Class discussion - Annie Leibovitz

Liang - Bride series


Week 6 -

Photography, of a time an historical document only recognised as such in the fullness of time.

Culture - counter culture
sub - culture
high culture
popular culture

Visual Manifestations and representations.

Annie Leibovitz Exhibition

Lots to almost all of the prints have some odd border that makes me think that they are blown up negatives or pictures of pictures. they are all very beautiful. I love how when looking at the photographs with the nudes you feel perfectly at ease because the model in the work looks serene and calm and beautiful. I think she uses nudes to capture the perfectness and complexities of the human figure. To capture that natural beauty on film is truly a gift. Even looking at her photography of architecture she is able to evoke emotion through the pictures she takes. But everything of course is subjective I feel like they are lonely. I love how she captures raw emotion, example of Jim Carrey, this picture actually scared me felt like I was looking into a tormented soul. As you continue through the exhibition you come to a room full of large Nature prints and they are so clear that you feel like you can step right through it like Alice in wonderland (the book and real movie not the cartoon version). Adjacent to the nature room is chronological timeline of her works. and probably my favourite work of the whole exhibition was the portrait of the Queen. The photograph seemed radiate Power. :)

Images, Power, Politics

Images Power Politics

Two Photographers:

Wanting to be noticed, getting people to look at you, Power Plays. Seeing is power.

If you can engage an exchange of looks is a successful power play.

The power of eye contact.

Eyes have the power of death stares, could stare into space freak people out without realizing haha

The Economy of Looking,

Weegee (Arthur Felig)  - Further Research J

Their first Murder – before 1945

Book Naked in New York

Ended up working in Film

Working in the back of his car developing the pictures at the scene.

Using pictures to expose the devastating effects of violence.

Emmet Till. (upload Maddies film.)

Robert Frank – Further  Research J

“Trolly” New Orleans

Annie Leborvitz – Further Reseach for next weeks excursion J

Power of Narrative

Power Of Narrative

The art of visual storytelling is not a modern invention.

George Miller – Producer and Director

Mesopotamia – World first written language

Found by Austin Henry leyard 

First ever written story about the first built city, Uruk in southern Iraq

Gilgamesh one mans search for eternal life, defeats monsters and defies gods.

A Hero is defined by their actions and circumstance.

Ashar Bangapow devised the ground breaking storytelling technique of pictures, using 4 freeze frames of Gilgamesh’s heroics depicting himself as Gilgamesh.

He had his war displayed in pictures, first ever-gripping blockbuster of an epic battle.  Visual storytelling techniques never seen before, has beginning middle and end but also subplots.

With no emotion in characters, so you don’t feel the emotional connection, the audience were not engaged.

Greeks were obsessed with storytelling and myths, Homers story of Odysseus.

On his way home after the war, Odysseus and some of his men landed on the shore of the island where the Cyclopes live. Odysseus, hearing the goats and sheep, took twelve of his best men and went off to investigate.

Odysseus and his men soon found a great cave, far from the other caves of the Cyclopes. The cave was full of round cheeses and pens with lambs and young goats. His men urged Odysseus to steal the cheeses and goats and flee, but he wanted to see the giant for himself. Instead, they built a fire, made a sacrifice to the Gods and ate some cheese.

The Cyclops returned, herding his sheep and goats ahead of him into the cave. He placed a huge rock over the entrance, far too large for Odysseus and his men to move. Odysseus spoke to the giant, who was surprised to find them there. The Cyclops promptly dashed two of Odysseus’s men on the floor and ate them before falling asleep.

The next day, Polyphemus left, leaving the stone in place to trap the men inside, although not before eating two more of Odysseus’ men.

