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Week 2 and 3 – Autobiographical Approaches

Updated: 22 hours ago

This weeks task is inner lives, outer contexts. Showing a series of autobiographical images. I had a few ideas of what I could do.

I decided to look at my queerness and the things I have collected that show where I live is queer.

From these I chose the following:

The last image where my husband has a packer on his forehead, I likened to Del Lagrace Volcano’s image:

Volcano, 2002
Volcano, 2002

The image is slanted slightly, showing how not straight the photographer and subject is. The subject is holding a packer to his forehead, this is a flaccid penis, like the ones that Volcano used in the above. The subject is smiling in laughter, as it is funny that he is essentially admitting to being a ‘dickhead’.

During this weeks webinar, I showed these photos. People seemed to enjoy the photos, and wanted to look more into the day-day, the things that everyone has in their home, but not everyone has in such a queer way. I was told that those things rather than the flags would work a lot better and be more interesting that just photos of all of the gay flags around the flat.

During the next week, I did another shoot, where I looked primarily at more domestic items that have a sense of queerness to them.

I chose a set of images from this second shoot:

I then found that I had too many images for the brief of 8-12, so I had to cut some out.

The finished product is a PDF with the chosen images, with a simple title page showing the title ‘Domesticated Queerness’

During the week 3 webinar, I presented my work. Whilst presenting, the number one thing that I was told was that I needed to work on the white balance and not use auto. People really liked that it was very up close and personal. Also when you look at the image it looks like a normal space but then there is an element of queerness, not just from the fact that it’s gay, but from the fact that it’s strange (especially the bathroom shot). One person said that they liked the more 2D photos like the shelves and the wardrobes because there is more to it. They also like the ones where you can see more clutter, more of things that it feels like you’re not meant to see.

My peers also presented their work, one person worked with focus and moving focus, he layered multiple images over one another and they’re so interesting where you don’t know where to look or what the main focus is meant for. He also laid out the photos in a way that plays with the focal points, it worked so well. Another person worked with graffiti and fine art to layer doodles and school rules over her work, I could see a powerful message within it and I think that it was really good.

Looking at one task from this week, where I had to find a photographer that uses photography as a mirror. I found an article that spoke about Kasia Strek and Pete Kiehart, especially their project that they did together whilst Pete was isolating with covid, documenting life with covid and how lonely they each felt without each other. I felt as though these photographs were a proper look into how Pete felt, as he waited to recover, and see how Kasia waits for him. They published their work as a form of photo essay with NPR. This way of exhibiting this particular project really works as it surrounds the topic, nobody can go to an exhibition, people are saving money, they’re not buying books or magazines, however everyone is glued to the internet, to see the good the bad and the ugly of what covid is.

Kierhart, 2020

We were also to analyse a photograph of our own choosing that shows photography as a mirror. I looked at some of the photographers that we mentioned in the lecture, by some of my peers, and ones I looked at for the previous task, but I felt that I wanted to look at one that was a self portrait, as I feel that is the best way to show your true self (not just your literal self). I was looking on an image search, when I came across Vivian Maier.

Maier, Undated

Looking at replies to my entry into the forums, and also looking at my peers entries, I have found a number of artists that I am interested in. Firstly is a lockdown project, Poikkeustila 2020.I particularly like this photo it shows the darkness surrounding how much the quick shift into primarily digital lives had an impact. 

Pitkänen, 2020

Next was this image by Tony Luciani. The sense of having to move on through grief is very touching and very powerful. Seeing the woman dine as she always did with her partner, now alone but still seeming to toast her partner.

Luciani, 2014
Luciani, 2014

I also liked this photo by Anmol Kachroo. It is very up close and personal, you can see every pore on her skin, and the way that her bindi spreads, the shadows and light on her eyes make for a very interesting photo, and you feel as though you shouldn’t look for too long, as it is so personal.

Kachroo, 2021
Kachroo, 2021

Looking at this weeks reading, I read an exhibition review, looking at Nan Goldin’s work. As I was reading this, I couldn’t help but think that Nan’s work is as personal as it can get, she shows her life, she shows her pain and her trauma, and doesn’t hide from any of it. Especially this quote: “It could offer further insight into why millions of people in the free world feel an overwhelming need to numb their pain” talks about how her work doesn’t just show her trauma, but the trauma of so many others, but it can also answer questions for those people who don’t understand this trauma.

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