Ideas for assignment 1 Beauty and the Sublime
Produce a series of 6–12 photographs that convey your own interpretation of beauty and/or the sublime
within the context of
landscape. You may choose to support, question or subvert accepted definitions of these
terms. Your images don’t necessarily have to be made in the same place or type
of location; however, they should complement one another and attempt to function as a cohesive series
Ideas (all images unedited)
fear of the location – being something to be frightened of
Idea 1
Mountain biking through technical trails cut into the landscape or down steep hills or mountains fills some people with fear and trepidation and they would rather look at other people’s achievements than their own (Burke’s self-preservation ideas)
Idea 1
Mountain biking through technical trails cut into the landscape or down steep hills or mountains fills some people with fear and trepidation and they would rather look at other people’s achievements than their own (Burke’s self-preservation ideas)
Decided against as it would mean capturing facial
expressions which could be quite difficult as the people change from worried to
elated. Not all people feel the same – to some it would not be a sublime
experience. Location would mean not close to home – time allowance would be
great. Not followed up further at this point although something to consider. Inspiration
- video of Danny McAskill on the Ridge, Cuillin Hills in Skye shot by Scott
Marshall and Stu Thompson http://www.dannymacaskill.co.uk/
and previously researched MTB photographs for magazines before workshop.
Idea 2
My children do not like night riding in the forest. When questioned they think there are other creatures out there with scary eyes, the shadows and shapes play tricks on them and it is unnatural.
I explored this idea further by looking at some of the
ancient oak trees in Sherwood Forest. When taken in late evening the long
shadows accentuate the faces on the trees. Or the group of trees being
reminiscent of Fangorn forest in my imagination.
There are also
unusual shapes of old fallen trees which taken in the right light and from the
right angle look like something they are not. I only explored a small corner of
the forest and armed with an orienteering map, I can find other areas of the
forest. I think this has potential for assignment 1– my difficulty was in the
technical execution to make it look forest like because reviewing my first set
of images it looks like I have treated them as sculptures. Carpark open in the
evening and accessible.
I tried this in
overcast weather and it did not work as effectively. It was easy enough to find
the same trees for a reshoot.
Idea 2
Grimm's fairytales had shaped the imagination of not wanting to be alone in the forest.
Films such as Snow white, Hansel and Gretel, little red riding hood, into the woods, Jack and the beanstalk encouraged me to look at the landscape which would fit with this such as woodlands and more open spaces. Decided I could not get the right weather effects easily. What I decided I was looking for was forest like I had come across in Scotland with moss, rocks, dry stone walls and lots of rain and maybe this was a project best saved for visiting later in the year. Influenced by Killian Schonberger (photographer)I also looked at the effect I could achieve at twilight/ dark/ mist in my local woods. This needs more experimentation.
At low light and night, the forest becomes unfamiliar to me and routes which I knew based on certain landmarks are still there but look different. Add to that the sounds of the forest such as the nightjars singing, owls hooting and squirrels scurrying and other people around such as dog walkers staying out later and mountain bikers with powerful lights and it becomes disorientating. Freud described this as the uncanny (feeling of discomfort when seeing something simultaneously familiar and alien). I would argue that this fits into nature based on Morley’s editorial of The sublime: Documents of contemporary art (2010)
Can rule out misty conditions as it is not the right time of
year. Twilight and night time happen daily so photography just need to coincide
with my shifts. Small patch of light / light trails – e.g riding through
landscape in the dark may be creative.
The other idea I had which I have not taken any photographs of yet is of the destruction and disorientation which happens when deforestation takes place. Although this was probably a better subject for the winter as the workers started early and the machines came out of the darkness like monsters.
Based on what I feel confident doing, I will either
re-explore the low light shadow contrasts in the forest or look at the forest
at twilight / night.
