And the project itself well let me try and explain. I have been working with a family archive of about 200 slide transparences (remember them?) passed on to me when my father died a few years ago - many are damaged and would suit Seth's disintegration project really well!! You can see what I mean in this slide below
At this point I must mention what a terrible photographer my father was, figures so far in the distance they are hard to make out or so close up only part of the person is in the picture, mostly out of focus too! They really are so bad they are quite wonderful!
Added to this is mold, fungal disintegration and bleeding of colours.
So I have taken this a step further playing with these elements. The originals have been digitalised and reprinted on acetate and made into slide transparences again - these are going to be projected in pairs! I hope it works - here is one of the original slides that I have been playing with
that has now become 2 slides which will be projected side by side on an automatic slide projector. Why my mother is sitting, seemingly in the middle of nowhere, in a suit staring out to sea i have no idea - it was taken about 35 years ago, I would love to ask her but she has been dead for many years now. So my project is about memories and how even when we are not part of the event in a photograph it sparks our own memories, maybe of the place or the people, we might remember just a fragment of something that is contained in that photograph! I would love to know your thoughts about this!
I hope to have around 15 pairs of images and when they are finished I will post some of them on the blog - meantime wish me luck!
18 comments:
hi Rose! glad to finally catch up a bit and be here to say hi. what a fascinating project you have going. these slides are out of this world. they have become paintings, and faded -or perhaps just simply transformed - realities. i love the idea of how some memories come about from fragments of these photographs, regardless if we are part of it or not. just looking at the slide of your mom at the beach there, i'm brought back in time to that moment when i was on lanikai beach in hawaii, feeling like i am also sitting at that exact spot. just simply taking in the calm of the sea and the soft merging of water and earth...
good luck with the project and hope to see more of it soon!
good luck - I know you will do great
Rosie, what an intriguing project! I love the whole idea of it - so close to your goal - how exciting!
It must be moving for you to look at these photos, remembering your mother as she was years ago, your father taking snapshots on a summer's day. The photos themselves loook like Turner-ish impressionistic watercolors (especially the top one). He always had the long width of the sea meeting a low skyline. Good luck, Margaret
I am wishing you luck. These memories are life like. By that I mean our memories are distorted anyway. May as well be visually distorted too.
Hope it's a good close to your year. I like the photo of your Mum gazing out to sea. Can't help wondering what she will be gazing at when there's another photo beside her.
Very interesting project! The fading image is an apt metaphor for our memories. It does look like what you are left with on these transparencies is a type of archetype that the viewer can imagine themselves either part of or perhaps have taken themselves.
I love the idea of a naturally altered photo. I have some from when my home was destroyed in Hurricane Rita. Creepy, representing the destruction. I am learning there is NO bad photo anymore! carry on
Good Luck! What a fascinating blog you have!!
It sounds like a really interesting project.
A lot of my own work is about memory, a kind of imagined memory which we were never really a part of...it fascinates me that we can feel so familiar with something, a photograph or place even if we haven't experienced it ourselves.
I have to agree with everyones comment...an intriguing project.
The slides are wonderful Rosie, especially your mother sitting on that beach. So moving.
Hi Rosie,
Thanks for visiting my blog and I love yours! This project you are writing about here sounds fascinating and so original.I would love to see these images in person.
I also have to agree with you that one of the hardest things to do is to know when to stop working on a piece.
Good luck and keep us posted.
Dianne
they are powerful images..both have an intense sense of isolation.. think they are telling you alot about your folks...
I think this project is fascinating and to think you are so near the end of this part of your study.
One of the facets of family photographs and memory that always interests me is the feeling that I was part of the experience, even when I know I was not there. It seems that so many other facets are familiar, that you feel part of the event.
I love your description of your father's photography abilities. That makes the images even more precious. Good luck.
What wonderful and helpful comments!
Grrl - you really have understood the isolation and loneliness in these images that I am now working with - and the learning in that!
redredday - yes I am working with my own memories of my parents that are not part of these photographs
Margaret - you are right that the images have become quite abstract and that is their strength I think
Leslie - memories may be more subjective than distorted - does that mean distorted?
Lost in the forest - yes I feel like I have been part of these events even though I haven't Weird!
JO - yes I have been moved to tears at times!
Margaret - it is amazing that I have found my father's lack of photograph genius to be such an inspiration!
Jeanne - my tutor agreed with you!
nice idea - good luck with the project
Your project is intriguing and I wish you the best in getting it all together for presentation.
I see this one image of your mother as a strong and beautiful piece...memories. On a personal level...you could easily feel your mother's spirit and for the stranger as you said it speaks of life's memories. Beautiful!
Good luck and congratulations in advance! This project is so personal, unique and intriguing. I love what I see so far and cannot wait to see more posts of the finished project.
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