I firstly narrowed down my images to 30 for assignment one. I then decided to narrow them down further. I printed my images to 6×4, and laid them out.
This was probably one of the hardest things to do for these images. The process of cutting down needs thought. I laid them out and used my instincts but also I was trying to think ahead in my mind. I was trying to imagine how the images would work together and which wouldn’t. It did take me time, as I would go over and over trying different combinations until I reached a point where the images worked to me. The images were saying something to me and I felt the combinations worked.
This is location one:
I took away the ones that I didn’t feel anything from, and was left with these.
I moved them about and rearranged them to see different combinations.
Then narrowed them down further.
Here are my final images I have chosen for the first assignment.
For the next location I did similar to what for the above. Here is my process
I had my last tutorial today for my Body of Work course. We looked through my images together. My tutor felt I had done a good job in bringing my work together. I changed the text following the last tutorial, I have changed the font and made it larger in comparison to the images. My tutor said the text now looks right and without it’s own agenda and it’s not imposing judgement. My tutor recommended changing the colour of the text from black to around 80% grey. My tutor talked about a blue cast to my images, reminiciant of old postcards that fade in the sun, and maybe there is an acronyms here. I will need to make clear whether this was conscious decision and explain my reasoning.
We talked about my intentions for presenting my work, I thought maybe as a large print, or in a book or a newsletter, similar to a church newsletter. My tutor and I agree that the newsletter format would be more appropriate for my work. It would be a good base for disseminating my work. My tutor said it was a brilliant idea. She suggested I tried some out and print them. To show these on my websites, I should create a video to show the pages.
My tutor read my introduction and said it was terrific. There are a few words to change here and there. I spoke about my title. My tutor said the title was fine, but I need to give the viewer some background into my introduction. I also need to start my introduction with talking out the pilgrimage.
I need to Write a reflection of my work. This will be an important aspect. Here I will discuss my work and my research. My research has helped me develop my work, I will show how my research has influenced me in my reflection. I will also explain how I have met the assessment outlines. My tutor said my work is simple yet complex, which is a hard thing to do.
Here is my feedback form that I have filled in, with additional comments from my tutor:
Following my final feedback with my tutor, I am happy with how my work has turned out. I am going to print out my images in a newsletter format and I will change a few words in my introduction.
Present your final portfolio to your tutor, along with your introduction and your evaluation. Let your tutor know any preliminary ideas you have for realising your publication and presenting it to a public audience in ‘Sustaining Your Practice’.
Many landscape images we see are of expansive inviting vistas, rolling hills, glistening waters and vibrant colours. Whilst the images are pretty, there is an issue. Which is that the majority of these are taken by men; through a man’s eye. The gender gap in landscape photography is very prominent, but is quite often looked over. This has led to essentially us seeing the landscape through a male perspective. There are many reasons for this; one specific reason originates with religion. Gender inequality is seen within some religions, this has in time caused ingrained beliefs and created a structured inequality in our society. With my background in studying religion, I decided to investigate the inequality in landscape photography whilst utilising the inequality in religion. I have done this by embarking on a pilgrimage, a route which was specifically designed for men. This allowed me to document this journey as a woman from my perspective and not through a man’s eye. I have contrasted the gender inequality in landscape photography with the inequality in religion, but this also raises the issue of inequality in art and in a global sense too. Using a craft associated with women, my work now takes the form of a collage. I would hope that viewers will be able to see my images and think about gender inequality, their experience of it, and even how they may not have realised the extent. The more we highlight the issue, the more we fight against it, the more improvements can be made. Maybe one day we may all be treated equally.
…your old men shall dream dreams
10th of August 2020
Here is my second draft of my introduction, following my tutor’s feedback:
Introduction
your young men shall see visions…
Pilgrimages: a way to get closer to your faith or show devotion? You would think then it would be accessible to all. But this is not the case. My work follows a pilgrimage, one which was specifically designed for men. So what about the women? Well they have been excluded from this journey of faith. Named after the mountainous backbone, In the Shadow of the Preselis, is an aptly named pilgrimage, however with the exclusion of women, one could say, In the Shadow of the Men, is more appropriate. Gender inequality is seen within some religions, this has in time caused ingrained beliefs and created a structured inequality in our society. With my background in studying religion, I decided to investigate the inequality in landscape photography whilst utilising the inequality in religion. I have done this by embarking on a pilgrimage, a route which was specifically designed for men. This allowed me to document this journey as a woman from my perspective and not through a man’s eye. Another area where inequality flourishes is landscape photography. Many landscape images we see are of expansive inviting vistas, rolling hills, glistening waters and vibrant colours. Whilst the images are picturesque, there is an issue. Which is that the majority of these are taken by men; through a man’s eye. The gender gap in landscape photography is very prominent, but is quite often looked over. This has led to essentially us seeing the landscape through a male perspective. My work contrasts the gender inequality in landscape photography with the inequality in religion, but this also raises the issue of inequality in art and in a global sense too. Using a craft frequently associated with women, my work now takes the form of a collage. I would hope that viewers will be able to see my images and think about gender inequality, their experience of it, and even how they may not have realised the extent. The more we highlight the issue, the more we fight against it, the more improvements can be made. Maybe one day we may all be treated equally.
