Monster

We all remember after our parents tucked us at night and turned off the light, how we hid under the covers, worrying that the monster hiding under our bed would come out to get us while we slept. Some of us still feel those fears in adulthood after watching the many horror films that like to play to those fears. There are the extremely commons fears children have such as a monster hiding in the closet, under the bed, or outside the window.  As I child I remember having these common fears as well as being scared to sleep in our guest room because the door to the attic was in that room and I was positive a monster lived up there. There were many times too that I would sprint up the stairs and into my bed if I was the only person left downstairs on my way to my room. In this case I didn’t have a clear reason for being afraid but I had an irrational fear that something was chasing me. Others develop other fears as they get older, usually based on what they hear from their peers or from movies and television shows. Many older children develop a fear of certain dolls as well as clowns despite liking them in their earlier years.

My work currently is dealing with a fine line between fear and curiosity in how I as the subject react with the light. In order to figure out how far I can push and then hold back creating feelings of fear in my images. I need to think about the different fears that children have whether they are very common or not completely common.

Quotes:                               

“We are born with certain inherent and instinctual fears, such as fear of the dark, fear of lucking danger, and fear of being eaten. As we grow older, these fears lose their intensity, and are slowly shuffled away in our Unconscious.” – Joshua Hoffine

“Horror tells us that our belief in security is delusional, and that monsters are all around us.” – Joshua Hoffine

Biblography:  

Childhood Nightmares and Fears Photography – Joshua Hoffine." Ansblog - Answer to Your Search on Web - Answer Blog. Web. 30 Sept. 2010. <http://ansblog.com/2010/04/childhood-nightmares-and-fears-photography-joshua-hoffine/>.

Although it is a small article, this provided me with much information that led me to find the photographer Joshua Hoffine. His work gave me much insight into how I could go about my images and the certain elements I could use such as a smoke machine, which seemed to be utilized in many of the images. The article also give a theory about where these fears come from saying that it usually comes from their nightmares which then stay in the child’s unconscious mind.

Nancy Burson

Nancy Burson first became well known in the art community for her work in which she collaborated with computer engineers to create a program that could age faces. Not only did this technology create her well-known images of facial composites but it also helped the police to locate missing children by using the ageing software. She then became interested in photographing people with major facial birth defects in her series “Craniofacial”. Recently she has received attention for her series in which she photographs orbs, which she claims, follow her around after her experience with a divine being.  “Even NASA has caught on tape her orbs playing in the sky,”(City Beat). Although these images seems as if they have been digitally imitated, she does nothing to try to enhance the photographs.

Burson is particularly interesting to me due to her work with photographing Orbs. Currently my work is dealing with using light as a mysterious character in the scene. Through studying her work, I am given a sense of how these real life “characters” photograph, which gives me inspiration on how to present my light in my compositions.

Gallery

Website

Review

Quotes: 

"Early on, I came up with three categories for my work: How we see ourselves, how we see each other and how we see ourselves within the universe." (Burson)

 "The vision she recounts is of an elderly man wrapped in reddish orange robes. He told Burson: 'Your job is to help the healers.'" (City Beat)

James, Laura. "Art: Half Artists, Half Angel." City Beat. 26 Oct. 2006. Web. 26 Sept. 2010. <http://www.citybeat.com/cincinnati/print-article-1775-print.html>.

Extraterrestrial

We have all seen the alien related movies such as Independence Day and Alien. We have all seen the TV shows about unexplained lights in the sky and crop circles that have appeared over night.  We have even heard stories of those who claim they have been brought on board spacecraft by these aliens. Though there are many skeptics, there are also equally as many who believe that extraterrestrial life has come to earth and dedicate their lives to exploring this possibility. But could this idea that there is other life that has come to earth be completely ridiculous?  With how large our universe is, it is quite possible that there is other life out there, that could be much more advanced than our society. Scientists are constantly studying other planets in galaxies far way, as well as looking for places in our own solar system. For example, scientists are intrigued by Europa, one of Jupiter’s four largest moons, due to its ability to have some kind of life on it. Of course, we are not talking about life that exists as humans do, but tiny organisms that can survive in the icy waters that cover this moon.

