The Final Cut!

Anna Montoya (Class of 2013), Hope CommUnity Center (2010);
Digital Print on Matte, 9x6 on 8.5x11

Artist Statement

The story of a place is twofold: it starts with the actual landscape and is kept alive by the people that reside there. Apopka, Florida is an area that hosts a significant number of farm worker and immigrant families, most of whom live in historically and economically underserved conditions. At the center of this neighborhood is the Hope CommnUnity Center, which works continually to meet the needs of this marginalized population. Built upon a foundation of advocacy, education, and economic development, Hope CommUnity has touched the lives of many of the people who call Apopka their home.

Throughout this series of photos, I will be taking a look at some of the social, political and cultural issues affecting this group of people. Often times these types of discussions are reserved for scholars and corporate media outlets, however I have flipped this existing paradigm by working together with the members of this community to create a final collaborative project which allows them to control how they are being seen by the outside world, which can be very empowering.

The dynamic interactions that can be seen within and between the individual photos, between people and place connected through past into the present, weave together into an account that speaks to the greater message of community. Wherein somewhere in the process of taking their photos I had become part of it.

I focus on the juxtaposition of new and found photos, and the use of text to create momentum for change. In one of the photos, a young girl is holding a sign that reads “tenemos un sueno,” translated literally as "we have a dream". Eleanor Roosevelt once said, “The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.”

These photos are a message of hope.

Work-in-Progress #4

Final Reflections on "The Photograph as Contemporary Art"

"A photograph is usually looked at - seldom looked into." - Ansel Adams


After reading this short discourse highlighting the place of photography in our modern-day society, there still remains a lurking ambiguity surrounding the distinguishing factors that set apart contemporary art photography from all others. We are informed early on that the discussion of individual photos as they relate to each chapter is riddled with shades of gray seeing as how many of the photos that we have seen could easily belong in any of the other chapters. However, this being said, Cotton suggests a single component that is important when considering this topic: a departure from form and a focus on content. 

"The central artistic act is one of directing an event specifically for the camera. This approach means that the act of artistic creation begins long before the camera is actually held in position and image fixed, starting instead with the planning of the idea. Many of the works here share the corporeal nature of performance and body art, but the viewer does not witness the physical act directly, as one does in performance, being presented instead with a photographic image as the work of art" (pg. 21).

This raises a question of ethics for me: if people have traditionally viewed the photograph as possessing an objective truth, adhering to real life conditions, wouldn't this mean that the photographer gains the power to manipulate any given situation? 

So it can be said that this movement in photography redefines not only what constitutes a photograph, but the responsibilities of the photographer in creating it. 

The images above are the work of Nikki S. Lee, who observes a variety of social groups in America; subjecting them to scrutiny by adopting their matter of dress and body language, and positioning herself in the photo with these very individuals. I found this approach very interesting because it challenges the traditional notion of a subject vs. object dynamic, ultimately blurring the distinction to the point where the photographer themselves becomes the subject of the piece. (Above left: taken from her Hispanic Series Project, right: Unknown)

I could relate this to my work because I have been going inside the community that I am taking pictures of and creating relationships with the subjects of my photos which takes on a similar effect. As the distinctions blur I question my role as well as the nature of my work. This can produce some very interesting results as the project takes on a life of its own.

Below we see a piece created by Gabriel Orozco, entitled Breath on Piano. What I liked about this selection is his subtle suggestion of a human presence. I have realized that it is not necessary to be completely literal when dealing with visual communication. I often talk of photo manipulation and it's potential to layer meaning, but over the course of our readings simplicity has shown to have a much greater power than I had originally thought. The type of representation shown here in Orozco's work makes us question our very Being by causing us to look at the byproducts of our existence.

Work-in-Progress #3

 

       For this critique I chose to explore the photographic medium known as portraiture and it's ability to capture the likeness of an individual or a particular group of peoples. As we have seen over the course of our study, modern portrait photography has made a departure from the traditional idea of the "portrait" using metaphoric representations and suggestion to convey meaning. I wanted to explore the different approaches that we have discussed; my final selection represents a variety of situations in which the individual is established as the dominant focus to those in which objects stand in for actual human forms.

