Some time in the Early Evening.................Alex (my Baby) Prager.

Fig 1.  Alex prager from 'Film stills' 2006

Fig 2. Alex prager from 'Polyester' 2004

If you are not already aware of her, allow me to introduce to you a photographer I've had my eye on for a while now. The first time I saw her work I was blown away by her use and combinations of colour and light. My fantastically warped mind was also attracted by the bizzar hidden and unhidden narratives prevalent in much of her imagery. I have spent many an hour admiring her pictures but never taken the time to research her proper.

Born in Los Angeles 1979 her nomadic upbringing saw her splitting her time between Florida, California and Switzerland. In the spirit of true independence Prager 'jogged on' art school and focused on the honorable art of photography, teaching herself equipment technicalities and lighting. She lists one of her earliest influences as William Eggleston (I knew she reminded me of someone). Alex has exhibited at the Michael Hoppen Gallery as part of a collection of artists whose work is defined by colour, used to either enhance reality, confuse reality or for pure aesthetic pleasure. Prager has been described by the Los Angeles Times as: "A bit Annie Leibovitz,a bit Dian Arbus" I would add Cindy Sherman and Alfred Hitchcock to this list.

Fig 3. Alex Prager from 'group show' 2009

She has buckets more vision than credentials and that, I think is what makes her great.

Reading:      http://www.michaelhoppengallery.com/artist,show,3,120,253,1283,0,0,0,0,alex_prager_rachel_and_friends.html

http://bumbumbum.me/2010/11/18/alex-prager-photographer/

Images:     Fig 1. 

                                                   http://saymayday.com/2009/01/pale-beauty-alex-prager/     

                                                                                   Fig 2.             

                        girlhttp://amberkekichiscool.blogspot.com/2010/02/alex-prager.html

                                                                                                   Fig 3.

                                     girlhttp://amberkekichiscool.blogspot.com/2010/02/alex-prager.html

Sat 21st May 211. The 'ZEN' Master.

Fig 1. Nude by Edward Weston.

Together with Atget, Edward Weston is one of my top boys. I was wounded when I read a quote from Weston criticizing Atget's technical abilities. However, in Westons own book 'America and  photography' 1929 He uses a quote from Van Gogh stating: "A feel for things in themselves is much more important than a sense of the pictorial" Weston is not a pictorial photographer and neither was Atget. Admittedly, He is not the most gifted technically but the way he captured a sense of presence in his human less town and cityscape's and the strange atmosphere surrounding many of his natural forms (trees), illustrates Van Gogh's point perfectly. To further strengthen my point, A quote from Weston himself in the same book : "But for the sake of argument - the difference between good and bad art in any medium or of any age lies in the creative mind rather than in  skill of hands."

Fig 1. Is one of the most beautiful pictures of a woman I have ever seen. We are not permitted to see her face. In fact biologically we cannot be 100% it is a woman. For me form is everything in this image. Through form and light Weston captures the essence of the eternal woman.

Fig 2.  'Pepper' by Edward Weston. 

Many have interpreted Westons peppers and other assorted vegetables as "overly sexual". This may be because  Freudian thinking was in Vogue at the time or that they simply had filthy minds. The peppers in particular are seductively sensual but to my mind Weston was thinking more about sculpture rather than sex when the moment came to release his shutter. Sculpture is something I harp on about alot I know , but Weston was actually accused of imitating the work of the Romanian sculptor Brancusi.

In one of his diary entries from the thirties Weston writes "No sculptor can be wholly abstract. We cannot imagine forms not already existing in nature,- we know nothing else." Weston admits that he may have been inspired by Brancusi but puts it down to them both having the same (inner) eye. He goes on to say: "Nature has all the abstract (simplified) forms, that Brancusi or any other artist could imagine. With my camera I have gone straight to Brancusis source. One might as well say that Brancusi imitates nature, as to accuse me of imitating, Brancusi"  LOL.

In my as yet uneducated opinion Ed. Weston is the Zen master of photography. Zen is about 'seeing' what is Really  there, instead of what our polluted minds tells us. Weston urges us as photographers to get into rhythm with the universe. Only then can we capture the eternal that lies within all natural forms.

Fig 3. Point Lobos 1946.