Twilight / night-time shots – mix of landscape and portrait,
mix of heath and woodland, some structures such as a farmhouse with a light on,
piles of cut logs that are a solid shape in the dark? Riders with lights on
through narrow trails – trees close together, small pond, bracken (dragon like)
Low light shadow contrasts – mix of landscape and portrait
images, mix of single trees and groups of trees, tree with hollow roots which
fairytale creatures could live inside, some heathland, a sense of the landscape
of the ancient hunting forest, Juxtaposition of trees creating different
shapes, bracken (dragon like)
Having worked my way through a planning exercise, I think
low light shadow contrasts will be easier to achieve initially, with the idea
of developing it by delaying the time of day.
Following email discussion with my tutor, I revised my plan for the assignment.
The key to understanding the assignment was to find a working definition for the sublime. After watching Gravity at my tutor's suggestion and revisiting Burke and listening to a Radio 4 show, I had a different definition which sparked ideas.
Revised ideas for sublime
My definition
In Burke’s sublime, there is a power or force greater than
us at work which causes us to feel inadequate and question what happens beyond
humanity. This is portrayed in visual arts by expressing the subject in such a
way that the viewer connects with the work and experiences the emotion which
completes the cycle. The understanding of the body, science and the universe
has moved on since 1857 when Burke published his book “A philosophical enquiry
into the sublime and beautiful.” Thus his categories do not work for everyone.
In order to find the sublime and experience the emotion, one has to associate
with a subject which has some spirituality / force/ power behind it which makes
us question the subject.
(I will expand on this in my actual assignment).
Looked at reality and truth versus obscurity and artistic
photography. Some scientists acknowledge
the power of something greater.
Idea to represent the sublime in landscape;
Assignment
1 Beauty and the Sublime update
Subject:
Roadside memorials in the landscape
Images
1 and 2
3
needs reshooting at a different time of day
4
needs shooting early Sunday morning when the road is safer
5
and 6 need investigating further
My
definition of sublime:
In Burke’s sublime, there is a power or force greater than
us at work which causes us to feel inadequate and question what happens beyond
humanity. This is portrayed in visual arts by expressing the subject in such a
way that the viewer connects with the work and experiences the emotion which
completes the cycle. The understanding of the body, science and the universe
has moved on since 1857 when Burke published his book “A philosophical enquiry
into the sublime and beautiful.” Thus his categories do not work for everyone.
In order to find the sublime and experience the emotion, one has to associate
with a subject which has some spirituality / force/ power behind it which makes
us question the subject.
When people drive past roadside memorials at speed, they notice
them and experience some thought or emotion, even objecting to them being
there, thinking they are an unnecessary way of expressing the grief of the
significant others, whilst others think they act as a powerful reminder of how
dangerous the roads are. Some people experience the meaning of them but the
true power of them can only be felt by standing still and listening to the
silence (similar to the noise one hears during an outdoors Remembrance Service.)
A campaign by the local government introduced a sign with a
yellow border, a lamppost and a bunch of flowers at high risk sites to raise
awareness of the dangers. The signs were removed by the public. Another sign is
being introduced as well as more speed cameras. It seems that roadside
memorials stay because of the emotion attached to them. Some local governments
have policies of removing
them after 30 days. Ours seem to stay for several years. I have discovered it
is a subject which people feel uncomfortable talking about.
Research into the subject has shown me that there are
different types of shrines and when they are no longer needed, the landscape
reclaims the site. Having looked at 2 photographers (David Nance and Ilan
Ginzburg) who studied roadside memorials, I aimed to show that they can fit
into the landscape, be a sublime subject and enable viewers to appreciate the
meaning and representation of a private place in a public space. I had
reservations about this subject as it is sensitive; however, I hope I have
given it the respect the mourners would expect.
"There are many interesting angles to your proposal and the two photos you've sent over are sensitively done. I've been trying to find a series by the Leeds based photography Peter Mitchell as part of the Art Transpennine exhibition on personal shrines but he's notoriously elusive and I couldn't find anything online.
Make sure you differentiate the sublime from just 'spirituality'. You've mentioned Burke's idea of the Romantic sublime as being not very relevant to your idea, but you 'll need to back up your own usage with some solid references. You might find something under the modern sublime references on the Tate website -
http://www.tate.org.uk/art/research-publications/the-sublime/project-overview-r1117556 " Tutor comments 2015
http://www.tate.org.uk/art/
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