Grayson Perry: Who are you?

Grayson Perry has always been someone I've wanted to discover more about. I think it was last year I listened to his Reith Lectures that were broadcast on BBC4 and the way he spoke really engaged me. So until I go out and get his most recent book, I thought I'd follow my lecturer Niall's recommendation and give Perry's Channel 4 series 'Who Are You?' a watch.

Episode 1 down and I really enjoyed it! It's great that an artist like Perry has the confidence and drive to connect with people and join them in exploring both their true and 'second self'.
Throughout the meetings with his 4 subjects, I got the impression he managed to gain their trust and gradually allowed them all to open up. With a vision like this, and having the means to create a series documenting it, I believe one would require a certain amount of compassion to follow through with the process. I found Grayson Perry's investigative behaviour very necessary, yet compassionate.

The exploration of former Secretary of State Chris Huhne interested me the most. It was clear to me from the off set that Grayson Perry's methods of dissection as it were, seemed rife with intent. Perry sat with a pen and paper in front of a positioned Huhne and posed a number of questions.
In this case, Grayson was trying to uncover any signs of vulnerability in Huhne's identity particularly siting his resignation from office and perverting the course of justice. All he seemed to uncover was a brick wall, a somewhat 'indestructible' politician dripping with positivity and compliance. After a 2 and a half month prison stint, Perry was again eager to investigate and observe the now ex-prisoner Huhne. Perry kept this theme of vulnerability and created a pot inscribed with repeat patterns referencing different parts of Chris Huhne's life up to this point.
He then proceeded to smash the pot with a hammer and seal all the parts back together, thus symbolising a crack or at least a visible clue that what he has been through is beginning to show.

I'm not going to go and review the whole episode, that would be pointless. I just wanted to say how impressed I was! Identity is very important and is always at the forefront of our lives. The way Grayson Perry spoke of this highlighted it's diversity and through his four subjects managed to explore some very different identities, and the struggles and transitions of the people behind them.

Personally, my opinions on identity and how artists express themselves through their work has dramatically changed over the past weeks. I feel more open to discovering why we as a human race have this urge to express ourselves and possess the intentions of 'finding ourselves'.
I have truly understood through my time on this course that asking questions is the only way we find answers! I've always known that, but until recently and probably due to my exposure to more and more exhibitions around the country and speaking to my lecturers, I have been able to begin thinking about things in a different way.
I feel like the only way I will be able to appropriately produce my own, more personal work, is if I explore, discover and allow myself to be open to as many different kinds of art as possible.
More specifically, I'm looking at a lot of contemporary and more controversial work such as instillations.

I'll continue watching the series and if I feel the need to post again about it I will.

Bargain Hunter

Whilst in Glasgow I visited an old book shop bursting at the seams with piles and piles of books from the past 10 years, the 90s, 80s and 70s etc. The shop itself was a mess, what carpet you could see was filthy and any small child or short adult faced the danger of being crushed under mountains of dusty old books. The books themselves though were great, a huge variety were on display and it was kind of a challenge retrieving the book you desired especially when every one I liked the look of was near the bottom of a 7 foot tall tower!

Anyway, I managed to snag a couple of bargains. One from 'The £1 room' and the other from the larger, less price-specific room:

This one was £2.95 and as you can see came with a CD-ROM featuring 53 digital typefaces from independent foundries all across the world. I couldn't believe my luck when I found it. I will be able to scan some pages and use them for development of some of my ideas regarding my Extended Specialist Techniques unit. I want to go the extra steps necessary to create a comprehensive sketchbook on Typography and to express my particular passion for it. I will achieve this through further development of research and my own ideas with influence from practitioners and designers. This book will help me as it has a vast collection of digital fonts lesser known in the mainstream world of typefaces as well as more popular ones. Also, it will allow me to work digitally with my work and try out the typefaces provided on the CD-ROM.

For £1 I became the owner of this mint-condition encyclopaedia on the art of calligraphy. Like Indie Fonts this book should prove a worthwhile investment. Throughout are examples and step-by-step instructions allowing the reader to pick up practical and creative methods of achieving beautiful and unique outcomes. It's collection of techniques has already ignited ideas in my head of how I am going to attempt them.

Picking these up has really made me think about checking more books out from the library, as I don't do it often enough!

Kelvingrove Art Gallery

I decided since I had a weekend in Glasgow planned in order to visit my friends and hang out, I may as well make the most of it. My friend Calum and I headed toward Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum early Saturday morning quite looking forward to 2 or 3 hours broadening our minds!

On display in the first room we entered were groups of small to large sized oil paintings of figures, landscapes and rural scenes. Walking closer I was pleased to read that the room we were in showcased 'The Glasgow Boys' and a collection of their lives work. Now, the last I had read and been taught about 'The Boys' was back in High School so my knowledge of their story and general work wasn't up to scratch - so I was more than happy to have the opportunity to learn more about it all.