Reading :    The Photograph by Graham Clark.

http://www.masters-of-photography.com/W/weston/weston_nude_1936_full.html

http://artdurkee.blogspot.com/2009/12/edward-weston-philosophy-of-photography.html

Images:       Fig 1. http://www.masters-of-photography.com/W/weston/weston_nude_1936_full.html

Fig 2.                          http://artwarren.blogspot.com/2011/04/peppers.html 

Fig 3.                                         http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_Weston

Sat 21st May 211 Karen Knorr. The intertwining of practice and theory.

                                                 Fig 1. From Karen Knorrs 'Belgravia' series

        

Fig 2. From Karren Knorr's 'Gentlemen' series

Karen Knorr was one of the most significant postmodernists to emerge from the radical photography department of the Polytechnic of Central London in the early 1980s. In a similar but different way to Barbara Kruger Knorr uses image and text together to refer to particular attitudes which are classed (Belgravia) as much as they are sexed (Gentlemen). In her response to the question of why she uses text and image Knorr quotes from Barthes’ The Rhetoric of image. He describes the linguistic message in relation to the photograph: ‘Anchorage’ ties meaning down by answering questions like ‘What is it?’ text explains the image and opens it up to other meanings that are not apparent or visible in the photograph. Another interesting explanation for her use of image and text is that the two together slow down the spectators pace of consumption, creating a slow-motion reading which leaves room for reflection.  Strangely, Knorr compares her work to that of Jacob A. Riis. This was a strange comparison for me at first but, it is documentary photography of a group that is almost invisible to those outside their circle. Only in this case it is of high British culture and not low American immigrants on the lower East side. The main difference is in the way knorr uses text to parody her subject and enables us to see them in another not so bright light. In this sense I would also compare her work to that of William Hogarths satirical depictions of high society.

Reading:        'Illuminatons' Women writing on Photography From 1850's to the present.

Edited by    Liz Heron and Val Williams 1996

Interview with Karen Knorr: Fetishism of Black-and White and he Vulgarity of Colour

(First published in Marks of Distincion, Thames and Hudson, London, 1991, pp 124-31)

Images:                                    Fig 1.                                                                      

                                                                      http://www.karenknorr.com/photographs/archives/belgravia/

Fig 2.

                                                                     http://www.karenknorr.com/photographs/archives/gentlemen/

Weds 18/05/211 Thomas Demand (well I'll be dammed) never studied Photography

                                 Fig 1.http://photography-now.net/eugene_atget/portfolio1.html
                                              

Fig 2.Jerry Uelsmann 'Untitled' 1964

While I was looking through the list of photographers we must include in our 12 blog brief I was suddenly struck by the realisation that I was looking at the official UEL cannon of photographers. The 16 most important and influential photographers past and present (as far as our photographic faculty is concerned anyway). This got me thinking what would the list look like for other Universities. Would there be any major differences to our list. I watched a video on Annie Leibovitz where she states that 'Robert Frank' was considered the most important photographer when she was at Uni. Now...lets not get it twisted.....I have no problems with the list but in my humble opinion there are a few glaring omissions.

Anyway, I love Willy Egg. and I needed a deeper understanding of Stephen Shore. Three from the 'list' are required so who should I pick? and why?          Doing these blogs has very much helped me to narrow down what I like as far as photography is concerned. I like colour, I like sculpture and I love a bit of hidden narrative along with forms  natural and Geometric. Thomas Demand hits 4 out of 5. Choice made.

Fig 3. 'Bathroom' 160x120cm c-print 1997

Fig 3. Is an exact life size reconstruction of a murder scene. Demand questions how much real information we as viewers require in order to start to imagine meaning and construct a narrative. He uses the naive assumption that photography is a faithful transcriber of the real.

Fig 4. example of Troupe L'oeil

In a similar way to Troupe L'oeil he tricks the viewer into one way of thinking then, by using small errors in the lighting or perhaps the sculptural forms he skillfully reminds us of the unreality that we are looking at. I admire the craftsmanship of Demands work but I like the way he plays with our heads and eyes even more. Thomas Demand studied sculpture in Dusseldorf and then at Goldsmith college London. Although the Bechers were at Demands University,  I don't believe he ever studied under them.

Reading: 'The photograph as contemporary art'  Charlotte Cotton.

http://www.monocle.com/sections/culture/Web-Articles/Thomas-Demand/

Images:   Fig 1. 

                     http://fashionpresentationfall2008.blogspot.com/2008/09/eugene-atget.html

Fig 2.

