Introduction
My life has changed since March 2020 due to the fact i have to be more focused because I realised that you never know what could happen and you have to be prepared for anything. Due to Covid, component 2 has been removed so i have to take work more seriously also because i want to get the best grades i can. I think we have to do work differently because due to the whole pandemic everyone missed a lot and although we are back in school it is still difficult. The constraints i am currently facing in school is making sure i’m always in my own bubble and trying not to go near other people. The phrase” make do and mend” to me means just carrying on with something even if it’s gone wrong find a way to move forward and make it better. A lot of these photos were trial and error because i had lots of different materials and pictures and i tried to put them into one collage but i don't think i was disciplined enough and i don't think i tried enough combinations. I liked most of the photos because all the different colours and designs went well.
Hannah hoch collage
In this collage i think i thought too hard about where to put stuff and it wasn’t freely, i think in order for a college to be successful you shouldn’t think about your moves and you should just go with the flow. I think during this i stayed disciplined because at times i felt like starting again but i had to carry on because you never know what can happen and it didn’t turn out too bad. If i had to do this next time i wouldn’t stress about where to put things because that brings unnecessary pressure.
Hannah höch
Hannah Höch was a German artist, the only women associated with the Berlin Dada group. She was known for her provocative photomontage compositions that explore weimar-era of gender and ethnic differences.
Here are some of Hannah Höch’s colleges. I think that these are very unique as she used quite a few techniques and it looks like she used different pictures made out of newspapers and magazines and put them all in one collage, something for me that stands out is that in the collages they all seem like they’re overlapping and not just all in different places with a mixed structure. I think using newspaper for a collage is a good idea because they already have readymade images that you can take and make into your own image. Skills you need for making a collage is definitely discipline as many things could go wrong in the build up but you have to be in the mindset where you think everything will get better and you just carry on.
This is the finished product of an image i worked on in class. I picked this image because it had certain aspects that stood out such as the glasses the man was wearing, these stood out for me because they’re not normal glasses that you’d wear for something like reading they’re big and red glasses that look like they could be used as an advert for something. Although i think i could have done better with the outcome i’m still happy with this because you can still see the best features and what the picture stands for, as i looked at the image for the first time i saw a brave bold man. If i had to change something about this image it would have to be that the cut out bits were more precise and straight, i think if they did the image would look better
These are the before and after images of the images i did in class. I decided to take out the main or obvious parts, for example there was a large space on the neck area so i decided to cut that bit out. This image could be better if there was a better background that matched the picture.
Sharon Walters (The London Artist)
Sharon Walters is an artist who explored the theme of identity and beauty in races, this is inspiring as it shows there are people who want to invest in the deeper into the meaning of races, it also makes people want to embrace the fact that they are different. In my opinion as i’m looking at this image i think it stands for something and has a deep meaning like it’s very bold by the way the person is looking. I think the materials used for this was something like a scalpel to get all the sharp squiggly lines and maybe a book as on the neck there is writing. This has inspired the work i completed because it has an end product i am trying to achieve .
Kensuke Koike
What i like about this image is that it looks like many different images being put together. I think the materials being used a scalpels to get the straight sharp lines. This work inspires the work i completed as it is almost the same idea as mine just not executed as good. Kensuke Koike likes to use recomposed and recycled objects and creating meaning from existing objects. Kensukes work isn't just in one specific category, he has a wide range of category's
marcel duchamp
1. Marcel Duchamp's picture 'l.h.o.o.q' (1919) uses a postcard reproduction of leonardo da vinci's 'Mona Lisa' (1503-17). describe leonardo's painting and explain why it is so famous
The Mona Lisa is a famous painting because of it's composition, it's like wherever you go, the eyes follow you. Another reason as to why she is famous is because people found her very attractive and described her as a vampire who rose from the dead.
2. now describe duchamp's 'l.h.o.o.q' what has he done to the reproduction of leonardo's painting? what does the title mean? why might he have added facial hair to the female potrait?
For the reproduction, Marcel Duchamp added a few things such as; facial hair, a headscarf and lastly the background light was changed. I think he added male facial hair to the image because it is humorous and it hadn't been done before so he could have been experimenting with things. The title is pronounced 'Elle a chaud au cul' is about a women sexual features.
3. what do you understand by the term 'readymade'? in what ways is 'l.h.o.o.q.' a readymade?
The term readymade to me means something that is already done. A way this is readymade is because this is basically the exact same portrait, but he just added a few of his own ideas.
why was marcel duchamp's idea of readymade such a revolutionary idea in art?
Marcel Duchamp's idea of readymade was revolutionary because the portrait he made hasn't been done before and people found it funny.
