Month: July 2017

‘Reflection’

Reflecting on my series surrounding light, it is interesting to see what aspects of ‘light’ jumped out at me.
I found the more intricate the lighting situation was, the more it played with my mood.  I found a split in a curtain has more meaning than open open curtains themselves as the twinkling lights that go through the gaps created a very predominant feeling of ‘morning’ or ‘dawn’ compared to light  flooding in.

I found the way I collected my images was by reflecting back to my prompt and focusing on ‘light’ and ‘ambiance’.  I learned that in our surroundings, aspects that we aren’t always aware off make great inspiration and are beautiful mise-en-scenes. It’s always good to choose something to notice that you aren’t always aware off to inspire aspects in your work and to build your creative attitude as a whole.

In regards to thinking about final questions, I would wonder if it’s harder to notice more precise themes compared to broader ones. For example instead of just light, setting a more precise theme- light in dark place or abstract shadows. I think finding similarities in precise themes can be more rewarding as it means you’ve been focusing harder.

‘Noticing’

 Similarities, all photos as stated in my prompt focus on ‘light’ and the way it is manipulated in a space.

Notes: Dark, black and white lighting creates a somber mood, almost ominous- I think this is mostly likely due to the lack of color and (over exposed) natural lighting.

Notes: Chiaroscuro lighting early in the morning presents a ‘dawn’ feeling (a freshness to the day), the flags create different shadow lengths which made me feel entertained and happy. I also liked how the light was soft, the filtering of the light through the top and side of the curtain created a very angelic atmosphere.

Notes: I took this photograph due to the colors that were presented through the frosted window, I like how they blended together and no objects could be seen as a whole and rather everything melded. It felt calming the way the colors blended together.

Notes: The warm hues my salt lamp emits always makes me feel calm, relaxed and happy. The way the light glows seems natural and earthy which creates a very neutral mood. Warm light always makes me feel more comfortable than lighting with bluer hues.

‘Prompt’ 

“To notice can be taken to mean the same as ‘to perceive’, even ‘to sense’ in the most general ‘sense’ of that word.”
Mason, John. Researching your own practice: the discipline of noticing, (p.29-38). Lodon, Routledege Falmer, 2001.

Did you really notice, or was it a reconstructed version your mind created after someone prompted you to remember. What is it really to notice? Attention, detail, memory, recollection, to observe- to notice is to be aware.
For myself; noticing and awareness is a daily activity, I believe in meditation- the flow of awareness (both self and environmental). To accept your surroundings and notice objects, sounds and even energies. “Noticing can be sharpened, can be developed and refined” (Mason, John). Yet in this case I will note that meditation is to be one with the present, in regards to continuously noticing and being able to recall various aspects of observation, one must be consistently intertwined with their environment and self.

To inspire us for this first task we were taken to the NGV Ian Potter Center in Federation Square. We were to examine the exhibition “Patrick Pound: The Great Exhibition” and take in an understanding of what caused Pound to compile specific photographs, what were interesting about the photographs as well as other aspects of noticing. As Pound says, ‘to collect is to gather your thoughts through things’.  What I came to terms with at the end of viewing the exhibition was that individuals have similar behaviors through time as well as many photos have interconnecting themes that you may only see if you are spending time and really looking into the photographs. “Objects that are seemingly redundant or overlooked are meticulously collected by the artist and put back into ‘use’ in these museums.”
 After completing the readings on noticing and visiting Patrick pounds exhibition; I wanted to take into account the way we can interpret mood and atmosphere and what evokes a certain ambiance. In pounds exhibition he had a series of photographs that all had one reoccurring theme- light (from lamps, cameras ect).
I want to compile a series of photographs on light that create a certain atmosphere or emotion, especially thinking on the relationship of shadows and chiaroscuro. I think we forget how much lighting plays in the way we feel and it will be interesting to see how lighting in every day settings look when compiled, what stands out and what creates character and why certain ways of lighting create character. To do this I will be taking mainly photographs of different rooms, specifically settings that present a particular mood, potentially how they connect and why they present that particular mood.