Throughout the BOW course I have encountered a number of challenges that pulled the direction of my visual practice into new directions. In doing so I have discovered a method of adapting to an opportunity and discovering that not all forced change is problematic.
The recent pandemic forced vast challenges to a prepared project that involved subjects from Bristol’s St Mungo’s recovery college. My own health (due to blood clots as a result of Covid19) also forced a need to not venture into Bristol for fear of further risks.
I remember reading an article by Filmmaker and photographer Wim Wenders who explored an undiscovered territory by always turning left, rather that the more obvious right or straight on. Allan Sekula also sought out the reality of society by working against the grain rather than the obvious standardised the mill representation. I have always liked this level of rhetoric which suggests a move away from what appears safe, for I fear that throughout the degree, my work, up until now, has been playing relatively safe.
There have been moments when I look to expand upon a theme which elevates an idea to a different avenue. However, I feel that due to the fear or artistic judgement, my practice only ever documents reality with photographic conformity. This may well be a result of being a practicing student and a concern for being slightly dismantled for attempting something that fails to engage or provide meaning.
The effects of the pandemic, however, forced the issue and stalled an idea within an overarching project in its tracks. As a result I attempted new ideas and concepts that moved away from anything I had previously attempted. The research undertaken to aid a practice heavily reliant on abstraction and symbolism gave a level of clarity to the visual meaning, something that I had previously struggled to completely convey.
Discussion with a previous tutor from 2017 explained a ‘penny drop.’ moment with regards to opening up your subjective thoughts to others and showing this visually within a descriptive and transferable message. Within the Body of Work, I feel that I have discovered something close to this moment, as I became willing to take a element of risk in the direction of my work. Forcing a representation of a obscure object that signifies a contextual connection to the overall subject provided me with a way to be clearer with the overall visual meaning. Previously I could join the dots myself, but struggled to aid the viewer within my thought processes as the documented scene was ambiguous and open to more than one interpretation.
By staging elements of the frame, I find I sustain more control over the visable contextual meaning The implied references stand out more although retain some of the juxtaposition aspects from my previous work. The difference is that the abstraction causes a dichotomy that forces an inquisitive stare and the question, why has the photographer placed that there?
By allowing a greater reliance upon unfiltered creativity, I find myself in a position where I am more comfortable balancing political absurdites. They appear absurd to me and resonate an air of frustration that I can channel into a more pointed piece of visual representation. I find this more encompassing with my thought processes and less passive than my previous work. Although I have the ability to be passive, as I mature and develop, the distain for a heavily weighted socio-economic infrastructure requires a release. Compassion and empathy alone were not enough to generate at true reflection of my thought processes.
The influence of Peter Kennard was not necessarily absorbed from an artistic point of view, it was more a regard for the visually direct manner he amplified a political message. It feels less multi layered than other political photography and moves away from the compassionate approach by forcing a view of the causation.
The concerns I held regarding the use of a similar symbol of financial authority caused slight alarm. However, discussions with my tutor assured me that it is part of the development of photography and that all creativity has be to born form some previous foundations. I was unaware of Kennard’s work prior to using the FT and in a strange way can validate the use of the symbol.
The risks that I have undertaken possibly would never have come to fruition had I not have been forced into making the relevant changes. I certainly would not have photographed three assignments without representing any subjects for a concept that holds a concern for human lives and dignity. By removing identities I looked to display human presence in other ways and felt a overriding sense of ease in doing so.
In an environment that has changed dramatically over the last three years I feel less apprehension to adapting my style and voice. I recently read in The United Nations of Photography that experimenting with new ways of thinking as a response to new situations is essential. The relevance of political documentary photography must embellish new ways of showing inequality to move the viewer and not always seek out new ways of exploring ‘them and us’. I have learnt that sometimes the causes can be represented if the desire, will and creativity allow. In my case this may have been as a result of an unpredicted change. However, this change has provided a platform to explore further and developed a concept that speaks more to me than my previous documentary work.
Gerard Hilderly Level 3 OCA 