Shashin - an essay on Japanese photography
21/01/12 06:46
I’ve cleaned up my assignment 3 essay on Japanese photography by removing the images that might have been a problem in terms of copyright, and uploaded the pdf on here for reference. Unfortunately, without the images some context will be lost, although there is still the details of the photograph included. The full version will be included for the assessment.
Anyway, the essay is here.
Anyway, the essay is here.
Comments
Feedback
15/01/12 06:27
I received feedback from assignment 3 a few days ago. It’s given me some food for thought and all some much needed encouragement.
The first part of the assignment was an essay, 3500 words on some aspect of photography that I find interesting. I’ve made it quite clear over the past few months that it would be about Japanese photography, something very close to my heart. I put a considerable amount of effort in: research into the subject as a whole and also looking at particular works, and how those works correlated to the history of Japan as a whole. I’m very happy to say that my efforts were not in vain and the feedback was extremely positive - Jose’s opening remark was “Outstanding essay, in every respect.” I was worried I might have to rewrite parts of it, but no. I don’t think that’s the case.
The photographs are something else though, but I knew this would be the case. This set of images only forms a third of the overall set of images I’m likely to pull the final set from, so it wouldn’t be too much of a surprise if only a third of the images put forward at this stage remained in the final cut. I’m also fully aware that my 3 streams are a little disjointed, this is largely due to me not having a firm grip on what the final portfolio will be - there will be 3 streams, but I want them to work together rather than be disjointed, and disjointed is exactly what they are at the moment.
The Rural Gatherings set has been described as the most visually stimulating, and I would agree with this. It was also described as a mix of surreal and realist, the photographs of the cow and the portaloo and the young lad on the fence being the examples of this. I was looking towards quirky, not fully surreal and I personally put both images under this umbrella - the “realist” picture of the boy being quirky for me because he is dressed in the manner of an older man. If I need to explain this though, maybe it’s not coming across enough, or at least not the extent that I saw it. I need to hone my vision more.
Urban Encounters is described as still being a little undefined, and I accept this. It was the latecomer to the party, so to speak, and hasn’t had the opportunity to develop like the others. And no, I’m not really getting the opportunities to get out and shoot at the moment, so there is a real danger that it may not actually develop too well either. I need to find the time, and I’m hoping to renegotiate my work contract to allow me to do this. I’ve not done it yet though, so I will continue to struggle for a little while.
There is a bit of confusion around my introductory text for Landscape. I understand what I mean, but that doesn’t help others. I’ll have to rethink, reformulate and reword what I wanted to say so that it actually makes sense, especially within the context of the photographs that I present. There were very good comments about the photographs of the forest as images in their own right - they were described as “exquisite” - but they don’t work in the larger portfolio. This is something else I need to work on more.
So, there are good images there, I’m happy with that. They just lack the cohesion that needs to come. As I said, I knew this though, with this first instalment being a “ranging shot”, so to speak, in order to gauge the response to the images. And yes, I need to tighten up my thoughts on the set as a whole, I’m only too aware that there is a randomness to some of the images. I need to do some serious thinking, and soon, so that I can start shooting when I get the opportunity, and so that the opportunity isn’t wasted.
+++UPDATE+++
After restructuring my blog - comments previously posted on this post have been pasted below:
The first part of the assignment was an essay, 3500 words on some aspect of photography that I find interesting. I’ve made it quite clear over the past few months that it would be about Japanese photography, something very close to my heart. I put a considerable amount of effort in: research into the subject as a whole and also looking at particular works, and how those works correlated to the history of Japan as a whole. I’m very happy to say that my efforts were not in vain and the feedback was extremely positive - Jose’s opening remark was “Outstanding essay, in every respect.” I was worried I might have to rewrite parts of it, but no. I don’t think that’s the case.
The photographs are something else though, but I knew this would be the case. This set of images only forms a third of the overall set of images I’m likely to pull the final set from, so it wouldn’t be too much of a surprise if only a third of the images put forward at this stage remained in the final cut. I’m also fully aware that my 3 streams are a little disjointed, this is largely due to me not having a firm grip on what the final portfolio will be - there will be 3 streams, but I want them to work together rather than be disjointed, and disjointed is exactly what they are at the moment.
