Modernism

Old and New

"Old and New" is a pictorial depiction of the changes modernity has wrought on the Airthrey Castle grounds. In each photo there is something modern to complement the constant, Airthrey Castle.

Modernist photographer's Rodchenko (1891-1956), Moholy-Nagy (1895-1946), and Renger-Patzsch (1897-1966) influenced this work through their focus' on the new, modern, industrial world. Although their work focused solely upon the modern world, this work blends the old and new, which can be found all over Scotland. This juxtaposition of modern and ancient is critical because as Scotland moves forward into the future, it must not forget its past.

In this series, the interactions between relatively modern objects with this several hundred year old castle are noted, exemplifying the place that both the modern and historic have in Scotland today. The focus on the different parts of the castle throughout the photographs provides unification to the series as the different aspects of modernity which impact it are explored.

The interesting angles and orientations displayed in this series offers a view which, for the average adult, would be difficult to obtain, providing a new perspective on the importance which small, modern aspects play in everyday life. The different angles and framing found throughout the photos is also used to highlight the changes to the castle in modern times.

This piece of work offers a new spin of the modernist embrace of the new, industrial society through its contrast with the past. While society and architecture will undoubtedly move forward, it is also important to remember the shared past which has shaped Scotland and continues to influence its people. 

 

Pictorialist Photography

Jacob Stern

Photographing the Urban

Professor Borda

6/29/14

Pictorialism Photography

                Pictorialism was an artistic movement in photography that arose in the 1860’s that came largely as a response to the impressionism movement¹. This new type of photography valued the composition and atmosphere more than the subject and allowed the pictorialist’s to make an artistic statement with their work². The work of the pictorialists brought photography away from its mechanistic roots and gave it life as an art as photographers manipulated the physical environment in which their pictures were taken or the film on which their pictures were captured². This new form of art sparked a revolution in photography and remained significant for at least the next eighty years¹.

                To accomplish the desired artistic effects a variety of methods were used including the use of lenses, the physical scraping of the film, and the clever use of light, shadow, and contrast. Pictorialists important to this folio include William Dassonville and Fredrick Evans. As visible in figure 1, Fredrick Evans was an early pictorialist who photographed many churches around France and England³. While sometimes criticized by other pictorialists for taking too literal an approach without enough manipulation, Evans, through a genius use of light and shadow, achieves very interesting images. This contrast is complemented by the work of William Dassonville, who used new photographic techniques to capture both the countryside and the skylines of California⁴. His techniques offered a new perspective on the city skylines, as is visible in figure 3, which did not show the buildings as crisp and removes some of the mechanical look of photography. The blurring of the buildings implies industrialization and provides inspiration for this folio.

                The works in this folio were all shot in the urban environment in and around the University of Glasgow, Scotland. Subjects include churches, light fixtures, courtyards, and various towers around campus. These subjects were selected because they are all of a similar age and architectural disposition, providing a sense of unity to the folio in total.

                To achieve the desired images a variety of filters were used, as is visible in figure 2. These filters included bubble wrap, red filter plastic, purple filter plastic, a reflective multi-colored plastic, and a clear bag with a thin layer of soap inside. These lenses were used in a variety of combinations to generate images seen in figures 4 through 13.

                There is some variety in terms of the composition of the photographs: all are from a perspective either below or even with the subject.  Figures 5, 8, and 11 are asymmetrical while figures 4, 6, 7, 9, 10, 12, and 13 are symmetrical.  The symmetry of the photographs is significant because it plays an important role in how photographs are interpreted by shifting focus away from the largest object in the field towards smaller, fixtures. The content of each frame is designed to limit the knowledge that can be gained about the subject environment and include slightly blurred images which offer largely decontextualized images. For example, in figures five and eleven, the neoclassical architecture of the Wellington Church combined with the purposeful vagueness of the images disguise the true location of the photograph and allows the viewer to wonder where exactly the subject is. The same is true of the gothic architecture present in the rest of the photographs.

