Altered States
Altered state research, presented as an animated blackboard brainstorm. Showing my thinking towards altered states and brainstorming gave me ideas and themes I could use for my project. Animating my thinking together showed how I think and how my ideas grow and change.
Introducing My Theme
When researching altered states, I felt I could connect and explore decay in ways others may not see it. I love sci-fi and fantasy as well as family and nature so being able to include all of these themes in decay as an altered state will be interesting. To begin researching decay, I will initially start with it being as a combination, then pull it apart for my artist research, response and developments. Once I find an idea I believe will interest me the most to explore, respond and reflect, I will combine natural and human decay together again.
Initial Research
Decay - rot or decompose through the action of bacteria and fungi. Falling away from a sound condition.
Types of decay - Natural, mental, human (age)
Decay creates an altered state through a negative process. However, natural decay is a recycling process that benefits the living.
Words I associate with decay:
- Preservation
- Decomposition
- Change
- Death
Techniques I can use for my project - Photography projection, Manual/digital edits, time lapse, fashion photography.
For my project, altered states, I would like to create photos depicting human and natural decay, that also reflect my sci-fi and fantasy photography interests, as well as showing decay and its meaning to me.
Mood Board
Natural Decay
Natural decay through decomposition. Photography shoot of a decaying plant will show the alteration of state. These photos can be manually and digitally edited to enhance the decay.
Alexander McQueen
Taking inspiration from McQueens ideas to incapsulate decay in functional objects, I would love to explore how I can project decay onto moving objects to create distortion. For example, moving cloth as a decaying butterfly. I have used this technique when practising slow shutter speed.
Heikki Leis
Using the mould as a base theme of natural decay would allow me to explore photography techniques like macrophotography. Leis has stunning colours throughout, this shows the beautiful side of decay.
Artist Response
Using McQueens' inspiration I tested out projection on movement at a slow shutter speed. the projection of a decaying rose morphed and distorted when the cloth moved over the top. The slow shutter speed caught the alteration and even made the rose look more decayed than it already was.
Using Arnatt's inspiration I saw how you can create abstract photography using decaying objects. I used orange peel, whipped cream and leaves to create an abstract photo. I didn't like the process or the outcome because it looked and felt messy to me. It was very hard to create an outcome that was obvious and abstract like Arnatt's work. I don't think I need to develop this further because I don't feel I can easily connect it to decay.
Using Leis' inspiration I tested out macrophotography on decay, as well as enhancing colours. I used my Cannon 5D Mark 2 with a 300 zoom lens. The berries in the photograph were in different stages of life, looking really impressive side by side. Zooming in close, showed detail and enhanced the realistic look. I would like to develop this further and see what decay works well with the zoom and enhancements.
Development
I chose to develop the skill I found when investigating Leis. Macrophotography, close up shots of decay allows it to become more beautiful and detailed. These photographs are a close up of a decaying bush. The texture of the leaves become more visible, looking like a delicate lace. The tones of the leaves become clear and vibrant. For the Photos I used a Cannon 5D Mark 2 with a 300 zoom lens. I used natural lighting as it was mid-day. I edited it black and white, although it removes the tones, it creates mood to the piece that allows audiences to be connected.
Human Decay
Human decay through age. Using skills I have learnt in photoshop to create decay portraits, as well as using projection, covering half of their face. Looking at age and their past.
Tony Luciani
The emotional artwork allows the audience to be captivated. I would create this with my grandparents, however with social distancing the photos will have to be edited for the mirror shot, my nan can hold a mirror and I can edit on a photo etc.
Carsten Witte
I could use makeup on a model to create a base of the skull and edit it to make it look more realistic. This technique could be developed into a series of images or even a film.
Yuri Bonder
I love the details of the portraits and the black and white. I can recreate and expand this technique through the investigation and using my own models.
Artist Response
Using the inspiration of Witte I attempted to create a skull using basic makeup. Taking the photo on my phone and adding a black and white filter. It was difficult to create a skull look with only the makeup I had. To develop this further I would need more supplies and make edit on photoshop to enhance the skull like figure.