The Rural Gatherings set has been described as the most visually stimulating, and I would agree with this. It was also described as a mix of surreal and realist, the photographs of the cow and the portaloo and the young lad on the fence being the examples of this. I was looking towards quirky, not fully surreal and I personally put both images under this umbrella - the “realist” picture of the boy being quirky for me because he is dressed in the manner of an older man. If I need to explain this though, maybe it’s not coming across enough, or at least not the extent that I saw it. I need to hone my vision more.
Urban Encounters is described as still being a little undefined, and I accept this. It was the latecomer to the party, so to speak, and hasn’t had the opportunity to develop like the others. And no, I’m not really getting the opportunities to get out and shoot at the moment, so there is a real danger that it may not actually develop too well either. I need to find the time, and I’m hoping to renegotiate my work contract to allow me to do this. I’ve not done it yet though, so I will continue to struggle for a little while.
There is a bit of confusion around my introductory text for Landscape. I understand what I mean, but that doesn’t help others. I’ll have to rethink, reformulate and reword what I wanted to say so that it actually makes sense, especially within the context of the photographs that I present. There were very good comments about the photographs of the forest as images in their own right - they were described as “exquisite” - but they don’t work in the larger portfolio. This is something else I need to work on more.
So, there are good images there, I’m happy with that. They just lack the cohesion that needs to come. As I said, I knew this though, with this first instalment being a “ranging shot”, so to speak, in order to gauge the response to the images. And yes, I need to tighten up my thoughts on the set as a whole, I’m only too aware that there is a randomness to some of the images. I need to do some serious thinking, and soon, so that I can start shooting when I get the opportunity, and so that the opportunity isn’t wasted.
+++UPDATE+++
After restructuring my blog - comments previously posted on this post have been pasted below:
Assignmment 3
28/12/11 06:26
Assignment 3 is pretty much there, I’m just taking a break from mounting to write this post. This one is in two parts, the essay that I’ve written on Japanese photography and the first tranche of images that will go towards the portfolio. All of the images are in the various galleries (or should be at any rate), and at this point I’ve made the decision not to try and weave them into a narrative. There’s another 2 sets of images that will go towards the portfolio “bucket” from which I will draw the final set, so it just seems a little premature at the moment.
I’ve tried to bring out a sense of place, either through inclusion of direct references (with flags, with signs, etc.) or just through capturing the very nature of the area, and what goes on in the countryside and in the towns. They’re in an even 10:10:10 split at this time, but I fully anticipate the spread being tilted one way or the other before the end of the project.
The images that have been printed out for sending in are (in no particular order):
I’ve tried to bring out a sense of place, either through inclusion of direct references (with flags, with signs, etc.) or just through capturing the very nature of the area, and what goes on in the countryside and in the towns. They’re in an even 10:10:10 split at this time, but I fully anticipate the spread being tilted one way or the other before the end of the project.
The images that have been printed out for sending in are (in no particular order):
Girls blue
30/10/11 06:29
Araki Nobuyoshi has had quite an impact on Japanese photography, not just as a result of the inordinate number of images and books he produces, but also by influencing the following photographers. Hiromix is one such artist, working in a genre that has subsequently grown exponentially in popularity with the Facebook generation, whereby every aspect of life can be photographed and published for the world to view. In some respects, her photographic style can trace its roots back to that of Provoke in that it’s carefree and sometimes in the are, bure, boke mould. It’s not at all dark though, rather it’s imbued with the shallow optimism of youth, and a quite saturated colour palette.
This a personal view, rather than a master narrative, typical of this “frothy” pop culture now associated with Japan. As would be expected from the photo-diary approach, the contents could be described as “vernacular”, covering the mundane and everyday objects and experiences of a young woman and her friends: getting dressed, having fun, drinking, smoking . Interspersed with this are photographs of flowers, food, cats and dogs: things that might momentarily have attracted Hiromix’s attention and are presented here in the stream of her consciousness. On the face of things, this is all largely inconsequential and inane, beyond the recording of a teenage life - something she herself hints at in the closing notes, although she also hints at unity: “girls forever” (Hiromix, 1996, end note). These photographs are social in nature, there for sharing (physically, rather than the digital way we now use) and to bring people together in what was becoming an increasingly fragmented and individualised modern Japan.
However, what the collection does show is that some aspects of Japan have indeed completely modernised: all signs of traditional values associated with earlier times have gone. It could also be argued that Japan (perhaps specifically Japanese youth culture) has become completely Westernised as within the eclectic mix of subjects there are many clues, whether it be the knives and forks used to eat Western food, English ‘Mod’ pin badges (and non-conformity in general), fairground rides or the presence of the Marlboro Man. The overall impression is one of Western influence and commercialisation. The photographs resonate with the wider audience through a common consumption.
