my mind.
Jack Latham: Sugar Paper Theories
In 'Sugar Paper Theories', Jack Latham explored conspiracies around 2 missing men around 40 years ago in the southwest of Iceland, their disappearances weren't anything completely out of the blue (other than the fact that they had not been involved in anything which would lead to an occurrence as such). Later, an 18 year old individual supposedly decided to trek home (10km south) in nothing but a thin jacket through the Icelandic winter (which can have temperatures of below 0°C). Several months later, abruptly left his home and after an unexplained phone call, the 32 year old drove off and never returned. As time progressed, individuals began to be suspected of these crimes and eventually 6 individuals confessed to them, however they were never truly the criminals (in fact they had nothing to do with the cases, yet they still confessed). Each of their sentences ranged from 12 months to 17 years but eventually, it was discovered that they took no part in these disappearances. These random individuals had been indoctrinated with false memories by the police and the medical term of 'memory distrust syndrome' was introduced. Each of these individuals had to face time for a crime they did not do, whilst questioning how they were involved.
Throughout Latham's book, he explores the uncertainties and this internal confusion in this case by arranging the pages in a non-chronological order (which is how the police interrogated the individuals in an attempt to prevent them from lying, however it has proven to make them prone to coercion). In the physical copy of the book, there are 'french folds' (double pages) which can't be opened and displayed fully, meaning the viewer can never obtain the full image, reflecting the continuous uncertainties to this case today. In addition to this, Latham uses a range of materials in his book, such as a silvery type of paper when presenting a suspect and a pink sugar paper when presenting factual piece of newspaper from the Icelandic newspaper.
Throughout Latham's book, he explores the uncertainties and this internal confusion in this case by arranging the pages in a non-chronological order (which is how the police interrogated the individuals in an attempt to prevent them from lying, however it has proven to make them prone to coercion). In the physical copy of the book, there are 'french folds' (double pages) which can't be opened and displayed fully, meaning the viewer can never obtain the full image, reflecting the continuous uncertainties to this case today. In addition to this, Latham uses a range of materials in his book, such as a silvery type of paper when presenting a suspect and a pink sugar paper when presenting factual piece of newspaper from the Icelandic newspaper.
Jack Latham: Parliament of Owls
Through Jack Latham's 'Parliament of Owls', he intended to expose the secretive events at the Bohemian Grove conducted by an all male-membership. This includes artists, musicians, multiple prominent business owners, government officials, former U.S presidents and essentially anyone considered a person in power. Members are allowed to invite others into the Grove; typically white powerful men (women are ostracised from this event almost entirely). Whilst not being used for the entire membership to gather to talk about politics and burning things in front of their 30ft, hollow, concrete owl supposedly symbolizing wisdom, members may use this 2,700 acre of land for their own benefit. During these smaller events, women are included, however they (including 'minor guests') have to leave the property by 9-10pm. Sounds a bit sexist for the 21st century, don't you think?
In his book and during the entirety of his project, Latham wanted to investigate what truly occurred during these security guard barricaded walls. He is unsure as to where he first learned of the existence of Bohemian Grove, however it is suggested that it was due to his interest for his initial book 'Sugar Paper Theories', which was filled with conspiracies (Bohemian Grove is arguably one of the biggest conspiracies in the current day). The book contains images of: large and empty seating areas; unknown masked individuals in a random setting; owls. In the physical copy of the book, each page acts as a double page; they open up into a double page containing either an image or a bulk of text quoted in the club. I personally really enjoy this aspect to it as it's essentially an entire new book but all in one physical form and I find that interesting. The fact that they don't completely open could emphasize the secrecy within the club, as it isn't easy to read the information given or look at the image printed on the page.
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An example of a quoted section from the book
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Relationship between images and text:
We were asked to 'Create a sequence of photographs that explore the relationship between pictures and texts' and with that incentive, this is what I produced:
\When taking these images, I looked for (or an absence of) signs or stickers, that included text, which aren't typically seen everyday or I looked for oddly placed things that included pieces of text. Doing this, made me realise how many strange pieces of text around us, without us even noticing. I enjoyed having to look for these things as it made me more aware of my surroundings and what was happening as I had to read more signs (as I was looking for the out of place ones). The only worry had whilst capturing these images was the fact that I knew people kept looking at me confused as to why I was taking an image of that specific thing. However, their confusion could link back to the idea of 'The Grey Area' as I acted as the catalyst for their feeling of uncertainty. In addition to this, I did experience a few difficulties as some of the signs or words were either too high up for me to photograph how I wanted to or too far down.
Although it may not seem like much from first glance, the first image is quite interesting to me because at the time I only intended to capture the sign but upon later realisation, I captured the nature of 'radio frequencies'. There is a blue mesh around the sign which reminds me of the actual waves that make up frequencies. Another image I'm particularly drawn to is the one with the alcohol bottle and the empty packet of painkillers beside it. These two objects, in my mind, immediately juxtapose each other as alcohol is headache inducing and painkillers are used to remove that feeling.
