Course review

The course is completed, and there have been times during the past 13 months when that has seemed unlikely. The OCA rules of leaving no more than a year between modules dictated that I had to commence the course last Spring even though from a personal angle this was far from ideal. Our youngest son Mark was ill, terminally so, and we needed to help him as well as spending as much time with him as possible. Tutor helped with encouraging comments when I very nearly gave up the course last December.

As I write this I still cannot quite take in that Mark is no longer with us. I always knew that his chances of long-term survival were not high, but there was always hope until the last few days; Mark defied the odds to live over 13 years from having a very serious primary cancer. He achieved more in his 28 years and 11 months then many of us in a lifetime. He became a doctor. He found love. He won awards: British Citizen Award; Cancer Research UK Ambassador of the Year; TopDoc; Leicester University Alumnus of the Year; and several others. Mark's CRUK fund stands at £182k and still generates more income in small steady increments. 

But more than that, he was a wonderful person; everyone he knew loved him to bits. No-one could dislike him because he was so striaghtforward and personable. He leaves a huge hole in our lives that will never be closed; we just have to live with it somehow.

During this period, OCA Landscape appeared at times to be an indulgence. It is one thing having to deal with the necessities of life when a loved one is seriously ill, another to progress with what is not essential. We cannot curl up into a ball and disappear for a year, but Mark had to be at the focus of our attention in this period. The practicalities aound Mark's illness impacted on Assignment 6 in particular, as described in the relevant post.

At other times, though, the course has been quite cathartic. This is the flip side of the above: that we have to recuperate, to think about something else, to 'be normal' for a while simply so that we could better help Mark when he needed us. I was working on the feedback for Assignment 4 just two days before Mark died. And since he has died, the final two Assignments have provided a useful part of the recovery process, providing focus at times when felt down. I could have taken a few months out from the course, but at no time did we know with any certainty how long Mark would survive. Even two weeks before he died, doctors were suggesting he might live for several months. And I think I would have lost momentum; in all four courses I have had long gaps between all the modules, but once started tend to get on with the course.

Trying as hard as one can to put the personal considerations aside, I have enjoyed Landscape. I like the reading and the discussion element. I have no aspiration to be any more than a decent amateur photographer so consider the history and the analysis adds to my knowledge of photography as an evolving practice. This academic side of the subject enriches your general knowledge and appreciation of the subject. I found Assignment 4 to be challenging, but welcomed the opportunity to assemble an argument about a subject (the future of photography generally, and of Landscape imagery specifically)  that interests me. I found interesting subject-matter for the other Assignments. 

As Tutor noted in Assignment 5 feedback, perhaps technical execution does not match the research and thought. There is further development here, as Tutor succinctly sets out:

"...getting better (photographically speaking) is a long old journey - we’re all on it!"

I was pleased to be able to integrate my interest in human geography that has not disappeared since studying it at university in the 1970s, and my love of walking Trails, into the coursework and Assignments. Tutor mentions in Assignment 5 feedback about 'raising aspirations' such that visual work becomes as strong as written work. That could be work in progress.

If I pass this module, intention is to complete Level 2 with Digital Imaging and Culture; this module seems to fit best with my interests.

Sorted books

I came across the Sorted Book project by Nina Katchadourian by chance, It is a great concept: arranging book spines such that their juxtaposition of titles makes a message, usually ironic and jokey.

It has become quite a craze of book spine mashups - see this link for example. 

The concept is an example of how interdisciplinary art can work. I have used the idea of photography and words working in harmony as a driver behind Assignment 5. This prompted me to devise a few book spine mashups involving titles that I have collected over the five years of OCA mashed in with some others, as follows:

Artist's statement

Sometimes when you are working on a project, you realise that there is another way of looking at your subject; or something surprises you that you had not thought of. 

When walking the the Offa's Dyke Path National Trail, I became aware of how the written word complements the visual experience, such that the journey becomes about the wider realisation of the significance of the Trail: the context; the history; the subliminal messages. All are enhanced by the complementarity of word and image.

Offa's Dyke Path sends us messages, not just of the the beauty and contrast in the visual sense, but also by integrating the written word with the landscape. This set of images seeks to enrich the visual experience by focusing on the ways that words (including a verbal surrogate) are used to generate different types of messages, from the obvious to the indirect to the subliminal. There is no preconceived plan, just the pleasure of unintentional discovery.

Assignment Four feedback

Pleased with the comments from tutor, summarised as:

"An interesting and well argued essay that raises some interesting questions about the future of landscape photography in the post-digital age. Well referenced and clearly argued throughout."

I enjoyed writing the essay, but was slightly concerned that it might be seen  as 'anti photography', a renegade piece. Tutor even concludes: "I am left feeling a little depressed about the future of photography to be honest!"

In one sense, I am pleased to have received this response, because the essay is designed as a challenge to photography in the academic context. The subtext of my thesis is that adopting the static two dimensional printed image as the gold standard risks detracting from photography as a method of purveying a message: that strict adherence to 'photography protocols' (e.g. don't overdo post processing; shy away from filters; use a tripod) may be at the expense of  the message of the artist.

