Alec Soth

Alec Soth works on powerful narrative vignettes. His book 'Sleeping with Mississippi' show beautifully produced images of the 'outsiders' in the American south. A bizarre mix of people and their surroundings showcasing the nature of their lives and surrounding environment.The people in the photographs never engage fully with the camera by either looking directly at the lens with a blank,dead expression,or looking away altogether. He does not attempt to glamorise the subjects or conditions and as a result we can feel the cold and the misery of these subjects. There is a desire to know more about these people and their existence because so little is given away in the photographs themselves.Why is this middle age man dressed up as a pilot with toy aeroplanes? His still lives also work superbly well with their simplistic atmospheric settings.

Liz Hingley

We had the great pleasure to hear Liz Hingley lecture about her series of documentary pieces.The project I am most interested in is the one called  'Under Gods' stories from Soho Road which documents the lives of the religious diversity of the particular street. Her work is primarily about social engagement, getting to know the people and ingratiating herself into the community in order to capture these truly beautiful photographs.This preparation time is by no mean wasted as it has enabled her to produce shots that are so natural that we at first believe that we are witnessing a play where people are
acting and have been placed in a particular set up.It is her aptitude for mixing in and becoming invisible in this way that allows her to take such natural photographs. She is also aided by means of a Mamiya camera so her subjects are not so aware of the obtrusive lens pocking in their faces.At first glance we believe that she must have used some kind of fill-in lighting,but we are assured that all the photographs are indeed taken with available light. She does however concede to taking many photographs that were not ultimately used and having to go back time and time again to get just the right lighting for the photograph.
I find it rather ironic that  Kodak have just announced their closure after such a distinguished career

Video

The rooms that house these objects are in themselves so stunning that  I  liked the idea of showcasing them too, as once again the way the windows are dressed , the colours on the walls, the arrangement of furniture all reflect the identity of the house owners.

My first attempt at video was rather unsuccessful. I like the rough grainy feel of the low resolution filming but quickly realised any panning was out of  the question. Although delightful, gregarious characters, Carol and Roger were not initially comfortable in  front of the camera. However as Carole got into the swing of things she was a natural and had a lovely fluency. 

Another issue I discovered while filming with the Canon 5D was that the sound recording was of a very poor  quality so I therefore did the rest of the recorded dialogue with the superior Marantz recorder. The exception to this was a couple of clips with Carol on her own when she was more sure of herself.   

I played about with the idea of 'still video' panoramas of the rooms so that the viewer had time to explore the magnitude of the collections. I found however that they just looked like photographic stills and so didn't really work.

The next experimentation was to shoot these 'video stills' with the smallest, most subtle of movements, a sun reflection, a curtain blowing, a toys monotonous waving action. Fortunately the day I tried this out was particularly sunny and windy and as I moved around the house I could see more and more opportunities to produce some form of movement. This has given me the feel to the video work that I was searching for. I have left a few stills in the video as it adds a touch of expectation as to what if anything will occur next.

Video Editing

I have edited the video using iMovie. My experience with video editing has been extremely limited so far and so this has been an interesting challenge especially with the overlayed sound. 

First draft

The first video I did lasted for a total of 15minutes. When it was viewed to others I realised that the attention span of most  viewers was probably nearer  5-6 minutes so I have had to drastically edit it. I had inserted lots of stills to break up the video pieces and had overlayed music over the dialogue. The music was deemed to be too distracting due to the volume and variety of music scores.

 Latest draft

I have now managed to edit the latest video down to 6 1/2 minutes including titles. I have only one soundtrack on a small piece of the video.

I have thoroughly enjoyed the editing process and I will look at Finalcut- pro for my next project to give me more scope, although i-movies enabled me to tackle everything I wanted to do with this particular piece.

The video had been put on youtube and has links from the website.

Youtube:  STUFF - Creating an identity

Magnum Video podcasts

I have viewed many of the high quality Magnum podcasts in an attempt to get some guidance and inspiration.

Iranian memoir is a particularly haunting podcast  photographed in black and white and colour,  by an American-Iranian. It is beautiful in its simplicity, images fading gently from one to another.

