Part 2 – Project 3 “Photographing the Unseen” – Exercise

Brief

All three of these projects are examples of personally driven work but they become
universal when we can relate to the feelings they present by visiting our own
personal histories.
• Which of these projects resonates most with you, and why?
• How do you feel about the loss of authorial control that comes when the viewer
projects their own experiences and emotions onto the images you’ve created?

Among the viewed projects the keenest response in me was aroused by the “Ring Road” of Dewald Botha. It seems that I liked most the visually strange combination of utilatarian constructions, well-attended plants and haze in the air. Dewald writes that “Ring Road developed into a metaphor for distance placed and personal limits reached within the confines of language and local culture”. He further writes that “Ring Road questions and explores exactly that which allows us our freedom, or what we believe the definition of freedom is, but which
we turn into our own invisible limitations and boundaries“.

For me the images of the ring road represent some sort of vision of the future. The world where environment is strictly controled in order to survive – water bodies and plants are shackled with concrete. Thus in my own personal interpretation the limitations pictured in the series rather represent the limitations independant of us that the life itself or the world impose on us or on our surroundings,  but not the our own invisible limitations and boundaries. But this is of course a personal interpretation greatly influenced by my own experiences and tastes.

I feel ok about this kind of “the loss of authorial control”. When it comes to analyzing and reviewing pieces of art I always recall a citation from the nobel lecture of my beloved poet Joseph Brodsky: “A novel or a poem is not a monologue, but the conversation of a writer with a reader, a conversation, I repeat, that is very private, excluding all others – if you will, mutually misanthropic. And in the moment of this conversation a writer is equal to a reader, as well as the other way around, regardless of whether the writer is a great one or not” (http://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/literature/laureates/1987/brodsky-lecture.html). Brodsky said this about the literature, but I guess it could be equally applied to photography. In my understanding the viewer is “participating” in the process of interpreting an image. And it is totally ok if he does not agree with the author’s interpretation or general idea.

Part 2 – Project 2 “Image and Text” – Exercise 2

From Pindemonte

By Alexander Pushkin
Translated by Walter Arndt 

I have but little use for those loud “rights” – the phrase
That seems to addle people’s minds these days.
I do not fault the gods, nor to a soul begrudge it
That I’m denied the bliss of wrangling over a Budget,
Or keeping king from fighting king in martial glee;
Nor do I worry if the Press is free
To hoax the nitwits, or if censor-pokers
Spoil journalistic games for sundry jokers;
All this is merely “words, words, words” you see.
Quite other, better rights are dear to me;
To be dependent on king, or on a nation –
Is it not all the same? Good riddance! But to dance
To no one else’s fiddle, foster and advance
one’s private self alone; before gold braid and power
with neither conscience, thought, nor spine to cower;
to move now here, now there with fancy’s whim for law,
at Nature’s godlike works feel ecstasy and awe,
and start before the gifts of art and joyous adoration – 
there’s bliss for you! There are your rights …

The above poem by the greatest poet of Russia, Aleksandr Pushkin is one of my favorites. Pushkin pretended it to be a translation from the Italian poet Ippolito Pindemonte – a mere hoax to fool his censor. In fact it was his sincere belief that true artist should not have “neither conscience, thought, nor spine to cower”. One aspect of this poem is that true art can not be just a tool in the hands of those in power, it is always just so much higher than the mercantile interests.

The other aspect that I see in this poem is much more personal. This is almost a philosophical, or at least lifestyle-determining question – what will be the priorities in my life? And it is true that I am still hesitant, still not confident.  Fighting for “rights”, for the welfare of the people, becoming a leader – this all seem worthy goals. But love, peace of mind, moral self-improvement, this all seem more important? When reflecting upon priorities, Pushkin helps a lot.