Using the inspiration of Bonder I explored the lines and marks on peoples faces as a sign of age as well as a story. Due to circumstances I couldn't take a close up photo of anyone so I used a stock image and edited it in photoshop. I used black and white and low exposure to capture every line and mark as well as making it feel more emotional.
Using inspiration from Tony Luciani I created a photograph of two hands holding. A mother and son, symbolising the generations.
This could be developed further and made into a full project with new and old generations.
Reading Tasks
When reading through all the tasks I kept my theme of Decay in mind, also keeping Altered States in mind. This would allow me to expand my research into the theme and gain new ideas. I separated the decay into natural and human to help me reference and use as inspiration.
Ways of Seeing
By John Berger
'Assumptions no longer accord with the world as it is'
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'The photographers' way of seeing is reflected by his choice of subject'
As natural decay is seen as good and bad. The assumptions of climate change as decay are always altered. Climate change is a huge decay.
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This quote really reflected that human decay can be depicted in different stages. For example, to one person, decay could be death, to others it could be age.
Species of Space and Other Pieces
By George Perec
'Space begins with that model map'
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'To live is to pass from one space to another'
After I read this paragraph, I thought about a different type of natural decay. Map change. I hadn't thought of this before, but the world alters itself, rivers make a new course, ice caps melt. We wouldn't know this without map comparison.
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When reading this I felt it clicked into my theme of human decay. When we stop moving does this allow us to decay and stop living or is stopping allowing us to break.
On Photography
By Susan Sontag
"Fiddle with the scale of the world'
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'Photographs furnish evidence'
We can cause natural decay through editing on a photograph. This shows editing has power over alteration and can cause altered states to be exaggerated.
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Human decay is a decay that is witnessed over a long period of time. Those born later would not know the earlier stages before the initial decay. Photos allow us to see this.
Combination
I chose to combine nature and human decay, through the lines (vines) of plants like the veins of a human. The decaying of a human into the earth. The plants decay looks like veins. They decay in situ and are almost transforming back into the earth.
Eyes As Big As Plates
I love the idea of altering a human figure to look like a piece of nature, blending in. I can use this idea to combine the two types of decay and add my own twist of that idea, like make it more like a fantasy or sci-fi image.
Moncler Ad Campaigns
The amazing invisibility created using makeup and art inspires me to include makeup to my photography as it can add dimensions to the piece. I think the blending in is like a sci-fi piece and shows the altered state of a human blending in.
Reading Tasks
Tales From Ovid
By Ted Hues
'To hurl itself at the lands edges'
This erosion creates spots of damage to cliffs. It leaves a sign of impact much like the marks and scars on our face depict the alteration and decay of a human face.
'Bodies are changed into different bodies'
Ageing changes the build of our face. The lines tell the tale.
'With the pure spring water, and rolled it under his hands'
Creating the object 'into a body' from a liquid seems impossible but altering the shape and texture using the water as a building material.
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'Sculpted man from his own ectoplasm, or earth'
Us humans are created from earth and affected by earth. We live here and therefore, we are shaped by what happens and everything here. Earth sculpts us, alters us.
Development
Experimenting with combining the decay of a human with the decay of the earth, I used photoshop to put the pattern of the decaying leaves onto my own face. However, it doesn't make it look realistic. I think if I use real life photography to combine the two rather than editing the result will be a lot more realistic. Portraying the leaves overcoming my natural form, taking me into the earth and altering my own state.
Final Design Ideas
Idea 1
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Camera on a timer or use a family member to help. Myself in a torn decaying outfit, covered with vines pulling me into the ground. Decaying into the soil. Edited to emphasise meaning. Full body shots as well as just headshots to allow me to choose the best at the end.
This is possible to do with the current regulations. The weather, however, can vary and will be difficult to use my camera outside so we may have to use my phone camera.
Idea 2
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Using a similar shot to Luciani, a younger and older family member holding onto each other with vines intertwined and creating a barrier showing a natural decay border.
This idea shows a clear show of the theme. However, I cannot complete this idea to my best ability due to the restrictions.