Some accounts of run-ins with UFOs actually come from credible sources. In 1976, in Tehran, Iran, due to reports from citizens of a strange flying object in the sky, Iran sent out a jet to investigate this strange craft closer. Upon nearing the ship, the jet lost communications with the ground and was forced to retreat, upon which communications was re established. A second jet was soon sent out, and was able to come much closer the craft than the first and the pilot recounted that as he neared it, the craft shot off at an impossible speed into the night. “The incident is considered to be one of the most well-documented cases in UFO history, with senior Iranian military officers going on the record to state their beliefs that that the object was not of this earth. The incident report was distributed to top officials from the White House to the CIA,” (Strong)

I want my images to have an air of mystery to them, but also a haunting quality to them. Therefore I am interested in studying different areas of the out of norm in order to find some inspiration for how to go about presenting my images. In researching some accounts from those who claim to have been abducted, I found a variety of descriptions for how their abductors looked. While some describe orb-like beings, others describe them as crab-like. Many though always describe a glowing coming from outside the window before their abduction takes place.

Quotes From Abductees:

“The orbs had direction, one of the orbs moved slowly to the left of the window then along the south wall of the room just below the ceiling. Thomas felt as if they could see, and were watching him, he closed his eyes hoping when he opened them they would be gone, he did this several times,” (UFO Casebook).

“'It's always the light that comes first,' he confessed to his mother; Ann. 'Then I see the tall one rise up at the foot of the bed. 'Suddenly there's lots of little ones everywhere. They're fuzzy and indistinct, and they move very fast. I can't move or speak, but I'm awake and I can see and hear and feel,” (UFO Casebook).

Quotes from and Expert:

“To my mathematical brain, the numbers alone make thinking about aliens perfectly rational,” he said. “The real challenge is to work out what aliens might actually be like,” (Stephen Hawking).

“We only have to look at ourselves to see how intelligent life might develop into something we wouldn’t want to meet. I imagine they might exist in massive ships, having used up all the resources from their home planet. Such advanced aliens would perhaps become nomads, looking to conquer and colonize whatever planets they can reach,” (Stephen Hawking).

Bibliography:

Booth, Billy. "1976-Jet Chases UFO Over Tehran, Ira." About.com. Web. 22 Sept. 2010. <http://ufos.about.com/od/bestufocasefiles/p/iran1976.htm>.

Strong, Cherlyn G. "Three Famous UFO Sightings on Today’s Date in 1952, 1961 and 197." Tuscancitizens.com. 19 Sept. 2010. Web. 22 Sept. 2010. <http://tucsoncitizen.com/paranormal/2010/09/19/three-famous-ufo-sightings-on-todays-date-in-1952-1961-and-1976/>.

"Alien Abduction Case Files." UFO Casebook. Web. 22 Sept. 2010. <http://www.ufocasebook.com/alienabductions.html>.

Leake, Johnathan. "Don't Talk to Aliens, Warns Stephen Hawking." The Sunday Times. 25 Apr. 2010. Web. 22 Sept. 2010. <http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/science/space/article710720

 This article is a quick summary on Stephen Hawking’s view of whether or not aliens exist. He comes from an extremely rational place when stating that he does believe they exist. He thinks about the numbers of planets we have discovered recently and says there is a very good chance some form of life could even exist on a planet or moon in our own solar system. He warns us though, that trying to communicate with intelligent life, could end badly for human life. He argues that these aliens’ discovery of our planet could end much like Christopher Columbus’ discovery of the Americas.

Izima Kaoru

Izima Kaoru is a Japanese fashion photographer currently working in Tokyo. He is widely recognized around the world for his dazzling images of supermodels that have died in a tragic way. “The models are perfectly coiffed, hair and makeup flawlessly in place, outfitted in couture by Vivienne Westwood, Alexander McQueen, Jil Sander Jean Paul Gaultier.” (Alan Wheatley Art) He always titles his work with the name of the model as well as the name of the designer she is wearing. The images are usually highly sexualized, possibly saying something about the fashion industry by making the designer clothing such an important part of the work.

Kaoru’s work gives an interesting twist to his narratives that I had not previously thought about. He allows his models to create their own stories and decide their wardrobe, and in turn he uses his creative ability to bring those stories to life. I want my images to have the air of mystery his do. When looking at his images, besides the fact that the subject is dead, the viewer has many questions to ask such as how it happened, who did it, and why they did it. I want to create the who, what, when, where, and how questions about my work by presenting these beautiful yet unusual scenes that do not reveal the entire story, but just frame within the story.

Quotes:

"It’s a successful concept to direct the attention to the fashion labels he is working for."

"I think we should not avoid death because we are scared of it but take it as something more peaceful and beautiful, by being conscious of it as a matter close to everyone. What I want to say here is that the “tragic corpse” can be something disgusting or to feel sorry for but the spirit of the body is most likely already free from the physical pain and is free and in peace. I [feel] that I visualize such a spiritual concept. I am imagining the point of view of the dead’s spirit."