                Light is another aspect which is critical to the quality of any photograph and has been manipulated to create pictorialist photographs. The interplay between outside and inside is most visible in figure eight, which was taken from deep in the cloisters; the sunlight is bright outside the arches, drawing the eye away from the center of the image. Another figure with interesting lighting is figure nine, in which the light above the tower draws focus away from the light post in the center of the image, which is left in darkness. The lighting in every photograph is very important for setting the mood; particularly in regards to the color of light being allowed to reach the film as decided by the filters. The blue and purple images are much less intense than those filtered through the red.

                Pictorialist photographers which influenced this folio include primarily William Dassonville and Fredrick Evans through their photographing of the urban environment. Evans’ use of light and shadow to create amazing and pure images of his subjects influenced both the choice of this folio’s subjects and their lighting. Dassonville’s photographs inspired the blurred clarity visible throughout this folio creating the desired timeless and decontextualized images.

 Figure 1. Photograph by Fredrick H. Evans

 Figure 2. Pictorialist filter set: bubble wrap, dark purple plastic, dark red plastic, reflective multi-colored plastic, and plastic bag filled with soap

Figure 3. Photograph by William Dassonville

Figure 4. Photograph of tower and light fixture at the University of Glasgow through soap and reflective lenses

 Figure 5. Photograph of Wellington Church, Glasgow, through red and soap lenses

 Figure 6. Courtyard at the University of Glasgow through reflective and soap lenses

 Figure 7. Series of towers at the University of Glasgow through reflective and soap lenses

Figure 8. Cloisters at the University of Glasgow through red, reflective, and soap lenses

 Figure 9. Large tower and light post at the University of Glasgow through reflective and bubble wrap lenses

 Figure 10. Turret in a courtyard at the University of Glasgow through soap lens

 Figure 11. Wellington Church, Glasgow, through soap and reflective lenses

 Figure 12. Building at the University of Glasgow through red, purple, and soap lenses

Figure 13. Lamp post in courtyard at the University of Glasgow through reflective and soap lenses

Sources

     1.   Editors of Encyclopædia Britannica. Pictorialism (photography).Encyclopedia Britannica Online. Retrieved June 29, 2014, from http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/752375/Pictorialism

     2.  Borda, S. Photographing the Urban: Pictorialist Photography.Photographing the Urban: Pictorialist Photography. Retrieved June 30, 2014, from http://urbanimagefotography.blogspot.co.uk/p/pictorialist-photography-overview.html 

     3.  Coburn, A. (1953). Fredrick Evans.Image, II(9), 58-63. Retrieved June 30, 2014, from http://image.eastmanhouse.org/files/GEH_1953_02_09.pdf

     4.   William Dassonville. (n.d.). Lee Gallery: Biographies. Retrieved June 30, 2014, from http://www.leegallery.com/william-dassonville/william-dassonville-biography

Camera Obscura Assignment: by Jacob Stern

Jacob Stern

Photographing the Urban

Professor Sylvia Borda

Camera Obscura

                The theme of this group of pictures taken through the lens of a homemade camera obscura was the Old Town of Stirling Scotland. Many of the buildings in this area are hundreds of years old and even those that are in use by modern citizens remain in their ancient shells. This scenery provides a subject close to what the original photographers would have seen.
As this plastic screen was too thin, another screen and set of eight pictures were taken at the University of Stirling Campus, these pictures are located at the bottom of this post.

Flats on Bow Street: Old Town, Stirling

The Old Town Jail, Stirling

 Viewfield Church: Old Town, Stirling Scotland

 Youth Hostel, former church: Old Town, Stirling

John Cowanes Hospital at Old Town, Stirling

Auchenbowies House

Holy Rude Church: Old Town, Stirling

The Crown of Old Town: Stirling Castle, Stirling

Using the homemade camera obscura presented several challenges relating to optical limitations of both the box and camera, the physical difficulties associated with use, and the poor quality of the construction materials. Due to these limitations the photographs are by no measure perfect, although the process was a learning experience. In part the poor quality of the photos is due to the low level of light present on the day of the shooting and on the quality of the camera.