                                http://wewastetime.wordpress.com/2010/07/15/jerry-uelsmann/

Fig 3.

                                           http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UA2AdLo0rDQ

                                                                             Fig 4.

                                                       http://neshaanderson.wordpress.com/tag/trompe/

Sun 15th May 211. Stephen Shore. Deadpan Experience

For our 'Photography as Contemporary Art' project I knew exactly  which category I wanted to explore. I knew I found it aesthetically pleasing but for the life of me I could not understand why I was drawn to it so strongly. When researching deadpan photography I started by looking at one of its original and best known practitioners, Stephen Shore. A bit of a child prodigy as far as photography is concerned Shore sold three of his works to Edward Steichen at the tender age of 14. To some Shores works could be classed as documentary photographs, seldom are people present in the images that he produces and when they are they tend to be incidental to the subject as a whole.

Fig 1. El Paso Street, El Paso, Texas July 5th 1975

Fig 1. is a classic example of Shores style. Light is registered entering from the side, this helps explain the special saturated  quality that light has in his work. Colour is really a quality of light for him. By using this side light technique he subdues the potential tendandency for colour's to become harsh. Natural light stimulates the whole of the space in his pictures. Another signature of his work is his arrangement of objects in the foreground that provide links with the background. As I have discovered, deadpan is not an easy aesthetic to achieve.

Finally it is my belief that deadpan photography speaks to me on a spiritual level. It echoes the isolation and separateness I feel as part of the fractured society that I live in today.

It has been said that 'Engaging yet ambiguous, deadpan photography provides a refuge from emotion in a time of worry'.

Reading :              http://www.boston.com/news/globe/living/articles/2007/11/04/heres_looking_at_you/

http://www.keenpress.com/blog/?p=626

Image:  http://www.masters-of-photography.com/S/shore/shore_el_paso_full.html

Monday Bank Hols 2nd May 211 Mapplethorpe and the Bullwhip idea.

Fig 1. Self-Portrait, 1971

Robert Mapplethorpe like Richard Avedon studied in Brooklyn New York during the swinging sixties. Brought up as a strict Catholic his fascination with this religions rituals and mystery's influenced his entire life and Work.

I first became aware of his work when I stumbled upon some of the photographs from a highly controversial exhibition Robert Mapplethorpe: The perfect Moment (1989). Included in this exhibition were images of erect black penises. This turned me off him for a wee while (pardon the puns). I had no desire to see  photographs of erect black penises, I have to deal with one of these every morning of my life. I therefore viewed him as a photographer of interest to someone other than myself. However, during my research on the self-portrait brief for Ralph I was 'exposed' to some other works by him that I found completely beautiful. One in particular comes to mind. Fig 1 Self-portrait, 1971. Once again we have a penis on view, But the fascinating thing is the way he has layered and constructed our view of him. I feel as if I want to peel it like an orange and look inside. He is encased within a silk  bag behind a wire mesh on a black background. The sensuality of the silk juxtaposed against the sharp harshness of the wire possibly represent the two extremes of his private and public self. His body has been cut up in two places which to my mind suggest the psychological and spiritual torment he feels as a result of his religious upbringing which was in direct opposition to the way he lived his life. Robert did not start off as a photographer but first started studying painting, drawing and sculpture. What really does it for me in this portrait is the way he has merged photography and sculpture so subtly and seamlessly together, to the point you hardly even notice that sculpture is involved. Combining these two mediums is something I want to incorporate in my own work. When I look at fig1. I see  modern religious iconography. Whether this was  Roberts intention, I don't know, but it very much works for me. 

Fig 2. Self-portrait with Bullwhip (1978)

Before I finnish I would like to briefly highlight one of Mapplethorpe's most famous and ambitious attempts at cross referencing the codes of sadomasochism (if in fact that is what he is attempting to do here) Fig 2. Self-portrait with Bullwhip. In an online article by Richard Meyer (July 10th 1991) he states: "Within the history of art, one is hard pressed-indeed to recall another self-portrait, whether painterly or photographic, which represents its artist as anally penetrable." This is probably true, but it was not (as I had first thought) an original idea. It is merely a revision of a much older one.

see Fig 3.