       I employed an indirect approach for the image above; by obscuring the man's face his identity becomes more about the time and space in which he is located rather than who he actually is. I felt that this was a strong image and I thought that there was something quirky about the way that he is examining the half-eaten piece of corn. This image stands in contrast to the last image in this post, despite the subject remaining the same man that we had previously observed, this time his gaze is aimed directly at our eyes. This second image is reminiscent of deadpan style photography discussed in Ch. 3 of "The Photograph as Contemporary Art" by ar. The tone is impassive, matter-of-fact, and detached. It becomes the viewers task to create understanding and the photographers to convey reality as an objective truth.

       The image seen above, to the right, is meant to be viewed alongside the image below, left. I was exploring the role of the natural environment and manipulating the idea of who is the dominant being. Above we can clearly see the features of the girl's face, breaking through the corn stalks. Her mere presence affects the scene that she is a part of, whereas the image below reflects the endurance of the natural world. The person can viewed as participating in the scene that is occurring rather than the determinant of it.

The final image that I wish to discuss in this post will be the one depicting a piece of corn laying in the muddy water; in this case I wanted to see if an object could be used to represent an individual (subject). How does this image work on an individual basis? How does this meaning change once it is part of the sequence shown here?

Comments: Let me know which images register most strongly for you. 
Thanks for stopping by my page!

Work-in-Progress #2

 

I have continued to experiment with the effect of photo manipulations on viewer interpretation and the formation of meaning. My primary focus this week was the introduction of found images. 

For my first critique I had created collages in a physical space, by juxtaposing photographs on a table top. This time, I have utilized the amazing capabilities of technology to create collages of a different sort. The two images (as seen above and below this text) are examples of my recent work.

The first, is a much more obvious overlay, in which the distinction between the two photos used to create this single image is easy to make. This photo is intended for large-scale printing which will call for the full participation of the viewer.

The second photo, on the other hand, possesses a very dream-like quality in which the past and the present flow into one another.

Which method is most effective in conveying meaning? What can you interpret from these images?

For the next set of two images, I delved into the world of portraiture by utilizing some of the different styles that were discussed in our class. The image to the left possess all the qualities of the deadpan genre: blank and expressionless faces, a disconnected photographer. The image below looks much more like a candid snapshot.

Deadpan has often been used by photographers to engage their audience;  rather than directing us toward a particular emotion or response, we are free to create our own meaning.


Which of these two images is most effective?

This last image plays around with our construction of human identity. Does the text take away or add to the image? How can I make this image more effective? How would handwritten text be different than typed in relation to meaning? Any feedback would be greatly appreciated! Thanks for visiting my blog. AM

 

Artist Presentation - Paul Graham

Suppose that you had to explore your hometown as if you had never been there before; what do you think you would see? Would you be surprised? Amused? Upset? Much too often we fail to see what is right in front of us, "in our own backyard" so to speak. Just consider our primary mode of transportation, the car: this bullet-like shell is specially designed to get us from point A to point B as quickly as possible allowing for minimal contact with the "otherness" of the outside world. Through my experience working with the Hope CommUnity Center, I have been challenged to slow down in order to take in the present realities and in doing so I became more aware of myself and my own community.

 

(Waiting Room, Poplar DHSS, East London, 1985, from the series Beyond Caring, 1985)

This type of active engagement with the world is at the core of photographer Paul Graham's work. He wanted to explore how documentary-style photography could be used to capture "pictures [that] are found in the world, not made in a studio" (Woodward D.9). Graham rose to prominence during a time in which the medium of photography had barely entered into the realm of the contemporary art world and it was he who had begun to challenge the notion of photograph as either art or document, but rather as a union of the
two. He attempted to portrays the social realities of the world with

brutal honesty; his "work distinguishes itself by retaining a firm and full commitment to life as it unfolds" ("Introduction").

(Baby and Interview Cubicles, Brixton DHSS, Soth London, 1984, from the series Beyond Caring, 1984)

For the remainder of the discussion I will refrain from speaking, as ar once said, in "set oration duly ornamented with words and phrases. No indeed! but I shall use the words and arguments which occur to me at the moment..." I will discuss each of the photos that I have selected, as well as my reasoning for selecting them. They represent only a small sample of Graham's extensive body of work, so I do encourage you to not take what I say as absolute fact, and to explore for yourself.