The counter argument is, of course, that 'good photography' does not preclude sending a message. A message presented to excellent presentational protocols is every bit a message as one that is not. My point (admittedly made a few times in this blog!) is that it not always possible to conform to these protocols in the circumstances required to produce a good 'story'. I recall writing when doing TATP course about the modest standard of photography in an exhibition for The Museum of Contemporary Photography in Chicago, There is a place for beautiful and imaginative photography but this is 'single image' photography more suited to competitions (as with the Wildlife Photographer of the Year at Natural History Museum visited recently), and specifically eschewed for this course. 

I do not think single image static photography will disappear any time soon (if ever) but my essay is designed to point out the rapid changes in the way people view the world, (the universe even), and the impact of alternative technologies that most likely will change the emphasis of photography away from the technical (partly due to the accessibility of newer technologies that 'do it all for you', and partly to an exponential increase in image taking) and towards a more electic approach that incorporates a variety of media, and using images that are available in the public domain, that are not even taken by the author.

Tutor mentioned incorporating the work of contemporary photographers to support the thesis. The 2,000 word count precluded this in the essay but the work of two artists (the epithet photographer seems inappropriate when the author does not 'take' the image) come to mind:

Penelope Umbrico started her ongoing Suns from Sunsets from Flickr  in 2006. It is a constantly changing work, this is one example:

  

Penelop Umbrico Suns from Sunsets. Available from the author's blog. Accessed on 18 January 2017.

Umbrico (undated) commenced this project in 2006, when she found 541,795 hits for 'sunset' (the most tagged subject) on Flickr. She describes how she crops the sun  from the images - she mentions no copyright issues - into 6"x 4" images and sets them out as above. Umbrico sets out her rationale thus:

"I thought it peculiar that the sun, the quintessential giver of life and warmth, constant in our lives, symbol of enlightenment, spirituality, eternity, all things unreachable and ephemeral, omnipotent provider of optimism and vitamin D… and so ubiquitously photographed, is now subsumed to the internet – this warm singular object made multiple in the electronic space of the web, and viewed within the cool light of the screen."

In a way that reflects the growth of digital imagery referred to in the essay, Umbrico sets out the growth in hits for 'sunset' on Flickr over the years, up to 30,240,577 by March 2016. She emphasises the collective nature of photographic communities, even claiming that recording the ephemerality of the community is analagous to  taking the image itself (so perhaps she is a photographer after all..):

 "....through the technology of our common cameras we experience the power of millions of synoptic views, all shared the same way, at the same moment. To claim individual authorship while photographing a sunset is to disengage from this collective practice and therefor negate a large part of why capturing a sunset is so irresistible in the first place." (Umbrico, ibid)

 Umrico's example of photographic art as a collective practice chimes with my discussion of the growth of imagery more generally, and the democatization of photogpraphy.

A second example is Jon Rafman's work. Rafman (undated) collects the unusual sights from Google Street View. Examples are in his book Nine Eyes of Google Street View. Like, Umbrico, Rafman collects images and presents them in a random fashion that we may identify as the beautiful and the sublime together. It is not technical in any way, but is a compilation of the way the world is now. In contrast to Umbrico, Rafman uses the static image in a sort of 'balance sheet' way: this is how it is now, a pictorial report of the unusual in a normal setting. Three examples (available from http://9-eyes.com/, accessed on 18 January 2017) are as follows):

The unusual and disquieting sight of a struggling animal in an otherwise deserted scene

A potential competition winning image of a lonely beach walker

A disturbing image that the subjects were clearly unaware was being taken - the power of the remote camera

The last image above demonstrates a further technological development in photography: the use of remote cameras. These are being used increasingly for wildlife photography (see this link for examples) but, as the above shows, have a wider remit.

Other points raised by tutor are incorporated in her annotated comments on the essay. I have incorporated most of these in the Assignment. The summary is as follows:

•  Referencing - have made the amendments where there were omissions. I have left the corporate website references as links rather than Harvard, as there is no individual to whom the quotes may be ascribed. Tutor is not sure of the protocol, and is checking with OCA;
• Inclusion of contemporary artists is included above;
• Discussion over use of 'balder' or 'bolder' is overcome by modifying the statement, which, on reflection was exaggerated; 
• Tutor is concerned (6 in comments) with blanket statements. I have deleted one sentence, as suggested, but the general tenet of the paragraph stands: it is meant as a summary and conclusion of the arguments leading up to this point. 

References

Rafman (undated) The Nine Eyes of Google Street View. Available from http://9-eyes.com/. Accessed on 18 January 2017.

Umbrico (undated) Suns from Sunsets. Available from http://penelopeumbrico.net/index.php/project/suns/. Accessed on 18 January 2017.