Upon entering we were greeted by John Lavery's 'Anna Pavlova'. A large oil painting that appears illuminated before your eyes, I was greatly impressed by it's striking colours movement. As I read the provided description just beside the piece, it intrigued me to learn that although Pavlova posed for Lavery in his studio, he decided to depict her dancing as if on stage. He achieved this through the vibrant choices of colour and careful tonal work. Seeing this in the flesh as it were, really gave me the indication that oil paint is a remarkable medium to work with. Lavery's precise and thoughtful use of light and dark gave me the feeling I should maybe give the whole oil painting thing another chance...

'Anna Pavlova' John Lavery, Oil on Canvas, 1911

Following Pavlova were a couple more pieces all equally impressing. The more I read the information provided about each painting and it's creator I gradually adjusted my eyes and how I was observing the artwork. I was surprised to be quite enjoying the choice of subject throughout this particular exhibit. To be honest I think it was more the historical aspect of it all, I like how portraits or landscapes for example can tell a different story than a photograph. I felt like each painting was a window into the past and this comforted me. I especially liked that some pieces deliberately lacked detail and in some cases were completely devoid of specific details (of which I can't include examples of because I didn't take notes on those ones for some odd reason).

Moving through the room we looked at a lot of rural and farming scenes, also I particularly remember a painting that grabbed my attention. It was by James Guthrie and is called 'A Highland Funeral'. If I remember correctly this depicts the funeral of a young boy as family members, friends and the local community gather to pay their respects. I immediately noticed the space at the bottom of the photograph and - going by the figures' large coats and scarves - the footprints in the snow leading to the group. All of the men standing facing the man officiating the service seem to have their heads downward slightly indicating sadness and perhaps a particular connection to the deceased. Either way I love this painting. It's a unique event to have chosen to paint and I really liked observing this one...

'A Highland Funeral' James Guthrie, Oil on Canvas, 1882

I very much enjoyed our visit to Kelvingrove Art Gallery and with so many paintings never given as much attention as others, I feel I will attend again quite soon. Being able to have access to these paintings by such greats as 'The Glasgow Boys' is an important resource to have and learning this history only helps me realise how integral it is to my own personal progression through the art world.

Toby Paterson

Today we had a visit from artist Toby Paterson. He talked of the various types of mediums he has worked with over his career along with explaining the basis of his work and interests in architecture and the reality it occupies. 

We took a trip to see his exhibition over in Peebles last week. I very much enjoyed the selection of art on display and was eager to get the chance to hear him speak to us and maybe ask some questions. I remember thinking I wasn't too keen on the sculptures dotted around the room, they didn't grab my attention as much as his 3-D work and aluminium paintings. I noticed there were no titles accompanying each piece of work  - this startled me at first, but soon I felt as if a sort of pressure was lifted off me. If I had a title in my face before I had even looked at the painting, I feel that would have distracted me slightly or pushed my mind to come up with an opinion too soon. 

Whenever I've attended an exhibit I've always had in mind whether or not the title of a particular piece is accompanying said piece. I usually spend an initial 5+ minutes analysing and just taking in the work, and then if there is an area for information regarding the work or the artist responsible, I will give that a read before going back to analysing the work in detail. 

What I especially took away from Paterson's visit was how he told us of his intentions and ultimate aim within his work. He explained at first how he can go very long walks and document what he sees with his camera. I remember understanding what he meant when he talked about being able to feel a certain areas identity, inhabitants and atmosphere. I was interested for example, that a building next to a patch of grass with a crooked rusty fence might affect him and inspire him in a way he has never felt before, and that he understands that these things won't be around forever. I understand why he believes the feelings he has about encountering such areas needs to be captured. He talked of a specific building that grabbed his attention whilst out walking, here is his rendition of that building:

After about 5 minutes of explanation,  he talked of the feeling he had when he found this area and that he could only describe it as a "completely aesthetic experience of light, colour and space". This gave me the impression that he felt strongly about this particular building.

Paterson also spoke of when he was in France, and he organised a bus load of locals from the town to accompany him a little tour of their hometown. I admire how he had such an interest in these peoples opinions and views, and that he himself invested time in order to gain information to further his work.

Overall, his talk was filled with interesting projects he's taken part in and created since the beginning of his career in art. I found he spoke very clearly and honestly about how he creates his work and the influences that drive him and keep him going. 

First attempt at using iMovie

Shortly before the holidays I was sitting listening to a few of my records, it was early in the morning and for some odd reason I felt a creative urge hit me. I decided to film a record playing from different angles and in different lights using my iPhone. I could have used my actual camera but once I had figure out how I was going to position the phone to prevent shaky footage, I realised my iPhone would practically be easier to work with. 

