AO1 Contextual Understanding
'Develop their ideas through sustained and focused investigations informed by contextual and other sources, demonstrating analytical and critical understanding'
My theme is 'text'. I explored this and thought about basing my photos on Dr. Suess book titles, which was my initial plan. I changed this idea as it would be hard not to copy the images already on the book. Then I looked at song lyrics, but decided not to do this as it is done a lot. Then I decided to go with well-known idioms. The brainstorm above it all of the idioms I thought about showing in my final pieces. I though 'put your money where your mouth' had a lot of potential, but decided it would be better as experimentation then one of the final pieces. The three idioms I will make my final pieces represent are; 'Raining cats and dogs', 'In the dog house' and 'Elephant in the room'. However, I am also basing one on the song title, 'Stairway to Heaven' as I thought I could do a lot of interesting things with it. After researching all of the idioms, I decided to make my final pieces surreal photography. I thought this would be a good idea as to represent the idioms literally, like cats and dogs raining out of the sky, the final pieces would look better surreal, otherwise the idioms wouldn't be very clear.
Idea Mood Boards
Helena Georgiou -Artist ResearchHelena Georgiou (1984) is a interrior designer and computer graphic artist, and a member of the Cyprus Photography Association since 2009. She feels photography is a good way of expressing herself, in a way that she couldn't otherwise. Georgiou likes the way the camera separates her from the subject, unlike and artist who is in direct contact with their subject.
A similar theme between all of her photos is they all seem very random, and are of things you wouldn't normally expect to see. And so I think they all had a lot of editing. Since they are so different I think it makes them more interesting to look and think about. From Georgious work, I would like to incorporate the way they are all very unexpected and not something you would normally see. |
Slideshow
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This photo is of a old fashioned telephone box, in the middle of a very dry desert with a cloudy but sunny sky. I think the telephone box, desert ground and sky photos were all taken separately then photoshopped together. You wouldn't normally see something like a telephone box somewhere so deserted, which makes the photo more interesting and makes you think about why it's there. I think maybe it is another unconventional thing, like many of Helena Georgiou's photos, which is just showing something you wouldn't normally see and so it is interesting. As a telephone box wouldn't be somewhere so far away from people because then there would be no point of it. Or maybe it is related to something other than humans, for example mystical creatures or aliens, and the photo is trying to show that something is there to use the telephone box. The red in the photo stands out from the rest of the photo, which exaggerates some of the dark colours in the sky. Although, behind the dark gloomy colours there is a brighter clearer sky, which looks quite sunny. There are also sun rays coming through the clouds lighting up the desert, and the telephone box. Aside from the dark clouds, the yellowish brown desert, the bright red telephone box and the light blue sky behind the clouds creates quite a positive atmosphere.
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This photo is of what looks like a persons belonging floating away into the city from someone's balcony. This photo is called 'Dead'. I think this is because the items floating away could have belonged to someone who died, and since the owner is dead, maybe no-one owns the items anymore, and so they are free which is shown in the way they are floating away. The colours in the photos are mainly grey and black, making the photo quite gloomy. It looks quite vintage from the lines going across the photo making it look old and creating texture.It has clearly been manipulated, and probably all of the items and background are from separate photos. From the title of the photo and the gloomy dark colours, it creates quite a depressing atmosphere
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Christina Mary Ann Gestra -Artist Research
Christina Gestra is a freelance photographer and landscape architect. She was born and grew up in South London, and went to the Edinburgh College of Art. Her photography tends to be very artistic and creative.
A similar theme between all of her photos is a lot of them look like something been taken out of it's normal context, and she also has a lot of images where there are multiple layers which are transparent. Through her photography, she aims to highlight things that normally go unnoticed, take things out of there normal context and offer a more contemporary viewpoint on things. |
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This photo is of someones washing drying on a washing line, outside in the sun. The washing line looks like its been hung on a building, or somewhere were people work, that is not anyone's home. I think this makes the photo more interesting because it's unexpected, and normally you find a washing line in someones garden. I think this is one of the photos where Gestra tried to take things out of their ordinary context.
There are many different colours in the photo, as the clothes are all very different and bright, and the wall is blue while the door is green. The photo being so colourful helps create quite a happy atmosphere. The light source seems like a natural one, like the sun. The bottom left hand side of the photo is in shadow, whilst the rest is lit with the sun. It goes from quite dark and gloomy, to very colourful and happy.