Ever since I was a child I have always enjoyed photographing landscapes. It had never really occurred to me that there was an obvious divide between the genders here. But when I started to do some research it was obvious. The majority of photographers in this genre are men. I began thinking of ways I could represent, highlight and fight this inequality. With my previous studies being in religion, I decided I would follow a pilgrimage which was designed for men. This would be my landscape images. It also occurred to me that this would also be looking at the inequality within religion and also in a global sense. This pilgrimage became my own journey. A journey of realisation and discovery.
I started my work by intending to follow the pilgrimage and using this as a backbone for my exploration of the gender inequality in landscape photography. I really didn’t know how I was going to do it. But I did want to explore this topic, as I found it is something people either don’t realise or don’t talk about. I started by looking at landscape pictures and the common themes in them. I then decided that I wanted the opposite of the norm, I wanted images that were not perfect, to symbolise the discontent. So my work included blurry, over-exposed and under-exposed. My work has evolved to make a collage from each location. I have kept the basis which is exploring inequality in landscape photography, but also with references to the inequality in religion and in a global sense.
I started my research by looking into gender inequality and the inequality in landscape photography and how artists tackle this issue. I have also looked into pilgrimages. I have tried to find artists who have followed a journey or pilgrimage, but also those who are looking into psychogeography. To aid in my decision about my techniques, I looked into artists who use collage. I looked into how artist use text and how they sequencing their images. As I was researching various different topics and techniques, I had a lot of research. Catherine Opie was one artist who influenced how I photographed my locations. Several male landscape photographers have helped me see how they see the world. Mary Beth Edelson used religion to address gender inequality in the arts, her work has been influential. These are to name a few.
As my work has evolved, I feel my work explores gender inequality but not just in landscape photography, but in a global and religious sense. I followed this pilgrimage which was designated and followed by men, in order to complete my own journey as a woman following in their footsteps. Something which would have been frowned upon in their time. I believe it also raises questions regarding patriarchy and inequality. I am following a man’s journey, but my images now reflect my journey, as a woman.
I do not feel that my images will only resonate with one particular audience. I believe my images are suitable for all, as this is an issue that effects everybody. Despite this inequality being against women and men are favoured, it would require both sexes to raise awareness and to fight it. I hope when the viewer looks at my image, they can bring their own experience or thoughts of gender inequality and religion. I would like my images to get the viewers to think about the gender inequality, not only in this specific journey but also in a global sense. It could perhaps lead to their own journey of discovery surrounding inequality. I would like people to see my images and really think why have I followed a journey that was designed for men. Why as a women, photographing in the landscape genre is this a rarity? Why aren’t the images perfect? What new image does the collage make? Why does these images show oppressive and restricted tendencies? Most importantly, how does the images make the viewer feel? Are they aware of gender inequality and how deeply it is rooted? Do they care?
I want to use images that weren’t perfect, so as to distance my work from the ‘perfect’ landscape images you see, as I hope this shows that there is something wrong, something is not perfect. You can still make the images out but they do not possess the clarity. Hinting at the state of the world with gender equality, everything may seem ok on the surface but it truly isn’t. My technique of following a pilgrimage designed for men is an important aspect as I am following it as a women, something that wouldn’t have been accepted back in the original pilgrims time. I am following in their footsteps, seeing the same landmarks, but experiencing it completely differently. I have learnt that various techniques of art throughout history have been associated with women, these have been valuable to my methodology. Hence when assembling my images, I decided to make a collage. This technique is associated with women, so I believe it is very apt for my work. I ended up taking hundreds of images at each location. I obviously had to be brutal in the editing process. I went through the images quickly initially and took out the ones that I didn’t think would fit. At this point I still had quite a few pictures. I tried to get a feel for the location, and think of an idea for how I would arrange the collage. I then cut out the other images. It was a long process but I felt more connected to the final images I have chosen. I was able to make a new image from the others I took. The different aspects came together to make a new meaningful image. This could be in contrast to how people change their reality to make out gender inequality doesn’t exist, mainly because it doesn’t effect them. I have created a new image, symbolising the inequality not only in landscape photography nor in religion, but in a global sense. I think my technique has enhanced the final outcome. By using collage, I have been able to create a new image. I also took images that were not perfect. They were out of focus, over-exposed and under-exposed. I did this as I wanted to show the uneven ground in landscape photography and symbolise the different views and discontent. I like this effect as it can get the viewer to think. They can question why these images are not perfect, hopefully they can see something is wrong, it is not a perfect world view.
I did make some mistakes along the journey. One mistake I made early on was not to progress my ideas fully. I was stuck at just compiling the images, and not pushing my ideas. I also had low points, for example when I had issues arise in my personal life, it just halted my progress and changed my state of mind; I just didn’t know what to do, but I was determined to carry on. My high point was actually making the collages. It was fun and engaging. I loved the fact that I was actually creating something with my own hands. I really grew to love this technique. I think this work has influenced me, and I think it has made me think of other challenges, other areas people don’t talk about but are obviously there. In essence, I liked the challenge of challenging issues. This is something I would like to try in the future. I enjoyed this topic and found that my personal voice started to show through. I like the fact the I am looking at issues and bringing them to light and addressing them. I also like creating a collage of my work. I like the effect it produces and I like using this technique. I would definitely use this in the future. I like addressing issues and exploring using this method. I will take away the fact that there are issues in the world and art can be a useful tool to bring them to the light and to address them. I have also learn to experiment more, as I found this has gotten me closer to the my work.
