I had multiple images from each location so this gave me choice. I have narrowed them down and have made slight changes on a few of the images of how I think they can be improved. I have eight final main images for my series. I would have probably had more, but unfortunately due to the Coronavirus outbreak I have not been able to go out and photograph.
I decided I wanted to add another element to this assignment. I wanted to bring in the constant between the inequality and male dominance eluded to in my main images, and some how show my version of a strong women. I though about this for a long time and decided that I would use images of women from my family. These would come from my own family archive. This would allow the images to be more personal to me and keep to the fact that I am also on my own personal journey. They are my family, the women who have influenced me and made me me, they have ‘followed’ me on this journey, hence why I combined their images with the mapping images. Including the maps was always a part of my original plan, I feel this combination works well together. It shows the woman are following me on my journey as a woman through a male-dominated path.
Again text was part of my original plan. I just wasn’t sure what it would say. I thought about maybe a poem, or a speech, but then I decided to keep to the religious theme and use quotes from the bible highlighting the inequality.
Now I have all of my images, I needed to think about how to set them out in a complete series. There are three parts to each image now, similar to a triptych format. Triptych usually has religious connotations, so is apt for my series. For this assignment, I have just set them out, but for my final submission I will sort-out a background for the images to settle on.
I have made some sketches and set the images to see how they look:
I have narrowed it down to two set-ups which I think will look suitable. Here’s the first:
Here’s the second:
Assignment Images
Here are my images as a complete series following the first format:
Location One
Location Two
Location Three
Location Four
Location Five
Location Six
Location Seven
Location Eight
Here are my images as a complete series following the second format:
Location One
Location Two
Location Three
Location Four
Location Five
Location Six
Location Seven
Location Eight
Here are the images by location (not in any format):
My next step is to cut down my image to get my final selection. This is going to be a difficult process as I needed to look at each image individually but also as a whole and how they work in the series. I made several different collages of each location for choice, however I think cutting them down is going to be difficult, as I will have to be brutal in my selection. I will be looking at which images work and portray what I want the audience to see but they also need to work together, which is going to be a challenge. I have 27 images in total and 8 locations. This is probably on the the biggest choices I will have to make in my body of work. I will tackle this by looking at one location at a time and then looking at them collectively.
Location One
These were the first collages I made. I was happy with them and am unsure which to pick. I like this image a lot, even though it is quite simple. I feel the bars create the illusion of being excluded, symbolising that women can’t get in.
But I like this image too, it has the same basic image as the first but has other elements added in. The murky path, leading up to the door within the glass windows, featuring male figures. The door shut, not allowing entry. The metal fencing to the side, showing restriction. The immovable structures of the church, possibly symbolising the difficulty experienced in inequality. There are no names visible on the gravestones, showing parallels of being lost in history and time.
I have choose the second image, but have made some changes. I have included the bars across the whole image as I did like the base image with the bars. I cut out the bars in-between the window bars, so they didn’t obscure the view of the male figures on the stained glass window. Here is my final image:
Location Two
I really like this image as the way I have positioned the paddock appears to stop entry from the bridge to the church, it’s off-limits. It shows you cannot carry on your journey on the path. I like the effect of the main image being out-of-focus, you can still see what the objects are but it signifies the lack of clarity, the uneven visions, and possibly a murky area where some people believe gender inequality doesn’t exist and disputes it’s existence.
This next image is slightly different and looks at the site in a different way. We can see the path goes off to the side rather than to the destination, and along it is a pebbled rocky surface representing the rocky road of gender inequality. The steps are positioned amongst the stained glass window which opens to show the front door of the church, which is shut to us. The higher window is barely visible through the thick hedge row, showing that gender inequality can be overlooked by some as it isn’t always visible to everyone.
I have chosen the former image:
Location Three
This first images shows a barrier between the viewer and the destination. But added to this is two sections of solid impenetrable objects, giving the illusion that you can’t see in. The gate won’t let you in and the sections symbolise that fact you can’t see in. It gives me the feeling of exclusion when looking at this image.
The next image also gives the impression of being denied access. The path of the images is blocked by a stained glass window, an immovable object, symbolising the difficulty of removing gender inequality. You cannot see through the stained glass window, but the bits you can, simply show objects outside. The images looking up give the impression of uneven footing, the gravestone behind the trees, makes me think of something forgotten, lost almost. The chain for the bell hangs down, but the church remains out of reach. At the bottom, lays a stone which is cracked, showing the uneven grounding woman are on, the crack highlight a problem in ours lives. This is the image I have chosen.
Location Four
I was never completely sure about this location. I struggled to get a college I was completely happy with. I have had a look through my archive of images from this site and honestly I don’t think I could create another collage that would be better than the ones I have created. Having said that, I think this image does work. It doesn’t feature the actual church, but rather the graveyard with the restrictive feature of the gate. The graves could symbolise the lost souls in gender inequality, those who have been overlooked and forgotten about maybe. The untended graves, perhaps they have been forgotten. This example and feeling of loss and being forgotten could be a synonym for women affected by gender inequality.
I have decided to use this image, but with a slight change. I have cut around the church and placed it on a background of a stained glass window. You cannot see through this window at all, so it heightens the barrier between those who are included and allowed in and those who are excluded and not allowed in. Here it is:
Location Five
Simple 1 + Simple 2
This images features the church in the background with a path blocked by a gate. This actually represents my actual time at this location, as it was extremely icy, I couldn’t actually reach the path, I kept sliding down it. This felt so relatable to what I am trying to show. I was so near yet couldn’t get there, I couldn’t physically complete this journey. Just like gender inequality, it is a struggle to reach equality, we just haven’t been able to make that journey yet.
Similar with this next image, the church and destination is just visible yet we cannot get past this massive barrier, the rocks. This can symbolise the barriers women face in life. The are rough, immovable, and very difficult to overcome.
I have chosen the former image, but I wanted to add something extra to my original image, so I added the rocks to each side, so you cannot physically get to the church, it has create a immovable barrier. Here is the amended image:
Location Six
This image is very simple, with just two parts. It it quite dark but I feel it might have a place in the series. Looking at the dark time of inequality. Being unable to see into the church, gives the impression of exclusion. But comparing it with this other image at the same location, it is very different.
This one is almost surreal, it stands out. The complex elements have a chaotic feel, which eludes to the complexity of the issue at hand, rather than its simplicity. It has multiple layers with multiple connotations. I really like this image, hence why I have chosen it for my final selection.
Location Seven
I like how the majority of this image is taken up by the ragged rocks, symbolising the uneven dangerous inequality. This image is also quite surreal with the colours. The church is surrounded by a wooden arch, almost protecting the building from access or creating a boundary surrounding it.
This next image is quite eye-catching. The shadows of the trees casting on the church is quite chaotic and adds another dimension. The windows have been replaced with alternative images of the church, symbolising that there is no way to get in, we are being prohibited from entry or even seeing in. Alluding to the ‘boy’s club’ of life, society and religion.
I have chosen this image.
Location Eight
Location eight was an easy decision for me. I feel this image works, it is simple yet effective. You see this immovable wall with the church viewable through the window, yet this is covered with a keep out sign. Showing that you are prohibited from this place. It alludes to the restrictions women face in the world. The image of the church is also restricted by the wall, this has narrowed our perception of the location, simpler to peoples perceptions in life.
Georgina's Body of Work 