In the series below I have tried to capture some of these feelings. These images will probably mean nothing to anyone except me, as they are mostly photographs of the places I love and live in. The first image is opposed to the remaining ones. It features a billboard calling the people to vote during the upcoming early parliamentary elections. These farce elections initiated by the ruling party, and having the sole purpose of forming a tamed parliament for the period of impending crisis have caused bitter ridicule and criticism among opposition circles. Looking at this I only echo Pushkin as “all this is merely “words, words, words”. I state that “quite other, better rights are dear to me”. Looking through the art albums in my living room, listening great music, spending long summer nights conversing with dear friends in the garden house, sitting on the bench with the neighbor, listening to the spring nightingales, strolling through uninhabited steppes on the outskirts of the city – these is what I have learned to cherish.

 

Part 2 – Project 2 “Image and Text” – Exercise 1

Brief

Cut out some pictures from a newspaper and write your own captions.
• How do the words you put next to the image contextualise/re-contextualise it?
• How many meanings can you give to the same picture?
Try the same exercise for both anchoring and relaying. Blog about it.

I liked the introduction of the terms “Anchor” and “Relay” that help define different ways of using words with pictures, made very clearly by Roland Barthes  in his 1967 essay ‘Rhetoric of the Image’. These definitions really help with understanding and analyzing the motives of the journalists for chosing one or another photograph and writing captions for them.

In my understanding anchoring of photographs is still more common in the “daily” reports, especially in the countries like Kazakhstan, where ideological considerations still prevail among the media outlets. It is also true that anchoring allows journalists to use more “generalized” photographs, and sometimes even taken from photostocks. On the contrary, relaying requires using photographs of higher “narrative quality” that convey some story by themselves, and suggests a freer journalism.

E.g. the original caption of the photograph below, featured in the recent news report, is as following: “77% of Kazakhstan citizens voted during the past parliamentary elections”. And this caption is relatively neutral. In general, a photograph of shuffled ballout papers can be accompanied by the text of any tone and inclination, like: “The majority of the united nation supported the party of the National Leader”, or easily: “Observers state that elections in Kazakhstan has nothing to do with democracy”. Of course the feeling and perception of the image change drastically depending on the caption.

 

The original caption for the photograph below is: “The city built roads and parkings instead of the demolished markets”. The situation is the same – anchoring allows to change the caption virtually to an opposite one: “Violations of the entrepeneurs’ rights are widely reported during the disputable demolition of the markets”.

 

As mentioned in the course, when relaying is used,  “image and  text bounce off each other to create a fuller picture that allows for ambiguity and  various interpretations”. In my opinion this is a more “honest” journalism as it involves the reader into the evaluation of the story. The original caption for the photograph below is: “40 bus drivers went on strike in Karaganda”. This caption explains the situation while the photograph allows the reader to see the immediate effects of what is happening. Reader can judge and analyze the feelings and motives of the pictured people and decide for himself if what is happening is right or wrong.

 

Part 2 – Project 1 “Telling a Story” – “The Dad Project” and “Country Doctor”

I have read through and greatly enjoyed the both photographic essays. Both essays are very strong and though made in very different way, they both reveal the life, human feelings and attractive qualities through its beauty and sadness.

The life of Dr. Ceriani is a life of a real man. He is a man of action. As described in the Time article, the essay illustrates “inner workings and the outer trappings of what is clearly a uniquely rewarding life”. Dr. Ceriani is motivated by compassion and responsibility for others’ life and well-being. He essay vigorously shows how he tirelessly does everything he can to ease the suffering of his wards.

The story of Bryony Campbell is very different. It is the story of much more intimate relationship between father and daughter, the story of love and agony of loss, the story of feelings and emotions that accompany the death of close and loved person.

Why did Bryony Campbell called this story “the story of an ending without an ending?” I understand because the experience that she went through, the careful analysis, reflection and her newfound spiritual connection with her father will stay with her forever. This story will never end for her. She writes: “Though this small furry book isn’t much of
a substitute for Dad’s presence, the journey I’ve been on to make it has been my most inspiring yet. Most significantly because I’ve been on it with my dad – every day since he died”. “I didn’t find it hard to get on with my normal day at all, as my dad and the project were very much a part of my normal day.” “I consider myself fortunate that the memories of my wonderful dad’s death enrich me rather than depress me, and fortunate for feeling comfortable talking about it.” “I am so grateful to my dad and for giving me a way to keep moving forward with him, and to photography for making it possible.”