Fig 3. 'Untitled' photographer unknown (1850-3000)

Is it possible that Mapplethorpe saw this image? I would bet £ that he did.

Fig 3. was posted on facebook 03/05/2011 with the caption 'ARTORPORN???'  04/05/2011 the image was forcibly removed (censored) by the 'Gaurdians' of facebook (WHO R They?) Is the ?  answered.     ?

?
Reading:     'On Photography' Graham Clark
                     Richard Meyer 1991     http://www.queerculturalcenter.org/Pages/Mappleth/MappPg3.htm
                         

                Robert Mapplethorpe

                         Encyclopedia of World Biography     

                    http://www.encyclopedia.com/topic/Robert_Mapplethorpe.aspx

Images:       Fig 1. 

                    http://www.american-buddha.com/maplethorpe.1.htm

                   Fig 2.
                  http://artportraiture.blogspot.com/2010/05/robert-mapplethorpe-self-portrait-with.html
 
                   Fig 3.

                  http://www.google.co.uk/imgres?       imgurl=https://www.othercriteria.com/img/products/380/l/page4.png&imgrefurl=https://www.othercriteria.com/browse/moynihan/all/private_collection_book/&usg=__UF1G0B-jP0jHngs-wvupFimMMpY=&h=280&w=350&sz=186&hl=en&start=44&sig2=52bxrYigSvJwRKmBwbA_cw&zoom=1&tbnid=dD8siLISPeDWRM:&tbnh=131&tbnw=158&ei=pending&prev=/search%3Fq%3D1850%2Bphotographs%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DX%26biw%3D1276%26bih%3D594%26tbm% 3Disch&itbs=1&iact=rc&dur=443&oei=gzKgTfb0Lc30sgaAqMSIAg&page=3&ndsp=23&ved=1t:429,r:22,s:44&tx=62&ty=71

                   
                 

Monday 18th April 211 Postmodernism and before.

Before Postmodernism there was 'High Modernism', but that is not part of the specified brief, so let me get back to the point.
Postmodernism- An art movement, the origins of which began in the mid to late 1980's. To understand the term it is important to first understand the meaning of Modernism, the movement from which Postmodernism seems to grow and/or emerge. Modernism, as you are no doubt already aware is the movement in visual arts, music, literature and drama which rejected the old Victorian standards of how art should be made, consumed and understood. Its emphasis was on impressionism and subjectivity, on how we see and perceive the world. The fragmentation and discontinuity of form seen in the work of Picasso are an ideal example of modern art and for that matter modern thought. Modernism also rejects the distinction between 'high' and 'low' art and popular culture in its methodology, materials used, distribution and display.
 Postmodernism continues with most of these ideas but also concentrates its attention on self-consciousness, reflection, ambiguity, deconstuctured and dehumanized subjects. Basically the Postmodernist argument is that every conceivable avenue has been explored in the last century or so and there is now hardly any scope for novelty or originality. It has therefore embraced as many techniques as possible, sometimes combining various techniques into one piece of work. A great example of this is the work of the early Postmodern artist Shinro Ohtake (b.1955). He works in a variety of disciplines from dense collages (his most famous works) to sculpture, sketches, water colours, oil painting and etchings. Ohtake uses the world as his source, using journeys dreams and his collaged diaries to make sense of the inner surface of layered perception.

Fig 1.

I see Postmodernism as a sort of patchwork quilt of ideas and techniques taken from the past and re-constituted in an attempt to come up with something completely new. It appears to me to be a sort of an art movement stop gap while we wait for the next new BIG change in art. This is what I find most interesting. The question of what will be the next art movement? Post-Postmodernism, Neo-modernism, Mind modernism? Which ever it is (if there is another) I am sure that photography will be integral to it. Why? I'll tell you later.