KERRy james marshall original
I chose this image because i like the way how it reminds me of someone drawing a self portrait of me also you can see the focus of the person in this image. If i had to change this image i would add another person to make it look like the two people in this image were having a conversation, this is to have more of a complex meaning as it would make you wonder what the conversation was about and you can come up with many scenarios as to what it would be.
I made changes to this by giving them a crown, i did this as it’s not really ordinary and it’s kind of unorthodox and doesn’t really fit the picture, but that’s what makes the picture stand out more and makes you have more questions. After i adapted this image it looks less professional but i still leaves me wondering why there’s just a pink crown on her head and nothing else. If i could improve this adaptation i would go more creative and add something more to this background to make this have more of a story as the current background doesn’t make me have any questions or make me wonder anything.
ellen gallagher
Ellen Gallagher explores the issues of racial identity or the development of African American stereotypes, she has also produced many collages that are displayed in large grids, from magazines, her work has also been shown in numerous exhibitions. My favourite image by her is the “paper trumpet”, this is because it looks as if the head is transforming into something else or the head is dissolving, i like the effect this gives because it’s almost like it’s a mystery you want to solve and it keeps you guessing, but if i had to improve this image i would just get rid of the facial features as it would be harder to tell what the object is. If i could ask Ellen Gallagher a question about this image it would be where did she get the motivation to make this image because if anyone had found that sort of motivation then ideas would come naturally, but if i had to ask her a question about her work in general it would be what was her reason to start this and why does she explore what she explores and how she was persistent enough to carry on for so long because you may pick a pathway you want to explore but you might fall off a few a times but if you make do and mend then you can turn a disaster into a masterpiece.
Joachim Schmid
Joachim Schmid is a German based artist who creates intriguing images from other people’s photographs. His work has been in many venues around the world which means people like his different type of images. I like these images because it’s like taking 2 images of 2 completely different people then putting them together to make one image, i like this as you can be really creative with this and have one side a female and the other side a male or a one said a white person and the other a black person. if i had to improve these images i’d add more images but then re arrange them, you can also make them if different shapes and sizes just to make it assembled differently. If i had to ask him. question i would ask how did you come up with the idea to find 2 different people and put them together in one image.
Controlled assessment
The making day overall wasn’t the best day as i was kind of slow but considering how the day went my outcome came out pretty well. Although i do like the image i do think i could add more to it as the objects in it are big i think i could add more little objects to fill the image out more. I like the way that the red background goes with the images i used as i think the work really well together and makes the image stand out even more. Something unique about these images is that there are different variations, you can stack them on top of each other or put them side by side in different angles to make different views and perspectives
Romare Bearden
Romare Bearden is an artist who is known for his colleges which were made from popular torn magazines and used to make powerful images for African American life. He began creating in the 1960s and as time went on her became known for his abstract compositions. What i like about these collages is that they show a deeper meaning then just “abstraction” and give you an idea of what life was like being an African American makes you gain a different set of emotions. However something i’d change about some of these images is that i’d make the images from a different point of view as in making them from different angles instead of the same straight point of view.
Aaron turner
Aaron Turner is a photographer who studies the life of race and history, an example of that is his image of Martin Luther King, i think the fact that he studies race and history because it’s something that’s relatable and that’s interesting to find out about the past because factors in the past lead to the present. I also like how it makes the viewer question the representation of black experiences. Aaron Turner also made lots of abstract images about the history with the main subject of the images being about black history.
behind bars
COVID-19 is very similar to being in prison because of the fact that you are very limited and in both situations you lose your freedom and have tight restrictions. Photography is used to help rehabilitate inmates because it’s very calmly and it is also used as a way to show that there’s more to life then what got them in prison and that there’s more opportunities in life, you just have to look for them and be patient. It may be difficult to practice photography in prison because there isn’t many things to motivate you because you already lost your freedom so it would be a hard time trying something new especially if you’ve never done it before. Some limitations the workshop leader would have to consider are that the prisoners wouldn't be used to calm activities such as photography and it would probably be hard for them to settle down in a calm activity and perform to the best of the ability.
In my opinion the word “genre” means the type/specific category of something. I think one of the main genres of photography is fashion photography as it can have a big influence on people’s styles and with different trends and . When you look at landscape pictures of a person for example, you don’t quite focus on the person, the focus is mainly about the background, in my opinion this makes the photo very versitle as there can the background doesn't have to be one of the focuses but it can be mainy different things. It will be difficult for prison inmates to take landscape and portrait fashion photographs as they have lost their freedom and can't go outside they can't see the different types of fashion senses, another reason is because they dont have access to social media so they don't know what is trending and what's not, lastly in prison there isn't much inspiring things around you so it would be hard to find get creative. The photos i took were mainly potrait as it is something that im used to doing and it is easier to fit what i want into the photo so there is less unwanted things in the background.
