This year, my project is exploring the contrasts of urban and rural landscapes, using digital media methods such as digital photography and computer manipulation.
Recently my work has taken a slight change of direction after researching the video installation, Beatbox by Jani Ruscica, part of the Biennial. On the websites description of the piece, there was a statement that inspired me into this new direction; “A mysterious spotlight shows the urban space as a stage, where in the words of Vocab every street corner has the ability to tell a thousand stories.” (www.janiruscica.com)
Using this idea of a thousand stories, I used HDR (High Dynamic Range) photography to capture images of urban decay, which focuses on the general ‘wear and tear’ of the city, and the human footprints that are left which tell ambiguous tales of the time gone by.
HDR photography is a technique able to produce images that highlight the lightest and darkest areas of the image, creating an emphasis of definition.
Recently my work has taken a slight change of direction after researching the video installation, Beatbox by Jani Ruscica, part of the Biennial. On the websites description of the piece, there was a statement that inspired me into this new direction; “A mysterious spotlight shows the urban space as a stage, where in the words of Vocab every street corner has the ability to tell a thousand stories.” (www.janiruscica.com)
Using this idea of a thousand stories, I used HDR (High Dynamic Range) photography to capture images of urban decay, which focuses on the general ‘wear and tear’ of the city, and the human footprints that are left which tell ambiguous tales of the time gone by.
HDR photography is a technique able to produce images that highlight the lightest and darkest areas of the image, creating an emphasis of definition.
I then began to question whether the photographs were strong enough to convey this message on their own. In 18th century paintings, artists such as William Claesz Heda used food as a symbol of time and decay. I have taken a contemporary approach in exploring this technique by using foods such as milk cartons and fruit to convey this symbolism in a modern way and added them to the photographs. The use of the line drawings conveys the ‘empty’ knowledge I have of these scenes. The places may tell a thousand stories, but the images are only of the aftermath.
Experimenting further, I have developed my idea of a ‘clustered’ image (examples are few posts below) and incorporated the concept of a thousand stories. In this image below I have layered 1000 photos of the city into one small space creating a contained chaos that is a representation of the energy within the city. The central positioning of the composition on a blank page brings connotations relating to the intensity of the city on a map. I have also included the milk bottle in the corner as a symbol time passing. I played around with the positioning of it and figured that placing it in the bottom corner of the page relates to page numbers in a book, which also ties in with the idea of a thousand stories.
I also think the milk bottle could evoke connotations of a corporate logo or trademark, which reveal other layers relating to the city being at the heart of globalisation and industrialisation.
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