Fatima Yasmin Component One Personal Investigation
The Internal World of Photography
“It [is] no longer about capturing the outside world; it [is] about translating an internal one.” -- Otto Steinert.
My Personal Investigation explores how photography can represent one’s internal world.
Photographer Otto Steinert coined the term “Subjective photography” in the 1950s. After WWII, Steinert was hurt by the catastrophe the wars had caused on his generation; his generation’s perspective of the world had changed. Steinert wanted to channel his changed emotions through photography and he did so by photographing abstract things that communicated his internal feelings. This notion of subjective photography fascinated me and influenced my investigation. Photography critic Abigail Solomon-Godeau was also a key influence in my work in terms of understanding how the viewer should feel when they see subjective photography, which is part of their internal world, and the concept of the insider/outsider.
My investigation started with the creation of my photobook which was influenced by Steinert’s subjectivity: cathartic and intense emotions represented through colours. I researched the work of several photographers, for example, Petra Collins. Collins projected LED lights on her subjects whilst playing emotional music. I decided to take the same approach as I wanted raw emotions and for colours to be representative of that; music was the perfect stimuli for inducing a direct emotional state. I liked the raw spontaneity in my images. I took images of places that had bright hues as I wanted these to induce an emotional response in the viewer.
My photobook was not as subjective as I had hoped because I felt I had captured the images in a voyeuristic way. The images represented other people’s emotions, not mine. Soloman-Godeau suggests that being inside is a relatively subjective stance whereas outsiders are relatively objective. One way to be fully inside would be to make a self portrait, as the subject is you and you have almost full control of the way the camera captures you. So, in the next part of my investigation I chose to depict my own emotions and thoughts and chose self portraiture as my genre. My theme this time was my dual cultural identity as identity is deeply and intensely subjective. I wanted to show the juxtaposing emotions I feel when I am in my western clothes, feelings of comfort and sensuality. The photographers that were key to my investigation were Rehan Miskci and Zoe Elefterin. Miskci and Elefterin both complement each other within this theme: Miskci’s work focuses on the loss of her Armenian identity within the western world and Eleftrin focuses on how her culture manipulates and changes her relationship with her identity. Both have been changed by the culture they are a part of. The threshold concept my investigation focused on was threshold concept #8 “Photographs have their own visual language and ‘grammar’”. I was interested in the way that photograohic language can help to convey complex ideas visually. I wanted my work to be a representation and also an insight on how I feel in my dual identity.
My first target was to show the delicacy I feel in my western clothes as well as my traditional clothes. Elefterin’s method of taking portraits of her nude body in her studio was used to understand how the female body changes and these inspired me to take images of me in my natural state; I felt this was one way to present my emotions. I used a plain white background and a softbox as the source of light which created simplicity and soft tones. Many of the images were blurry and sometimes out of focus, but I liked that because they showed they suggested ambiguity and a dream-like atmosphere. They were also in keeping with subjective photography - images that don’t conform to the traditional rules of photography. For the traditional side, I used a sheet of orange acetate over the camera lens to represent the intense emotions I feel with my dual cultural identity. I also took close up images of me inside the veil, feeling the texture of the fabric with my hands, and had the softbox as the main source of light. This created strong orange and pink tones along with shadows in other places which presented the intimacy and texture of my hands wrapping around the veil. Furthermore, taking head shots of me inside the scarf with the softbox created shadows, making an enclosed space between the picture and the viewer. This allows the viewer to be inside my world and thoughts.
I experimented with showing the fragility and fluidity in my identity by transferring my images onto clear plastic. I did this using Image Maker, which involved me having to place the picture onto the glass and then pasting on the glue. However, I feel this would have been more successful if it was professionally made as the material would have been stronger and the image would be better quality. If I had the money I would have used SMART PHOTO which would have cost £10.99. I was not satisfied with the experiment because I felt it wasn’t as relevant as other concepts, like the juxtaposition of my two cultural identities.
My second target was to integrate the English and traditional side together to present the duality within my identity which I achieved through an installation. I chose to use installation as a way of expressing my emotions since installations have been commonly used for ”immersive” experiences which are also the intentions of subjective photography. Rehan Miskci has included installations of key Armenian figures using thin, draped fabrics to allude to her own fading cultural identity. Similarly to Miskci, contemporary photographer Dennis Auburn uses projections over his subjects to present the fragility of the body. Both have influenced my installation as I projected images of myself in traditional Bengali attire and stood in front of the projection. The projection made the images' tones even softer but also still kept the strong saturation of pink and orange from the hues of the traditional attire. Standing in front of it added layers and created a juxtaposition through my choice of attire and through the traditional English net curtain. This added to the feeling of sensuality.
