Tuesday 7 March 2017

Body of Work Evaluation

As part of assignment 5 for BOW we are required to submit an evaluation of our work.  I include it below.

Evaluation of Body of Work
I began my Level 3 work having scored consistently in the high 50s at summative assessment for my Level 1 and Level 2 modules with a desire to achieve marks at least in the 60s.  It soon became apparent to me that reading and research had been lacking in earlier work.  An important landmark was attending the Barnsley Residential Study Weekend in June 2015.  It was at Barnsley that I realised that the work I was producing and the lack of academic research backing it up was not up to a ‘good’ creative arts photography degree.  Tutors and fellow students felt that the work that I had taken was too scientific and too much within my comfort zone and certainly not risk-taking enough.  My blog link to the visit can be found here.  A huge benefit of this weekend was meeting fellow students and seeing their work.  I was fortunate that, following the visit, I was able to join some of them in a fortnightly Peer Led Google Hangout to discuss our work.  This has been invaluable from the point of view of receiving critiques of my own work, sometimes harsh and truthful, but always constructive and lso helping to critique the work of others.  Since the Barnsley weekend I have attended study visits at The Hepworth in Wakefield, Sheffield and particularly the weekend residential for the Brighton Bienniel.

The work I submitted for Assignment 1 weak.  I had already had thorough feedback from the Barnsley Weekend, yet still I ploughed on with that work.  In retrospect I was no doubt feeling some time pressure with a deadline looming, but I should have given myself the time to go back, do some thorough research, think about what I wanted to say and start again.  However, I felt that I was floundering after the weekend and was still absorbing all of the criticisms and ways forward and felt that I would submit the work, revised a little in the light of the weekend, and see what my tutor had to say.  He felt that ‘floundering’ was an uncomfortable position to be in, but it could be turned to my advantage, although I should be careful not to slip back into safe and habitual patterns of thinking.  I think that whilst working towards Assignment 2 I hadn’t really taken this last point in.  My tutor thoughtthat some of the images did work, there was plenty of investigation going on in my blog and suggested ways to progress.  He guided me away from the images I had taken in woodland, inspired by Eliot Porter, as this would take me too much down a scientific, non-creative line.  When considering where my Body of Work has finished, I feel it wasn’t the wood that was the problem, just my approach to it.  Having reflected on this first tutor report I opted to concentrate on two of my ideas from Assignment 1: flowers within an industrial landscape and The Water Rail Way/ River Witham, deciding to focus on the second of these options.

On rereading my reflections on Assignment 1 and the tutor feedback I feel that I could have made more of the industrial landscape aspect, although there was a danger of yet again straying into the scientific and picturesque.  Likewise with the River Witham I think that I could have investigated the link with my childhood, the river and the old railway.  I think that there is scope here for some work involving landscape and memory.  Regrettably, I defaulted to a picturesque style when documenting the journey of the river from source to sea, compounded by the fact that I quoted Tennyson’s poem The Brook thereby unintentionally allying myself uncritically within the Victorian World view.  I had, by this time, begun to play catch-up with my reading and research and had looked at the work of Alec Soth, Jem Southam and Andreas Muellerpohle yet didn’t apply what I had learned to my work.  My reading and research still continued to be divorced from my practice.

Another mistake I made in Assignment 2 was to provide too much information in my accompanying text, one of my Hangout Group remarking that I had provided so much information that he no longer felt he needed to see the pictures.  I was still straying into scientific/geographical descriptions.  It was felt by the group that my thinking was unclear and the confusion was evident in the images although, I did then further edit before submitting Assignment  2.  The group unsurprisingly agreed with my tutor’s comments and, if anything, were even harsher in their criticism, whilst remaining very supportive. However, my tutor felt that some of the images did work, particularly the use of soft grey light which added to the sensitive and tentative feeling, one in particular being taken from a high viewpoint, which, with the soft light, helped separate it from the postcard views that were so ubiquitous.  He felt that there was the start of a personal voice in those parts that was less evident in some of the more literal sections of the series.  The use of soft, muted lighting was something I learned and have put to good use in later work.

At the start of Assignment 3 I still clung to the idea of the River Witham and its valley, being intrigued by the large number of Abbeys.  In order to investigate these I decided to walk from Lincoln along the Viking Way Long Distance Footpath to my childhood village of Woodhall Spa visiting and documenting these abbeys and the walk.  I think that whist working on this assignment, two things emerged which finally began to change me from a landscape photographer in the grand tradition and a scientific wildlife photographer into a creative arts photographer (quote from Clive White about my work on a forum post).  Firstly while sharing the early work to the Hangout Group the comment was made, “Why Walk?”  It was only on reflection that I realised that that was what I did and had done all of my life; I was a walker.  This re-directed me and I spent much time researching photographers, artists and writers who had used walking as an inspiration for their work.  The second was when my tutor wondered why I was still including images of the abbeys in the work.  The focus now changed, for the remainder of my body of work it has been about walking.