(End of an Age, 1996-98)

The first set of images shown above manipulate our perception of space; both the viewers relationship with the people shown in that space, as well as, the relationship between those people and the space that they occupy and between one another.  The vastness of this space is exaggerated by Graham, I interpret this as a critique of our own culture which keeps us at these safe distances from one another, preventing us from truly knowing other people. Much like a voyeur who can see and fantasize about the object of his affection but is too afraid to reach out to actually touch it. He creates this space by positioning himself in such a way that he has physical obstacles (bench) in front of him that impede him from being in direct contact with his subject, as is the case with the first photo. Or he will physically distance himself from the subject (Photo 2). Or, from what I can interpret from the third photo, he will approach the situation from different angles in order to capture the room in such a way that it has never been looked at before, as such, he offers us a different perspective. 

(Untitled, New Orleans 2004)

This next image, depicted just slightly above, will serve the purpose of being an introduction to Graham's unique style of portraiture and how it has evolved through his series of work. His presence doesn't seem to affect the woman in the photo, characteristic of the deadpan style of contemporary photography. The neutral lighting, supplemented by a very neutral color pallet help create a cool and detached relationship between the photographer and his subject.


These images shown to the left were chosen for their narrative properties; imagine, if you will, how the message might have be different had I flip-flopped the presentation of them. To lend you some background information, these images were taken from a selection of photos that Graham had captured while on a road trip across the country. He was looking to "lend dignity to life's tiny moments" (Deitcher). For these particular photos, Graham had met this woman while he was visiting pre-Katerina, New Orleans. Initially their simplicity was used to show the normalacy of life, as it was experienced by the poorest sector of the state's population. However, taken in the context of present day history, following the events that occured with Hurrican Katerina, they can almost be said to deliver a much more hopeful message/ narrative, life goes on.

These next two photos were selected from Graham's American Night series. Imagine that you have just emerged from a dark room, and as you make your way outside, you walk straight into a stream of bright sunlight. The harsh glare of the real world would probably be difficult to take in at first, almost to the point of being painful. You might even resist it, finding that it is much easier to remain inside. Such is the case with this photo seen to the right. We fail to see the African American man standing along side the building until we accustom our eyes to seeing what is really there.

(American Night, 2002)

This photo stands in stark contrast to the photo on the left, which depicts a quiet suburban home. This collection is taken from a very powerful series of photos, which depict the harsh division between the impoverished portions of society and those who possess a greater portion of the wealth. The white cast of the first photo makes these people appear to be almost invisable, reflective of their role in actual society.  However, Graham dare's us to take a closer look, but only if we choose to do so.

Graham is considered to be very experimental with his approach (which I hope to have conveyed through my selections thus far), however these next two images are worth noting. The first is a photo of some writing that Graham found on the inside of a bathroom stall, which was taken from the context of several images similar in nature. This one was the least obscene of the group (hence why I chose it, figured that I would try to keep it PG-13). However it begs the question, what makes a photograph or in this case, could this be considered art? Based on our inquires into the study of the photo as contemporary art thus far, what do ya'll think, is this art?

 

(Paintings. Greenberg Van Doren Gallery, New York, 2000.)

Work-in-Progress #1

 For my first critique I have compiled a series of photos consisting of either photos taken of other photos, as well as, action shots that were captured at a Dream Act rally which took place downtown at Senator LeMuix's office on September 20th. In this early stage of my project, I have been experimenting with different styles and technique which I will discuss in the following:

 (The images that I chose to present to the class were used to illustrate different ideas that I was entertaining at the time. I was hoping to elicit feedback in the form of constructive criticism from my classmates in order to determine what was working and what needed to be worked on.  

Any and all reviews posted to this blog would be much
appreciated, just click the comment link)

The first three photos seen to the left are handmade collages. I attempted to approach the assemblage from a variety of angles in order to see which had the most effective and powerful delivery. 

For the first photo I used a very direct approach. It gives the impression of a distanced and objective photographer. I can also read this image as being void of emotional investment on the part of the photographer; there is evidence of curiosity. This approach provides a very holistic perspective.
 

