constructing worlds
On Monday the 3rd November we went on a trip to the Barbican Gallery with all of the other photography students, I personally quite liked the images in the gallery. The rest of the day could have been better however the weather did not let that happen as it was cold and kept raining. The gallery was a lot more enjoyable to what I first thought it would be, all of the photographs were so intriguing, it is a shame that we could not document it as no photography was allowed in the gallery.
berenice abbott
Berenice Abbott had displayed images from her trip to New York, there were multiple pictures from all the different areas in New York in the 1930s. I feel like since I have seen theses images in person that I have more emotion and feelings about what they are about. I also have another page just on Berenice Abbott's work and my personal response to it.
I found the image above extremely interesting. This picture has been taken from quite a height and shows the light shining through between the buildings. This image is full of constructed lines and mainly focuses on the buildings- although there are some people in the image they are definitely not the key part. The image shows all of the same type of buildings architecturally at the front and then an extremely tall building on the right in the background which is very light compared to the top of the building in front of it which is dark grey.
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I like how the main focus for this image is the bars at the front not the buildings in the background. I also find it interesting how the image has quite a lot of depth as it is very obvious that the bars are very close to the camera and the buildings are further away. The last thing I like is how there is not a horizon and if you looked at the image for long enough you start to question if there are any straight lines in the image as the railings at the front play tricks with your mind making you question what is straight.
This image seems to be quite a big contrast from the previous ones as it does not focus on the buildings at all- it focuses on the road as the lightest point. It looks like this image was taken when the road was wet and the sun was reflecting off of it. It also looks like there was a haze/fog in the background as it looks like it is getting lighter and turning into an outline.
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The image above has been composed very carefully, it is full of strategically placed lines. It is a very interesting image as all of the clothes on the washing line all seems to be the same (everything on the same line is the same colour). It is also quite intriguing how the lines all cross and it must be quite methodical how they are strung otherwise they would all get tangled.
The image above is one of my favourites from all the images by Berenice Abbott, it seems so simple but has such a lot of detail. This is the Tri-borough Bridge from the East 125th Street approach, this was only taken soon after it opened. This is why there are not that many vehicles about. In the background of this image you can also see some factories and the smoke they are emitting to the atmosphere.
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walker evans
This image is really interesting, it has a weird depth to it as there is a corner photographed in the room however it doesn't actually look like there is any depth to it. I also like how the columns on the wall seem to only be decorative as they do not go all the way to the ceiling.
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This image was named "Negro Church" from South Carolina in March 1936. I find this quite a random image as the church is not central, it seems like they have represented the church as quite a sad place, this may be due to the building needing life for it to look like a happy place but in the image it looks abandoned.
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The image above is of farmyard covered with flood waters near Ridgeley, Tennessee. I think this image is quite sad as it shows a building that people worked so hard on to build and how it has been ruined after some flood waters filled up the farmyard land.
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Overall, I think the images by Walker Evans are not what I would like to use as my base or have anything to do with that idea.
julius shulman
Although I really like these images by Julius Shulman I still don't believe that they are my inspiration so I carried on looking around the gallery.
This image is quite interesting to me, I find it intriguing how the building is full of geometric lines and the main shape is squares. I also like how the trees obstruct the entire view of the building.
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I like how this image is really natural and shows a family just sitting by the pool having a good time. It is also interesting how there is a huge tree in the background that seems to have grown at quite an angle.
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This is case study house 22, this was the picture out of the three that surprised me the most although it is in black and white it seemed to be the one that spoke the loudest to me. Architecturally I was surprised by the fact that the building is hanging off the edge of the cliff and that the lady is sitting in the corner of the room like she isn't sitting on the area of the room that is not on solid ground.
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lucien herve
This image really caught my attention, this may be due to the difference between the areas in the shade and the areas in the sun. It also looks quite geometric with all of the different shapes formed by the different photographers.
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This image also really interests me as there is only one person in it who looks like they have just finished a really long day of hard work. I also like how geometric the building looks with all the different rectangles. I think the best part of this image is the random tree in the background on the hill as it looks so lonely and out of place.
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ed ruscha
I quite like the images that were taken of car parks from a helicopter, it is a typology as it is taking pictures of all the same types of object- in this case, car parks.
I like how the main focus of the image is of lines of the parking spaces, it really brings life and a vocal point to the image. I also like how the angle is quite different than normal images as they are moving at the time and they are moving quite fast so it is impossible to get it square and in the middle of the image.
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I like how this image is of a car park from very very high up, the cars in the car park put into perspective how high up the helicopter actually is. This image also does not have the car park in the centre.
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bernd and hilla becher
I find these types of pictures quite interesting- these are typologies. The images on the left are all of different types of cooling towers of different shapes, sizes and patterns. I also like how the photos are also taken in black and white as it makes all of the images look more similar if the real colours of the towers are different. I also like how all of the rows are symmetrical so the ones on the ends are quite similar to each other and so are the second and fourth ones on the same rows. This shows that they also put quite a lot of thought into the presentation of the photographs.
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stephen shore
I took the images that Stephen Shore had at the exhibition very personally, I loved them and found them extremely interesting and decided that they were very inspirational to me.