 

Reflections on Chapter 4

I have struggled at times with this course during the last period for two reasons:

•  A loss of confidence. There have been times when I wonder whether I have over-reached my capabilities, that the course is more than I want to do. Perversely, that is not because of the reading and consequent blog essay writing rather than taking images. I really enjoy researching and discussing articles, particularly Assignment 4. No, it is more about the photography itself - whether I really want to be THAT serious. As I put to Tutor:

"I feel as if this course is taking me further away from my comfort zone than I really wish to go. At heart, I am an amateur who has no pretensions to take up photography professionally....". There is, as well, a sense of disconnect between the world of academic photography - its reverence of practitioners who in the main would, I suspect, be amazed that their work is discussed and portrayed as often as it is decades later - and the world out there. It is enunciated in the article we are asked to read for Exercise 5.1. Specifically alluding to the gallery as the 'white cube', McEvilley (1986) refers to it as the 'other world..appealing to supposedly transcendental modes of power and presence'. I explore the issues raised by contemporary developments in the Assignment.

• That Mark has been ill recently. I didn't want to start the course as early as Spring, but had to because of the OCA maximum of a year between courses. I explained the situation of having a son (Mark) with terminal cancer and received a sympathetic response, including that some people find studying as an outlet when faced with difficult times. I have managed the time commitment, helped by Mark being stable for several months.

That all changed in early November, when Mark's cancer returned at about the same time as I was having a wobble about the course. One day, Mark was very ill, crying on my shoulder. It breaks your heart to hear him in such distress, and his words - 'this is all such a waste' - will resound with me for ever. I concluded then that I should not becoming stressed about a course being studied as a hobby when Mark is so ill?

So wrote to Tutor, who wrote a very helpful and understanding response:

"....The academic study of photographic practice is not for everyone, not everyone who is a practising photographer has a qualification in photography and it would be foolish to suggest otherwise. If you want to take photographs for pleasure without time pressure, deadlines outside of a structured academic approach then go for it! It is certainly not the lesser path. Anything that does not fill you with at least a little joy in its making can kill creativity in my experience. In a nutshell - Do what you love!

On the flip side I would say that you are certainly more than capable of passing the module from the work I have seen so far. You have put a lot of work into the research of your work and I can see development in your practice. I’m not sure that Assignment Five is asking anything more than you’ve already shown a capability for, perhaps it’s asking it in a more explicit way. Maybe don’t let that put you off, and fit the questions to suit your interests. If I can help give some pointers in any areas then do ask. 

Obviously the time you have with Mark is precious and I’m not suggesting for one moment that you should be writing essays or visiting galleries instead of spending time with him and your family. Photography can be a powerful tool for keeping us in the moment and in touch with our creative expression..."

This was enough to convince me that I was over-reacting to the immediacy of Mark's condition, and perhaps a more considered approach is appropriate.

And, more recently. things have improved. Mark is still having bad days, losing weight, being sick and headaches, but he has more better days than bad ones. Unbelievably, he is studying for a MRCP exam in January; continuing to try to get a book published; and helping his fiancée with her medical revision. You don't try and guess what is going on: become positive and next minute it is blue lights to A&E, hopes dashed; become negative and you help no-one, least of all Mark. You just have to deal with it; just sometimes that is 
easier than at others. As I write, there is still hope.

Why do I write this? Partly because of cathartic release, and partly to record my feelings and emotions right now, at a finely balanced moment. Whether I finish this course or not, at least it might help me explain how and why. I have at least got as far as the 4th Assignment to be submitted and it would be a shame to forgo the work done so far.

Update on 6 January:

Mark's sickness and tiredness worsened over Christmas and New Year such that Sue (my wife) and I decided we could not cope, and that Mark needed to be seen by Royal Marsden. We wondered whether his symptoms might be die to an infection so just about managed to get him to GP for antibiotics. Then had a message that RM wanted to see him anyway as his blood marker was high, so we drove straightaway. to the assessment unit in the hospital.

Mark was made comfortable and on Wednesday 4th he had a scan on his head that showed that the cancer in his meninges is active - not much growth but enough to cause the symptoms he has had. They confirmed there is no mre they can do so, nearly two years after the cancer returned, Mark has reached the end of the line. He has a few weeks at most, possibly only days. He is still here, so technically there is hope, but no-one at RM think he can survive now, and nor does he.

It is very sad; a young man who has so much to offer, of whom no-one had a bad word to say. A dedicated doctor himself with a wonderful fiancee, he has raised over £73,000 for Cancer Research, who, on hearing the news sent this:

There are so many people at CRUK who know Mark and have been inspired by him and will want to send their love and support to Mark, Georgie and to you all.

If you are able, please let him know we are in awe of what he has achieved and the spirit in which he has done it.

I've been doing this job 10 years and have met some truly extraordinary people. But there are a handful who are just stand-out, extra special who have this amazing, indefinable quality about them. Mark is one of them - one of the really, really good guys.

 

  

Reference:

McEvilley, Thomas (1986) Introduction to Inside the White Space: The Ideology of the Gallery Space. Available from https://monoskop.org/images/8/8e/ODoherty_Brian_Inside_the_White_Cube_The_Ideology_of_the_Gallery_Space.pdf. Accessed on 24 December 2016.