Although it may not seem like much from first glance, the first image is quite interesting to me because at the time I only intended to capture the sign but upon later realisation, I captured the nature of 'radio frequencies'. There is a blue mesh around the sign which reminds me of the actual waves that make up frequencies. Another image I'm particularly drawn to is the one with the alcohol bottle and the empty packet of painkillers beside it. These two objects, in my mind, immediately juxtapose each other as alcohol is headache inducing and painkillers are used to remove that feeling.
Cao Fei - a Chinese multimedia artist
Cao Fei is widely known for her work (including video, performance and digital media) which explores the internet culture in China, as well as the dividing lines between dreams and reality. In addition to this, her work investigates the daily lives of China's citizens after the Cultural Revolution.
One piece which recently was the awarded the Deutsche Börse Photography Foundation Prize in London for her exhibition named 'Blueprints'. Her presentation in this exhibition included some of her newest film work, such as Nova (2019). With her film, she narrates the story of a computer scientist attempting to create humans into some form of digital medium. Throughout the cinematic piece, there are shifts between the periods of time and the included narratives. This 'retro sci-fi' film brings the audience on a journey that surpasses normality, as well as the world between fantasy and reality.
Personally, I really enjoyed Cao Fei's 'Nova' as the use of bright colours throughout kept me engaged. Typically, seeing focused on one piece acts as a struggle for me, however this film was truly entertaining. The storyline is initially confusing if you do not read the details provided beforehand, but despite this, it is still an interesting piece to watch.
Personally, I really enjoyed Cao Fei's 'Nova' as the use of bright colours throughout kept me engaged. Typically, seeing focused on one piece acts as a struggle for me, however this film was truly entertaining. The storyline is initially confusing if you do not read the details provided beforehand, but despite this, it is still an interesting piece to watch.
Aaron Schuman - an American based photographer
In the summer in 2014/15, Schuman visited his parents in Massachusetts (USA), and whilst he stayed there he realised that in each weekly newspaper, there was a section for police reports which weren't exactly harmful (they were essentially pointless reports). As he returned to the UK, he requested for his father to collect and send these reports to him. When received, he individually picked reports he found interesting and he discovered a reoccurring theme of the 'photographer' being present. From this, he became inspired to capture images which aligned with the reports, but he didn't want them to fit perfectly. Schuman wanted to convey the monotonous yet absurd tone from the reports in his images.
Whilst trying a way to link the images and the reports together, Schuman looked through other photographer's books which he knew did this well. He was fascinated by the motion of slant rhyme (used by Dickinson), which was where two words that almost rhymed were placed together but they never act as a perfect rhyming couplet. This 'almost rhyme' creates an unsettling feeling, as well as a feeling of uncomfortableness (which is portrayed throughout Schuman's photographs).
Personally, I enjoy this particular section of Schuman's work because I find the reports so surreal, at the fact that they are genuine police reports made that are published for other's to see. I also find the images that link to be quiet interesting as they are all genuine photos, they haven't been staged. Due to this, it makes me wonder why those particular objects (such as the foot) or signs are actually there and what the true reason for their presence is. |
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Throughout the _ gallery of photos, you will see a range of images which may not initially make complete sense in your mind, but when paired with a description and a deeper understanding of the images, they'll begin to make more sense. There are different collections of photographs in this project: some are grouped simply by a continuous color appearing in each group image; some tell and form a narrative story; some are paired due to a common theme of some sort. Every decision made in our _ gallery has been well thought out and combined to create these collages presented in front of you today.
My process:
When creating this collage of images, I decided to go with the theme of there being some form of biological form in each image and to form a separation between the lighter and darker images. In addition to that theme, I unintentionally included the idea of the images being related to inside and outside biology. The darker images diagonal were all taken along my road with natural light and the two images with the individuals were taken in my home with artificial light. These opposing aspects, for me, creates a contrast in the images and makes them appear either much brighter or much darker than they really are. I wanted to make the images compact together in the centre but not completely in a regular pattern. It seems as if the central image is the heart of the other photos and they spiral around, possibly reflecting the unending cycle of biology and nature.
Throughout this process, I attempted to make the images the same distance apart from each other, however I couldn't do so due to photoshop having grids which immediately lock when supposedly in place. However, I don't mind as they aren't too different and I am content with the result. I feel like the images are slightly too dark, yet it increases the contrast and questionable nature of the collage, which is the purpose. I thought of having a background which isn't simply white, but if I were to have chosen a slightly yellow background, the images would fail to stand out as much - which isn't ideal.
Throughout this process, I attempted to make the images the same distance apart from each other, however I couldn't do so due to photoshop having grids which immediately lock when supposedly in place. However, I don't mind as they aren't too different and I am content with the result. I feel like the images are slightly too dark, yet it increases the contrast and questionable nature of the collage, which is the purpose. I thought of having a background which isn't simply white, but if I were to have chosen a slightly yellow background, the images would fail to stand out as much - which isn't ideal.