Gunter Brus

Wow, so, from reading 'The Photo Book', I came across the 'Self Portrait' project by Gunter Brus. The images took my by surprise because they are rather disturbing...yet intriguing. Brus covered himself in a whit paste, and marked with a brush a line of what might be dark stitches from his scalp to his neck. It really looks as if he has been opened up and put back together again. 

The make up skills that Brus has shown in this project are superb and really creative. I particularly like the way that he has chosen to show one piece of apparatus that could have given him the injury in each image. This makes the viewer wonder what happened to him and what was his inspiration - was his inspiration a real life event? So, apart from the really creative art work on his own face, Brus really involves the viewer by giving off some mixed narratives. It reminds me of Orlan; an artist who had a variety of plastic surgery on herself in the name of art; to be something completely different and to push the boundaries of the art world. Although this is not as dramatic and permanent, it does remind me of the story because Brus has changed the way he looks in the name of art. Also, to some it may be quite disturbing, as the work or Orlan was to me.

Interesting

While researching, I came across a rather different look at Photography. It was called '100 photos taken at unusual angles' - although the site is intended for a humorous purpose, I found the images really clever and interesting. The majority of the images have been set up to look a certain way:

And some were simply a misjudgment of the angle...

I think that these images, where the composition is not intended to be a certain way, are incredibly creative and interesting to the eye. All are down to a talented photographer who caught each shot at a fantastic moment in time. 

Life Hurts

I came across Zach Gold while undergoing some research for another project. In all honesty, I liked every single piece of Gold's work. In particular I really enjoyed his series of work, "Life Hurts". This project portrays a number of images showing people clearly hurting themselves. They are all in black and white, bu I think this added contrast really emphasizes what is being shown in the photos.

The images that I have chosen here would have to be my favourite. Gold has captured each incident either in mid air or during it happening. I think this is both clever and visually aesthetic. The fact that each image has the words 'life hurts' printed clearly over the situation, makes the viewer engage more with what is actually happening.

Kurt Wenner

'3d Street Art', also known as '3d chalk art' is 2-dimensional artwork drawn on the street itself that gives you a 3-dimensional optical illusion from a certain perspective. It can be very breathtaking, realistic and at the same time very captivating once you get the angle right. Kurt Wenner is best known for his 3d Street Art and has made it a craze around the world. I first came across it on Facebook and now 3d street arists are gaining much popularity these days. Famous brands are already taking advantage of the public’s curiosity on 3D street paintings to create awareness for their new products. 

I decided to write a post on this 3d art because the first time that I saw it, I was totally mesmerized and gobsmacked. It is so incredibly clever and original, and I had never seen anything like it before. It makes me think, 'could I do something like that if I put my creative skills to the test?' Probably not. But worth a try one day I think... 

Some of my work - Definitely a proud moment

In March this year, I volunteered to do some event photography for a local music festival, which was organised by a 3rd year Music Journalism student. My role as photographer was to use VIP access to capture a variety of shots of each of the 10 acts. The festival was a huge success and I was really happy with the images that I got out of the experience. The festival itself was based outside the Guildhall in the town centre, and the students had set up a stage and a DJ tent for people to enjoy for no charge. 'Smile in the Square' was a brilliant day for me, as a photographer, because it gave me some extra experience in event photography. Here are just a few of the shots:

This experience was one that I will remember for a long time, and the images will all be revealed in my portfolio. I took over 600 images during the day, and  have narrowed them down to only 300-400. The guys who led the festival should be incredibly proud, as I got to see first hand all of the preparation that went into it. It really made me think about the fact that all musical acts come from small local bands - so all of the acts that I photographed could one day be as big as some of the worldwide artists that we see today.

Girls, Girls, Girls

From doing a lot of research into portraits in my Representation project, it reminded me of an exhibition that I visited a few years ago - Women of Our Time: Twentieth–Century Photographs from the National Portrait Gallery 


"This critically acclaimed exhibition is a stunning collection of photographic portraits of women whose brilliance, courage, style, and unflagging spirit have helped shape America as we know it." - National Portrait Gallery website

For me personally, this exhibition was incredibly inspiring as a woman, to do exactly what I want, when I want to do it. The empowerment of women is so important to our lives today, and this exhibition really put it into perspective. My favourite image that was up, was the picture of Marilyn Monroe, because she, to me, is one of the most inspiring women of all time. She is sexy, elegant and inspirational to everyone. In each image, the composition shows the woman in the centre of the frame, so that the eye is drawn directly to them, rather than to anything else in the image. It is almost like the women are empowering the images themselves, rather than being in a vulnerable state, like in a lot of photographs. 

100 Years Ago...

So, as it is the 100th anniversary of the sailing of the Titanic, I thought I would do a bit of research into a photographer who was actually on board the ship. Father Frank Browne spent only a small amount of time on the ship, but the priest captured some of the most iconic and enduring images of the ship - images upon which our naiive modern-day knowledge of the interior of Titanic and the atmosphere on board are based. Father Browne was so much more than an amateur photographer who snapped away. The fact that he has captured real people going about their business on board ship, and that the majority of those people were dead a few days later makes his images interesting and treasured. 


He really knew the value of what he had captured because in the Spring of 1913 he contacted the White Star Line’s advertising department to seek permission to use photographs and further materials in his lectures on Titanic. The reply he received was astonishing. “We shall be glad to obtain photographs of the illustrations to which you allude in the Olympic booklet but shall appreciate it if in any lectures you deliver you will abstain from any reference to the Titanic as you will easily understand we do not wish the memory of this calamity to be perpetuated.” In the end, a good story could not be kept down and Father Browne’s pictures were central to its telling over the past century. 

"Photographer Father Francis Browne Year 1912 Location Cork Francis Browne received two gifts from his uncle Robert that would change his life. The first was a camera, given to him when he was 17 as he left his native Ireland to tour Europe. The second was a first-class ticket for the first leg of the RMS Titanic's maiden voyage in April 1912, when he was 32. 
Consequently, Browne, a trainee priest at the time, produced dozens of photographs documenting life aboard the most famous ship to set sail. 
On his passage from Southampton to Cork, Browne was befriended by an American couple whom he met in the firstclass dining saloon. The couple, who were millionaires, offered to pay for him to continue his voyage to New York. He telegraphed his superior to ask permission to stay. The reply was short but indisputably clear: "Get off that ship - Provincial." - The Times, 2010. This was incredibly ironic and fortunate, because now we get to enjoy his fantastic photography that is now celebrated for the ship's 100th anniversary.