That's it then - Final Integrated Assignment

I have been putting off writing this last entry for as long as possible. Once I hit the publish button that's it, my three years at UCBC are over. Now, some students will be elated at finishing their course work for the very last time, some won't. I find myself in the latter group. People talk about life changing experience fairly easily these days, and you have to wonder, are they! really. Have I had one? Well I believe I've a strong case. I commenced the Photographic Media Course and the University Centre at Blackburn three years ago. I had no preconceived  idea what job I would come out with or what genre of photography I would be attracted too. When students commence a course they generally fall into two categories. There are the ones that choose a course for its job prospects, and there are those that are not overly concerned about job markets but want to study a subject because of the love of it. My experience was slightly different, I found that I had always liked photography but once I began studying it  at a high level it released a passion for a subject that I had not experienced before.I became engrossed in art history and how as humanity developed so did technology which led  to photographic practices. This then provided interest in researching further the different photographic movements and leading practitioners of the time. I became increasingly interested in alternative photography processes which led to experiment in Wet Plate Collodion, Salt Printing and Gum Bichromate. I further researched this area when completing my dissertation looking at both digital and analogy processes and how they intereact. All this was the lead up to this final set of images that have been submitted for the Final Integrated Assignment. This has been quite a hard semester, I finished the foundation degree on a high with the collodion prints being received well. This has always been in the back of my mind and I knew I had to challenge myself further to equal that standard of work. Although the gum process has a different look and feel to collodion, I feel the images submitted are of equal standard and I would be happy to exhibit side by side.


I have to say a big thank you to the Photographic Dept lecturing staff a UCBC. Without their encouragement and support I would not have attempted many of these alternative process over the last three years. Also, my peer group, what a fantastic bunch, we have been through the normal highs and lows (not so many lows), we have all supported and encouraged each other which led to a fantastic exhibition in London. It hasn't quite sunk in yet but I'm going to miss the Monday morning lectures with the staff and students. I  will be green with envy as the new first year group commence the course in Sept.


I also have to thank my family, as a mature student going back into education they have had to give quite a bit up and I thank them for being so supportive and understanding.


This is one of those bitter sweet moments, I will be really sad to leave UCBC but with my new passion (hate using that word) for the subject I can't wait to get started on my next project.


Now all there is to do is push the button!!

London Exhibition - Final Integrated Assignment

I am lucky to be part of a third year group who are dedicated to their craft but more importantly enjoy working together. This was a sound basis to work on a major project for this academic year. The University Centre has once before exhibited in London. Although there is no requirement to do so for the purpose of assessment it is a chance for the students to show their work to a wider audience. This project was first discussed last September and a lot of hard work has gone into organising this event, with fundraising, seeking a suitable venue and framing and printing. With any group to be successful there is a need for a focal point. This is where one student stepped up, took extra responsibility and organised the the group to put on a successful exhibition - come forward Carren Stockman.

So, Monday 13th May pictures and students were tightly packed into the University minibus on our big expedition out.

Smiling faces would soon disappear on a minibus with very little space and seats that were hard as boards. Add to this was an eclectic mix of music supplied by Nikita.

The first break stop on the Toll Road outsider Birmingham. A chance to flex those aching backs.






We arrived in London at the Gallery Redchurch Street at  around two thirty and set to work. The opening night was the following day at five thirty. We unloaded the van a set about positioning the work. My initial thought was, this was going to be the most difficult part of the whole process. I didn't have to worry, as per normal this group of students handled themselves professionally, and with a bit of give and take everyone was happy with the position and space they had been given. The work of putting the frames on wall would commence in the morning so it was off to the digs.

Carren had organised our rooms at Clink261 at King's Cross. We had a mixed sex room for ten. Although the room was small, to say the least, it was clean and tidy and was surprisingly good. The above image is the devastation of eight women and two men sharing a room. No room for suitcases!!

A quick ride on the Tube the next morning and it was back to work. Everyone mucked in and helped each other put the pictures on the wall. There were no major incidents and holes filled and work up we hit the deadline of 3pm. This enabled the team to get back to the hostel, wash and put the glad rags on and return to the exhibition to meet the first guests. A good night was had by all finishing with a curry on the famous Brick Lane that Richard had organised.

Conclusion

First of all the exhibition was a great success and couldn't have been achieved without the help of the University Centre and a group of students with a strong bond and work ethic. I was proud to have my work displayed with some extraordinary work that my peer group had produced. I think all that started the course in September have improved their own work practices dramatically and as a group. I hope the lecturing staff can take a sense of satisfaction and achievement on how they have developed us, as with out their support and guidance I don't think we would have come this far.

As with every good experience there are always things you wished you had done better. For this I don't think the students or staff could or would have done anything differently. However, my gripe would be with the photography fraternity we belong too. As a group we had a sound marketing strategy, and invited specific groups to the exhibition. Now I don't know if it's because we are not one of the 'established' photographic educational schools but attendance by this group was poor. If only they had given us a chance they would have seen work that is on par or even better than most other undergraduate centres. I do get the feeling this is a trend. I have had the opportunity to visit other arts and humanity centres and look at the work being produced. Now some my say I'm biased, however, the work produce at UCBC is a good as anything out there but students are not held in the same reverence as other centres. Reputation seems to go along way with little credence.

On Shoulders of Giants - Final Integrated Assignment

Just the other day a well know X Factor Judge criticised the new BBC talent show The Voice as being a copy of theirs. As another well known DJ on BBC Radio 2 retorted, wasn't the X Factor a copy of Pop Idol, and if you can remember further back New Faces. Rather than being critical about using certain aspects of a previous show and blending them with your own shouldn't that be congratulated!


So what does this have to do with my Photographic assignment. This project commenced at the beginning of March and will end on the 13th June with the end of year exhibition. Hopefully here I will present a set of images that are unique and distinctive. Will this be a totally new concept that  has not been influenced by others before ? I doubt it.  I have purposely sought out inspiration from aspiring photographers past and present. I have taken a little from one and a little from another, I have then applied my own take on how I want to create the final image. As with the TV show analogy art has a long lineage that can be traced back to the cave paintings. Each artist that followed has developed their skill and creativity from these beginnings of humanity.




For my images the starting point was to come up with a concept, this was the language of flowers -  Floriography. I wanted to create a high key background similar to the one used by Nick Knight in his Flora images. To create this I used John Blakemore's lighting set up from his book the Black and White Photography Workshop. I then captured the flora in a style in keeping with Karl Blossfeldt. Then all were then contact printed in the Gum Bichromate process before digitising and finally manipulating in photoshop.




One of the main challenges I was set by the lecturing staff this year was to provide a strong and creative concept to a collection of images. Following the Professional Studies Assignment, were the use of literature was employed to inspire photographic image. I took on board the leaning outcomes from this assignment and spent time researching different possibilities. It was the Floriography concept that best suited the gum processes and I hope this has been demonstrated in the final imagery.




I really feel I have stood on the shoulders of some major photography giants!