Feedback from Initial Peer Review: Student Forum 9th December 2021
I thought that I would take advance of the OCA Forum group to get some feedback on my Portfolio and the draft book I had produced. Whilst completing BoW I did have student feedback throughout (see here, and here) but this was a mixed group from all levels and possibly from all different aspects of the creative arts.
Booking a slot was via a Padlet link which was fun in and of itself to just get access but once that hurdle was over, I was second in line to present. I included the link to my website so that people could view the work prior to the meeting. The meeting would be moderated by an OCA tutor: Helen Warburton, so getting a different professional view would be helpful.
I started by giving a brief overview of the project and the main questions raised by my tutor around narrative, what was I trying to say and how best to achieve that and then left the group to view the video presentation that was submitted for BoW (here)
Main comments:
- One option would be to remove the black and white images and produce a separate portfolio around that;
- The narrative are these women, so explore the possibility of the male element in other forms, through the use of textures for the book cover or matts if images are going to be framed;
- The textures of rock, shore or the surface of a cray fish, could be carried throughout the book;
- The mixture of large portraits and triptic images of still life, the women or the environment helps to set the scene further and works well
- The project/style reminded the group of the work by Tess Bunney
- It was recommended that I look at the work by Kate Nolan –‘Neither’
Reflection and Research on Feedback
I was a little confused over the statement of removing the black and white images as I thought this was a good representation of the male element within the community. By using these images either side of the core set of the female portraits I thought that it gave the feeling of them being encased within the maleness of the environment, the hard outer shell of the community and linking back to the cray fish the main source of income for the residents.
The women are the main story/narrative and I don’t want to remove the emphasis away from that. When I first started this project, I was looking for evidence of poor mental health within a community but what I found was this small core of individuals fighting to keep things together, coping with isolation, poor infrastructure and the effects of relentless environmental conditions. That is what I want to show. Yes, the state of mental health is poor, with high suicide rates but scratch the surface and you find a friendly and supportive network of people ready to give a hand to anyone, even a stranger wanting to spend time to get to know them and take some images, to be an observer for a short period of time and to tell their story in a sympathetic way.
Kate Nolan ‘Neither’ (2014)
The project is based around the women of Kaliningrad Russia. These women are the first generation to have been born and grown up following the formal collapse of the Soviet Union. It is situated between Poland, Lithuania and the Baltic Sea, which gives it a feeling of being isolated, an island almost as it is severed from Russia.
This work has been self-published and consists of images and words from the women Nolan photographed. There are extras of diaries, interviews and simple statements that reflect their hopes, fears, politics and identity. It addresses a number of issues through the eyes of these women, such as place, space, community and history. There are a mixture of confrontational portraits, urban landscapes, trees, children playing and maybe hope in the form of a wedding dress standing alone in the window. The images are large and bleed into one another which leads to a uncomfortable and often confrontational feeling.
The book seems to be more like three books in one and watching the video of the book its very complex to handle. It starts with a smaller diary, hand written (by the women) section. This surrounds but is drafted by the main images, however even this isn’t simple as the lower edge contains quotes and text which can be turned by the viewer at different times to the images, so that on each viewing the narrative can change.
Image showing diary section encasing the image section of the book
Image showing main image with text
For me this is a collaboration project, work of both the photographer and the subject. The voice is clearly that of the subject and the strong political theme comes across in the printing. The women stare back at you with little hope or emotion. There is clear interaction with the Nolan and this is not how I wanted to show the community of Ngawi. I was very much the observer, without any political motive, however I did want to capture the atmosphere, the male v female, the isolation. This might be through the printing style, tones and paper.
I do like the use of text and I think the inclusion of the collaborative pieces I am planning will help that. Setting the scene for a more international audience will help, after all how many people think or know where New Zealand is?
Bibliography
Illustrations from https://www.katenolan.ie/ [accessed 12/12/21]
The following Vimeo presentation demonstrates how the book works [accessed 12/12/21] https://vimeo.com/139399578
Michele Usher 