                The optical limitations of the camera include: the point of light at the center of each photograph, the wrinkles that sometimes appear on the screen, and the size of the box. The point of the light in each picture where the light from the lens focuses most intensely is due to the convex curve of the lens. Because light always travels in a straight line¹, the light is most intense at the center of the image as the center is exposed to the largest number of points of light. This became most problematic in well lit areas, or when the camera was pointed up, limiting the perspectives available. Several attempts were made to overcome this difficulty; the light perception settings on the camera was adjusted based upon the scene in question and the size of the view passing through the outer camera obscura lens was shuttered with cardboard and tape. These attempts were largely unsuccessful in removing the halo but did help to reduce it. The wrinkles on the screen appear when pressure is applied to the outside of the box and because the screen lost its tautness as time progressed and the tape fixing it to the side began to give. The boxes size makes it difficult to obtain large panoramic images that offer and detail.

                The challenges of the camera obscura are not only rooted in the pictures and inside of the main chamber; the boxes size also presents a notable challenge. It is important to note the physical difficulties that come with holding a box and camera still, at the same time, and often in a precarious position such as the street or on a wall.

                Lastly, the poor quality of the construction materials contributed to the picture quality and difficulties. The cardboard box offers too much flexibility with too many holes through which light can enter. Additionally, the plastic sheet used to build the projection screen in the camera obscura is too translucent and stretchable. These problems are visible as the screen loses its tight fit throughout the photographing session and through the presence of the large halo in the center of many of the pictures.

                While not all of these problems were faced by the original masters of photography, some are applicable: building materials and methods, and optical limitations and restrictions of understanding surely plagued early artists and experimenters as they strove to perfect their techniques. As humankind’s understanding of optical principles improved, so too did the camera obscura.

The construction and function of the camera obscura is a combination of science and art because it involves the application of optical principles of light and finding the right subject to record, in the right light. While the camera obscura has existed for only about 200 years, this convergence of science and art has been slow, beginning at least in 300 B.C. with Euclid in Alexandria and continuing onward through the advent of the convex lens in 1267 A.D. by Sir Roger Bacon in England². Although science reached a point where it could produce the first camera obscura, in the fourth century³, art also progressed through to a point where it required a more simple and accurate method of recording their subjects, moving on from freehand sketching and painting to the gridded method of the seventeenth century⁴. The two ideas did not come together until the eighteenth century, when artists such as Canaletto (1697 - 1768) and Paul Sandby (1730 – 1809) implemented them to record city-skylines and other large subjects. The use of the camera obscura slowly progressed and technology was developed which allowed it to reach the handheld size and use a mirror to flip the inverted image back the right way. This then morphed into the modern camera as light sensitive paper was developed which allowed the recording of imaging through the efforts of Talbot and Daguerre in the nineteenth century⁴.  After this discovery, both the use of the camera by artists and the technology related to the camera exploded in popularity and scope until the advent of the modern camera.

Works Cited

          

1. Fitzpatrick, R. (2007, July 14). History of Geometric Optics. History of Geometric Optics. Retrieved June 23, 2014, from http://farside.ph.utexas.edu/teaching/302l/lectures/node125.html

2. BBC. (2002, February 11). The History of Optical Science - Edited Entry. h2g2 - The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition. Retrieved June 23, 2014, from http://h2g2.com/edited_entry/A666128

3. Edinburgh's Camera Obscura and World of Illusions - great fun for all the family. Edinburgh's Camera Obscura and World of Illusions - great fun for all the family. Retrieved June 23, 2014, from http://camera-obscura.co.uk/camera_obscura/camera_history.asp

4. Drawing Techniques. Victoria and Albert Museum, Digital Media webmaster@vam.ac.uk. Retrieved June 23, 2014, from http://www.vam.ac.uk/content/articles/d/drawing-techniques/

Fraser of Allander House, University of Stirling

 Andrew Stewart Hall, University of Stirling

 Willow Court, University of Stirling

 Cottrell Building, University of Stirling

 Gannochy Sport Center, University of Stirling

 Cottrell Building, University of Stirling

 Andrew Miller Building, University of Stirling

Andrew Miller Library, University of Stirling