Prison photograpy
Something i enjoyed about this activity is that it felt like puzzle and a checklist and the only way to move on was if i had done the task, but something i found challenging was the fact i had to find dig up a lot of old things that I haven't used in a while so finding them was like having to go on a treasure hunt because I had to find a lot of keys so I could move on and go onto the next task.
In my opinion this wasn’t too challenging, i think i could have been more creative and imaginative but overall i don’t think it was too bad. Something i enjoyed about this task was the fact that it was fun and it wasn’t an ordinary task where you go outside and take photos or anything, you can literally do this at home. Something i could improve on is the creativity as i think these photos are very plain and basic.
Saul leiter
Saul Leiter is from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in the United States of America. Saul Leiter liked to use a range of different colours and also used a lot of black and white. What i find interesting about his work is that he did a lot of street work, for example in there in his photos it was always like there was a special event going on. A lot of people described Saul Leiter as the “master of colour” and i can see why as whatever theme he chose the colours he used seemed to fit well, but in my opinion i’m a fan of his composition and the fact he take pictures of many different things and turn it into one image.
For these images i visited; Dubai, Bora Bora, Jamaica and La, i visited these places because most of them are very tropical and they predominantly have very good weather and sights to see. My focus in these photos were sight seeing, with people being in lockdown they can’t go on holiday like they want to, so what i wanted to do was get photos of really nice places and make people want to go there by looking at these images. I chose to do these photos from a head on angle because it captures things people want to see, for example the beaches. I tried with photopea but since i don’t really know how to use it i didn’t try to do anything too crazy so i kept it quite simple. My images didn’t change too much, in fact only really the colours and themes changed.
I decided to experiment with the collaborative collage task. for example for one of the challenges you had to cut up your original image in different shapes and sizes then re arrange them and take a photo of it. Overall I enjoyed this task because it made you have to think outside the box and be creative, my favorite, yet most challenging task was the task were you had to make a paper airplane from your image, this was definitely the make difficult one because I had many attempts of making the airplane but they never worked, however I got there in the end.
- Cut or tear out 5 pages from your magazine. Choose pages with interesting images.
- Make a pile of these 5 pages on your desk.
- Take the top page and cut a hole in it (Note: it doesn't have to be perfect).
- Pass this cut out image to your neighbour (the person sitting nearest to you in class).
- Put the page with the hole in it at the bottom of your pile.
- Take the (new) top page and tear it in half. Pass one half to your neighbour (the same one as before) and put the other half at the bottom of your pile.
- Take the (new) top page and cut out a shape (Note: you could cut round an object or simply cut a random shape of your own choosing).
- Keep the cut-out shape, putting it at the bottom of your pile, and pass the page that remains to someone 3 places away (Note: make sure you don't end up with your own page).
- Take the (new) top page and tear a strip from the (top or bottom) edge. Keep the strip and pass the remaining page to someone else in the room.
- Place the A3 sheet of cartridge paper in front of you (portrait format).
- Without altering them, arrange the pieces of paper from your pile on the A3 sheet to create a pleasing collage. Carefully photograph your first arrangement.
- Again, without altering them, repeat this process, re-arranging the various elements on the A3 sheet until you are happy with the results. Photograph carefully.
- You may now swap 1 or 2 elements with your neighbour. Make a new arrangement and photograph carefully.
- You may now adapt the pieces in any way you like - cutting, tearing etc. Make a new collage, this time sticking them to the A3 sheet of cartridge paper.
- Photograph your finished collage carefully.
- On your Make Do and Mend web page add the title Collaborative Instruction Collage.
- Copy and paste this list of instructions.
- Add a Gallery and upload the images you have taken today of your collages.
- Write a brief evaluation (WWW/EBI) reflecting on what it was like to make a collage by following instructions and how you feel about the results.
- If you complete all of this, experiment with importing the photographs of your collages into Photoshop and experiment with manipulating them using the various tools available. Remember to take screen shots (Cmd + Shift + 4, then draw a box) of the process so you can also add these to your webpage. Also, remember to save the resulting images as Jpegs (File > Export > Save for Web, select Jpeg High) and add them to your website.
During this making day I decided to make two collages and the first one(on the right) being the collaborative collage and for the other collage i decided to go with a black and white theme and i like how they seem very different but they only have one difference, which is colour. They are both similar in the fact that they have overlapping images and they are all cut outs of parts of humans. Something i enjoyed about this activity is the fact that i got top experiment with lots of different images and try different things and combinations. Something that i did not enjoy about this task is the fact that when cutting out i had to make sure there was no white bits so i had to cut very carefully. If i had to do this again i would have to maybe have a mixture of black white and colour images in a collages, so it there is a variety of everything. I did this task because in wanted to try something new and see what i could do with a load of different images and put them in one big collages.