The theme of my final major project is going to be based on youth with subtle links to activism. It will  focus on coming of age and young adults who are at a time in their lives where they are experiencing a lot of feelings of uncertainity for the future but also how they are on the potential flux of the adulthood cusp. My aim is to capture intimate, raw portaits which show how youth cope with the social, political and cultural issues they are faced with in every day life and how they attach themselves to partying, friendships, activism and relationships as a form of escape and realease from these pressures. I will explore certain times in a persons life and express my own thoughts and emotions towards the subjects through my portraiture. I hope at the end of the project i will be left with a series which will realisitcally portray the times we are living in and have a nostalgic, reminicising feel for the older generation. 

 

Another photgraphy book I came across when exploring archives was  Robert Mapplethorpes’ Altars. The book inclued very intimate, nude black and white portraits. I found the images interesting as they were uncensored and documented the body in comparison to greek statues and sexual relationships. I also liked how they were framed with geometirc shapes, mounted on colours and laid out in a collage. The subjects he captured in his photographers were almost always in the centre with very little space around them. Making them the main focus and adding to the very striking, brazen feel of the imaes. I like how he often captured the same subject but in way that shows their movement throughout time for example the image of the two men kissing. This almost resembles film stills or a self timer style of  photography and celebrates self expression and sexuality. What the photographs tell me about the Robert Mapplethorpe is that he is a very controverisal and provocative photographer. His images are very shocking and portray intimate relationships and takes away the uncomfortable feeling people may have when seeing the naked body.

  

I visited St.Peters House archives and explored photography books. Martin Parr’s Everybody Dance Now documented people dancing in different countries and years. I was drawn to the photographs as they captured people in the moment, throughout different decades which also show how music, clubs, surroundings, and fashion have also changed. I like how the images were raw and natural and show feelings of love, freedom and happiness. They also portray how dancing and music brings people together and each photograph makes me want to know more about the people in them. For example their names, ages, what are they doing now in their lives. The images are very colourful and over saturated which I feel adds to the mood and feeling of the photographs but he does include some black and white photographs which subtly docuements how times have changed. The images tell me that Martin Parr is a photographer who wants  to capture how we live, society and real life. In the photographs I feel he is trying to convey how music and dancing makes people feel.  I particulary like how atmostpheric the images are as you almost imagine what music they are listening to, the energy and spirit of the individuals in the photographs, which shown through their body language and facial expressions. As you study the photographs more you begin to notice different people, where they are and what they doing or feeling.

  

  

At the beginning of the my final major project I visited galleries in London to initiate some ideas, spark creativty and inspire me. The National  Portrait Gallery is always a gallery that leaves me feeling motivated and eager to produce work as I am drawn to portrait photography and faces. 

My favourtite piece was the bromide print of Sade by Johnny Rozsa. The way she was posing and the background stood out to me the most. I noitced for afar that the print was of the singer from her iconic style and face which I feel was highlighted more as the print was in black and white. As i began studying the print more I noticed how she was posing more, leaning against a wall with her arm over the head which almost frames and crops her face. 

The background of the print had rough cut out edges and almost resmbled a crinkled piece of paper. This constrasted well by making Sade the main focus as she appeared in a more minimal, detailed and smoother texture.The effect almost made the piece appear slightly raised out of the frame. 

I belive the eye first looks at Sade’s face then leads down her body. Elements start to be becme more noitcable such as her clothing, facial expressions and pose for exampel one hand being in her pocket. 

The mood of the piece is very calm and soft which I feel links to Sade’s pose, expressions and style of music.

For the final shoot I used three of the banners I created and scouted three different people to model with them in a studio. The aim of the shoot was to show youth activism and  the models were the ideal people I visioned when I was creating the banners. Each model was styled in a way that compliments the banner they are holding. I directed each model to pose in way that relates to the message the banner is expressing, for example to be serious, have attitude or look concerned. I wanted to combine portraits of the models to capture the youth of today. The research and shoot I have undertaken in this project has inspired my final major project. For the final major project I would like to create a photo book, the photo book will also include more protest banners and art work based around activism but I want to continue taken portraits of youth and my goal is produce a photo book that clearly depicts the youth of today In these socially and politically uncertain times we are currently in.

After researching activism, activist artists and attending protests I was inspired to create my own protest banners. I decided to focus them on climate change as it is current global crisis which a lot of people are protesting for. For each banner I tried to use a different types of media and tactics to strongly get the message across. The first banner ‘£9000 a year for a future we won’t even have!’, for this banner I used a piece of black mount board and white acrylic paint. I decided to use these colours as the issue referring to university and our future is serious subject and the colours portray this. I wanted the banner too look simple but the message to come across as strong. I used paint to make the words look bold and to add an artistic, rebellious aesthetic to the banner as it will be used by students.

The next banner I created ‘at least greta gives a fuck’ for this banner I wanted to make it more profound. I used a black marker pen onto a piece of cardboard and an image of Greta Thungberg. From research I noticed how artists often used a combination of imagery and text to make their work stand out and make a bold statement. The message the banner reads, the marker, language and image of Greta all express the emotion of anger which I feel makes more of an impact as it shocks people and is memorable.

I then created the banner ‘the planet is hotter than my boyfriend’ the idea behind the banner was to create one that was humours and add light on the situation. I use white mount board, marker pens for the text and paint for the drawing of the earth. The witty text complimented the image of the earth which I added fire too and body parts to make it appear as if the earth was seductively posing in relation to the statement.

The final banner I created was the most simple and basic, however sometimes this is the most effective. I used white mount board and sharpies and design the banner into an emergency sign. An emergency exit sign is often one people see everyday, therefore it will alert people and stands out in crowds. It also links to the climate change emergency and expresses panic.

For the next step of my project I am going to incorporate the banners into a shoot. I am going to scout models which I feel will look like the ideal person who would create these banners and relate to the message on them.