There are many different colours in the photo, as the clothes are all very different and bright, and the wall is blue while the door is green. The photo being so colourful helps create quite a happy atmosphere. The light source seems like a natural one, like the sun. The bottom left hand side of the photo is in shadow, whilst the rest is lit with the sun. It goes from quite dark and gloomy, to very colourful and happy.
This is a photo of road signs outside a building. I think it was taken on a normally busy road, where maybe people go shopping. This is because there is a 'all traffic' sign and so there must be traffic there a lot. The photo is in black and white which makes it look quite old fashioned, and maybe is used because Gestra wanted communicate the message that road signs are simple, in the same way that say if something is simple, it's in 'black and white'. Although the photo is in black and white, I think it still creates quite a positive atmosphere, which I think is created from the old well kept looking buildings, the flag, and 'broadway' sign which make the area seem quite glamourous and elegant. The photo seems like it was taken at midday, or in the morning. This is because there is a lot of light, which looks like it is coming from a natural light source like the sun, and it is clearly taken outdoors. The right side of the photo is well lit, whilst the left it quite dark, with a lot of shadows. This makes the photo more interesting.
Terry Gilliam -Artist ResearchTerry Gilliam is a writer, actor and animator. His most well-known work is in the 'Monty Python Flying Circus' TV series. The majority of his work tends to be of the same style, which looks like a collage as he used lots of different photos and put them together for the animation.
I really like his style as it's different to most other animations, and the simplicity of the pieces makes it look quite surreal and creepy. I also like how some of the photos he has manipulated are all very different, for example, some of the characters look quite antiquated, but the rainbow, flowers and clouds all look very childish. |
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This is taken from the opening credits to 'Monty Python Flying Circus'. It's of a mans upper body sitting on a table surrounded by food. The man looks quite scary as his eyes are green and his head is cut in half. I think it's supposed to look quite scary and sinister. The colours are quite gloomy, with a lot of black, white and grey. This again reflects the dark feel of the image.
This is looks as if it is made from lots of different images put together, which makes it look like a collage. This aspect is something I may try to incorporate into my own final piece. I think it makes it look more artsy, and you could interpret it in many different ways. I like this photo as it is quite sinister and is very different to normal animations you would see. |
This is also taken from the animation, 'Monty Python Flying Circus'. It's of a cowboy-looking man riding a moving hand as if it were a horse. The trees in the background are also hands with leaves on. I'm not really sure what the photo is trying to represent or the message of it, as it is very random, and isn't something you would normally see.
There are a lot of greens in the photo, which I think is just showing the nature outdoorsy background. This could be because you would normally find a cowboy outside, or in a place similar to this. The animation is clearly made from multiple different images, which makes it look like a collage, and makes it much more interesting to look at. This artsy collage look is something I might to incorporate into my own final pieces. I will definitely be taking many different images and photoshopping them together, but maybe in a more subtle way. However, I like that it looks stuck together, so maybe I will make it obvious. I think the photo creates quite a comical feel, as it all if very unexpected and odd. |
AO2 Creative Making
'Experiment with and select appropriate resources, media, materials, techniques and processes, reviewing and refining ideas as work develops'
Artist Replication- Helena Georgiou
This is my artist replication in Helena Georgiou's style. For this photo I still wanted to include my idioms theme. And so, the photo is 'The Road Less Travelled'. I tried to make it look like her style by drawing on the road sign, so that it looks like it doesn't belong there, and so looks surreal. I also noticed her photos have a kind of fog over many of them, and look quite gloomy. I tried doing this by photoshopping clouds over the whole image, and making it look gloomy and shady.
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Artist Replication- Terry Gilliam
This is my artist replication of Terry Gilliam's work. Looking through his work, many of his animations look like collages, where all of the photos have just been laid on top of each other. I tried to incorporate this into my own work, by getting a few different images, like the money, purse, model and background, and photoshopping them all into one image. Then I put an effect over them making them look like a cartoon, but not so much that they look like they've been drawn. This makes the photo more interesting. I still wanted to use my idiom theme, so this is 'Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is'.
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Experimentation
Both of these photos were initial plans for the idiom, 'put your money where your mouth is'. I first thought I would just have someone with money literally in their mouth, and although I like how it turned out, I thought I could be more creative with it. So then I decided to have my model with notes in their mouth, holding a purse with coins falling into her mouth. For this, I think the idea was better than the actual outcome. After experimenting with this idiom, I decided the other idioms I had chosen have more potential.
AO3 Reflective Recording
'Record in visual and/or other forms ideas, observations, and insights relevant to intentions demonstrating an ability to reflect on work and progress'
Money Where Your Mouth Is-Photoshoot Slideshow
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Umbrella- Photoshoot Slideshow
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