Odysseus thought of a plan. Polyphemus had left a great staff there, as big as a ship’s mast. The Greeks modified it, making a giant spear out of it. Polyphemus returned and ate two more men. Odysseus proceeded to get him drunk on wine. When the giant asked his name, Odysseus replied “Noman.” A drunk Polyphemus promised to eat him last as a favor. When he was asleep, the remaining men drove the spear into his one eye, destroying it.ead on 

Polyphemus bellowed for the other Cyclopes to come to his aid. When they came, they asked him who was attacking him. He replied “No man (Noman) is murdering me by treachery.” The other Cyclopes thought that if no man was injuring him, then it was surely the Gods and there was nothing they could do and they left him. In the morning, Polyphemus had to let his flocks out but did not want the Greeks to escape, so he spread his mighty arms across the entrance to the cave after moving the rock. Odysseus and his men escaped by clinging to the bellies of great shaggy rams: the not-too-bright Polyphemus only felt their backs.

Odysseus and his men herded the great flocks to his ship, where he was met with much rejoicing. Once they were away, he called out to Poyphemus to taunt him, saying that even though he was not as strong as the giant, he was cleverer and was the agent of Zeus’ wrath for eating guests. Polyphemus, enraged, threw great boulders at the ship, almost capsizing it. Once he was a safe distance away, Odysseus continued to taunt him, telling him his real name.

By depicting the high climactic part of the story audience becomes more engaged

The Romans constructed the world’s most ambitious storytelling monument.

Trajan’s Column 35 meters high it stood above all other building is ancient Rome. Movie Epic Proportions.

Anticipating movie techniques. Multiply view points for drama. Like Alfred Hitchcock.

Summarising the most dramatic parts. Made the worlds first trailer LOL J

Spoil of war and a demonstration of power.

Cambridge University.

Northern Australia, cave paintings date back 40 thousand years

World’s first art galleries.

Sir Walter Baldwin Spencer. Found something here he’d never seen before, they were obsessed with painting. They kept painting the same images, what this meant was there was an artistic link to the past from today. They were passing on stories.

Sir David Attenborough!!!

Linguistics:

Views communication as the production of meaning and suggests that one message is going to mean different things to different people depending on different factors.

It focuses on the receiver and the social, political and economic environment in which they live.

This theoretical approach to design applies not only to graphic design but fashion designers, product designers, illustrators and architects.

Culture as goods or as tools.

The values of any culture are incorporated into the sign system we use

Homework:  Find definitions for the word paradigm

We are human

We are human

We:

Dream

Imagine

Question

Wonder

Think.

Puzzle

Search for answers

We need images to communicate

Images are language.

There is a Hierarchy of Art Making

Fine art

Commercial art (graphic design)

Popular culture

These operate as code within a culture and are easy to decode if you live in that culture

But there are the sub cultures and special interest groups.

Codes change and we never stop learning them

Semiotics

Is the study of meaning.

Interpreting the meaning.

We use 3 part method that include:

Materiality

Formalism

Content:

            Denotation and

            Connotation

Materiality

Each culture has different materials available to it.

The artist or designer chooses them

For example the material (also read technology) for an iPods was not available in the culture of your grandparents. It belongs to your culture.

Formalism

We look at the formal elements

Line

Colour

Form/shape

Composition etc.

Content – Denotation

            What do you see? How would you describe it?

Content - Connotation

            What meaning do we attach to each of those things?

Another mode of reading images is cultural critique:

Social conditions and issues

The many ways we communicate non-verbally personally

·      The way we wear our hair and the clothes we wear distinguish us as belonging to a subculture or particular class, country or occupation to nae a few

·      The car we drive may say something about our income, class or attitude to life

·      The way w arrange the things we have chosen for house or room

·      Facial expressions and body language

·      Tattoos or make up

·      Where our trousers start and finish or the amount of flesh we reveal

·      The gifts we give family and loved ones

·      Greeting cards and much much more.

·      The culture we live in

Has produced many media forms for visual communication to be “transmitted”

·      Television

·      Cinema

·      Magazines

·      Films including special effects and animation

·      Photography

·      Advertising billboards and TV

·      Music videos

·      Internet

·      Computer games and animation

·      Merchandising in store and store windows

·      Road signage

·      All the things you as graphic designers will be responsible for creating