Reading:  art The World of Art, from Aboriginal to American Pop, Renaissance Masters to Postmodernism (Professor Robert Belton 2002)

Postmodernism (Dr Mary Klages last revised April 2003)http://www.colorado.edu/English/courses/ENGL2012Klages/pomo.html

         Image:  http://www.google.co.uk/imgres?imgurl=http://www.thewire.co.uk/images/artists/shinro_ohtake/shinro08.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.noiseguide.com/board/viewtopic.php%3Ft%3D5341%26sid%3Dacf117992df1eb84c83e3fb0d1ab80d1&usg=__m0tamP948vyZxGvQgnIRozVwQCY=&h=400&w=600&sz=98&hl=en&start=29&sig2=fEPzWi3IxJ83v2S9b2UiFw&zoom=1&tbnid=9mVAk9GmHqp4-M:&tbnh=162&tbnw=194&ei=pending&prev=/search%3Fq%3Dshinro%2Bohtake%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DX%26biw%3D1280%26bih%3D676%26tbm%3Disch0%2C676&itbs=1&iact=hc&vpx=768&vpy=12&dur=294&hovh=183&hovw=275&tx=176&ty=159&oei=gjCsTeOyNIOxtAby-9yoDA&page=2&ndsp=18&ved=1t:429,r:4,s:29&biw=1280&bih=676

Wednesday 6th of April 211. Feminism, It comes in waves.

Fig 1. Cindy Sherman, UNTITLED #122

Feminism, for me was never a subject I felt the need to consider, and why would/should I. My opinion was; it had nothing to do with me and everything to do with the 'other'. However during my research I have discovered a depth of complexities associated with Womens photography in general and what I called Feminist photography. From the pioneering photo therapy of Rosy Martin and Jo Spence to Carrie Mae Weems who has created for herself a space somewhere between documentary and conceptual appropriation. It has become clear to this humble cave dweller that much is going on below the surface.

 What is Feminism and when did it start?  According to Simone de Beauvoir (1908-1986) the first women to 'take up her pen in defence of her sex' was Christine de Pizan back in the 15th century. As I now understand it , Feminism is the protest against womens oppression. It seeks to afford women the same opportunities and privilege's that society gives to men. Form this I am of the opinion that feminists aim to change society from a Patriarchal one to one that is a little more evenly balanced.  Logically then all women should be feminists. I asked a couple of women that I know if they were feminists and after some thought they replied 'somtimes'.

At this present moment in time we are in what is termed the 'Third wave' of feminism. This started in the 1980's and has continued  to now. The first wave was during the 19th century. The second started in the 60's and lasted through to the late 70's. These waves have seen the philosophical perspective of feminism evolve and shift from equality and difference in feminist thought, liberal feminism, cultural feminism first and second stage to the challenges of postmodernist feminism faced today.

 I would like now to look at three feminist photographers that I feel are of interest and have been influential in the way women construct identity. Fig 1. is 'Untitled #122' 1983 by the artist Cindy Sherman. Sherman does not consider her work to be feminist (feminists disagree) although it blatantly draw attention to the stereotyping of women by the media. Sherman's postmodern take on photography is  used not to embody her as an artist but rather shape her as an artist and a woman.

Fig 2. 'Regen projects' Cathrine Opie.

Fig 3.'Bo' Cathrine Opie 1991

Cathrine Opie (proffesor of photography) in her portrait series uses make up, costumes, expression and positioning to take on a variety of different persona's Fig 3, similar to the work of Sherman Opie takes it a step further by assuming the identity of another gender. In another of her series of works 'Role Models' Fig 2. she focuses on the codes of gender representation once again but this time we are taken inside to take a fascinating look at her life from a gay, lesbian and S+M point of view.

Fig 4. 'Unwind the lies that bind, 1988 (in collaboration with Jo Spence)

Finally I have included the work of Rosy Martin (because I love her). A British photographer who in Fig 4 was working on the edge of the second wave of feminism. 'Unwind the ties that bind' sees Martin shouting and screaming out against clause 28, a measure intended to outlaw homosexuality from discourse by giving local authorities the power to exclude any mention of 'IT' in the education curriculum. Fig 4 shows Martin strapped up and covered in provocative text. Here the intention is to undermine the bigotry that informed the passing of this equally provocative legislation. Look at how the image overlaps and is pieced together. For me it echoes the different parts and ways we all construct ourselves as individual Identities.

I asked my next door neighbour to define what feminism meant to her she gave me three words: Equality, Balance and Feminine Values ( I know, that's 4 words).  

Reading List:
Bodies of Experience. Paul Jobling 1997
Role Models feminine identity in contempory American Photography. National Museum of Women in the arts 2008.
Feminist Theory Today. Judy Evans 1995.

