“I just want you to know, that we poets, and we photographers; we share the same soul”
I never thought that my proposal would remind someone of a poem. That was until this section of the quote I used by Viktor Shklovsky was brought to the attention of a friend of mine:
..the process of perception is an aesthetic end in itself and must be prolonged.
So, not exactly my proposal per se, but the applicability of that particular selection to both photography and poetry . The poem he referred to was The Red Wheel Barrow, by William Carlos Williams. Here it is in full:
so much depends
upona red wheel
barrowglazed with rain
waterbeside the white
chickens.
He then commented on the fact that some of the ideas behind photography can be mirrored in poetry, as it is something common to the artistic mind to question the nature of reality. In other words, the effectiveness of the poem is in the way in which he describes the wheel barrow; making the reader ponder over it and question it’s significance. This effect is very similar to the way in which we, and I quote:
“..step back from a photo and wonder why the photographer has chosen his subject matter. You can have a black and white picture with a single red jacket…so much depends on the red jacket.”
To fully understand the poem and what I’m getting at, read this commentary on it (it’s a quick read, don’t worry). I find it really quite fascinating how effective such a simple poem is at constructing a reality, and this ties in with the whole debate surrounding the construction and/or representation of reality within photography. What is the real in the photographic process, if there is any? One can even go further and say, what is reality at all?
Now, here is a poem he himself wrote that he used as a second example to support his point. It’s called Like So:
A poem on its side looks like a city at night. Upside down, like crystals, like stalagmites, stalactites, or blood – because we never can say what we want to say in a way that is straightforward and not shaped and edited with rhyme and meter to boast and soften the blow. Words said so mislead and hurt – like a poem lying on its side.
© Alan David Pritchard
The beauty of the poem is that it keeps twisting itself, altering what it’s trying to be. It’s ironic, because it talks about how poetry tries to be so many things and yet it does just that. This leads me onto the element of the Visual Spectacle [see brief] within the context of my project. Quite simply put, it is such that my attempt to isolate these objects is a visual spectacle in itself in the sense that I am prolonging one’s perception of a construct in order to place emphasis on it’s being. Much like the poem by Williams contemplates on the wheel barrow by making it stand out in it’s environment through the use of contrasting and enhancing descriptions of it’s surroundings.
For more of Alan’s poetry, please see his collection of poems entitled Advancing Backwards. You can preview 4 of them by clicking on preview underneath the cover.
One Man Band
On a much lighter note; sometimes one can’t help but admire a person’s creativity, no matter how silly:
Enjoy (In HD).
Caricature Map of Europe, 1914
The caricature below, by Keith Thompson, is a fantastic visual representation of the powers involved in the Great War of 1914. So much attention is paid to detail as well being beautifully drawn on a map of Europe. Quite striking actually, and the descriptions of the symbolic elements within each depiction of a country are very interesting.
Click on the image to be directed to its original page with a larger version accompanied by the descriptions.
George Orwell vs. Aldous Huxley
I came across this interesting strip by the cartoonist Stuart McMillen by chance. I don’t think I was even researching the subject at the time. Take a look, it’s certainly relevant to my project and should be of interest to all:
By clicking on the image it’ll take you its corresponding page. There are some interesting links and sources at the bottom, including a lecture by Neil Postman on technology and society, and a downloadable, four page, printable version of the cartoon if anyone is interested.
Controlling you, Controlling me
I have received a new project from University; the brief can be found here and below is my proposal outlining my approach.
Title: Entfremdung
The key question that I will be looking at is: does a notion of society imply or even require that there be a relationship of control and/or power between persons, between citizens and a government, between subjects and a law?
The angle at which I’m going to be approaching this question is one that attempts to study the increasing alienation of man in society and the diminution of human interaction. In addition, I will illustrate the increasingly disconnected manner in which we appear to be ‘controlled’ by third parties completely devoid of empathy. Although currently specific to technology and mechanization, I wish to make my use of the term third parties broad, perhaps including other elements that demonstrate my approach. The use of the word control will not always be linked to that of a government, but also to the way in which we have come to lead our lives.
My hope for the outcome of this project is to explore the parallels in the way in which we control nature and our micromanagement of society. Through this I will attempt to make the familiar, strange and unfamiliar. To quote Viktor Shklovsky who developed the concept of defamiliarization in literature:
“The purpose of art is to impart the sensation of things as they are perceived and not as they are known. The technique of art is to make objects ‘unfamiliar’, to make forms difficult, to increase the difficulty and length of perception because the process of perception is an aesthetic end in itself and must be prolonged. Art is a way of experiencing the artfulness of an object; the object is not important.”
I am employing two references to illustrate particular goals of my project. The first – from which I primarily draw visual influences – is the work of J Bennett Fitts, in particular his Industrial Landscaping series. Here is a selection of his photographs that interest me:
[My interpretation] In the above photographs, Fitts visually demonstrates his ability to evoke an awareness of our control of nature by isolating its’ elements against a backdrop of rigidly smooth industrial architecture and design. For me, the juxtaposition of the two provides an insightful glimpse into the relationship between man and nature, and the absence of any human presence within the images highlights the disconnected manner in which many of us have come to structure and lead our lives. A description of an exhibition of this work by the Kopeikin gallery, describes the trees as “afterthoughts, isolated representations of nature thrown in for good measure.” What strikes me the most is the simplicity of the work; the style relates to the content and works beautifully. For my project I want to adopt certain aspects of this style – particularly the focus on the odd placement of trees – and apply it to my attempt to visually isolate examples of objects that represent the apparent mechanization of society and diminishing social interaction. By placing them in the context of being the odd one out, my goal therein is to make technology – on which these examples are based – seem foreign.
My second reference, photographer Tyran Simon, is in relation to content. Her most recent work, An American Index of the Hidden and Unfamiliar, goes hand in hand with the above when thinking about my approach to Entfremdung. Here are a few examples:
Avian Quarantine Facility
Cryopreservation Unit, Cryonics Institute, Clinton Township, Michigan
U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Contraband Room
With this highly ambitious and successfully executed project, Simon brings to the forefront of our attention that which is not known or rarely seen, creating – as the body is aptly named – an “..index of the hidden and unfamiliar.” The examples of the illusive and the unknown depicted within this piece – gaining access to which took up 90% of the time spent working on this project – are perfect in the context of the work. I take strength from this project in the sense that I also seek to find as strong examples for mine as she has done for hers. However, my content will consist not of what is hidden and unfamiliar, but that which is familiar and integral (if you will) to the functioning of society as we know it today. As mentioned, I will then attempt to make these objects unfamiliar. My only limitation is the time frame within which I have been given to work (Deadline, December 2nd), which might inhibit me from having enough time to gain permission to photograph some of the more extreme examples I have come across (1). I am however very excited about the possibilities that this brief presents.
Feedback is welcomed and appreciated.
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