Photo Response to 'Let's See What Happens...Tim Davies'

Photo Response to 'Let's See What Happens...Tim Davies'

In response to Tim Davies' exhibition for the theme of 'Let's See What Happens' which was Chase I wanted to focus on what he had looked at and really done for the video he had displayed and do a photo based on the same or a similar idea with the same or similar visual aspects. By using the information that had been on the leaflet from the Glyn Vivian which stated that the video was of 'a fleeting moment as a figure is seen running through street in an increasingly frenzied movement, culmination in hurried glances of new buildings' I wanted to make sure that I used a element of running and frenzied movement but rather than new building I wanted to differ and use a old building, mainly because when I listened to the music and sounds that were being played for his video I felt that having a older eerie building may have gone better.

This is my response...

To take this photo I used a Nikon Coolpix S6150, which is my small digital camera, I know that I wanted to use the effect and appearance of a camera being moved during a long exposure to create a rushed look to the photo as if it were being taken while someone were running. This was difficult to do on a digital camera when you couldn't change the exposure time. I then edited two photos to black and white and layered them over one another changing the opacity of the top image so the bottom one was still visible. I layered the two together to create a more distressing and distorted appearance trying to keep visually in theme with Tim's video. 

Let's See What Happens.....Tim Davies

Let's See What Happens.....Tim Davies

Davies has made two new works inspired by recent visits to Xiamen. Chase and Market 8 stem from his interest in how architectural spaces are negotiated and experiences in every life. Chase reveals a fleeting moment as a figure is seen running through streets in an increasingly frenzied movement, culminating in hurried glances of new vertical buildings. As a counterpoint, Market 8 is essentially a recording of people going about theirs daily business in one of Xiamen's street markets. Tim Davies represented Wales at the 54th Venice Biennale of Art in 2011.

This is from the Glynn Vivian Information leaflet.

Below are the photos that I took of the Market 8 video. The video was projected down from the ceiling onto a screen that was angled, so not flat to the floor and not stood up right. The video was about people going about their daily lives in a street market (as said above) but rather than a normal, straight forward recording it was played in reverse so the people appeared to be walking backwards and the camera moved as if going in reverse. 

This is a better photo to show how the board was angled and also how I viewed it.

Below are the photos of the Chase. When I walked into the room there were four really large screens playing all at once and very loud surrounding industrial, distorted, city type music/sounds that were playing. With the coldness of the room and the ceiling supports being in the centre of the room it made the experience better as the feel of the room, the music and The imagery on the screen all fitted together well and pulled me into the exhibition.

On the screens the fours videos were in fact the same video being played over and over but spaced apart, so when one started, a few seconds into playing the next screen would start playing from the beginning and so on. The video was of someone running and the camera would shake and there would be the trailed image of the building that you would get if you knocked a camera during a long exposure.

This is the link to Tim Davies Website http://www.timdaviesartist.com/index.htm

Let's See What Happens...Zeng Huanguang

Let's See What Happens...Zeng Huanguang 

Huanguang lives and works in Xiamen. A central theme of his practice is the rapid urbanisation of China and in earlier works he has collected antiques and ruins turning them into public interventions. He also works collaborative with poets, writers and China's displaced communities in socially engaged work. for this project he spent time at Occupy in London becoming increasingly fascinated by its community. In the exhibition he has recreated this site of peaceful protest as an art installation including tents graffiti, flyers, asking serious questions about the relationship between art, activism and their power to change society.

This is from the Glynn Vivian Information leaflet.

These are the photos that I took of the exhibition...

I really loved this, "We don't need money, we need change" while using change to pull attention to the words. I guess that symbolises the best way to get attention to something is to put money into it; advertising, buildings, movies. Which is what the exhibition is showing, that its problem that is how things work.

 These photos show the full length of the exhibition room that was full of tents and posters. 

Reinforcing the fact that this was a peaceful protest.

This is something that was on all of the tents. It is a notice to remove the tents that were being used during the protest. 

This image was used a lot to encourage people and is seen as a very inspirational symbol, the fact that it has been vandalised I found a little confusing as this would be great imagery to reuse to try and get reform and change.

Cardiff Review

The New Land 

by Gareth Philips 

All photographs belong to Gareth Philip, taken from

 http://garethphillipsphotography.com/category/y-tir-newydd-the-new-land/

"The New Land is an artistic translation of the furthest points of the Welsh Landscape-north,south,east,west,high and low. An imagined world collides with abstract reality summoning the demons, perils, beauty and mystery that many only experience when voyaging far past the comfortable confines of an urban world. The New Land is a personal voyage inspired by a departure from these comforts, aiming to connect and touch the soul of an indigenous landscape left untouched, even forgotten, in the wake of shift away from the land for the modern world."  

When I first entered the gallery I saw black and white photos in a black room. I was instantly drawn to them because the white sections of the photos were so bold and eye-catching. I spent quite a while staring and examining the photos trying to work out what exactly had been photographed, I then realised they were the patterns within stone and trees. I found it difficult to see what they were at first because the photo had been reflected on itself. The photo below is reflected from a line going the middle I really like this, its very interesting and unusual and makes the photos much more captivating because you spend so long trying to work out what is going on.

I can see a mask with large eyes.

The longer that I spent looking at the photos the more shapes and images I began to see within the reflected pattern.

 I can see the body of  bat with the head tilted upwards.

I think that the photos have been taken (or edited) to black and white to make the photo have less depth, so rather than trying to see what is going on in the photo and trying to see a scene you look at the lines of rock and tress more and that is when you end up seeing different images made up of the lines. I think that if the photo had been in colour it would not of worked so well because the lines would not be as bold and the colours would of distracted from the patterns. I also think that the contrast may have been increased to make the definition between black and white much stronger.

I can see a mask in the centre,  like a old tiki style mask.

Something that I found really interesting is that when I said to someone at the gallery what I saw in the image, they didn't see it until I pointed it out, but then they saw something that was completely different that I hadn't seen. Also the longer I looked the more that I saw.

Like in one of the other photos I can see a bat again, but this time with its wings spread. but separate form that I can also see a lambs skull in the centre.

Overall I loved the gallery, I have fallen in love with the photographs and I loved the feel of the room being purely in black and white with such large photos taking over the walls and filling the space really well.