Coulsdon Sixth Form AS Photography students have been busy!
At the start of the AS Photography course students were asked to produce a range of prints inspired by their surroundings, personal life and the everyday.
We are very impressed with the range and quality of outcomes produced and are proud to present some of their work here and all of it on our FLIKR page here: flickr.com/photos/coulsdoncollege
After Coulsdon Sixth Form College recently interviewed Jan Van Holleben we thought it only fair to post the pictures inspired by that interview and his work.
The following photographs were created by AS Photography Students in one lesson and they have done us and Mr Van Holleben proud we think!
Jan von Holleben
is an internationally renowned contemporary photographer. The Berlin
based artist often focuses on personal experiences of play and
memories of childhood and has become a constant source of inspiration
for students at Coulsdon College.
The visual arts department recently conducted a interview with him.
CC: Hello Jan, lets start by asking you, how would you describe your work or style?
JvH:
Direct, natural, playful, considered, honest, improvised, educational,
fun, childish yet totally serious by approach! I am fully responsible
for what I release into the world.
I would never do anything that
just pleases myself, is based purely on aesthetics or does not make any
sense in the greater picture.I am not relying on photoshop to create my
images.
CC: Can you describe in a few words how you make your work and what are the hidden meanings?
JvH: One has to take into consideration that I am critical child of my own generation.
I
saw bits of the 80s, the 90s and the change of the century. Visual
culture has done ANYTHING possible within those years. Everything has
been retro-ed or emerged from its own potential. Digital photography got
invented and created full democracy amongst the medium. For myself and
my photography, I try not to fall into any styles or trendy features. I
am a purist and probably rather a visual communicator or illustrator
than a professional photographer in the common sense.
Most of the
work I do is based on text or theory which I translate into images. I
try to use a neutral and timeless style and my grammar is based on a fun
and easy approach to the subject matter.
My procedure would be:
Fully
understanding the subject matter (research), then walking with the idea
for some days, starting with some sketches on paper (for myself as
memory of ideas but also to explain my team and possible models how my
idea works), starting production (which can be a 10 minute shoot in the
stdio or a two week project or split into various individual shoots
depending on project) I am extremely pragmatic about my time and
efforts. No fuzz and most of the times my team and I look like some
funny immature photo-students when doing projects (which gives us
usually access to all areas as I am hardly ever taken serious by
outsiders)
Hidden meanings? Are there any?
If at all: Life is factual very easy and photography is a piece of cake (if you take it serious)!
The
best feedback I get from people on a regular basis is, that I make them
very happy. Maybe that is a hidden meaning? Maybe that I truly enjoy
what I do as a job and see no boundaries. Photography has not many
boundaries.
I can work on a book with Steidl one day,
can shoot advertising the next, work with various magazines and make a
fine art exhibition at the same time. All in one week. Freedom.
I
can switch between studio, outside location, business center and
shopping mall or black and white, snap shot sytle or colourful pseudo
lifestyle photography. More freedom.
CC: What do you like most about photography?
JvH: The total freedom to switch between vision and reality or to combine both to whatever levels necessary.
Also that people are so dramatically receptive to photography.
:-)
And
also that photography is one of the most tempting art forms.
Photography, if for a career, will demand over and over a critical point
of view from the photographer. Anyone can be a super photographer for
the moment of a single super picture and can believe to be a great
photographer. If you can stand the temptation, work beyond the
pleasurable bits and not become an image maker, you can be a very happy
and excited photographer. No pain, no gain!
CC: What and who inspires you?
JvH: What?: All of music's history. And I really mean all of it.
Photography
and music are brilliantly analogue to each other. Whatever music can do
to your ears and brain can photography do to your eyes and brain. Both
can end up in the same region of your head and has the potential to fxxk
you up! (by all emotional means).
Who?: Courageous people with
integrity and a believe in themselves knowing that they can change the
world (even the smallest world in the most hidden areas of life).
CC: What advice would you give to a young photographer?
JvH:
Check very thoroughly if you are a good image maker or if you
understand (or at least sense) the reasons why you do photography.
If
you only take good pictures than make it a wonderful hobby. If you
understand what you do and see a point in sharing that with the world,
then rock'n roll!
And most of all: photography is 20% technology and craft, The other 80% is YOU!
