Revealing the Unseen, Unnoticed, Uncomprehended

The Text to Image Issue

The text to image brief asked us to take a quote that evoked a feeling or that strongly related to our practice and represent the text using image(s).

I chose a quote regarding the work of Irving Penn:

"His work reveals to us what has always been there in front of our eyes - only unseen, unnoticed, uncomprehended."

I chose to represent the quote using a sequence of images that would reveal something everyday, something ordinary, something ignored. I have tried to capture the essence of Penn's work in the style and use of black & white imagery. I also wanted to add an extra element to emphasize the meaning behind the piece, i.e. the quote, and make the piece my personal response to Penn's work. This took the form of a flick book, which zoomed out to reveal a radiator valve; an ordinary, everyday object that is "unseen, unnoticed, uncomprehended".

Images in context

Freedom of Speech

Discrimination against women happens in all walks of life, all over the world. Women in Iran, for example, are discriminated against by the law. They do not have equal rights with men in marriage, divorce, child custody or inheritance. Women are even arrested for wearing western-style clothing, which is deemed inappropriate. With these images I am not trying to impose my opinion, I am just trying to acknowledge the issue with the hope that it will become less of a taboo and encourage people to be support women's rights movements and each other.

The black rose symbolizes the death of ideas, thoughts and beliefs. It can also signify a major change or the renewal of physical or mental strength or energy in the future. These images are meant to represent both sides of the coin. I wanted to show the beauty of women; their strength, and their spirit; as well as the beastly side of reality; I wanted to show what some women really face. In the context of a magazine, (fashion and lifestyle) the second images would be obscured by the first, to demonstrate how people will often try to ignore the reality, the beast, and are more interested in the fantasy; the glamour, the beauty. I believe fashion, especially magazines, can be a great medium to express opinions and beliefs, and raise important issues. This is something I will explore further over the next year.

For more information on the subject please visit:

http://www.amnesty.org.uk/content.asp?CategoryID=11221

http://www.amnesty.org/en/news-and-updates/iran-end-pressure-women-s-rights-defenders-20080827%20

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/7457212.stm

http://www.protectthehuman.com/iranwomen

A Dilemma

Magma Books, 22 Oldham Street, Manchester, M1 1JN

I love books, I love artist books, and I love magazines. I also love visiting specialist book and magazine stores. I love it... and I hate it.

I love it because you are confronted with a huge array of creative outlets, often from all over the world. But this is also why I hate it because it leaves me with the dilemma of which one to buy. I experience first hand our mass consumerist culture and market saturation. Which one do I pick, most are of a similar format; portrait, rectangular, just larger an A4, most are of a similar price; around £5 - £6, and most contain, on the face of it, similar content.

So do I go for one that breaks the mould slightly by being more creative with the format; Tank uses a larger format and is ring bound; FreeStyle is circular and comes in a frisbee. Or do I judge the book by its cover and go for the one with a famous model, or actress on the front. The one thats profiling my favorite designer maybe? Maybe I should spend more time investigating the content to help me decide, however, I would be there all day!

In the end I go for the one with the frisbee; its creative, innovative, fun, different, and a welcome break from the norm.

http://www.magmabooks.com/

A separate issue... Beauty or beast?

I noticed this on my walk from the station to uni one day, and everyday since. It makes me smile walking past this small insignificant piece of information, it makes me wonder who else has noticed it, ignored it, answered it. To me it is lovely, to others it could be vandalism. As Vilem Flusser puts it;

"The significance of images is magical".

Irving Penn's work has been described as revealing "to us what has always been there in front of our eyes - only unseen, unnoticed, uncomprehended." This is something I wish to explore, especially within magazine design, as magazines can open up the world to us, make us notice the unnoticed.

Contexts poster

Issue Two.

At the weekend, I saw Simon Stephen's play 'Punk Rock' at the Exchange Theatre, Manchester. I thought the play was performed brilliantly and the quality writing dealt with some real and relevant issues. However, my only disappointment was the final issue that came forth to round up the play was one that has been seen before. Whereas, there was one issue in the play that was touched on but that was never followed through. This was the issue of 'text' bullying.
Cyber bullying can take place in many different electronic arenas, such as via e-mail, text messages, voice mail messages, social networking sites, video and blog sites. Cyber bullying does not just affect 'kids' either, adults are also targeted, and it is common for the victim to know the perpetrator, be it through school, college, work or their neighborhood. For my research into magazine design and experimental zines, I want to incorporate taboo subjects, such as that of cyber bullying, to raise awareness and push the boundaries of the design of fashion and lifestyle magazines.
'Taboo; a social or religious custom prohibiting or restricting a particular practice or forbidding associations with a particular person, place, or thing.'
For example, in 2008 it was publicized that the "British public gives more money to a Devon-based donkey sanctuary than the most prominent charities trying to combat violence and abuse against women." Robert Booth, The Guardian, Wed. 23rd April 2008.
"Violence against women appears regularly as the subject of media reports and in the story lines of soap operas but rarely does it come up in normal conversation, which suggests there is a stigma around it. The truth is it is very common." Justine Jarvinen.
Domestic violence is considered a taboo, something that is non of our business, we don't want to pry into people's personal affairs, but domestic violence is real, just as real as cyber bullying! Taboos like domestic abuse and cyber bullying are the elephants in the room.
'The Elephant in the Room; an important and obvious topic, which everyone present is aware of, but which isn't discussed, as such discussion is considered to be uncomfortable.'
I think it is about time we got uncomfortable.

'What is reality?' Photos for research on Gillian Wearing.

Issue One.

For our first set project, I have been asked to research the artist Gillian Wearing. First recognized internationally for her exhibition 'Signs' in 1993, Wearing challenges social stereotypes by exploring the issue of identity. Influenced by the fly-on-the-wall documentaries of the 1970's and more recently the reality TV shows we have come accustomed to, Wearing examines the influence of the media on popular culture and questions, "What is reality?"

Using real people in her art, she has created work that engages with the everyday lives of "ordinary people", and bought art to a new audience. Her work asks some prominent questions about our society and still raises real issues today.

"Pin-Up's" is one of Wearing's newest works. In 2008, photographs of what appear to be pin-up models were exhibited in LA. However, these were 'real' people who had responded to an ad to be made-over, with full make up and after-effects, to change their appearance to become glamourous pin-up models. Their reasons behind this desire to be "re-made" and snap-shots of themselves before the make-over lay behind the photographs. These pieces look at the idea of identity and self-image. Today's culture has a lot to answer for when it comes to how men and woman are portrayed, in all sorts of media; magazines, music videos, films... This begs the question again, "what is real?" and does it matter? Does it matter that the idea of what is real/normal is no longer what is real or normal?!

Recently, Germany's most popular women's magazine announced that it is to ban all professional models from its pages, replacing size zero figures with 'real' women. Is this the first sign of change, is reality making a come back?!
I hope so.