I was encouraged when I read the opening statement on my tutor’s report: “A sense of focus is beginning to emerge as you reach deeper for your personal voice”.    I had sent some sample prints with the work which were received positively.  He felt that the work was subtle and was going to need some solid writing to support it, but he felt that it was already underway in my blog. 

As my walk for Assignment 3 had passed through some of the Lincolnshire Limewoods, relicts of our ancient primeval forest, I began to centre my explorations on woodland, concentrating on photographing the paths along which I walked.  I also made the decision to crop the images to square, initially to maintain uniformity of format, but later I realised it helped to distance my work from the picturesque.  I had now begun to eliminate the horizon which colleagues and tutors at Brighton and in the Hangout Group felt reduces the ability to resolve the images in the frame and the viewer needs to enter into a dialogue with them; they question the viewer.  As I worked towards Assignment 4 comments about the work were becoming more positive.  Several still felt that the text was too long and Clive White at Brighton strongly recommended removing the more romantic references. 

Again the tutor feedback from Assignment 4 was generally positive; I was sharing the work widely and absorbing everything I could.  Rob felt that the images looked lovely on screen, although some of the prints lacked clarity, perhaps because of the textured, heavyweight matte paper I had used.  I have since experimented with printing on different papers and sent them for his observations.  We both feel that those printed on Oyster paper were overall preferable.  He did still feel that the text still contained too many ideas and I need to keep it focused.  This is perhaps where the challenge lies as I work towards assessment.  Another suggestion made in the feedback was to go back to the woods to the extremes of the pathways I had photographed and look there for the starting point for the next exploration.  I had already been investigating this idea and had discovered paths that are not paths; at least not human ones.  Animal tracks.  When we think of footpaths the tendency is to think of human paths, but the faintest most ephemeral tracks, perhaps just a bent blade of grass or scuffed leaves are most likely not human.  And when these peter out all that is left is wild wood.

As my work has progressed I feel that I am beginning to discover my personal voice.  From my reading and discussions and, especially an OCA forum discussion lead by Clive White and Peter Haveland, I feel that a personal voice is difficult to grasp; a little like looking at something through fog.  Peter says that it is not about style or technique.  As far as technique is concerned I have latterly put aside my DSLR bodies, macro and long telephoto lenses, differential focussing and used my small mirrorless compact for much of my work.  The only technique I have tended to stick to is using a tripod to make sure that everything is sharp and in focus, although, in some situations this is not the most important criterion.  Peter says that it is to do with making work that is recognisably yours and is about something you want to say.  I am currently working on the text for my introduction to my body of work and hope that the work and the words will ‘come together’.  Although my personal voice may be beginning to develop, I feel that it may still be like a stuttering candle flame.  I keep in mind though that Body of Work is not the end of my studies and my personal voice will continue to develop during Sustaining Your Practice.

During my progress through BOW I have had highs and lows.  There have been lows, especially when I thought I was beginning to get things right but hangouts and tutors thought otherwise.  I have found that these times are when most learning takes place.  I have been tempted at times to give up, but after reflection, I feel that I have always moved forward and improvement has taken place.  My tutor has always been supportive but challenging. I have valued this and it has helped me to progress.  I have also to thank one of my peer group, in particular, for supporting me through one particular low patch.  We exchanged many emails until he had counselled me out of this phase.  I have thoroughly enjoyed my increasing levels of reading and research and this has brought me into contact with photographers, artists, writers, students and tutors, all of whom have influenced and inspired me.  There have been high points too, in particular when I first shared work to the Hangout Group and received positive comments about my work.  There was also the occasion when I received a comment of “excellent” from my tutor on one section of his report and the times when he has commented that he was beginning to see a personal voice emerging or he felt that I had done enough research and needed to absorb it and finally the excitement in his voice when he looked at a particular image. 

Looking forward, I currently see my work as a gallery exhibition, perhaps with an accompanying audiovisual component.  There are several venues locally that I am in the process of exploring for this to happen.  Helped by the fact that there is a highly thought of fine art department at our local university department, there is a thriving art and gallery scene in this area.  I have already begun a process of networking, talking to artists, a post graduate art group, curators and photographers and I hope to become part of an ArtSpeak ArtWork initiative led by Meridian Arts.  Although I will be submitting my portfolio for the final Body of Work assessment as a set of prints, I see scope for the work developing further during the Sustaining Your Practice module.

I feel very proud that I have reached the end of this module, hopefully, with the beginnings of a personal voice and a body of work that it is attractive, intriguing and questions the viewer.


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