Images:
Fig 1. 'Untitled #122

http://www.arcadja.com/artmagazine/en/2009/04/03/top-lots-of-the-week-24/

Fig 2. 'Regen Projects'

http://www.williamzuback.com/index.php/a-journal-of-visual-and-literary-idea-s/2010/4/26/from-fame-to-tame/

Fig 3. 'Bo'

httpwww.google.co.ukimgresimgurl=httpi111.photobucket.comalbumsn147djmucifer25118755.jpg&imgrefurl=httpthinkpinkradio.com200810&usg=__Y9zQ-PIRE4Og0C1bmZpBbEVw1hA=&h=350&w=465&sz=24&hl=en&start=0&zoom=1&tbnid=bfBbU5PiBSqhaM&tbnh=144&tbnw=189&ei=bmCcTeKYEIvRsgbu8Kz5BQ&prev=search%3Fq%3Dcatherine%2Bopie%2Bportraits%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DX%26biw%3D1276%26bih%3D594%26tbm%3Disch%26prmd%3Divnso0%2C74&itbs=1&iact=hc&vpx=132&vpy=161&dur=348&hovh=195&hovw=259&tx=174&ty=158&oei=bmCcTeKYEIvRsgbu8Kz5BQ&page=1&ndsp=24&ved=1t429,r8,s0&biw=1276&bih=594

Fig 4. 'Unwind these lies that bind'
   http://indecentbazaar.wordpress.com/author/faithreasonimagination/
  

Wed 30/03/211 The Photographic Fundamentalist.

I recently read an online article titled "Unreasonable Apple" (presentation at the first MOMA photography forum, Feb 2010- from the Paul Graham archive). In it, the question is raised as to whether or not photography is EASY or DIFFICULT ( good ?) The author states: 'Its so easy its ridiculous. Its just looking at things, we all do that. Its simply a way of recording what you see.' Ha Ha Ha, I chuckle to myself, how true. He then goes on to add: ' Its so difficult because it is everywhere, all the time . Its the view of the pen as I writ this. Its right there across the room. Then its gone, you didn't photograph it and now its to late, the moment has evaporated'. Thinking on the easy/difficult question, I am of the opinion that photography is in fact quite easy. However, it is extremely difficult to be really good (Uelsmann good) at it, perhaps even impossible to perfect. This is because it is always evolving and developing, just as the world we see changes and evolves. In this sense it must be an organic art form.
 Another interesting point raised in the article is the question of what to photograph: 'Do  I walk down the street and make pictures of strangers, do I make a drama-tableaux with my friends, do I only photograph my beloved, family, myself, or should I just go straight to a war zone??   I find myself considering what is it that  I point my camera at and why. 1.Trees. Simple, the first photographer I took an interest in was Atget. 2. I have an irresistible impulse to photograph walls, windows and door ways. I would say this was an Atget influence also, only its been going on even before I knew who he was. I find it interesting to think about the things that you naturally find yourself pointing your camera at and why is it your spirit takes to that particular object, person, face or form and not another.
 Today I discovered a photographer that shares my spirit for the doorway, window and wall. He was a major player in the 'New Topographics: Photographs of a Man-altered Landscape' (1975 Rochester NY) exhibition. The aim of this young group of photographers was to move the public (and critics) raptured gaze away from the old skool sentimental view of the American Landscape e.g Ansel Adams & Co. aka ARAT  another rock another stone. I will talk more about where that gaze was moved to another day. For now, just enjoy some works by 'Lewis Baltz' (b,1945)  




Reading:     http://www.egs.edu/faculty/lewis-baltz/biography/
                   http://www.paulgrahamarchive.com/writings_by.html
                   Photography a critical introduction. (Liz Wells 4th Ed.2009)
Images:        My camera.
                    http://www.google.co.uk/search?q=baltz+images&hl=en&prmd=ivns&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=S4OTTZWQLs3xsgaWtazQBg&sqi=2&ved=0CCAQsAQ&biw=1259&bih=594

