This is the conclusion of my project ‘Inside the Shell’ a series based around the coastal community of Ngawi (pronounced ‘naa-wee’) an exposed location which suffers from extreme cold Southerly winds in the winter and hot Northerlies in the summer. The aim of the project was to explore and document the stories behind the media reports of the high levels of suicide within the rural communities of New Zealand.
This project sits within the documentary genre of photography, exploring the relationship between the land, location/space and the people who inhabit it. The project concentrates on the only female inhabitants of this rural community and how they are often overlooked but through their own strength hold the community together by making do and supporting each other. Through experimentation of design, editing and techniques I have developed a narrative that gives the viewer an understanding of these women, their strength and how they cope with being surrounded by the hard male shell in these harsh conditions.
The series is being presented in three different electronic formats. The first is a standalone project website here. The site includes an overview of the project, videos of both the published book and zine produced during the course and images in both digital format and platinum and palladium. The latter forming part of the solo exhibition.
The second element for assessment is the published book. This has been produced in both a soft and hard copy. The final design was developed from the initial issued for assessment during Body of Work. Over the last twelve months this design has undergone a number of iterations to achieve the final product. I documented the approach to each design here and produced videos of each design so that I could obtain both peer and professional reviews here. Reflecting on feedback and researching a range of photography books from the likes of Tessa Bunney, Chris Killip, Australian photographer Odette England and more locally with the work from Fiona Clark allowed me to rethink my idea and capture the best elements into a new and final design here and here. Collaboration with other artists enhances the project and provided a scene setting foreword by a New Zealand author (here) and a personal summary in the form of a poem (here). It has been disappointing that for the final assessment copies of the book and prints cannot be provided as the physical interaction with the book provides part of the narrative to this project. I believe that the video demonstrates this to some degree.
The final part to this submission are the fifteen framed and five unframed prints that form the solo exhibition that took place during November 2022 in Featherston and a further exhibition within Ngawi (here). The Featherston gallery was small and bespoke, catering for just local Wairarapa artists which for me was very important as this was very much a local story but, in many ways, relatable to any rural community around the world. The image production can be seen here whilst the selection (here) and exhibition preparation and video can be seen here. The prints for the exhibition were platinum and palladium, a unique and very special technique for the final twenty images. Not the most cost-effective method but one that dates back to a similar period of time to the history of the community. These images are one-off prints that cannot be repeated, they have a warmth that links them to the era, the community and yet still offer a documentary aspect to the project.
Summary of Links:
General Links
Website for Assessment: here
Book Design: here
Video Presentation of Book: here
Video Presentation of Exhibition: here
Course Evaluation and Reflection: here
Course Learning Outcomes: here
Thoughts and Reflections: here
Assignments
Assignment One: here
Assignment Two: here
Assignment Three: here
Assignment Four: here
Assignment Five: here
Reflections and Rework
Assignment One: here
Assignment Two: here
Assignment Three: here
Assignment Four: here
Assignment Five: here
Tutor Reports
Assignment One: here
Assignment Two: here
Assignment Three: here
Assignment Four: here
Assignment Five: here
Learning Outcomes per Assignment
Assignment One: here
Assignment Two: here
Assignment Three: here
Assignment Four: here
Assignment Five: here
Michele Usher 