Overall Comments
Great to see this project developing. Keep going with the flow, meeting people and photographing all you can. Think about some interventions you can make.
Feedback on assignment
Demonstration of technical and Visual Skills, Quality of Outcome, Demonstration of Creativity
Notes from, and in addition to, our video tutorial –
[my extra notes in italics]
Ask yourself – ‘do the photo’s show what you found?’
Key question. This is currently research and you are trialling a hypothesis around rural life/NZ/men and women etc
What do they show compared to you initial thoughts?
The hypothesis can change. What you find should shape your project. Go with what you feel chimes with you/is most interesting.
Male v Female – Land/work/sea can be thought of as very male.
There’s definitely something really interesting in the gender (im)balance in the location. I noted you saying: 8 women / up to 90 men (permanent residents 30ish). That’s startling, and really interesting.
Work and gender is also interesting, but rather than work with/against perceived stereotypes, let the people of the place be who they are and see if they point to wider issues. (There was a flurry of women in male roles photojournalism pieces in the 2000s, see work on the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) and, I think, Albanian blood feuds – might be wrong about that one)
The images don’t include many male subjects consider using the initial images to represent the male side.
You don’t have to provide a balance, though. There is no drive to be objective. This is your work, influenced by your feelings/background/interests.
Female subjects are shown in their environment of the home but also within the male environment this could be a link. Large male/female imbalance.
Review other artists such as: Mark Neville, Jo Coates and Sophie Gerrard
I know that all three have worked in rural locations. Mark tends to do discreet projects but Jo and Sophie are working long term. Tessa Bunney is another good reference. As noted last time though, it’s important you engage with In Flagrante by Chris Killip.
Re evidence of experimentation – suggested using other formats such as polaroids but consider a more formal set up such as a community event.
Formal portraits in informal settings could work – Check out Portraits in a Chinese Studio by Grace Lau as an example.
But also think of events where you interact with people utilising photography, either showing, sharing, teaching, printing etc. You want to garner trust, hear stories, embed yourself really.
Next steps – undertake a quick edit by printing off a number of images and see how they fit and answer the question above.
A rolling edit will keep you focussed on your end goal which is a coherent body of work.
I also noted we discussed;
networks, support, and human connections and mental health
differences in the urban/metropolitan
ideas of community
my work in communities, Aspirations, The Desire Project
ideas of the dramaturgical – Erving Goffman’s The Presentation of Self in Everyday Life
Coursework
Demonstration of technical and Visual Skills, Demonstration of Creativity
Good evidence of work on blog.
Research
Context, reflective thinking, critical thinking, analysis
Plenty of evidence of writing and reflection on your blog. Continue to situate your work within a context of photographers and artists that should inform this body of work – see references above.
Learning Log
Context, reflective thinking, critical thinking, analysis
Well written and illustrated.
Suggested reading/viewing
Context
See above. Write up reflections or reviews on your blog.
Michele Usher 