Initial thoughts:
I have chosen concealment as I have quite a few ideas for it and I am quite interested in the idea of covering things up in images. It could link to insecurities that certain people have about themselves or things around them and how that can be shown through images and how concealing can be shown, whether that is digitally or in the picture itself. My initial thoughts are covering up. Perhaps hiding something in an image even though images are typically thought to reveal things. I am interested in the following things:
- how can materials be used to conceal images?
- how can I develop my use of photoshop to obscure images?
- what other ways can images be concealed?
- how can materials be used to conceal images?
- how can I develop my use of photoshop to obscure images?
- what other ways can images be concealed?
Threshold Concepts:
1. Photographs are abstractions shaped by technology
2. Photographs have their own visual 'language' and 'grammar'
3. Photographs are not neutral; they are susceptible to the abuse of power
2. Photographs have their own visual 'language' and 'grammar'
3. Photographs are not neutral; they are susceptible to the abuse of power
Some photographers create portraits that purposefully hide or disguise sections of the image. Rosanna Jones conceals facial features by overlapping and rearranging parts of the photograph. Wallace Juma partially conceals the identity of the sitter by physically working onto the collaged photographic image. The textile artist Jose Romussi uses stitch and collage to conceal part of the photographic portrait. Pablo Thecuadro creates intricately cut collages from his fashion photographs which often conceal part of a face or figure.
Study appropriate sources and produce your own work inspired by Concealment.
Study appropriate sources and produce your own work inspired by Concealment.
Definition of concealment:
By searching up the definition I have been able to come up with some more ideas in relation to the idea of hiding as well as covering up and preventing something from being known.
Quotes:
Rosanna Jones:
Rosanna Jones uses the idea of tearing up her pictures or 'slicing' them to make them seem obscure. The use of covering up parts of the picture or repeating part of the picture helps to portray her idea of visual identity and how technology can obscure how we look.
This is from her work on a magazine with Format. She explored the idea of fashion photography and how women's bodies are exploited. The use of tearing up and destroying parts of her images contrasts the beauty of her models.
Creative response:
I was inspired by what Rosanna Jones does to edit her pictures in order to conceal parts of the image.
I started with two pictures I had taken of my friend Katie and I had to decide which method that Rosanna Jones used that I wanted to try.
I decided to layer the two photographs on photoshop as they are quite similar but the space is a bit different in them. I selected parts of the first layer and deleted them to reveal what was in that place but in the background image. This caused t[arts of the image to look as though they had been shifted when in fact they are two different images.
WWW: I like how this image has turned out. I think it looks quite interesting as different size rectangles have been cute out and parts of the image have been covered or replaced by the background image.
EBI: It would be even better if I used different shapes or textures when cutting out parts of the image. I could perhaps use two completely different images instead of two similar ones. |
I decided to repeat the same process again. However, this time I used a different way to cut out parts of the image. I used a brush effect to make it look as if i had painted over the image to reveal the background image.
Research:
As part of my research I went on a trip to the Tate Modern in London. We went to the Dora Maar exhibition and as we were walking around I took pictures of specific images that I thought could relate to my theme of concealment as well as experimenting the idea of concealment in my own ways as we were looking around.
Experimenting:
Before going to the exhibition I had printed out one of Dora Maar’s images and I cut out the main person in the image and u used the cut out and person so conceal parts of the images I saw walking around the gallery.
I also noticed how the presence of other people in front of me could obscure and conceal parts of the image meaning that I could not see all of it.
Experiment:
While walking around the gallery I took notes on ideas that I liked from particular images that I saw that related to my theme of concealment. I picked out my favourite images which were 'The Years Lie in Wait for You', 'Portrait of Ubu', and the untitled series.
As part of an experiment I decided to pick out some words and phrases from this picture which was some backstory information before going into one of the rooms. I decided to pick out words and phrases that I thought were interesting as a form of concealment as it is hiding the real message.
Not at first obvious
Emphasised the spontaneous
Precarious relationship to reality
Unexpected
Create new worlds
Erotic
Inevitably
Made of her close circle.
Emphasised the spontaneous
Precarious relationship to reality
Unexpected
Create new worlds
Erotic
Inevitably
Made of her close circle.
I used the same idea in another room where I decided to pick out words and phrases from what I could see whilst standing behind my friend Scarlet as another form of concealment.
Height of her career
Was emerging
"The worst time of my life"
Painted for months
Close quarters
Couple pushed
Method combining
Intrigued him
Channelled her energy.
Was emerging
"The worst time of my life"
Painted for months
Close quarters
Couple pushed
Method combining
Intrigued him
Channelled her energy.
Wallace Juma:
Wallace Juma has a very contrasting idea of concealment. His ideas are more abstract in comparison to those of Rosanna Jones. We can see that Juma must have taken pictures of people with a plain background and edited the images to conceal and obscure their faces to reveal lines that make patterns that make up what would be their face.