Photographing Collections

If we take a look at how most collections are photographed we find that in most cases objects are isolated from their surroundings and photographed in a very sterile manner with either a black or white background. This tends to let us see the artifact without any distractions but gives us no indication to where it resided or how it was perceived by the original or later owners. It becomes just an object, without history, with no connection to any being.

In this case history I felt it was important that all the objects photographed were done in situ as the positioning of all the other objects around was of great importance. The  grouping of objects

 I felt  was significant in indicating the identites of the new owners. Many people would have categorised items by colour, series or similar objects. In this house objects at first impression seem to have been put together in a rather random fashion, a possible indication of not wishing to conform to ideals. However on close inspection it is clear how much thought has gone into the placement of each piece.

Although I wished to home into single objects I still wished to retain the feeling of the grouping. In order to do this I began to use a very shallow depth of field. This retained the sence of the other objects around but allowed the viewer to focus on one object at a time.

Similarily I avoided the use of  additional lighting , using available light where possible to retain as much authenticity as possible.

Secondhand Culture

The relatively stable aesthetic of Fordist modernism has given way to the all ferment,instability,fleeting qualities of post-modernist aesthetic that celebrates difference, ephemerality, spectacle, fashion, and the commodification of cultural forms.

(Harvey 1989:156)

Objects of the past do not necessarily continue to have the same meanings as they did to past generations and owners, and they have no specific meaning unless we invest meaning in them. Artifacts are constantly evolving depending on their symbolic attachment and designated use. Old hierarchies are not held in such esteem now and are often seen to be social construction. As Susan Pearce says, 




objects embody human purposes, experiences and they invite us to act towards them in ways which may or may not give us what we desire. Objects have a physicality, they  take up space and can therefore be organised in different forms.




It is easy to accumulate stuff, or to give it away,passing on from owner to owner. The life of an object not unlike our own, when we are new, getting older and finally broken. Objects become woven into our lives and become part of who we are.This can be seen can be viewed as the presence of the past being being brought into the physical present. If we take a sixteen century vase and place it a  twentieth century home it will still be a sixteen century vase and still have the same historical connotations but it will be viewed in quite a different manner as the new owner will have their own reinterpretation of the object. How can you put a value on an item? At one end of the scale we have junk, rubbish , stuff and kitsch at the other antiques and heirlooms.

Martin(1999) suggests that we may collect these things to console us for our loss of what we perceive to be identity and worth in a world that no longer holds these things sacred. It is a method of holding on to the things that we believe matter from the past.The collection of objects being a way of elevating our anxieties and fears.

There is also another good reason in this day and age to acquire secondhand goods, and that is for reacquisition. Nowadays it is quite possible for goods to go through the stages of acquisition, possession, dispossession and reacquisition, giving us an ethical and meaningful consumption.

Identity

If we take a look at the motivation to collect from a psychological viewpoint in the traditional Freudian         fashion, Muensterberger(1994) suggests that collecting relates to 'unresolved childhood fantasies but, if this is the case why do so many children feel the need to collect things?

There are many different types of collectors and the reasoning behind each of these can be quite different but I would like to examine the connection with personal identity.

It is regularly presumed that persons who collect are seen as consumers who purely  derive pleasure from the act of consumption itself. Baudrillard sees the consumer as the victims as we are tied into the sign values of goods that is the sign/image construction and their meaning.
As we become more aware of who we are as people, we evolve an awareness of collecting things that denote our identities or at least part of it. How we arrange these objects also distinguishes a sense of self and this is especially true of those things that we choose to put in our own surroundings.

As Ewan & Ewan put it ,

' today there are no ....rules only choices' ( Ewan & Ewan 1982:249-51) and hence ' everyone can be anyone.

 What we buy for our homes can be a route to our individual expression.This consciousness can be especially pronounced as we enter adolescence as we are trying to break away from parental tastes and trends, often fighting against a known establishment. Some however find that their parents choices have become their own.
Individuality is a sense of selfhood and the conviction that we have free choice. It can also be a symbol of integration or differentiation.

Foucault believes that the identity is tied up with the nature of self.