I have been thinking about how I will present my work, one idea is presenting as an exhibition at a venue. I have been thinking about where I could present it. In keeping with the religious theme, an exhibition at a local church might be apt. The only issue is as I am addressing inequality in religion, they may not be happy with it in their church. The same could be said for the last stop on the pilgrimage, St. David’s Cathedral. Maybe a local gallery would be suitable or possibly publishing it in a book. For an exhibition, I will need to contact possible venues to see if it would be possible to exhibit with them. Another idea would be for a book publication, I will need to decide on a format and what I will include. I will look into different publishers and self-publishing. I think self-publishing may be the best route.
After my last tutor feedback, I have changed a few things. I have kept the images roughly the same as I felt it works for what I want to achieve. I like the effect my collages have and I think the text and side image bring the whole work together. I re-printed and re-did the collages for a better finish. This time I used a thicker matte photo paper and fixed the issues with my printer. These helped produce a better image. I cut them out, and was careful with the cutting so the lines are hopefully better.
I have kept the actual text the same but have changed the font for a clear one. I want this one to emulate the text from the Bible, so i tried to use a font that was closet to that in the Bible. I also made it bigger so it is easy to read and one of the main point on the image. Here is an example of the text:
Title
I have been thinking of a title for this project. The pilgrimage itself goes under difference names, but a local name for it is ‘In the Shadow of the Preselis’. I debated whether to call my project this but I wanted something that referred to what I was looking at, so I have decided to call it ‘In the Shadow of Men’. This refers back to the fact that I am looking at gender inequality in landscape photography but it also raises the inequality in religion, and the fact that women are in the shadows of the men in the Bible.
Map
In my last tutorial, my tutor suggested a map to link all the locations to give context. I have experimented and I really like the outcome.
I started by creating a map of Pembrokeshire, where the pilgrimage is located. I decided on using a black and white image, as I found it was clearer and wouldn’t be overly busy. Here is the map:
I marked the locations with a red dot.
I can either keep the map how it is, but I decided to experiment with featuring the actual location somehow. I tried linking each location with the mapping images I used for them. Which you can see here:
I then decided to try showing a small snippet of the main images to allude to their location, you can see the result here:
Like the map on it’s own but I think it could be better. I have looked at the mapping map and the main image map, to see which I think looks better. I like both, but I am drawn to the one that has the main images. I like that it gives a small snippet of the location without giving to much away.
Presentation
I have looked into ways of presenting for publication. I thought of a book format, a digital exhibition, a physical exhibition and presented as a newspaper, or church newsletter. I think a book or newspaper publication would be better for my work. An exhibition may work but it just doesn’t feel like it would fit my work. I have tired these out.
Here are my attempts at a book:
Here is my church newsletter/newspaper:
I think I prefer the newspaper/newsletter format at the moment, there will be text among the images, but there is a lot to develop in Sustaining Your Practice. My ideas might change or need re-developing and exploring further.
Tutor Feedback
Here is a link to my tutor’s feedback for this assignment and also my comments and how I am responding to the feedback:
I feel I have now brought together my final set of eight images as a series. I have made minor changes from my last tutor meeting and am happy with the outcome. I have re-printed the images and re-done the collages to improve the outcome, I feel it has worked well. I feel my images are complete and do demonstrate the skills I have acquired and have used throughout this course.
Quality of outcome
I have amended the small details that needing changing and I know feel that I have a cohesive series that works well. I am happy with the re-printing and re-do of the collages. I feel the outcome has improved dramatically. I am happy with the outcome of my work.
Demonstration of creativity
I have used various techniques to demonstrate the oppressiveness of the patriarchy and how women are excluded. I combined my images and created a new one using a collage technique. I have also added another dimension. I have included a female in the image to reinforce my role in the journey and the creation of the image. These women are set on a map of each location to give context to the places. I have used bible quotes in a font similar to that of the bible which reinforces the inequality in religion and in my images.
Context
I have followed a pilgrimage, as a women, which was designed for men. My work centres around exclusion. Women have been left out and excluded from many aspects of life, religion being one. They are viewed as being submissive, weak and ‘owned’ by their husbands. Gender inequality is rife throughout life, not just in religions, but can also be found in place like landscape photography. My work highlights in inequality in religion, landscape photography, in the arts and in life in general. I believe my work would sit well in postmodern feminism. To contrast the exclusion and inequality of women, I have included my own version of strong women, in the form of my family. They have all contributed to me, they are my ancestors and are apart of me. I used my own archive of images for this. I have given the locations context as I have included a map to a give a sense of being. I believe my images could also fit into psychogeography. I believe my work would fit several different disciplines, but is ultimately a feminist art piece.
Georgina's Body of Work 