Facebook and Twitter- signs of change. Wed 16th March 211

Eminem has the Highest amount of 'Likes' on Facebook. However, Lady Ga Ga has far more followers on Twitter.(Capital Radio 6:00 o'clock news 16th March 211). As little as 15 years ago these two statements would have had no meaning for me or anyone else I know of. In fact I would have said that the radio commentator was speaking gobbledygook. Today though they are clear signifiers even for those that don't have or use a computer. Chambers Handy Dictionary (Published 1993) defines the word 'Twitter' as: 1.A chirp, of e.g. a bird 2. slight nervous excitement 3. to chirp, make small noises. Here is an example of how signs can change over time but more importantly by the cultural understandings which inform our interpretation.
 Signs can take the form of words, images, sounds, acts, odours or even flavours. But a sign is not a sign until we invest it with meaning. Over a relatively short period of time, we as a society have transformed the conception of the sign 'Twitter' into something totally different from its 1993 dictionary definition. We are Homo significans-meaning makers, Through our creation and interpretation of signs. Peirce says 'We think only in signs' (Pierce 1931-58, 2.302). I would definitely agree with this statement. When I hear that Lady Ga Ga has more twitter followers than anyone else, I immediately get a picture in my head. To be more accurate I get a series of pictures/images flashing into my mind. For this reason I believe that it is easier to change what a 'word' signifies than it is to change what an image signifies. I cant think of any image signs that have changed at all.
To conclude I would just like to put down some signs that really make me think.  'Whilst we experience time as a continuum, we may represent it in either analogue or digital form. A watch with an analogue display (hour, minute and second hands) has the advantage of dividing up an hour like a cake (so that in a lecture, for instance, we can 'see' how much time is left). A watch with a digital display (displaying the current time as a changing number) has the advantage of precision, so that we can see exactly what time it is 'now'. (Chandler 2009 20:54:06)

READING And Reasearch:  http://www.aber.ac.uk/media/Documents/S4B/sem02.html
                                             Photography, A Critical Introduction fouth ed.  Liz Wells 

Thursday/Saturday evening. 5/3/211 A rethink on: Instant Gratification

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1R1FMrXa9h0

When I initially watched this Lady Ga Ga promo. My first thought was; What on earth is a celebrity of such iconic status doing trying to resurrect a dog like Polaroid. The sunglasses that take pics, great and innovative idea, But the mobile printer made no sense to me at all. Why would you want to carry that relatively large printer around when you can store all your pics on your phone and look at them, manipulate them and do what ever the hell you want to them?
But then,,,,,,I reread 'On Photography' by Susan Sontag, in which she states (Movies and television programs light up walls, flicker, and go out; but with still photographs the image is an object, light weight, cheap to produce, easy to carry about, accumulate and store) I would add to this that they are also easier to sell to Joe Pub. I was forced to rethink........A still photo does not depend on battery power, having the right equipment, programs, and USB ports. It simply fits into you pocket and you can take it out and look at it without having to press buttons or plug bugger all in. An analogical mode is always 'more real' than a digital one. Natural Vs Artificial, the deepest part of me is analogical, I feel. 

Celebrity.......As celebrities go I quite like Lady Ga Ga aka Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta aka Stefi, The Germ. Speaking as the father of a teenage girl I think she could do with covering up abit, But, she is innovative, ambitious and determined, All admirable traits in anyone. Could you imagine her management team telling her to cut her hair or for that matter that it was a good idea to join the army. War on or not.
If you want to find out about Ga Ga's influences the one person to look at would be the 70's obsessed performance artist and DJ Lady starlight. She is the one behind this 'Polaroid' business me thinks. 

                                                                    Starlight.                  Ga Ga.

Wednesday 23rd Feb 211

The top image of the two presented here is 'The Red Ceiling ' by William Eggleston. It is also known as 'Greenwood, Mississippi, 1973. I recently posted the image on my facebook page along with an internet radio station I listen to because I find it relaxing to look at one while  listening to the other. As I understood it The Red Ceiling was a shot taken by Eggleston while visiting a freind, Later a murder was committed in this same room. On further research I have discovered that 37 years ago The Red Ceiling was used as the front cover for the album 'Radio city' by the Memphis group Big star. Egglestons work has also been licienced by a number of other musicians namely David Byrne, Primal Scream, Jimmy Eat World (?) and Cat Powers who also shot a video at Egglestons Home.

The bottom picture of the two is the back cover of 'Radio City' this was also taken by Eggleston while attending a drag party with the band. The image shows Alex Chilton (lead singer) pointing at the camera with one hand while holing a cocktail and a fag in the other.

What is it about Egglestons striking off tilt vision that seems to speak to musicians?

what is the formula for the harmony of sight and sound?

 I will endeavour to find out.