Presentation

The most important part of the Project Pitch is a Oral presentation which is %60 of this project and other %40 is our development file and researches,SOI and final evaluation.
But since the beginning of this semester and when I first read the brief I was so worried about the presentation. We had to deliver 15-20 minutes oral presentation in front of our classmates and two of our tutor.
Anyway Monday 23 March(2 days ago) was the day of our professional presentation.
As I did know that I will be so stressed and will forgot everything at the time of presentation and also I wanted to keep the presentation more visual rather than a very boring one and talking for all that 15 minutes,I decided to make a short video and include all essential information and details with more related photos.I also used a very nostalgic Persian song called silence of Ahmad Shamloo (lyric: Margot Bickle).I love this song and makes me so emotional.I can remember that I used this song for my final presentation for my degree when I was in Iran.It always bring me a bunch of unforgettable memories as a background music in my video.
firstly I make my presentation plan then wrote the notes and recorded my voice to mix the narration with music in the background and used them as a audio in my video.Well it wasn’t as easy as I thought and took me a while to record all the audio files that I needed.

Then after all I had to put together the audio and photos to produce the video as requested.I had used windows movie maker quite a few times however it was ages ago. After 2 hours playing with the program I got used to it and remember everything again. It was a good experience but the only thing was I hadn’t enough photos for 15 minutes video and I had to pick the words that was important to remember for my audience and make a slide for every second of video to fill the gaps between the photos that I had and it made the process very long and i was working on that 10 minutes video 4-5 days.
Here is an example of those slides.

I think I created about 60 of these slides and the whole video contain 96 slides and photos in total.

It was quite difficult and long process compare to making a power-point presentation but the main benefit of making video was a very relax presentation.As you are confident that you have already included all the required information and there is no worries to forget anything. In fact I worked twice harder at home but in the day of presentation i just seat back and watch the clip with others.
I would say it was worth that 4 days non hard work and Iam very pleased with the result as I received really good comments and feedbacks from my tutors and peer.

My theme, tittle and the photos

Here is one of my favourite photos so far.But obviously Im not going to put any more photos here as I would like to show the series at the end of year show which will be held June 8th and 9th.
I have a few candidate names/tittles in my mind but still not too sure which one im going to choose but one of my favourites so far is Latent Wounds.
The theme of my project is self censorship in Iranian society and it’s impact on women’s daily life.Its all about the power of culture and how women have learnt not talk about their sorrows. They always been taught that their private life is a holy piece of world and has to be secret.It means if you are suffering from something or been abused or under domestic violence or even more simple just having some thing to say….try to keep it secret and DON’T Talk ABOUT IT!!!
It’s like an agony that little by little enwrap women’s souls.This is story of generation that suffered silently and tolerated much torment.
I used rope as a symbol of those suffering thoughts that are always with women.They carry their hidden sorrows with them every where.While they are cooking,eating or in the bed,even when they seem happy or laughing they have something to say that have left inside and no one has interest to listen….!!!

Update on my projec

Regarding to my previous update on my photographic project I had some ideas about the theme but how to present the idea was quite difficult and I was struggling. I started my experimentation and tried different materials, But I didn’t like the results. So after extensive researches and trying different techniques I came up with a new idea and decide to take the photos as soon as possible.But as usual finding a right women with Iranian facial feature was a big problem. I remember for my previous project i was looking for a Persian model for a while. So I didn’t want to waste the time again. I asked one of friends who is not Persian, to act in front of my camera And because she is blond I decide to prepare a brown wig and do some Persian style make up to make her more Asian look.But as I wasn’t sure if the wig would suite her face or not i asked her to come over my house and take some test shots.

Well I tried the wig and Asian make up and took some photos. Surprisingly the idea of using wig worked very well and my test shoot converted into a full photo shoot and as i was happy with the result at the same day i took all the interior photos that i needed,then arrange the second shoot soon after at Fletche Moss Garden.

Luckily everything went well and the result was just what I wanted. At the moment im working on the photos and editing is still in progress.

Update on my photographic project!

