Some Afterthoughts on the Critical Review (February 2011)

The Critical Review process was introduced as a central part of the evolution of the two-year photographic course in St Kevins College. Students will, at the beginning of each year, propose a project which will be developed ‘photographically’ throughout the year - culminating in an out-of-house exhibition in May. This process is supported by a series of critiques, with all tutors and students, which help the individual to focus on a thematic ‘Body of Work’ which can be refined through research and a picture-by-picture development of a pre-conceived idea or subject matter, in the course of eight months. There is a necessity, however, of a bond or a connection, between the creation of images and an overall thematic position.

Through this process, students are encouraged to find their own photographic personality, through a balance of freedom (of expression) and self-discipline (of strategy). Students are also encouraged to consider the complexity of the photographic practice and the multifarious considerations of building a body of work: Idea & Treatment, Fundamentals & Technique, Sequencing & Structure; as well as an awareness of contemporary aesthetic approaches to their chosen subject matter.

This years work is diverse – reflecting the multi-cultural dimension and broad demographics of the college itself. The subjects chosen by the students touch on key non-traditional and traditional disciplines such as Documentary, Fashion, Portraiture to Diaristic, Experimental, Abstract, etc; as well as issues relating to social, cultural, historical and personal enviornments. Presented here is a small selection of some ongoing works:

Images:
c. Fiona Scott, c. Lucia Gutierez, c. Marco Navarro, c. Joshua Whelan, c. Alex Hutchinson, c. Luca Truffarelli

Photos:
Claire Purcell

Text:
Martin Cregg

Link of the Week: Lens Culture

Lens Culture is an online magazine celebrating international contemporary photography, art, media, and world cultures. The site is run by Jim Casper and contains a current link with a slideshow of the 2011 World Press Awards.

http://www.lensculture.com/

A Contemporary View: Newsha Tavakolian

Newsha Tavakolian, 1981, Iran, is a self-taught photographer. Her work has been published in magazines as Time Magazine, Newsweek and Stern. She started out as a photojournalist, covering stories in Iraq, Syria and Lebanon amongst others. Slowly her work has shifted towards a more documentary and creative approach. In her series "listen", she photographed six female singers who are not allowed to sing solo, perform in public or produce CD's due to the Islamic tenets. She then created six images and turned them into CD covers for these singers. As a statement she left the CD cases empty.

Her most recent work, Mothers of Martyrs, is a series of portraits of mothers holding photographs of the sons they lost in the war between Iran and Iraq. ‘These mothers have been searching for solace in the pride of their sons’ patriotic deaths,’ she says. ‘Now, with the revolution thwarted by problems, are beginning to ask themselves whether their deaths served any purpose.’ This subject is very different to those she previously chose to cover in Iran: young Iranians with tight fitting clothes, large sunglasses and revealing some of their hair from beneath a veil that Tavakolian herself only wears in Muslim countries, and only in certain situations.

See an insightful interview with Tavakolian on Cafe Babel:

 http://www.cafebabel.co.uk/article/18035/newsha-tavakolian-irans-inside-story.html

The Social Image (1st Year Task)

This is a task allocated to the year one students at the beginning of January. Each student was asked to produce an image, or a series of images, which relates to the theme ‘The Social’. The task had no set criteria, it was not graded, not directed to any great degree, and was open to the students interpretation of what the term or the theme ‘the social’ encapsulates. A brief discussion about the possibilities of how to conceptualize the theme, plus a few suggestions of photographers to look at, was the only imput from the tutor.  

With this task we were not concerned with technical limitations – the work could be taken on a disposable camera, and i-phone or any available medium. However, the image needed to be ‘somehow’ meaningful, to connect to the theme and form the basis of discussion, by the student, which would justify their image as it relates to a particular aspect of the social world. The work was selected by a ‘jury’ of 2^nd year students who selected the work on two levels – firstly on aesthetic merits, secondly the work which for them connects to the theme. Presented here is a selection of the jury’s favourites.

(Top to bottom)
c. Kate Cromer
c. Laura Byrne
c. Mel OReilly
c. Tony Kidd
c. Anthony Courtenay
c. Damien Broderick

Photographer of the Week: Mike Brodie

Mike Brodie (b. 1985), is a self-trained American photographer who is best known by his pseudonym - ‘The Polaroid Kid’. His photographs largely depict what he refers to as ‘travel culture’, train-hoppers, vagabonds, squatters and hobos.

 

In 2003 Brodie left home at 18 to travel the rails across America. A friend gave him a camera and he found himself spending three years photographing the friends and companions he encountered with the now discontinued Polaroid SX-70.

"Even if you’re not intrigued by Brodie’s ragtag bohemian cohort—a band of outsiders with an unerring sense of post-punk style—the intimate size and warm, slightly faded color of his prints are seductive. His portraits.....have a tender incisiveness that is rare at any age."

- Vince Aletti

Link of The Week: Conscientious Blog

Conscientious is a website dedicated to contemporary fine-art photography. It offers daily profiles of photographers, in-depth interviews, exhibitions, reviews, articles about photography and related issues.

http://www.jmcolberg.com/weblog/