Summer Project.

So after all my rambling, finally a real entry thats not just me chatting away. This is my Summer Project, the first of many I'm guessing, the process was a lot harder and time-consuming that I originally thought when reading the project. Anyway, Hi, I'm Alex..

The image as a whole, represents my love for clothes. A passion thats been with me from a young age, fashion has always played a major part in my life, through working in retail and through my photography, it always pops up somehow. As well as the fact my life is based around buying too many clothes, it's an unhealthy addiction.

The three pairs of shoes in the photograph not only show the obvious fact that I love shoes, but represent three different sides to my personality I suppose. Converse; the laid back side to me. I suppose I'm one of those people 'without a care in the world.' Heels; the 'party girl' side, I love any opportunity to get dolled up with friends, I suppose they're symbolic to the more daring and out-going side. And last of all, the ballet shoes. Ballet's been a part of me since a young child, the shoes represent a passionate side to me and also maybe me trying to keep hold of my innocence?

The three bottles in the photograph represent my age. As I've only just turned 18, the alcohol represents me growing up and being given new opportunites. The candle represents the love I feel towards my friends and family, me being the 'light' in there lives. A candle, in order to fulfill itself, must burn itself out. If a candle is never lit, it never fulfills it's purpose.

Research.

Jeff Wall - 'The Destroyed Room'



Inspired by The Death of Sardanapalus (1827) by Eugène Delacroix, which depicts the Assyrian monarch on his deathbed, commanding the destruction of his possessions and slaughter of his concubines in a last act of defiance against invading armies.
       There is an obvious sense that the photograph has been staged,  'Through the door you can see that it's only a set held up by supports, that this is not a real space, this is no-one's house,' he has commented. It's evident that the photograph shows a womens bedroom, but the reason as to why it's in the state it's in is un-clear, leaving the viewer wondering how the situation came about. The photograph is obviously constructed with a synthetic ordering, creating an almost theatrical feel.

Sophie Calle - 'The Birthday Ceremony'



'The Birthday Ceremony is her first major sculptural installation and it has been conceived especially for Art Now 14. Although made in 1998 the work has its origins in the years 1980 to 1993 when Calle invented and sustained a series of private and shared rituals around her birthday. These are now manifest as art, demonstrating how closely her life and her art are intertwined. Over this fourteen-year period, aside from the occasional year of disruption, Calle held an annual dinner party on the evening (or around the time) of her birthday. To each celebration she invited a group of friends and relatives, the precise number of invitees corresponding to the number of years of her age, with one additional, anonymous guest nominated by a chosen guest, in order to symbolise the unknown of her future. Calle initiated these dinner parties to ensure that her birthday was remembered each year. They were the most ambitious of a series of rituals Calle had invented to override an obsessive insecurity she experienced in early adulthood. The guests brought gifts, tokens of love and affection, and these Calle displayed in a glass-fronted cabinet, as a constant reminder of this affection. At the end of the year the objects were boxed up and put away, their places taken by the gifts of another birthday dinner party. At stressful moments over the years Calle was able to unpack the boxes and reassure herself of her networks of support.'

Further thoughts....

Ok, So I think I'm over-thinking this summer project. As much as I've tried to stay away from the cliche image of sticking aload of my things together and taking a photo, If I can find a way to create a deeper meaning within the photo and use the objects as symbolism to not only show my hobbies and intrests but also what kind of person I am, then I'm surely going in the right direction to creating a succesful still life image? Just a thought.....

Summer Project thoughts..

So, when first recieving the Summer Project, what first came to mind was to create a stereotypical still life image of things that represent me - the standard camera, ipod, favourite book, favourite shoes etc. Not only is this such an obvious choice, when thinking about it, it didn't really show what kind of person I am, just showed my favourite things. I wanted my image to have more of a deeper meaning, show the kind of person I am in a less obvious way. Of course, this is easier said than done.
         I decided to go back to basics with the term 'still life' which to me simply meant, 'capturing your life in a still image.' When looking at still-life by artists such as Anne Vallayer-Coster and Jean-Baptiste-Siméon Chardin, it's clear that when doing still-life, the main focus is on symbolism. I needed to find a way to represent myself through an object by using symbolism. Again, this is easier said than done.