This is a while that I’m thinking on my idea which is focusing on women’s mental wounds. I really like the whole idea as it comes from my true and deep inner feelings. Since I have noticed that my project invisibly, relating to my personal life I’m getting mad at it, as I cant decide and make my mind how to develop and present the idea. I think now I feel more responsible about what I want to say and make it a bit difficult and so challenging. These days I’m working hard,experimenting, sketching my thoughts and also researching on contemporary photographers with the same or close ideas to mine to explore my unique way. I have done a few double exposure and I liked the final pieces, I was thinking to make a short stop motion video as well but after a few weeks I just thought at this time its not what I wanted. Thereafter I printed a few of my old pictures tried to play with bleach on the photos and drawing and painting on my self portraits but simply didn’t work.

However I still like all these techniques. Working physically on the photos but I’m pretty sure that I would be back one day and work on these ideas particularly making a short film is one of the areas that I really like to work on it.
Well I’m still struggling and not too sure what I want to submit at the end of the project but I have made my mind and sketch the initial plan for my first shoot and I will shoot in the following week as I realised that I have to start to shooting and apply the retouching process then I could discuss more about it with my tutors.
So long as I’m just thinking and sketching I cant go further.I think I have done enough researches and now its the time to kick it off before Christmas holiday. I use to sketch my shoot plan for all my photoshoots even for my client’s sessions to make sure that I won’t miss anything as I’m usually stressed on the day of the shoot.
Anyway I have prepared all the props and as soon as my model confirm the date of her availability I would take my initial photos and hopefully if everything goes well will planed the second shoot very soon.
So fingers cross please…!!!

My theme and Ideas

As an Eastern woman I have always been struggling with women’s deprived identity and cultural issues and it is so regrettable to realise that you have always lived under the pressure of culture and respect to others thoughts instead of ignoring them and try to develop your own thoughts. Since I’ve moved to the UK the differences between Western and Eastern women have been quite noticeable and it was such a massive confusion.

The different way that women represent themselves in Western and Eastern societies has been an interesting area to explore for me.

Nowadays artists tend to engage with social practices and issues. Contemporary artists are even more conscious about everything that occurs around them. They may be more globally aware and experienced than other people. Even they can notice the differences and the limitation caused by their societies.This kind of barrier in their artistic career makes them much more alert. Thus their social concern usually appears in their art works.

Now here as an artist and a mature photographer I would like to focus on a part of my life that has been hidden.I have never been that brave to reveal my mental wounds.I think I’ve always been abused mentally for whole life and quite sure that majority of Iranian women experienced these abuses that rooted from culture barriers,either more or less, but we all learnt to don NOT talk about it!

While everything tends to be very modern and stylish and try to appear in society as a fortunate and blissful women,but we all have mental wounds.We have to hide these sore pain for whole life and it is one of our responsibility as a women, we always taught to don’t talk a bout what we are suffering or the things that hurt us.We learnt to smile while suffering and it is the matter of reputation, matter of being a woman.

This is the pattern that makes up the way of life and also the way of our representation.

However I can’t say we have taught by our parents as a specific formula, we learnt it by our dominant culture and society. Personally I think lack of women’s identity has always resulted from culture and people’s thoughts. What other people think and how they would judge your act is the subject of women’s presentation in the Eastern societies.

These kind of issues are the main theme of my photography project. First of all I have started my first sketches and planning my photo shoot. Apparently I have to shoot twice,one inside and another outside. I have also trying to find all the props that I will need for my shoot. In the meantime I would continue my researches on Eastern photographers who have worked on women’s identity and cultural issues. It is not surprising that I have found too many photographer, that have tried to show their protest against these issues by their work.

I will discuss more their works in a separate post very soon.

 

First attempt and first test shoot

I always wanted to do a double exposure project. I have tired this technique on photoshop a few times and really liked the results. Last year when I preparing for the end of the year exhibition during my photoshoot I took a few photos with a very wishy-washy idea to create a double exposure photos with the concept of women’s freedom but I didn’t go further and even forgot the photos as soon as I came up with another idea.
Now I’d like to revival that idea of double exposure technique and also I’m thinking about making a stop motion video by putting a series of photos together. I really like to present my final work as a short film, with a series of double exposure photos. With this in mind I have used one of my previously taken photos and I tried to create something as a test shot,but unfortunately I think my first attempt wasn’t successful!!!
Here is the photos:

