Combinations of groups

Stephen Gills work is very intriguing in the sense of design and how the images are quirky yet still seem to hold a message. His project 'trolleys' captures the essence of the older women around the estate in London however Gill uses this advantage very sensitively. He ensures the woman are photographed with much respect creating a status aura around them. Gill works in series, often recording scenes that, as he suggests, are 'so familiar and obvious they fall below the threshold of people's attention.

Gillian Wearings work is very influential and sparks different thoughts and emotions from the viewer. She created a collection called 'signs that say what you want them to say'. She walked along the street and asked random people to write down how they were feelings or what thy wanted to say, she then photographed them with their sign.

This first image is very thought provoking primarily because the guy seems quite young in the image , yet he looks as thought he lives just by himself probably in a youth hostel.

This image is one of the slightly more famous images in Wearings collection. This gentlemen was on his way to work when he was stopped by Wearing. His text on the paper is very intriguing as it could have many different interpretations. These interpretations have been questioned by others and Wearing challenges social stereotypes and assumptions, and often works in collaboration with members of the public as a means of 'interrupting the logic of photo-documentary and snapshot photography.

This image is also a bit different from the rest. It is seemingly a middle aged couple that are out getting their shopping. Perhaps they have stronger things on the agenda than to just get dinner though with the sign they have written.

One idea that I am looking to develop is the general idea of perception in day to day environments, for example, when people are listening to head phones the music that they are listening to may be completely contrasting to what they are wearing or what expression they have. I have been researching into perception, and the combination of perception vs reality.



I firstly found this image on the Internet, when I typed in perception. The image is very intriguing however I could not find any background in the image so presumed it was many a film cover or some form of advertising. From finding this image I then looked at Barabara Kruger and her feminist images which embody text.

This first image Barbara Kruger explores feminist theory through artistic expression. Her continued use of black and white imagery combined with red blocks of text derive from her background in art and design and her previous careers designing and editing magazines such as Mademoiselle and House and Garden. Kruger voices her concerns over feminist issues through bold images and text and, she is able to gain the viewer’s attention in a manner that differs from many other artists. In much of Kruger’s work, she reveals concepts with such an impact that the viewer is forced to further consider her or his own opinions and perceptions in relation to these issues.

This image has very high impact with the contrast of the grey and red text over the image. It is raw but still visually shocking and very deterministic in the stylisation.

These image fit well into the ideas I had for my exam piece. Seeing something not quite as it seems is what I really want to use to create a meaningful image or set of images.

I have had a long think about how I can grasp this idea and create some images out of it. One idea is to photograph the person and then get the story of their true lives, not just what we see.
As well as this, changing environments to perceive people differently.