Whilst I waited for comments on my first assignment I did start to read and review the book ‘How to write your undergraduate dissertation’ by Bryan Greetham in order to try and formulate some ideas towards my final submission. I have to admit I was feeling a little lost and very confused as to how I could link my dissertation/extended essay with my Body of Work.
I started to follow the processes in the book, looking at possible topics and drafting lists of questions. It wasn’t long before I thought I had the start of an idea I could research more. The topic of photo voice and mental health within New Zealand. I pulled together my workings and before I had received any feedback from my tutor, I emailed him with my thoughts.
The feedback on my first assignment at first seemed very disappointing. I felt like I had completely missed the mark and would need to rework my ideas. However, following a google meet to discuss my concerns I soon realised that the comments were not that bad and we expanded on my ideas of the photo voice work.
It was clear that I had formulated my question and thoughts too soon. I needed to step back and look at boarder themes:
- Representation – how does it work mimesis (reflection) v construction (‘constituent’ process / circuit of culture) Stuart Hall (1997);
- Power relations – semiotics to CDA (Critical Discourse Analysis) of images/photographers/artists with reference to Michel Foucault (what is not shown);
- Ethnography ‘sociologists with cameras;
- Authorship – ‘who ‘speaks’ presses the button style, subject matter, iconography (studied in depth in film studies auteur theory); and
- Case studies of artists.
I think I also need to review and research a number of key points raised in the feedback, such as:
- Critical discourse analysis
- Decisive moment v historic moment portraiture – Alec Soth – revisit the work I covered in the Assignment;
- Aesthetic Documentary – the work covered by Richard Misrach
- Photo therapy – Jo Spence
The next assignment is critical in order to form a good foundation, getting the theme right will be half the battle.
Michele Usher 