The Lovers by Rene Magritte

One of my favourite paintings is The Lovers by Rene Magritte.
It is an oil on canvas depicting two individuals locked in an embrace. The figures are kissing one another through veils. They are situated in a room with the back wall, side wall and ceiling showing. I like the way that Magritte choose to hide their identity.
The meanings of this painting can stem from first glance, strictly surface based, and even hidden psychological meanings. The viewer can be impacted by it or not. It seems that all who see this painting are interested in the veils covering the faces of the main figures. For this reason Magritte was ingenious. The fact that all people kiss and the two in his painting seem to be unable to physically meet in such an intimate way strikes people. Art is supposed to be inspirational, controversial, provocative and everything in between.

Contemporary artists have been greatly influenced by René Magritte’s stimulating examination of the fickleness of images. Some artists who have been influenced by Magritte’s works include John Baldessari , Ed Ruscha, andy Warhol,Jasper Johns,etc. Some of the artists’ works integrate direct references and others offer contemporary viewpoints on his abstract fixations.

This disturbing painting of two shrouded lovers kissing is drawn from Magritte’s tragic childhood when he discovered his mother’s dead body in the lake, her head covered by her night dress like a shroud. Welsh post-hardcore outfit Funeral for a Friend took this concept for the cover of its debut album, Casually Dressed and Deep in Conversation (see below).

And this is a fresh inspiration of Magritt’s painting

Photo from fliker by a contemporary artist MK .

Photo by: Alisa Andrea on fliker

And here is a film that show an interpretation of The Lovers:

Initial Researches/ Leyla Sailor

Following my second tutorial with Dave and our discussion about my possible ideas,he has confirmed that creating a video or animation as a final project wont be a problem and I could do that.
I asked him if he knows artists or resources related to my ideas,and he send me a few contemporary artists.
One of them was Layla Sailor. She is a Manchester based artist.After completing a degree in photography she has continued to combine commercial Fashion photography with Fine Art and Filmmaking.
Inspired by cinematography and religious iconography, Layla creates hyper-realistic, dreamlike works that reference traditional crafts, sexuality and politics.
The harmony of vibrant colours and music are the most alluring icons in her work. I like her photographs and films but just enjoyed her talent and creativity but there wasn’t something related to what I’m looking for and no inspiration.
Here is a few of her photographs and the link of her films.

http://www.laylasailor.com/motion/

Initial Ideas

As I’m struggling to decide about my final project. I thought to develop my ideas and push myself it’s good to ask a few key questions, such as:

-what I would like to do?
-what areas of work I am interested?
-what are my concerns?
In the image you can see my answers. As you can see I realized one of the possible subjects is women’s identity and in the back of my mind cultural issues.

As it was the tittle of my essay I’m not surprised.
At least I can say i know what would be my subject.
From the beginning of the course I have thought about the techniques and eventually the presentation in our exhibition. I dont want to just take some photographs(even very good ones),come out from camera,print them off and hang it on the wall!!! following this thoughts, suddenly an idea of making an animation/ video performance or short film came up! When I was younger I used to work in an animation company for couple of years therefore animation and making video has been one my hobbies and I really like to use this skill that I have in a new context and medium.
Also It’s been a while that I wanted to do a project with double exposure in Photoshop. Last year I took a series of photos to create some double exposure images but the idea just left behind the other projects.this is the right time to try double exposure. I think it is a good opportunity to try video/animation and photography techniques to create an creative individual project.

Now here I just know that I would do some thing about women’s identity and probably present it as a video art. These are the only things that I know about the project …!!!

Project Pitch

Oh well I have started the final year of my photography course. It is quite exciting to be on the last year and finishing at the end of the academic year but it is also very difficult to decide and make your mind about your final project. My project for this semester is Project Pitch!!! This is the project that will lead me toward the major project in Semester 2 and the work that eventually I will exhibit.
I usually get obsessed with my projects/possible ideas. Being creative and make a unique piece of work usually making the project even harder that what it is. Now here kicking off the project is getting hard.

I’ve had some ideas but as soon as I start trying I don’t like it and just left it!!! It’s been 3 weeks since I literally start the project but everyday I change my mind…!!!

Also I have to write my Statement Of Intent but when I don’t know what I want to do how can I write about it!!!