Thank you very much Jan. All the content in this blog post can be seen on the website for Jan von Holleben: www.janvonholleben.com
Coulsdon College AS Photography student Ben Hines was recently runner-up at The Croydon Rotory Club Annual Photography Exhibition. His prize was to photograph the Mayor of Croydon with professional photographer Desmond Wright. Ben spent over an hour in the company of the Mayor photographing him in his chambers under the close guidance of Mr Wright. Here are some from the photographs from the day.
We will upload the results of the final shoot soon.
The work of Jan Von Holleben never fails to inspire our students! We've talked about his work before here on the blog, particularly his series 'Dreams of Flying' and our AS Photography students had a go at recreating their own pieces in the same style last year as part of their AS-A2 project. Now our BTEC National Art and Design students have had a go too. The students worked in groups and created their own props and concepts based on their current project theme 'Journeys'. You can see the full collection of images HERE on our Flickr page!
Our BTEC L2 students have been busy making photo sculptures inspired by the work of Stephen J Shanabrook and Off Camera created by our BTEC First Art and Design students as part of their Photography Project - you can check out the full set of photographs over on flickr, HERE.
Our AS Photography students are currently working on their AS-A2 project which introducing them to exciting contemporary designers and techniques. Above is one of the installations/photographs they created inspired by the incredible work of Jan Von Holleben, you can see the full set of images on FLICKR - including some 'in progress' shots which give an idea of the large scale they created the installations on!
Graduate Fashion Week is an annual event which showcases the best upcoming fashion designers graduating from degree course from across the country - normally it's just a chance for graduates to showcase their talent but this year they've got an open call looking for talent of any age!
They are currently looking for writers and photographers to contribute and work with them in the run up to and during Graduate Fashion week + they're looking for illustration submissions to be used across social media networks! so if you want to get involved get in touch - you can see all the details HERE.
If you want to see what they've been doing so far check out tumblr, twitter and facebook. GOOD LUCK!
Have a nice book have created these beautiful videos that allow you to engage with books in an innovative digital format. Each video takes you through an artist/photography book page by page and even have has accompanying music. Check out the full collection on their vimeo channel!
Art students currently working on exam projects will be interested in these examples of 'combinations' of materials for your experimental work. Here are a couple of artists who combine photography with illustration to great effect, enjoy!
Since last year The Photographers Gallery have been collecting wedding pictures through the decades submitted by members of the public as part of the Old, New, Burrowed and Blue Project. As well as being able to view the entire collection online there will also be the opportunity to see a selection of photos at Rich Mix in Bethnal Green this month - this is a must see for those of you who may be looking at weddings/rituals as part of your exam unit! You may also want to get involved to extend your project a little further, we did previous post about getting involved here.
Where: Rich Mix
When: 8th - 19th February
Cost: Free
This week is your last chance to catch the Front Line: A year of Journalism and Conflict. The exhibition will be particularly relevant if your looking at political themes within your work as it focuses on some of the major news stories of 2011: The Egyptian revolution, Syria, the Libyan conflict and the UK riots and includes photographs, news footage, maps and timelines. The exhibition closes this Sunday so make sure you don't miss out!
Where: Embankment Galleries, Somerset House When: now till Sunday 5th February Cost: free!
On BBC 4 last week there were two fantastic programmes on cockney photographer David Bailey. David Bailey is a cultural icon who has been at the cutting edge of contemporary art for 50 years. From Vogue magazine fashion photographer to filmmaker, painter and sculptor, these documentaries show how he befriended the stars, married his muses and still captures the spirit and elegance of his times with his refreshing simple approach. The first, We'll Take Manhatten is a drama about the love affair between Bailey and an unknown model Jean Shrimpton. They were sent to New York for a prestigious Vogue photo shoot and this drama tells the story of a wild love affair, terrible fights with their fashion editor - and how two young people with no such intention happened to change the world of fashion forever. The second: Four Beats to the Bar and No Cheating is a documentary on Bailey who shows no sign of slowing up in his 73rd year. In his London studio and country home in Devon, he continues to create one of the most varied collections of any modern artist. The documentary features interviews with art critic Martin Harrison, former wife Catherine Deneuve, current wife Catherine Dyer and close friend Jerry Hall. It is a portrait of a private man who bared the soul of the sixties and seventies with his photographs and films.
Watch them! They are both fabulous and shed a light into this creative individuals life.
