Andreas Gursky 'Contact's Reflection

Video Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AK9Vzeks35Y

Andreas Gursky uses large format cameras to photograph massive structures. This piece explained his technique and approach to photography and it also revealed how he began with the medium in a time in Germany when photography was not considered an art form.

Gursky explained that he actually began with architectural photography and then soon after he transitioned into landscape photography. One thing that I thought was interesting was the fact that he saw his images as, less about the individual landscapes themselves or the people in the image and more about the manner in which he photographed the people in the landscape (using his deadpan style).

In addition to this, another thing that stuck out to me was his ideology, beliefs and approach towards the photographic composition. He mentioned that he actively steered clear from cutting the horizons out of his images because he felt that the image would come across as more subjective to the viewer because the image is only showing a section of a place without the context. Inversely he believed that in the vast majority of cases, including the horizon line would result in a more objective and 'true' image. This directly relates to the ideology of the deadpan movement as a whole. 

Finally, his argument that images have the ability to tell us something about society is a concept that I agree with myself. I think that photographs (like other forms of media) have the ability to act as a cultural barometer for society. 

1.Is the deadpan’s detached, distant, analytical, banal approach somehow distill our cultural mood? 

I think that to some extent the deadpan approach and photographic ideology could in fact distill our collective cultural mood as a whole because of the constant struggle to represent and portray things as more objective than subjective. In this quest to be 'truthful' perhaps our cultural mood could consequently be distilled.

2. Does it represent the way people feel disconnected from one another, even if technology makes them more interconnected than ever? 

In some ways deadpan photography can represent the way people feel disconnected from one another if the viewer interprets the image in that manner. However, I think that the style aims not to cast judgement but to simply reflect the 'objective reality' that is really. In a world where technology has made the process of 'connecting' with people easier over the internet, there is still the real possibility of feeling disconnected from profound relationships./

3. And is deadpan photography a refuge or reflection of emotion when we are overwhelmed with terrorism, war, ecological and natural disaster? 

I personally think that deadpan photography has the power to reflect rather than refuge emotion. This is primarily because of it's desire to document and reflect the things that are actually happening. In often cases without casting judgement or opinion on an issue.

4. Does its uniformity of the style reflect our mass-produced, chain-store world? 

I think that the uniformity of the deadpan style can reflect our mass-produced world. In the instances of both Edward Burtinsky and Andreas Gursky, I feel they were able to convey the globalisation and the consumerism within their images respectively. 


5. Has our ability to document just about anything made us do just that...

I agree with the above statement, that our increased ability to document things in our lives with more ease has lead to the over saturation of documentation in our culture. I think that with the events in the past that used to be deemed private moments have become more public than ever, because of our desire to document just about anything.

Jeff Wall 'Contacts' Video Reflection

Video Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cg8bB0zs3HQ

During this short piece I learnt that Jeff Wall was was/is heavily influenced by paintings in his work. He spoke of presenting his images in a large 'life size' way in a similar manner to the way that paintings are displayed. He also went on to make the point that the majority of his works involve him collaborating with performers (just like painters do with  models) in order to attain the final piece. 

There was a section of the video where Wall spoke of exploring the 'truth' claim that modernist photographers made/make about their work. This section related to the overarching themes of our class lectures that explore this same photographic notion. This is something that I thought was very interesting.

In addition to this, one thing that stuck out for me was when Wall said that, "It's more interesting to look at a picture as a representation rather than to look at the event as an event". He was again referring to the modernist 'truth' argument and this is essentially what separates the artist from the journalist. Jeff Wall here frames his point in a way that I haven't considered before.

Finally, I thought that the way he sometimes integrates the medium of video into his pieces is very clever. He explained that he'll use video to prepare his performers (and himself) for the actual photograph. This consequently allows him to somewhat control the movement in his images.