Gallery

Review

http://zoltanjokay.de/zoltanblog/2009/08/izima-kaoru-weder-tot-noch-lebendig-izima-kaoru-neither-dead-nor-alive/

http://www.alanwheatleyart.com/awa_artists_bio.php?id=31&catid=0

A website for the artist could not be found

Wafaa Bilal Post Lecture Response

What was the most interesting quote of the lecture and why?

“I think all art is political”

Using three words, define the core of the artist's practice and artwork.

         Virtual, Intense, Personal

What is the most interesting thing you learned about the artist that you did not know before?

I was not aware that he had been kicked out of Iraq and that he had been forced to stay in refugee camps before coming to the United States. On top of that he has been accused of being a terrorist by a mass of people in the U.S as well as being interrogated by the CIA for his work. His work “Dog of Iraqi?” and  “Virtual Jihadi” received so much negative attention that both projects were shut down. Despite all the negative reactions he gets from the masses though, he is still willing to carry on with his work. Knowing this information makes his work even more compelling because he is so willing to get his message out there that he is willing to risk his life and sanity for it. As artists we are all about trying to convey messages no matter how small. Yet, I wonder how many of us would be willing to go through what he does in order to have our work seen.

Do you know the answer to your two original questions? If so, what are the answers?

        

My questions were not directly answered but from the information he gave the audience I can draw conclusions of my own.

1) Most of your work deals with the negative effects of the Iraq War on Iraqi citizens as well as Americans due to your direct affiliation with these two groups of people. Would you be interested in using your work to point out injustices in conflicts other than that which is going on in Iraq?

No, he focuses on Iraq because he has a personal connection to the country since he is from Iraq and his brother and father died over there due to the war.

2)  Are you interested in using your body as a canvas again in future work?

Yes, he is willing to go whatever lengths he feels he must in order to convey his ideas. In different ways he has already used his body as a canvas besides the tattooing such as with his work “Domestic Tension” as well as allowing himself to be water boarded for his work “Dog or Iraqi”.

What image or artwork do you find the most compelling and powerful after hearing the artist describe it?

I find his work “…and counting” most compelling because he is so dedicated to his concept that he is willing to tattoo it on his back. It also sparked interest for me because I realized in the US we really do only focus on the American soldiers dying in conflict zones, yet we are shielded from the core of the violence and destruction the Iraqi people go through and don’t hear often of the Iraqi death toll.

Do you have any new questions in regards to the artist?

I am curious to know what his new project is especially after he commented that due to this project it will be very hard for him to fly in the future.

Narrative

Narrative plays an important role in advertising, magazine editorials, as well as in the fine arts due to it’s ability to draw the viewer into the storyline and wonder what has brought the subjects to this point in the story. The visual depictions of stories traces back to prehistoric cave paintings, renaissance altarpieces and paintings from the 18^th century. Painters illustrated grand stories from mythology on large canvases and prehistoric “artists” depicted legends passed down through their tribe on cave walls. In the present, artists such as Tom Hunter and Gregory Crewdson create their own stories through set design, cinematic lighting, and subjects caught in a moment.

My work goes hand in hand with narrative whether it is extremely subtle such as my work with the apple in the bathtub or my current work in which I create different characters and set them in different scenes with something obviously going on off camera. I want my series for this year to include narrative as a very important quality. I want to create strange storylines that will allow the viewer to draw their own conclusions based on the visual information I give them. 

“Tableau photography has its precedents in pre-photographic art and figurative painting of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, and we rely on the same cultural ability to recognize a combination of characters and props as a pregnant moment in a story.” (Cotton)

“Some of the photographs shown here make obvious references to fables, fairy tales, apocryphal events, and modern myths that are already part of our collective consciousness. Others offer a much more oblique and open-ended description of something that we know is significant because of the way it is set up in the photograph, but whose meaning is reliant on our investigating the image with our own trains of narrative and psychological thought.” (Cotton)

Cotton, Charlotte. The Photograph as Contemporary Art. London: Thames & Hudson, 2009. Print.

Chapter two addresses how contemporary photographers use narrative in their work, through illustrating mythology or creating stories of their own. The text provides a vast amount of information about different artists whose work utilizes narrative in order to bring our certain feeling in the viewer or to state a point such as with Izima Kaoru's series in which he photographs famous models playing women who have died due to some accident. When looking for artists to reference in relation to narrative, this book gives many examples as well a concise summary on what the body of work is about.

Wafaa Bilal Questions

Most of your work deals with the negative effects of the Iraq War on Iraqi citizens as well as Americans due to your direct affiliation with these two groups of people. Would you be interested in using your work to point out injustices in conflicts other than that which is going on in Iraq?