Creative Response:
I was inspired by the way that Juma had used patterns and contrast so obscure his images. I also like his use of blank space to show more contrast and highlight the patterns that have been created.
I started my experiment by choosing two images. One is a picture of me and my friend; the other was a picture of some posters i had seen on a wall in Camden. I layered them over each other and edited the images to enhance the colours, make the contrast more extreme to bring out the lines where there are shadows to create a defined pattern.
I chose between the two different ways of layering the images.
Jose Romussi:
Jose Romussi experiments with materials related to textile art in order to create patterns and add coloured details to the black and white images as well as conceal what would be considered important parts of an image such as the model's face
Analysing a photograph:In this particular image we can see a model being completely concealed. They are partly concealed by long clothing that is worn everywhere apart from their hands which are blurred suggesting movement. The use of textile and sewing has been used to further conceal the model over what would be their face. The use of floral patterns adds texture and design to the quite empty image; with the model wearing plain clothing and a white background making the floral pattern stand out to the viewer. The outburst of flowers reflects the position of the model with their arms reaching outwards, in the same direction of the flowers being packed together in the middle and dispersing outwards.
|
These are a series of photos I took in school with a plain background. My plan for these photos is to use a needle and thread to sew over Lucie and Scarlet (the models I used) to obscure the view of them.
Personal Response:
As part of my experimentation i tried out the use of sewing over an image i had taken in school. I started by using white thread to make lines across Lucie (on the left) to distort the view of her and then did the same over Scarlet (on the right). To make the image more obscure I decided to go over the sewing with black thread to cover more of the models.
Pablo Thecuadro:
"The collages I make express the duality in the human being, who we want to be versus who we really are and what part of us we show to others.”
Thecaudro uses multiple pictures from the same photoshoots and layers them together by cutting them using a hand cutter. WE can also see the use of concealment as the use of layering covers parts of the background image.
Analysing a photograph:In this particular image we can see that parts of the same (or a similar) image have been used in different places on the model to conceal what was there in the original photograph. For example, we can see that part of her face has been put in the shape of her neck. The use of this is concealing parts of the model with parts of herself in the original photograph. The contrast in lighting also highlights areas of light from areas of dark and therefore further concealing parts of her face as well as the use of her arms to cover her eyes.
|
In this image I tried to conceal parts of myself and the surroundings by replacing different shapes with other parts of the image. I also used a cut-out tool to shift parts of the image away from where it belongs and create a gap which can be seen by the white lines. I also decided to layer the same picture over it but shift it to the right in order to duplicate my face. |
Links to Concealment:
The Media- It's clear to see that through social media today we can see examples of concealment on multiple platforms. Everyday we see people concealing their true selves in order to please or conform to expectations that are presented on social media through different celebrities and public figures that many look up to or aspire to be like. People tend to only post or share the 'best version' of themselves on social media and concealing the parts that they dislike or that go against the norms and beauty expectations of the media.
Beauty Industry- Constant encouragement to hide or cover up the stereotypical things that are seen as 'unattractive'. Make-up brands for example promote the use of their products to conceal/cover up acne or marks that can be seen on many people's faces.
Beauty Industry- Constant encouragement to hide or cover up the stereotypical things that are seen as 'unattractive'. Make-up brands for example promote the use of their products to conceal/cover up acne or marks that can be seen on many people's faces.
Two Day Exam Planning:
I found ways in which the idea of concealment can link to the current situation that we are in (lockdown) and how we are being concealed to the outside world to keep others safe.
I plan on taking pictures from inside my house to show how we are being concealed in comparison to pictures that have been taken outside before lockdown to show how we are being isolated. |
David Hockney:
I plan to make a collage as my final piece. I decided to do some research and get some inspiration and found David Hockney. I like how the images have been cropped into different sections and then put back together but in a slightly different place or the image is slightly larger/ more zoomed in than it should be in order to distort the created image and conceal the other layers of images that make up the collage.
As inspiration I could try to use my contrasting images of concealment outdoors vs concealment in isolation to create a collage of overlapping images.
As inspiration I could try to use my contrasting images of concealment outdoors vs concealment in isolation to create a collage of overlapping images.
Exam:
I started by picking two images that are contrasting in order to show the difference in quarantine and when we weren't in quarantine. The images show contrasting colours as one has more saturation and the other is in black and white.
I then cropped both images into small squares to print out so that I can put them back together on a larger piece of paper
By the end of day 1 I had put together my first picture on an A3 piece of paper.
By the end of day two I had put together the second picture onto A3 paper and then put the two pieces together.
When put together we can see the contrast between the concealment when it is outside and with people as the colour is brighter in the top image whereas the bottom image is in black and white to portray a more lonely and isolated atmosphere that results from being stuck indoors with little-to-no human contact (missing friends).
When put together we can see the contrast between the concealment when it is outside and with people as the colour is brighter in the top image whereas the bottom image is in black and white to portray a more lonely and isolated atmosphere that results from being stuck indoors with little-to-no human contact (missing friends).