I put on a record, the torch on my phone and got filming! I had no idea at first the capabilities of iMovie and it's editing software, although in my younger days I tinkered around with Windows Movie Maker creating goofy clips with my friends, so I had a rough idea of how video editing worked. I managed to get all the clips together after uploading them, then progressed to cutting them and tidying up the start and end of each one of the clips. There are a lot of options regarding filtering, colour, contrast etc. but I felt that on only my first attempt, that would be overkill. 

Once I had all of the clips together in the order that I wanted, I looked into cropping and panning. I had fun with this because it gives the impression that the camera was actually moving during filming, of which I lacked the equipment for. I may have went overboard with the cropping and speed etc. because at some points in the film I feel the panning goes a little too fast and particular clips aren't shown for enough time. But of course this is something to take on board for future experiments and projects.

The last stage was audio. Now as much I would have liked to have kept the original audio track (The Sound of Bread) on each clip, they wouldn't have flowed together and would have sounded wrong. So I took away all audio and went for one of the many, many choices iMovie gives you at this stage of the process. It might not fit in with the speed in which he film progresses but I felt it was the most appropriate. If I ever go back to editing this particular group of clips I'm going to try and record the audio of my record player separately, so it picks up the crackles and authenticity of the record, and then splice that with the film. 

Well - here's what I came up with! It took me about 1 hour, so keep that in mind.

Holiday Photographs!

For the October break we visited Nairn, up past the Scottish Highlands. I figured I should take my camera along and see what I can come back with. I had ample opportunity to photograph my surroundings during our week there and came home with a total of around 500 images in total. I then proceeded to give a select few a quick look over in iPhoto, which led to me choosing these 6 photographs below.

I was aware during my time roaming around with my camera, that I was certain to end up with groups of images that looked very similar and had the same subject matter. So, during my cull of the original 500 I discovered this to be true. These 6 images below aren't my favourites or anything, I picked them because each one is different - whether referring to colour, composition, shape, light, colour etc.

This is the view from outside Primark in Inverness city centre. The sun was in my eyes and I wasn't exactly sure at the time what I was photographing...but I think it turned out okay.

This one was from a rest stop alongside Loch Ness. We stopped the car and continued down the small set of stairs that led us to a rocky patch of ground, and this was the view! The reflection astounded me and I like how you can just make out the misty fog lying on top of the loch in the background.

I quite like this image. The log you see in the foreground was about 6 foot tall and stood in the sand as if originally planted there. I took the photograph in black and white and made sure that my mum and sister had just about moved out of sight - this way the space on the left of the upright tree is left empty. Personally it gives me the feeling that the figures are going to disappear behind that log. I of course know that they won't completely disappear behind the log (they didn't) but, I can't help but feel that way when I look at the photograph. Strange!

This photograph was taken as a tester to see if the timer worked well. It seems 10secs was long enough for me to dart back across to the shore and pose so gracefully, unlike my sister and mum. I blurred our faces out on iPhoto to create an anonymity of sorts - I know everyone who will see these already know who we are but sometimes I feel faces distract too much and give away too much.

I genuinely can't remember where I was when I looked up at the sky and took this one, but I remember capturing the glare and light and thinking "I won't delete that one!". Composition was always on my mind whilst taking these photographs, I regularly remember that certain things in a photograph may look great aesthetically and pleasing to look at, but at the same time aren't technically in the right place. I hope that makes sense!

This one may not look like much at first, and you may notice that I took this from a moving car... But I guess the reason, or at least the main reason I kept this one was the juxtaposition of the trolley pushing couple in the foreground, and the fictional Specsavers customers in the background. Although not completely in shot, I think this little contrast is the main subject of the image. I struggled deciding how much of the left side to crop, I wasn't sure how much I should bring it in.

Photographing People

Out of all the things out there I can photograph, people are my favourite. Rather than ask people to pose with each other, say cheese or organise them before I photograph them, I prefer capturing them acting natural and not feeling forced. Below are 3 examples of this. I've taken photographs of my friends since I got my first camera phone. Anytime we were out at each others houses, out for a walk - anywhere, anytime! My computer was (still is) full of those types of photographs. I must admit most of the time they got pretty pissed off, no wonder though who needs some madman documenting them at every opportunity?! I still continue to record my life through photographs to this day, I believe it's a very important thing to do. Who knows when your memory is gonna begin fading and fading and eventually you can't remember what you did last weekend? Well not to worry because Martin has a 13 images of you eating a meal at that restaurant you went to last Saturday! In all seriousness though, the main reason I have taken so many photographs over the years is probably because of my Mum and Dad. They done a great job recording me and my siblings childhood. One of my favourite things to do is sit down with a box of old photos and home videos. My wish is to look back at my photographs not only for my pleasure, but for my children's! Even if that's the last thing they want - they will sit down and watch my life re-told through hundreds and thousands of photographs form my childhood. Back on point - here are those 3 photographs :