 Collecting old objects from bygone eras can be seen to be as a way of creating a new style or even possibly a new identity, through the connotations that envelope these items. Since the arrival of postmodern times  people have been keen to create identity cocoons which reflect them as they wish others to see them. More often than not this is created with an eclectic mix of styles from various time scale.
Authenticity of class and style dissolve within the collections of these random objects.These items do not need to be antiques or expensive heirlooms but are often mass produced bits of kitsch which take on a new 'value' with their irony. Often the more bizarre or risky (racist, feminist, naive) the item the more desirable they will be as they will stimulate discursive narratives.

Modern consumerism is supposed to be connected to the ideology of individualism we make the choice of what we wish to buy. This is so to a point, however in todays market we are constantly led along routes of conformity  from the various  directions, bombarded with adverts tied into our specific data which has been collected, unknown to us, through algorithmic means. We are enticed to buy the latest electronic devices, the newest designs of household goods etc. In past generations you furnished your home when you got married and little would be bought in the latter years. Most do now conform to the disposable society and as a result our homes have become homogenised. Purchasing things from the past is a method of regaining identity by consuming items that are not found in everyone else's homes.

Collections

 According to a study by Russell Belk in the Western world approximately a third of the population admit to having a collection of some kind (Belk1988; Chapter 2). Many theorists have developed different opinions on why we collect and the effect it has on us. Stewart suggests it is a 'strategy of desire' an attempt to lessen the gap between expression and experience (Stewart 1984:139-169) and Clifford says that collecting has long been the strategy for the deployment of a possessive self, culture and authenticity (1986:232). We will look in depth  at the  art of collecting and discuss our findings.



We are always being told that we live in a disposable age with no attachment to things, but the art of collecting  dispels that myth. The more obsolete something becomes often the more desirable it is thought of now. Fashion does not dictate trends to the same extent when it comes to collecting as it tends to be a very personal endeavour. It can be a passionate form of consumption especially when specific objects are sought but the value of the artifacts can often only be determined by the individuals desire for it rather than a purely monetary value. As a result most people feel very bonded to their collection. People often purchases items they can neither afford or need, and then they will often use or display them in ways they were not intended. Often others view collecting as a totally bizarre past-time, especially if they  can see no intrinsic value in the goods, but this is what makes collections so individual. For many you can not put a price on nostalgia or memory.

Collection  as defined in 1932 by Durost:

'If the predominant value of an object or idea for the person possessing it is intrinsic, ie., if it is valued primarily for use, or purpose, or aesthetically pleasing quality, or other value  inherent in the object or accruing to it by whatever circumstances of custom, training or habit, it is not a collection. If the predominant value is representational, ie., if the said object or idea or objects or ideas, such as being one of a series, part of a whole, a specimen of a class, then it is the subject of a collection.'

This definition may have been very well in its time but  ideas of seriality and intention do not capture the true essence of human emotion and activity. Surely a collection exists if the person in question believes they have a collection.

Hence I have to agree with Russell Belks more up to date definition of  collecting:

'it is the process of actively, selectively, and passionately acquiring and possessing things removed from ordinary use and perceived as part of set of non-identical objects and experiences.'


Similar to this is the wikipedia definition of a collectable:-

A collectors item is any object regarded as being of interest to a collector not necessarily monetary value or antique.

Class Structure and Consumerism

Collecting tends to be the consumption of nonessential luxury goods and therefore has previously been seen as something that was restricted to the upper echelons of society.The lower classes only having the funding for everyday necessities like food and clothing.
To ensure that certain  goods retained their significance as  symbols of status Sumptuary Laws were put in place which were legislation which restricted luxuries goods either by restricting the numbers available or only limiting them  to a certain level of society. In 594BC in Athens, Sumpuary laws were used to curb noticeable consumption. Women especially were singled out and were restricted on the amount of clothing  and baggage they were allowed  to bring into a marriage.
Prior to consumer societies it was only the landed rich that could afford to collect paintings, furniture and art artifacts. As the years have gone on many of these collections have become splintered as they have been passed down through the generations, or  have even been sold off for well needed funds.This combined with changes in tastes has meant that many collections have disappeared.

