Presentation Methods - Assignment #4 - HERO

My hero is my brother Craig, 13 years... Wish you were here.

Without fail everyday he'd make me laugh or smile.

The one Id wait to come pick me up from my baby sitters in his black & yellow HX GTS Monaro.

A warm comforting cuddle everytime he saw me, his little sister, 12 & a half years younger than he.

When he passed away, the darkest cloud grew over me.

I was 6 & remember it clear as day.

His 19th birthday, a knock on the door early hours of the morning.

Hiding in my room while my parents were told the news.

My Mums screams...

The hospital trip in the police car... The crazy silence in my head.

Seeing his body. His blood on the nurses hands and gown... not being able to look.

My Mums screams...

Waiting with my other brother Brian, holding him tight, wishing I would wake from this bad dream.

My Mums screams...

Returning home, expecting, waiting, wishing for Craig to walk straight back through the door like I looked forward to everyday, with that perfect smile on his face.

The viewing of his body, not being able to let go.

Being torn away from him, not being able to say goodbye.

Tears rolling down my face... my chest tight... wondering why and how?

The coffin with the most beautiful flowers on top, red and purple.

His songs play - Forever Young - Interactive & Wish you were here - Pink Floyd.

Bullshit prayers and anger building up inside of me...

If there was a god, why was he taking my brother away?

Following the coffin to the cemetry, the hundreds of people flowing after us that loved him so.

The coffin being lowered into the grave, me wanting to go down with him.

A bad nightmare I could not wake from... There goes my hero.

Presentation Methods - Assignment #4 - HERO

SECOND RESPONSE

Children's slimplicity

Visual Culture (Photographic History) - ASSIGNMENT #2 - VANITY FAIR

Jean Harlow at home, by George Hurrell, 1934, publ. January 1935.

Prince William of Wales, by Mario Testino, 2003, publ. September 2003.

How does the subjects' body language, facial expression, gaze etc. influence the way we "read" their personality?

Both subjects give a sense of importance, this is strongly present in their clothing being quite upper class and neat Their gaze, body language and facial expressions accompany a sense of posh relaxed natures and highlife, particularly pronounced around the lips of each sitters smiles displaying much confidence.

Compare the photographic strategies for portraiture (technique, lighting etc.) in the two eras of Vanity Fair.

Mario Testino's image of Prince William in 2003 is more appealing to myself with its simplicity. Rembrandt lighting, clean lines and shadows within the suit he's wearing & a clean plain background that doesn't distract away from the subject himself. George Hurrell's image of Jean Harlow in 1934, I think, in comparison to Prince William... is nicely lit on Jean's face and the bears head but the harsh shadows that cut across her torso and lap are distracting to the eye, she is not addressing the camera, as they seemed to have done a lot back then, not much thought seemed to have been put into the background and to me the props used don't say much about Jean Harlow and her identity.

How does the photographer contribute to the construction of identity?

In both photographs Ive chosen I think photographers have approached their subjects in such way that they comfortable within their surroundings bring a sense of truth to their expressions recorded.

Is portraiture of "celebrities" truthful in any way, or is it just portraying the "character" or "mask" they inhabit?

What is truth? Unless you know someone personally, how are you to know when and if their true self is absent or not? I think it is possible to capture a celebrities truth but with them having to live much more complex lives then the general person, them under constant surveillance makes them very wary of what they let out. 1 image will never able a viewer to give full insight into a single persons self, the decisive moment is made within fractions of seconds and will only ever give just a taste of the sitters identity.

Presentation Methods - Assignment #3 - Skin Holes

SELF CONSIOUSNESS, LOVE & CHANGE

Presentation Methods - Assignment #2 - CD Cover

Song: Sex and Candy - Marcy Playground

Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-KT-r2vHeMM

Lyrics

Hangin' round downtown by myself
And I had so much time
To sit and think about myself
And then there she was
Like double cherry pie
Yeah there she was
Like disco superfly
I smell sex and candy here
Who's that lounging in my chair
Who's that casting devious stares
In my direction
Mama this surely is a dream

Hangin' round downtown by myself
And I had too much caffeine
And I was thinkin' 'bout myself
And then there she was
In platform double suede
Yeah there she was
Like disco lemonade
I smell sex and candy here
Who's that lounging in my chair
Who's that casting devious stares
In my direction
Mama this surely is a dream
Mama this surely is a dream
I smell sex and candy here
Who's that lounging in my chair
Who's that casting devious stares
In my direction
Mama this surely is a dream
Mama this surely is a dream
Yeah mama this must be my dream

Visual Culture (Photographic History) - Assignment #1 - Chromogenic Print

Developed in the 1940s a chromogenic print was one of the

most common types of colour photographs.

The full colour process involves multiple layers of silver halide

emulsion that are sensitised to different wavelengths of light.

When being developed or processed the exposed silver halides

stay present later mixing with dye couplers, the image or film

is again then put through a bleach or fix process which

removes the remaining silver halides resulting in the final

image consisting of the formerly dyed layers.Three layers of

the chromogenic film or paper present sensitivity to red, green

and blue coloured light and to form other colours and tones

cyan-coloured dye forms on the Red-sensitive layer,

magenta-coloured dye forms on the green-sensitive layer

and yellow-coloured dye is formed on the blue-sensitive layer.

Four Boots, 1992
Wolfgang Tillmans (German, born 1968)
Chromogenic print

20 3/16 x 15 1/2 in. (51.2 x 39.4 cm)
Anonymous Gift, 1995 (1995.128)

© Wolfgang Tillmans

Kolobrzeg, Poland, 1992
Rineke Dijkstra (Dutch, born 1959)
Chromogenic print

47 5/8 x 39 3/4 in. (121 x 101 cm)
Purchase, Roy R. and Marie S. Neuberger Foundation Inc., Jennifer and Joseph Duke, Gary and Sarah Wolkowitz and Anne Marie MacDonald Gifts, 2001 (2001.307)
© Rineke Dijkstra

Bibliography / Citations

The Metropolitan Museum of Art 2009, Photography: Processes, Preservation, and Conservation, viewed 5th August 2009, <http://www.metmuseum.org/special/photography2001/photo_glos.htm>

The Metropolitan Museum of Art 2009, Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History, Rineke Dijkstra: Kolobrzeg, Poland 1992, viewed 5th August 2009,

The Metropolitan Museum of Art 2009, Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History, Wolfgang Tillmans: Four Boots 1995, viewed 5th August 2009,

Wikipedia 2009, Chromogenic, viewed 5th August 2009,

Presention Methods - Assignment #1 - JABBERWOCKY

Wk 13 - GOAD

I found the backyard fence appealing to me because as kids we were forever jumping the old school wooden fences to get the footy we accidently kicked over or to play with the kids next door while Mum and Dad would hang over the fence having a chat to their parents. 

Obviously referencing the typical backyard fence Richard Weller included it in the Garden of Australian Dreams at the National Museum of Australia because it gives that sense of home, bringing back the same sorts of childhood memories as I mentioned above. 

Compared to our 6ft high colorbond fences most homes have these days, I think the typical wooden fence although not so private, gave a reason for neighbours to be social.

In my opinion the GOAD is considered to be 'Postmodern' because of its approach to body of theory in bringing symbols of tradition and different cultures in Australia into one space for all people of different backgrounds / cultures to appreciate. It gives the viewer a chance to come up with their own opinions on how they see these different symbols & artwork, giving more meaning to what the GOAD means to the different people of Australia.