Are you interested in using your body as a canvas again in future work?

Anastasia Cazabon

Cazabon, born in 1983 is currently enrolled at Massachusetts College of Art and Design. She was named Nonprofessional Portrait Photographer of the Year, by the International Photography Award in 2005 and has shown in many galleries such as Umbrage Gallery in NYC and The Photographic Resource Center in Boston as well as in international galleries. Her work revolves around her childhood and the fantasies she created to keep herself entertained since her sibling were much older. Before immersing herself into the photography world, Cazabon actually spent much time in the theater during high school.  After graduation though, she began taking photography and film classes and soon realized her passion for the photographic field. This background in the narrative based field of theater had much of an effect on the themes she presents in her work. Especially that of her series “Stories”.

Anastasia Cazabon was recommended to me during my individual meeting this past week. I found I was extremely drawn to her work due to the narrative importance in her images. Her work doesn’t focus on the obvious and leaves much for the viewer to perceive through the bits of information she gives.  Her work “Stories” relates directly to my work through its focus on female roles in fairy tales. She creates strange narratives in which the subject is restrained either physically or emotionally. Her artwork helps to show different ways to depict narratives without being so obvious, which is a problem I am currently facing in how to present my work.

"I  try to make my images have a sense of mystery and privacy, which I believe makes the viewer want to see them more. Human beings are curious by nature, and we love seeing something we think we’re not supposed to see. So, if anything I’m playing with human curiosity" (Anastasia Cazabon)

“The theme of young women being stuck and constrained in their environments pervades many of these tales, as well as the constant struggle and desire to free themselves of these constrains.” (Anastasia Cazabon)

Artist Website

Interview with Artist

Gallery Representation

Trafficking

        The subject of human trafficking has gotten much attention recently in popular culture, through books such as The Girl Who Played With Fire and movies such as Taken.  In many of these fictional scenarios, the victims are rescued and the perpetrators face justice. In real life though, the victims are not as lucky. “Every year, close to 500,000 women are trafficked to Western Europe. It is also estimated that approximately 50,000 women are trafficked to the U.S. every year. This problem also exists in India where almost 200,000 Nepalese women are trafficked into brothels,” (Amnesty International USA). Unfortunately, these crimes go unseen or unpunished in countries all over the world. Until recently the subject of Human trafficking was not brought up often in news stories or poplar culture. Even today the subject is somewhat taboo.

      Many think that this problem only occurs in Eastern Europe and Asia, but the sexual trafficking of woman and children is quite common in the USA. Recently in the news, advocates have been fighting Cragislist.org to take down the erotic ads services due to it’s ability to allow the sexual exploitation of children and women forced into the sex trade through kidnapping or trickery. “Polaris and U.S. attorneys general call Craigslist the Wal-Mart for sex trafficking and crimes, where the majority of online ads are placed for prostitution of women and children,”(Cecilia Kang) Portland has also been making the news due to its high numbers of children rescued from forced prostitution. Police in Oregon claim they run into on average five child sex trafficking victims per week.

    Though my work does not directly deal with this subject, human trafficking does have a lot to do with gender roles and the double standards between genders. For the most part those who are victims of sexual trafficking are young girls and women. The fact that these acts are still allowed to happen by society (quite commonly when looking at the numbers) shows how little the public cares about these women because they are not a popular reality start or pop singer. Even with popular books out such as the second in the trilogy The Girl Who Played With Fire in which the main characters combat sex trade rings, society is focusing more on which actress will star in the film adaptation, than the real life situations at hand. Though the book does not try to hide that sex trafficking truly happens in reality, people are more interested in focusing on what young beautiful girl gets to hold the spotlight in Hollywood. My work focuses on these kinds of problems, in which sadly women are generally still focused on for their beauty and sexuality, but problems that do not directly affect this mode of thinking are ignored.

1. Kang, Cecillia. "Advocacy Group Calls for Craigslist to Take down Sex Services outside U.S." The Washington Post. 8 Sept. 2010. Web. 8 Sept. 2010. http://voices.washingtonpost.com/posttech/2010/09/public_advocates_call_for_crai.html

This article deals with the focus in the news on Craigslist erotic ads portion of the site. This past weekend the site did take down this portion on the US site due to the protests from advocacy groups. Now though they want Craigslist to take it down from the site in general and not just the US version. The erotic ads section of the site has been under scrutiny due to its ability to make the advertisement of prostitution easy. In many cases those whose services are being advertized are children and many times women who are forced into prostitution. Some are arguing that taking down this portion of the site will make it harder to track down sex traffickers. Some are also arguing that it infringes on our freedom of speech. This article helps to fuel my research by giving a specific example of how trafficking interlaces with the average life. Many peers use Craigslist for a variety of things such as selling mattresses or seeing if they were mentioned on any missed connections. Little do they know that through this same site, many people log on for not so innocent uses.