This selection process is similar to that seen in the family photo album. Often the photographs will have been chosen to show us or our surroundings at their best, to show off new possessions, holidays etc. We will only keep the best to represent us as we wish to be seen (Sontag1977).  A modern day example of this can be seen within our networking sites.Within these we endlessly take out those photographs we do not wish others to see. In doing so we create an alter image of ourselves as we would wish others to perceive us.  Those who collect ,whether for museums or their own homes also edit possessions in this way to reflect what they wish the rest of society to see.


The contemporary collecting of objects can be seen to have evolved with modernity and latterly post-modernity. We had entered into a period where we were no longer just influenced by the church and we now had greater freedom of choice both personally and materially. Cultural freedoms and postmodernist capitalism gave them a far greater selection to collect from. With the expansion of world trade with the new World and the massive change in consumption that were brought about by the industrial revolution a consumer society was born.  Mass production and reproduction was now available, which brought  consumer opportunity to those in the lower class systems who now had more available funding for non-necessities. Belk believes that we still look at objects from the past nostalgically and  associate it with the goodlife and the wealthy. Thus making us wish that we too could buy into it .

The Great Exhibition of 1851 introduced an abundance of new and exotic artifacts to a massive audience and suddenly the unexpected and unusual became de rigueur. This led to emerging industrial and merchant aristocracy wishing to acquire social distinction and status started collecting art.

In the late 1800s commemorative pottery was specifically designed for plebeian culture, with Empirical designs being especial popular. Similarly, cartes-de-visites became very collectable with the advent of  photography around the same time.The move from the bourgeois collecting to the masses was particularly noticeable during the war and also during the American Depression in the 1930's. At this time people were positively encouraged to collect to deflect crime, riots  and melancholy.

The post WW2 years  of the 1950s and 1960's brought about new prosperity and the toys and modern collectables from this period still hold the highest of values. By the 1970's however, Britain was flung into a period of high unemployment, strikes and uncertainty. As a result there was the rise of the anti-establishment, and the introduction of the punk era. Rubbish of all kinds from newspaper cuttings, plastic bags, and safety pins all of a sudden became a popular way of expressing our alienation from society and expressing identity. By valuing things of no value they challenged the general idea of worth.
The 1980's was an era of the ' have' and have not. In the Thatcher era people were encouraged to make lots of money and it resulted in some making huge bonuses. People were desperate to spend their money and display their wealth and so the arena of collections grew. By late 1990's people had grown tired of this spend, spend, spend era and the growth of ethical consumerism began and due to this and we had an increased interest in the second hand market.

Now in 2012 the arena of the collector has changed enormously. We can still find items for our collections through the usual route of antique shops and fairs, secondhand shops, carboot sales, jumblesales and auctions, but we also now have the advantage of the internet. The web has added enormously to the ease of finding what we wish at the right price without us moving from the comfort of our armchair. If we type collectors of paraphernalia into our search engine you come up with 459,000 results.
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'Stuff '

I have been looking into doing a project on collections of  ''STUFF''.
My interest was aroused initially by a visit to the home of a couple who have been involved in artistic pursuits all their lives and have built up the most inspiring collection of objects from antique to junk finds.This collection is hosted in the rather magnificent  Georgian Priory Manor in Long Bennington, Newark.

Roger Lee, a sculpture/artist, and his wife Carol, a fashion designer, bought this house in the 1980's when they ran an extremely successful fashion line in designer ballgowns which they sold mainly to Eastern European and Japanese markets.
They had previously lived in a little cottage across the road, and so when they bought the Priory,which was in quite a dilapidated state, they had to start from scratch making it into a family home. This they have done in a spectacular way using wonderfully vibrant colours and fabrics. It is however  their collection of furniture and artifacts that makes this house stand out as a treasure trove of collectible objects.
From their old cottage they brought with them a few favourite belongings, grandmas pottery, photographs etc., but all other items in their new house have been collected specifically to fit within this rather grand interior and I believe to showcase the owners extraordinary characters. I would like to propose that these artifacts, of which they are numerous, reflect the owners personality and as such are representative  of their personal identities.The random pieces that have been collected over the years are a creation of identity, and history which in some ways has been dictated to by the grandness of the house itself.
Many of these finds have an unknown history attached to them but in this new environment these items
will create a new history through their reappropriation.