... for the new building of The Photographers' Gallery has finally been announced. On 19th May 2012 they will open their their new seven-storey building in Central London that will showcase the best of international and British photography. The new building will play host to three dedicated floors of gallery spaces and an education floor which will encompass talks, workshops and events as well as a study room for you to go work in. Edward Burtynsky will be one of the first to exhibit there showcasing over 30 large-scale images from his photographic series OIL. The exhibition will be Burtynsky's first major solo UK exhibition exploring the impact of manufacture on our lives, culture and environment. In the meantime, why not still make the most of going down to their temporary location in Central. It's also a great excuse to go take photo's of the city!
Trendland is a fabulous online magazine. This website proclaims its self as one for 'trend-watchers and design addicts alike' and features a medley of all things popular culture from art and photography to fashion and music. A must see visual experience for those seeking inspiration.
Amongst this sea of fresh new talent and established masters is the collaborative work of LIFE photographer Gjon Mili and Pablo Picasso, completed when Mili visited Picasso in 1949. These exquisite light-drawings were produced with a flashlight and camera on tripod in a dark room using a slow shutter light-drawings were produced with a flashlight and camera on tripod in a dark room using a slow shutter speed to brilliant effect. For more information visit theTrendland and LIFE websites. Enjoy!
Photographer Greg Sand creates these incredible pieces using paper weaving techniques. They come from a series of work entitled 'Remnants' about recollection and remembrance. Each piece is create from three found photos, each from a different point in the persons life. The photos are cut into stripes and woven together to form the portrait of a person who has passed away. You can read more about the work and see the full series, here.
Somerset House are celebrating 20 years of Dazed and Confused Magazine to coincide with the release of the book '20 Years of Dazed & Confused: Making It Up As We Go Along'. Dazed and Confused has been renowned for it's style and the exhibition includes work by photographers; Rankin, Nick Knight, David Sims and Terry Richardson, commissioned projects by artists Jake & Dinos Chapman, Damien Hirst and Sam Taylor-Wood and some fashion pieces by Alexander McQueen, Vivienne Westwood and Gareth Pugh. There's a great insight to the show in this blog post by former Dazed and Confused commissioning editor Susanna Lau of Style Bubble.
Artist Francesco Vezzoli combines the art of film and the art of embroidery to create his work. His best know pieces are these serigraphs in which details of the images are hand-stitched using petit-point embroidery techniques in shocking colours. There's an interesting interview with him over on FlashArt Online, here.
Petit-Point is a needlepoint stitch similar cross-stitch but it's worked on canvas and is even smaller in scale. If your thinking about embroidering onto images it's important to think about what you will stitch into - photographs? fabric? etc and what embroidery techniques you might use; there's lots of them! This post on Craftster is a great starting point to explore different techniques and Mr X Stitch is a great resource for inspiration!
Old New Burrowed Blue is an ongoing project run by the Photographers Gallery aiming to collect wedding photographs and stories from around the world and through the decades and they want you to get involved!
Share your family photos from across the generations! Pair up with someone older or younger than you and pass on the story behind the image. What photo will you choose? maybe you parents? your great grandparents? Maybe your brother or sister! What story will you tell? Once you've selected a photo upload it along with your story to the website and you will see them featured in the gallery!
The gallery is really interesting and shows a great range of different images and stories - sometimes the story behind the image is what really makes it interesting like the Photograph above was taken in the 1990s at a demonstration protest by Outrage! who where drawing attention to the fact that at the time single-sex relationships were not recognised in the law. The demonstration took the form of a 'wedding' where two gay/lesbian couples got married and then went to a registry office to register their relationship - only to be turned away.
At the start of the AS Photography course students were asked to produce a range of prints inspired by their surroundings, personal life and the everyday.
... for the new building of The Photographers' Gallery has finally been announced. On 19th May 2012 they will open their their new seven-storey building in Central London that will showcase the best of international and British photography. The new building will play host to three dedicated floors of gallery spaces and an education floor which will encompass talks, workshops and events as well as a study room for you to go work in. Edward Burtynsky will be one of the first to exhibit there showcasing over 30 large-scale images from his photographic series OIL. The exhibition will be Burtynsky's first major solo UK exhibition exploring the impact of manufacture on our lives, culture and environment. In the meantime, why not still make the most of going down to their temporary location in Central. It's also a great excuse to go take photo's of the city!
