Photographers; VLP LO2.1

Learning Objective 2

2.1 Be able to investigate ideas, processes and constraints in photographic imagery.

I will be looking at the photographer Cindy Sherman as she is her own model and for my project I too, are my own model.

http://www.cindysherman.com/biography.shtml

Her bio states; by turning the camera on herself, Cindy Sherman has built a name as one of the most respected photographers of the late twentieth century. Although, the majority of her photographs are pictures of her, however, these photographers are most definitely not self-portraits. Rather, Sherman uses herself as a vehicle for commentary on a variety of issues of the modern world: the role of the woman, the role of the artist and many more. It is through these ambiguous and eclectic photographs that Sherman has developed a distinct signature style. Through a number of different series of works, Sherman has raised challenging and important questions about the role and representation of women in society, the media and the creation of art.

Cindy Sherman has raised issues about the role and representation of women in society, which nicely links in with my project as I too am focussing on women and the pressure to ‘look good’ by society. Therefore I wanted to incorporate her ideas and to depict what she created to help generate some ideas for myself. She is famous for her Untitled Film Stills.

Here is Untitled #132, Cindy Sherman, 1984. Here with bright lights and high-contrast colour, Cindy Sherman focuses on the consequences of society’s stereotyped roles for women in this case as a victim of fashion rather than upon the roles themselves. This is where I get the inspiration from for my project as I want to show the extremes of beauty. Cindy Sherman has created these photographs to send out a striking message of what society is doing women, by doing the exact opposite of what society expects a woman to look. The roles in the Untitled Film Stills series vary from an immature schoolgirl to an attractive seducer and from a glamour diva to a caring housewife. Importantly, her work encourages self-reflection in the spectator, as Sherman argues, “I’m trying to make other people recognize something of themselves rather than me.”

Here is Untitled #138, Cindy Sherman, 1984 represent a fashion victim. Exaggerating her facial gestures, she models in fashionable clothes by top designers such Jean-Paul Gaultier. However, these clothes do not feel comfortable and attractive. The woman loses her self-confidence and cannot bear the pressure of her forced role. Sherman’s choice of colours emphasizes the grotesque character of the woman. The colours depart from their original fashionable context, failing their original promise of happiness promoted by the fashion industry. Therefore, in this feminist context, colours suggest pain, frustration and even threat, signifying the meaning of the work.

Learning Objective 2

I will also be looking at Lauren Greenfield who is an American artist, documentary photographer, and documentary filmmaker. She has published three photographic monographs, directed four documentary films, exhibited in museums, and published in magazines and other publications. Her photographic work and films generally deals with issues relating to the influence of popular culture on how we live (youth culture, gender identity, body image, eating disorders, media, wealth, fashion, beauty, and consumerism). I have used inspiration from Lauren Greenfield’s work ‘Fashion Show’ this has created the basis for the animation element to my Animatic.

Her bio states; Greenfield graduated with honours from Harvard in 1987 with a B.A, majoring in visual and environmental studies (VES). Her senior thesis photography project on the French Aristocracy was called ‘Survivors of the French Revolution’. This project helped start her career as a intern for National Geographic Magazine. A subsequent grant for National Geographic provided financial support towards her debut monograph. ‘Fast Forward: Growing Up in the Shadow of Hollywood’ (Knopf 1997). Five years after the publication of ‘Fast Forward’, Greenfield produced a second monograph about the self-esteem crisis amongst American women entitled ‘Girl Culture’.

At the New York, Milan and Paris Spring 2010 Collections, Greenfield pairs photographs of models emerging in runway perfection, with various stages of the assembly line: plying, prodding, bleaching, cutting, crying, and bleeding. A full visual deconstruction of the industry includes headless hair extensions and stoic grimaces, toxic products and imperfect choreography, and exacting beauty and immaculate performances. Photographs show the industry’s sacrifices: stumbling models, injured reporters, anxious dressers; but also the reward: frenzied flashes, preeminent designers, and applauding critics. By including the methodical process and the stunning show, the essay’s gestalt is in the intoxicating power held by fashion, and the very human participants that perform on its stage. 

Greenfield's video "Fashion Show" mixes filmed footage with still photography from over 50 runway shows in New York, Milan and Paris. Cut to the pulsating beat of Fol Chen's latest musical single, "The Longer You Wait", the multimedia piece is an experiential journey through the life of the definitive fashion show.