So this is how I finished on my Unit 8 with a proposal for a self directed Unit in Contextual Studies:
Unit 10 Proposal (Statement of Intent)
“In general, my work is less about expanding the possibilities of photography than about re-investing it with a truer perception of things by returning to a simple method, one that photography had from the beginning of its existence” - Thomas Struth
To make realism an art form.
I have a fascination typologies, this is representative in my work as a photographer. Everywhere I travel I see typologies around me, from buildings, tree’s, Pylons, bus shelters, ginnels, I see them everywhere and feel a compulsion to get out my camera and photograph the world this way, flat, aesthetic and real. Therefore I would like to further my fascination and propose to continue in my Unit 10 researching the practise of the Neue Sachlichkeit ‘New Objectivities’ movement in Photography. New Objectivity was an artistic movement started in Germany, it was said to bring about a ‘New' way to photograph. The movement set to move away from the expressionism and to turn to realism as a way of photographing. The New Objectivity movement was focused on form and design and concentrates on the exact appearance of objects.
From this style of photography came many famous schools and photographers; The Düsseldorf School itself produced, Bernd and Hilla Becher, Andreas Gursky, Candida Hofer, Axel Hutte, Thomas Ruff & Thomas Struth. I plan to research The Düsseldorf School and its photographers, examining their style critically and theoretically, relating this to my own style as a photographer. Helping me to come to a greater understanding of the way I see and take photographs.
I intend to carry out extensive research into the pioneers in the “New Objectivities” photographers. Research will take the form of on-line TV Programmes, including the BBC ‘The Genius of Photography’, various online Interviews with the artists associated with the movement. I will conduct research into the photographers of this period and will follow on with research of Bernt & Hilla Becher as they went on to form their own school and also collaborate in the New Topographics project. Along side the research part of the Unit I also wish to continue photographing in my own style, and will continue to use this as a direct comparison to the work of this style of photography.
I will endeavour to look at photographers today who still take the typology stance to photographing, such as Michael Wolf, Jeff Brouws, Rachel Been, James Mollison and Kevin Bauman.
All of the artist above are pertinent to my photographic style. I will continue photographing using the typology style and reflect on my progress as I continue throughout the unit, making comparisons to my chosen photographers.
Research used will be through books such as:
The Photograph as Contemporary Art- Charlotte Cotton
On Photography-Susan Sontag.
The Photograph a Visual and Cultural History – Graham Clarke.
The Photography Reader- Liz Wells
Camera Lucida- Roland Barthes
The Dussledorf School of Photography- Bernd & Hilla Becher.
Using referencing and a theoretical approach, comparing my work to the work of others within this field, I will produce a study into contextualisation within the new objectivities genre.
In summary I hope to show how typologies as an art form can be as interesting and as beautiful as any other photographic genre. Finally producing my own body of work, in line with Unit 9 of our project which will be not only typologies but will also be classed as fine art intellectually created for its aesthetic, meaningful beauty.
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