I find this image quite quite different, this is due to the building being mirrored. It seems to make a sense of disorientation as you can see the reflection of other buildings on the mirrored building. I also like how the bottom 5 panels of glass are not at a 90 degree angle from the ground and how it looks like a type of funnel from the bottom to the fourth panel then the fifth panel it may start to flatten to 90 degrees.
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I find this image very interesting, I like how the buildings have window frames and accents on them in a different colour as it brightens up the street and makes it look like a happier place. There also seems to be a strategically placed camper van for another pop of colour. The reddy orange contrasts well with the green and yellow window frames behind it and makes it seem intriguing and really pretty.
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This is my second favourite image from the whole exhibition, I just love how vibrant the colours are and how happy the picture makes me feel. It seems to be very retro as it was taken in the 1970s. I love the massive Chevron sign that draws your attention to it straight away and all of the posts that seem to bring the picture to life with more knowledge into the depth of the image.
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thomas struth
I found this image of New York very interesting as it was from 1978 and it looks like it is the calm after the storm especially as you can see in the background piles of snow piled up.
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I found this image quite shocking looking at all of the people's houses being ruined as a landslide happens. In a way it is quite heart breaking thinking that is someone's life.
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luisa lambri
The images for Luisa Lambri were all very similar to each other. Four images were presented in the exhibition and they were all only slightly different in the lighting used. These didn't really interest me as I didn't really know what they were and I didn't like how all of the images were so similar.
hiroshi sugimoto
I didn't really take much of an interest in Hiroshi Sugimoto's work as I do not really like pictures that are completely out of focus, however this photo really struck me. This is probably more due to the fact of what it is of (twin towers) not because of the actual set up of the photo. The photo made me feel quite sad and think of how lucky I am to be here.
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luigi ghirri
This image seems very emotionless to me, I find it very interesting how the building in the background is bright pastel orange. I also like how there are two trees in the front of the image as it makes it look more calm. It is also nice how there is a thick layer of snow on the ground, it makes it look kind of Christmassy in a way. The photo doesn't really look like it is of a cemetery.
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helene binet
The images by Helene are of very sharp contrasts and are all of concrete. The photos have a lot of shadows and light as they are in black and white.
This image was not in the exhibition, but I couldn't find any images from the exhibition online.
This image is still in the same design as the other pictures from this photographer. I like all of the different shades of grey that is used in the image to display the multiple curves and shapes within the image. I thought the images by Helene Binet were good however they didn't inspire me to make something in the style of her work. |
guy tillim
This image is of a library in a sports club located in Kolwezi, DR Congo 2007. I find this image full of hope, it looks like it should be quite a sad place however the decorations that have been used detract from walls being old and the paint not looking great- in this image it just seems to give it more character.
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The picture above is of a derelict building in Mozambique, I didn't really like this image as I found it quite depressing as you are looking at a building which was once extremely white and an amazing piece of architecture slowly delapidating into nothing one day.
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bas princen
I don't remember much from Bas Princen's images in the exhibition. All I know is that the images were of extremely large buildings. An example of this is the image to the left which I believe was not at the gallery however is quite similar to the ones that were. The image to the left is of a weird building, I think it is mean to be a cooling plant in Dubai. It is quite a weird looking building and is quite deceiving to the size of it until you compare it to the people wearing blue at the bottom of the image. It looks as if it is in the middle of no-where however there are some buildings in the background.
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simon norfolk
I didn't think I would like Simon Norfolk's photographs, however I really liked them and loved the colours of the sunset in the background of most of the images from Afghanistan. I can not find the picture online from the gallery which is a shame as it is my favourite image from the exhibition as I loved the sunset and the colours that made the sky in the background and also the children who were playing football at the front of the image. At first I didn't realise that the image was taken in a war zone as they children look so happy and the sunset was so beautiful. Once I found out that the image was taken in Afghanistan it made me re-evaluate my view of the image but instead of making me not like it, it made me feel more intrigued and happy that even in the worst conditions the children can have fun.
The image to the right was not actually in the exhibition, however it is of a sunset and soldiers at the front of it walking into the sunset. This image also speaks to me- this may be because I absolutely love sunsets or just how he represents them. The soldiers walking into the sunset is also quite emotional, it could be them walking off into combat, leaving camp and possibly never returning again.
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nadav kander
The image above by Nadav Kander didn't really catch my eye. I thought it was nice how all of the people are sitting around a table next to a river socialising but that is as far as it went- nice. That is why Nadav Kander is not my inspiration.
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I liked this image by Nadav Kander a lot better than the one to the left. This may be because it is slightly mysterious and more constructural/ architectural. I also like how the bridge hasn't been built properly yet as it shows that all around us in the world things are being built whether that is bridges or apartement buildings.
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iwan baan
I can not find any images from Iwan Baan's exhibition at the Barbican online. The only thing I remember from his section was that there was at least one picture of a parking lot. The image to the left is not of the parking lot from the exhibition but of another one that Iwan Baan photographed, it is not the exact one but it is close I suppose. I found the image to the left quite interesting as it kind of looks like it is floating as the image is not taken from the floor. |
my photos from the barbican
All of the images above were taken by me on the trip, I am quite happy with the images I took as some of them look really creative whilst being unedited. I also like how I took some images at the Barbican in a car park which is quite random but it also thinking outside of the box. Some of the images above are out of focus however that means I will be able to double display them so I will also have a copy on the focus page and how it was an accident that turned out to be quite good.