Re-occurring in the installations were my shadows. This acted as a separation of the western and traditional side of me. I wanted to fill the space in the shadows of my work to further express my dual identity as it is a mediator of both sides. Iranian artist Shirin Neshat uses calligraphy of Farsi poetry in her work ‘Women of Allah’. The calligraphy, written over Iranian women, reflects their suppressed thoughts and emotions. I was intrigued by the use of words as a method of revealing the repressed world of a person and applied the same method in my work too. I decided I would have the words handwritten as I felt a handwritten text clearly outlines a sense of expression, authenticity and a mark of identity, which I emphasised by writing it in the languages I speak (English and Bangla). I filled the shadows in with handwritten song lyrics which expresses thoughts about life that are very personal to me. Using Photoshop, I inserted the lyrics onto a couple of images from the installations. I juxtaposed the writing with the image by having the writing inserted in the traditional image of me and vice versa, as I had both pictures of me in the traditional attire and western attire projected over me. I became fond of the Bengali writing being inserted in the western part of the installations as the juxtaposition was stronger and since the shadow was looming over me, the writing too wrapped around my body which made the link with my cultural background more distinct. The writing was also in white, contrasting with the black shadows and grey tones of the western part of the installation. Along with this, the grey tones of the piece added simplicity and didn’t reveal much, which goes back to my original target of wanting my images to be their “own visual language and ‘grammar’” (threshold concept #8).
When it came to exhibiting my work I thought of three different ideas. The first idea was framing the piece. This was inspired by Rehan Miskci’s use of placing fragmented images of her Armenian culture in isolated spaces to insert her identity into the blank places of the western world. However, after trying it out, I felt the sensuality and delicacy I originally had in the shoot was missing as it was left looking underwhelming and flat. I felt it was imperative to ensure sensuality and delicacy flowed through my work as it not only emphasises the relationship between my clothes, but also having a the curtain of fabric over the image allows the audience to be intimate with the work and be inquisitive to the context of the piece.
Inviting the audience into my work harks back to subjective photography, inviting people into the internal world of the photographer. By adding a curtain of fabric to the experience, it elevated my installation therefore becoming my second idea. Finally, my third idea was to have an audio piece featuring my internal monologue about how I feel within my unique cultural experience. Through using audio, the viewer would become more immersed as I verbally articulate my emotions. I mixed the last two ideas as having the work covered in a thin curtain fabric keeps the themes I have had throughout and the audio would verbally articulate my thoughts. Furthermore, for the viewer to simultaneously be moving around my work and listening to my words maximises the immersion into my internal world.
Like Rehan Miskci, I chose to exhibit the work on plain white background as I liked the idea of inserting myself in the blank places of the western world and the white background allowed the work to speak for itself and not have any distractions. I printed the images in A3 and in card, emphasising the colours and the writing. I chose to exhibit two images: one with the writing juxtaposed with the installation of me in my English clothes and the other with the image of me in my traditional attire projecting over me with Bengali text. I chose these two because not only did they aesthetically contrast with each other (the former having lots of greys and black tones while the latter had strong red and orange tones), they also contrast each other in terms of the installation which emphasises my dual identity. I kept them separate from each other as I wanted the viewer to do the work of looking at both sides and fully being immersed into both pieces of work. Then, I recorded my monologue. I answered a series of questions regarding my relationship with my Bengali and British culture, like “which culture do you feel more connected to?” This took a couple of tries to fully capture what I wanted to say as it is a part of me that I have not explored deeply before. Playing the audio piece alongside the work allowed me to express my mixed identity and allows the viewer to begin to be engaged with the piece before they even look at the work. It also gives a sense of mystery as the work is covered and the only thing guiding the viewer is the audio and they must take it upon themselves to discover it.
I enjoyed this investigation thoroughly as I found the changes I made throughout were interesting and thrilling. I felt from my photobook I broadened my ideas more and experimented with different methods, rather than sticking to the traditional method of a photobook. It was hard at times as the topic is very personal to me and to make myself the subject of my work was a challenging choice, but this has made me step out of my comfort zone. If I had the choice of having it professionally fabricated, I would enjoy the opportunity to have my installation enlarged and projected in a large empty white space. I would also produce a photobook to accompany the projection, exploring the work in even greater detail. Lastly, photographers like Rehan Miskci, Zoe Elefterin and Otto Steinert have really interested me and deepened my understanding of the topic of identity and they have taught me the different ways in which I can communicate my thoughts through photography. This is what I love doing with this medium; revealing my perspective of the world.