2. "Stop Violence Against Women." Amnesty International USA - Protect Human Rights. Amnesty International. Web. 08 Sept. 2010. <http://www.amnestyusa.org/>.

3. Elseth, Michal. "Portland's Dark Wold Of Child Sex Traffciking." The Washington Times. 28 July 2010. Web. 08 Sept. 2010. <http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2010/jul/28/portlands-dark-world-of-child-sex-trafficking/>.

http://slaverymap.org/

Maura Sullivan

Viewing Sullivan’s work helps me to figure out how to take my work a step further. While my previous work tells an obvious story, Sullivan’s leaves much more room for interpretation by focusing much more on the subject and less on the surroundings. This body of work also motivates me to consider using black and white film and experimenting with different techniques in the darkroom. 

Sullivan born in 1971 graduated from Syracuse University in 1993 and also attended the International School of Photography in New York City.  She still works with black and white film using a wide range of tones, high contrast, as well as overlays of different images. “Sullivan prefers the hands-on approach of working in the darkroom, were she can draw with light,” (artdaily) Her work consists of portraits that have a strange narrative quality to them through the small amount of information the viewer is given. “The beauty is in the restraint: the images reveal enough to draw you in and withhold enough to make you curious,” (artdaily).  Her works usually catches the subject in motion or only captures a part of them. When she does choose to show extra information, it is always a conscious decision based on how the subject creates illusions with the environment they are in.

http://www.artdaily.com/index.asp?int_sec=11&int_new=38777&int_modo=1

Artist Website

http://www.kahmanngallery.com/

Show Entry 1

from Kimberly Burgess <burgesskc@mymail.vcu.edu> to mulheroncl@vcu.edu date Thu, Aug 26, 2010 at 7:39 PM subject Submission to the show mailed-by mymail.vcu.edu

hide details Aug 26 (6 days ago)

These photographs are in a series of four about women's roles and images in society. I can't wait to hear back about the show.

Thank you, 

Kimberly Burgess

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Purity

I hate the double standards. I hate that society has certain expectations of me due to my gender. Why am I first told be remain innocent and conservative in my behavior and then through ads and popular culture told to allow my body to be viewed as a sexual object? Why I am looked down upon for the smallest risqué act while my male peers are praised for their many conquests? “When females have sex, they’re deemed dirtier than males. Suddenly, she’s not ‘whole’ anymore. She’s used goods,”(Yvonne Fulbright). This view that is broadly accepted seems completely unjust, yet so many women give into this view while still listening to their male friends brag about their sexual experiences with multiple women. Some women, even deem these partners “slutty” for their acts despite the fact that they themselves have participated in similar acts. The idea of how women are expected to act is so ingrained in society that many are programmed to automatically respond with this viewpoint.

It seems though, that society is constantly changing their views of how women are expected to behave. We are taught from an early age that we must remain virginal but, as we grow older, we are faced with imagery of naked women drinking our favorite soft drink and overly sexually active teenagers on TV shows. Yet in the real world, these kind of behaviors deem women “slutty”. “When it comes to being sexually active, females who aren’t married are offered the virgin-whore dichotomy. Forget that, in today’s society, neither label is considered sexy,” (Yvonnne Fulbright). The double points of view alone are enough to drive someone crazy. How can someone act in ways, which are on opposite ends of the spectrum?

The topic of gender stereotypes and double standards has always come up in my work whether or not I mean to have it embody the work or not. My work tends to reject the rules and stereotypes society has put on my gender through imagery that shows exaggerated scenarios.  I hope to continue having these undertones in my work even if it is not the direct focus.

 Fulbright, Yvonne. "FOXSexpert: Sexual Double Standards." Fox News. 10 Aug. 2009. Web. 30 Aug. 2010. <http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,538795,00.html>.

This article simplifies the different viewpoints society has involving sexuality and gender. It uses general examples of what is seen as acceptable for men and for women and shows how unequal these views are. It does not just show the inequality on the women’s end, but also in some cases on the male’s end.  While it is acceptable and even considered sexy for women to experiment with sexual orientation as well as dominance/submission in the bedroom, generally it is not widely accepted for men to participate in these kinds of acts. This article even touches base on Hollywood’s new message in movies that women should settle for less attractive and successful men, while men can easily attain these leading ladies. Though it does not use specific examples, the examples that are used are general enough that most readers can compare it to similar situation in their life.