This one is of my friend Calum. It was taken in Krakow Square, Poland earlier this year in July. As I said above I prefer photographing people without them knowing (not intending to sound creepy) as I feel I can capture their true selves, or rather an unfiltered version of themselves. We were sitting down to beers and sandwiches as we had just arrived and Calum lit up a rolled cigarette. The light hitting the right side of his face, arm and hand works well and contrasts with his dark t shirt. I also like how his sunglasses cover his eyes, I think it gives a little mystery to the image as whatever his  feelings were at the point this photograph was taken are slightly less obvious.

As it was my sisters turn to wash the dishes that night, I decided to put the opportunity to good use and photograph her. My kitchen window faces the back garden so I went out and sat on the grass so I could see my sister through the window. At first, looking through the lens I couldn't find her face but when I did she looked straight up at me with this deathly stare. I love how the reflection of the bright green grass is able to be seen in the window. It almost makes it look like a floating mouth, nose and pair of eyes. 

This last one of my Granny is interesting. I can't remember whether she annoyed or just listening very intently.. who knows. Either way I like how the background of the house and hills are out of focus and the foreground is so clear and in focus. I took a few but the exposure was all messed up on the first couple, so this was the only one I managed to get right. Luckily the conversation she as having with my Mum went on a while so I was given ample opportunity to play about with settings.

Black & White Photography

Some of the following photographs were originally taken in black and white, while the others I edited afterwards upon realising they worked a lot better that way. Reducing the amount of colour in a photograph drastically changes the effects it has on the viewer. In this case there wasn't much colour to work with in the first place, most of the clouds were white and grey and all the blue sky was covered up by the clouds. I guess I just liked the way it looked as I peered out my living room window armed with my camera. I have a limited amount of flexibility at my house when it comes to perspective, especially if I'm just sitting with the window open, stuck in one spot for an hour or whatever. But I'm determined to collect as many interesting and different photographs from this position. Anyway, these are the images I came up with!

Upon first glance all I saw was clouds, going from dark at the bottom slowly getting brighter near the top, until I noticed the sun (or moon? not sure haha) in the top left corner. This illuminates the clouds and creates a beautiful image that looks rather like a close up of a mushroom cloud...strange.

A larger scale photograph taken on the same night. Giving the viewer much more to look at and scan over with their eyes. The inclusion of the telephone wire in the bottom right corner was a decision I made whilst cropping certain areas out. Now that I'm looking closer I'm having doubts about whether it belongs there or not... Then again I like that it's just sitting at an angle in the corner. I'd rather it positioned there than it going further along the bottom of the image. I think without it, the photograph would look far too bare. It also gives the viewer some idea of where the photograph was taken from, what perspective I had or where I was when I took it.

I was annoyed when I came to edit this particular one because I was under the impression it was completely in focus! Sometimes when you preview a photograph on your camera screen it looks better than it actually is... Anyway I think I made the most of what I had. I cleaned up some of the loose, individual branches with iPhoto just to give the impression the branches are longer than they are. I used the sharpen tool to a certain extent as I desperately wanted the branches more in focus - I didn't want to go too far, though. On second thought actually I have no idea how I managed to take this photo! The bush that those blurry branches belong to is just over about a metre tall and with all the houses and the road in front of my house I can't understand how I was able to set those branches against this backdrop?! I took it from my living room window as well...I don't get it. Maybe I should refrain from admitting these doubts and just say everything was deliberate and for a reason haha.

This is probably my favourite out of these 4. Again, like the other 3 this photograph was taken on the same night. (Yeah it was definitely the sun behind those clouds, really looks like a sunset in this one.) My first instinct was to crop out the foreground. I figured that because the sky looked so clear and the clouds were in focus, the photograph didn't need anything else! But when I adjusted the contrast ever so slightly - I realised the roof, chimney, telephone wire and the very tip of that branch worked well as a silhouette in the foreground.

I'm pleased with what I was able to produce from just sitting at my living room window. When it comes to photographing the sky, I feel it's important to have something to tie it all together (especially when it comes to black and white images) for example even if it's a bird flying past or even better - a collection of birds! I'm lucky to have such an interesting view from my living room window, although there's only so far I can go. I know that the sky can look different every day and night, and the way that clouds form is beautiful and does encourage me to look up at there every now and then and see what I can capture - and these 4 images are evidence of that.