  The second photograph focuses on one particular photo within the collection and distorts (using blur/ focus) the remainder. The third photo zooms into a portion of the whole in a much more personal manner than we were initially presented with for Photo numero uno.

In the future, I would like to blow up #1 and #3 to see if that method of presentation would affect how I (and others) interpret the material being presented. I would also like to take these photos out into nature in order to produce photos of them in very organic environments, sort of like stand-in's for real people. Its almost as if it implies that the the person's essence is trapped inside the photograph itself. It would be a very interesting endeavor to attempt. 

These two photos illustrate my attempt to determine whether I wanted to work with B&W as opposed to color. I have never before worked with B&W, but for some reason, I feel much more drawn to this approach at this time. I think that it allows the viewer to spend more time focusing on the principle rather than the actual photo content. Additionally, not seen here, I had written on top of the photo seen to your left, manipulating it in a very Wendy Ewald- esqe fashion.

 

These last two images explored the idea of identity in the context of a photograph. In the image above, you can see the subject carrying a sign which gives us insight into who he may be as a person. We are immediately drawn to make connections between this man and his message. Whereas, in the photo below, the man's identity is concealed. His message comes across first, which makes a much strong statement in my opinion.

 

 I would like to continue exploring the artistic tool of photo manipulation as well as investing photographic portraiture to a greater degree. After reading Chapter 3 in the "Photograph as Contemporary Art" by Charlotte Cotton, I have become interested in deadpan style and I wonder if I could apply what I read about to my current project. I also am curious about the interplay between text and image; taking into consideration difference between handwritten text created on top of the photo in question compared to computer generated text or handwritten text that was captured within the photographic frame itself (such as is the case in the last photograph).

Stay tuned to see what else is in store!

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A World of Color - discover the underlying narrative

1. "Youth in Revolt"                        2. "Flux"

 












3. "The Turning Point"    In this series of photos, which are organized in sequential order according to the numbers beside them, color and lighting weave together a 'vibrant' storyline that both engages the viewer's visual field and penetrates into their unconscious reserves.

Color can be suggestive (this is the secret behind most advertisement campaigns). Think about it, we usually associate colors with how we are feeling: If sad, we are said to be "blue," or the classic idiom, "green with envy".



4. "Nirvana"     This is because colors are rich with symbolism. This symbolism can manifest itself in how an individual relates to with their immediate surroundings. Imagine, if you will, how you might feel if you had just walked into a well-lit, brightly colored room. Now compare this to how you would feel if you were in a room that was dreary and overcast.

This brings me to my last point, color can incite, ignite and empower. This is something that I will be keeping in mind as I set out to work on my final project.

As for now, I would like to invite you all to enjoy my photos.

Bienvenido!

I am happy to inform that I will begin working on a collaboration with the Hope CommUnity Center (refered to as Hope CC, for the purpose of this blog) in Apopka, Florida over the course of the next semester. My progress on the independent project that I will be working on for Photo II will be recorded in this blog. I am very excited to learn more about this amazing organization and to find out about their efforts to raise awareness within the community. Through my work, I hope to capture the individual stories of the people that are served by the Hope CC.

-This mural was commissioned by the Crealde School of Art in collaboration with the youth at Hope CC.

LEARN MORE!
Here is a link to their website: http://www.offm.org/
Mission: Our transformative Mission is to strengthen and support the working poor and immigrant communities of Central Florida through faith, advocacy, education, leadership and economic development programs.

Photo of the Day

I wanted to share this wonderful site that I had stumbled upon:

http://photooftheday.hughcrawford.com/1979.htm#1979/1

The "Photo of that Day" project was founded by Jamie Livingston who took a photo every day for 18 years using a simple Polaroid camera. The site itself is pretty mysterious, there is no contact information, nothing in the way of a bibliography or even an introduction. I don't want to give too much away, the photos speak for themselves. I implore you to check it out.

His photos reflect a life bursting with activity; complete with joy and sadness. If you make it through to the end of his collection you will see that the series of photos take a dark turn. This project is an example of the power of visual rhetoric, but aside from that I also wanted to bring attention to the dynamic interplay between color and light captured within each frame, which weave together every Polaroid in order to tell the story of this man's life.  Livingston had a knack for making even the most commonplace of occurrences a moment of art and beauty.