Hiromix has also turned the camera on herself, away from the Other that has long fascinated photographers. The result is a much more personal insight that is unusual within Japanese culture that has traditionally held strict views on what is public and what is private. Even with this break from the national norm, individually, the images would not receive a second look from anyone except the artist and her friends. As a series of photographs, they add more weight and act as a view into Japanese contemporary youth culture, and it is the process of recording the various performances and poses that serve as the art, rather than technically perfect image making.
Needless to say, it won’t appeal to everyone, nor will they necessarily “get it”.
(The above is an excerpt from an essay I’m writing on Japanese photography)
Bibliography
Hiromix .(1996) Girls Blue. Tokyo. Rockin’ On, Inc
This a personal view, rather than a master narrative, typical of this “frothy” pop culture now associated with Japan. As would be expected from the photo-diary approach, the contents could be described as “vernacular”, covering the mundane and everyday objects and experiences of a young woman and her friends: getting dressed, having fun, drinking, smoking . Interspersed with this are photographs of flowers, food, cats and dogs: things that might momentarily have attracted Hiromix’s attention and are presented here in the stream of her consciousness. On the face of things, this is all largely inconsequential and inane, beyond the recording of a teenage life - something she herself hints at in the closing notes, although she also hints at unity: “girls forever” (Hiromix, 1996, end note). These photographs are social in nature, there for sharing (physically, rather than the digital way we now use) and to bring people together in what was becoming an increasingly fragmented and individualised modern Japan.
However, what the collection does show is that some aspects of Japan have indeed completely modernised: all signs of traditional values associated with earlier times have gone. It could also be argued that Japan (perhaps specifically Japanese youth culture) has become completely Westernised as within the eclectic mix of subjects there are many clues, whether it be the knives and forks used to eat Western food, English ‘Mod’ pin badges (and non-conformity in general), fairground rides or the presence of the Marlboro Man. The overall impression is one of Western influence and commercialisation. The photographs resonate with the wider audience through a common consumption.
Hiromix has also turned the camera on herself, away from the Other that has long fascinated photographers. The result is a much more personal insight that is unusual within Japanese culture that has traditionally held strict views on what is public and what is private. Even with this break from the national norm, individually, the images would not receive a second look from anyone except the artist and her friends. As a series of photographs, they add more weight and act as a view into Japanese contemporary youth culture, and it is the process of recording the various performances and poses that serve as the art, rather than technically perfect image making.
Needless to say, it won’t appeal to everyone, nor will they necessarily “get it”.
(The above is an excerpt from an essay I’m writing on Japanese photography)
Bibliography
Hiromix .(1996) Girls Blue. Tokyo. Rockin’ On, Inc
Toshi-e
18/09/11 06:30
As part of the essay question, I’ve shifted my initial thoughts and taken a look at Takanashi Yutaka’s Toshi-e (Towards the City), and here’s some initial thoughts that I’ve put down - part of my initial draft of this section, if you like.
The cover is dominated by a metallic circle which could be taken to represent the rising sun of Japan, a thought that is reinforced by the first four images in the book that fade into view. Alternatively, it could be the lens of a camera, and we are being told that this is all about “looking” from the outset. The images that follow these four are a blur of predominantly “landscape” images, interspersed with seemingly random photographs of people and also some of his commercial work.
These landscape images are not “pretty” vistas, far from it. Rather they are gritty scenes of sometimes empty spaces photographed in the expected are, bure, boke style. The use of high contrast printing further accentuates a feeling of bleakness, the sky often light and featureless, the ground dark and brooding. The impression this gives is an uneasy one, you want to keep moving onwards, but do you move away from, or further towards this source of this feeling? Movement is a repeating theme, and many of the photographs look to be taken whilst on the move, driving along roads heading towards Tokyo, as hinted at in the title. Yes, there’s a real sense of urgency.
Moving through the book, the tension is sometimes broken by photographs of people; some of these are presumably fashion photographs. However, whilst the brooding tension may be lifted, there’s something surreal about these images appearing as they do. The viewer is still left a little off-balance. Later, there is a photograph of a person (a woman?) on the floor, the camera picking up what looks like other people gathered around, looking down on her. Due to the photographic style, it is not clear if this is a woman in distress, or it’s part of some act. We are looking on, but we have been left without important information necessary to fully understand the image, but as we are accustomed to making a narrative, we do so but with the knowledge that our supposition may be incorrect. Convention and aesthetics are cast aside as we, the viewer, are left feeling unsure and uneasy about what we are looking at, but we still look on, regardless.