I will chose idea 1 as it is the safest for me to do with the restrictions. I will complete a Photoshoot, edit and then develop and adapt for a final photoshoot which I will use to edit for my final piece.
First Shoot
Dirt on the patio mixed with leaves and moss to show different textures and tones. Ripped white clothes with paint and dirt, the paint of a vine piercing my body and clothes, ripping it. Small plants placed by my arms allowed me to incorporate real nature. I used face paint on my face and body. I painted a large vine coming out of my shoulder and spreading across my chest (unable to see in this photograph). Vines spreading over my face and blue lips to incorporate human decay.
For all my photos I will use my phone camera as its raining and very cold, I don't want to risk damaging the camera. This also allowed my brother to take the photo as he knew how to work the camera. He moved around and took the photos at different angles under my artistic direction.
This image is edited on my phone. I added a black and white filter and cropped in closer. The hand up looks great against the white clothes, so I enhanced the contrasts.
Although making it black and white removed the green and red paint, it develops the theme of decay in the image.
I edited this photo on photoshop. I begun enhancing the brightness and saturation to help see the red and green. I then went through all the artistic filters photoshop supplies and chose one. I chose this one because it makes it look like a sci-fi image by enhancing the highlight on my stomach and creating the two tone on my face. I also liked this filter because it blended the image and made it feel like a real situation and like it isn't set up, I think this happened because it made it look like a cartoon or character where this situation can actually occur.
Development
The key points of my first shoot I want to develop is the soil background, creating a 3D vine so they are more visible. As well as my body position, using different ones and stretching out with feet etc. As well as my chin up to the camera, to avoid an awkward looking face. Also my hair needs to be bigger and vines on my arms. Another thing I didn't like on my first shoot was the blue line, I want to change them to green so they don't look out of place.
Second Shoot
For this shoot I filmed my makeup preparation in a time lapse.
The Makeup on this shoot and the body positions worked a lot better. I lightly edited each photo on photoshop before I picked my final picture to work on as my final piece. The ivy looked great in the shoot, however, much like the first shoot this position wasn't dramatic enough compared to what I wanted. I wanted my theme to come through as well as it being a very dramatic photo. The theme really came out well in this photo as you can see it looks like the ivy is coming up around me.
When taking this photo I asked my brother to stand up by my head and take a photo close to the ground. I tilted my head back and reached towards the camera. My altered state is still expressed in this photo with the ivy sprouting from my face and the green eyes and lips. The dirt on my reaching hands shows a struggle and makes this photo dramatic. I chose this to be my final image to edit as it displays everything I was looking for in this photo shoot.
Final Edits
For this edit I flipped the photo 180 degrees and reduced the noise. By reducing the noise it reduced the dramatic feel to the photograph. I liked how the phone camera added more noise than the normal camera because it made the image feel encaptivating and more interesting. Therefore, I did not like the look with the reduced noise. By turning the photo around it made it look like I was reaching up to a camera. This felt strange and disorientating, it also removed the feeling I was lying down so it destroyed the situation I had created where the vines where taking me under ground and decaying my human state. This edit was interesting and helped me practice but I don't think it is worthy to be my final piece.
To edit this photo I used an iris blur in photoshop. I loved the feel of only my hand and eyes being in focus. However, I didn't like the harsh line between the blur and the in focus. Maybe if the blur was blended a little better it would be more beneficial to the photograph. Also, if I was to use the blur again, I would turn down the intensity of the blur so you can still see what is blurred out.
Final Piece
I edited my final piece on photoshop. First I increased the noise as I found out with my edits that the noise creates a feel of drama to the image, almost like the image is starting to decay itself. Next I enhanced the green hue to pick up the green on my lips, eyes and the ivy. It also picked up on my hair a little so you can see it more in the image which is great as that was one of my development points of my first shoot. Throughout the process I took inspiration from my references and my reading tasks. Looking at nature as something that is within and around us. Overall my image shows the power of nature over us, like with climate change, we hurt the earth and eventually the earth will decay us. I was also able to include my sci-fi fantasy feel to the image, as it looks like a tale from a book or a character.