In another photograph, a man eats in a typical Japanese restaurant, but there are photographs of faces covering the wall behind him, as if he is being watched even whilst performing the most mundane of tasks. The facing image is of a man looking to the camera, at his left there is an advertising cutout of a woman, also looking at the camera. Another theme emerges: looking through the book again, eyes become apparent. People, whether real or otherwise, are watching. You are never alone in the city, there is always someone in the shadows. Looking... observing... surveilling.
The journey continues and we move into the night. Now the photographs begin to look like they are showing a city in flames, the city’s glow against the black sky, or a factory billowing smoke, recalling the firebombing by the American’s during the Second World War perhaps? Or is Takanashi reflecting on the mass exodus towards the cities and highlighting that, actually, not all is well there. Commercialism and the population boom are taking their toll through pollution, a rejection of the incoming postmodern world. The final images are perhaps even more disturbing now, in the aftermath of the TÅhoku earthquake and tsunami. A series of four images show the crashing waves whilst in the background some industrial plant billows smoke. It’s unlikely this is Fukushima, but in the reverse of the opening section, the scene darkens until all that remains is the wave - all else is obliterated from sight.
Bibliography
Takanashi, Y (2010) Toshi-e (books on books) New York. Errata Editions
The cover is dominated by a metallic circle which could be taken to represent the rising sun of Japan, a thought that is reinforced by the first four images in the book that fade into view. Alternatively, it could be the lens of a camera, and we are being told that this is all about “looking” from the outset. The images that follow these four are a blur of predominantly “landscape” images, interspersed with seemingly random photographs of people and also some of his commercial work.
These landscape images are not “pretty” vistas, far from it. Rather they are gritty scenes of sometimes empty spaces photographed in the expected are, bure, boke style. The use of high contrast printing further accentuates a feeling of bleakness, the sky often light and featureless, the ground dark and brooding. The impression this gives is an uneasy one, you want to keep moving onwards, but do you move away from, or further towards this source of this feeling? Movement is a repeating theme, and many of the photographs look to be taken whilst on the move, driving along roads heading towards Tokyo, as hinted at in the title. Yes, there’s a real sense of urgency.
Moving through the book, the tension is sometimes broken by photographs of people; some of these are presumably fashion photographs. However, whilst the brooding tension may be lifted, there’s something surreal about these images appearing as they do. The viewer is still left a little off-balance. Later, there is a photograph of a person (a woman?) on the floor, the camera picking up what looks like other people gathered around, looking down on her. Due to the photographic style, it is not clear if this is a woman in distress, or it’s part of some act. We are looking on, but we have been left without important information necessary to fully understand the image, but as we are accustomed to making a narrative, we do so but with the knowledge that our supposition may be incorrect. Convention and aesthetics are cast aside as we, the viewer, are left feeling unsure and uneasy about what we are looking at, but we still look on, regardless.
In another photograph, a man eats in a typical Japanese restaurant, but there are photographs of faces covering the wall behind him, as if he is being watched even whilst performing the most mundane of tasks. The facing image is of a man looking to the camera, at his left there is an advertising cutout of a woman, also looking at the camera. Another theme emerges: looking through the book again, eyes become apparent. People, whether real or otherwise, are watching. You are never alone in the city, there is always someone in the shadows. Looking... observing... surveilling.
The journey continues and we move into the night. Now the photographs begin to look like they are showing a city in flames, the city’s glow against the black sky, or a factory billowing smoke, recalling the firebombing by the American’s during the Second World War perhaps? Or is Takanashi reflecting on the mass exodus towards the cities and highlighting that, actually, not all is well there. Commercialism and the population boom are taking their toll through pollution, a rejection of the incoming postmodern world. The final images are perhaps even more disturbing now, in the aftermath of the TÅhoku earthquake and tsunami. A series of four images show the crashing waves whilst in the background some industrial plant billows smoke. It’s unlikely this is Fukushima, but in the reverse of the opening section, the scene darkens until all that remains is the wave - all else is obliterated from sight.
Bibliography
Takanashi, Y (2010) Toshi-e (books on books) New York. Errata Editions