essay powerpoint

Introduction

Throughout my essay I will be discussing Tim Walker, and the art movements of romanticism and surrealism. I will be focussing on how he implies and creates images of staged fantasy. And will uncover the fundamental motives and thoughts which lead Walker to expressing himself in such an eccentric and irrational style.

 

Bibliography

•Caws, M.A. (2004) Surrealism. London: Phaidon Press Ltd.

•Honour,H. (1979) Romanticism. London: Penguin Books Limited./ http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=99884703

•Krauss,R. and Livingston, J. (1986) L’Amour fou: Photography and Surrealism.USA: Abbeville Press and the Corcoran Gallery of Art.

•Walker, T. (2008) Tim Walker Pictures. London: teNeues Publishing Group.

 

 

 

Caws, M.A. (2004) Surrealism. London: Phaidon Press Ltd.

- Surrealism is the first in an expanded range of Themes and Movements titles which look beyond the post-1945 period to survey all of the twentieth century's major art movements. Mary Ann Caws is an internationally respected scholar of Surrealism who has translated many of its major texts and published extensively on the Surrealists' art and writings

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Honour,H. (1979) Romanticism. London: Penguin Books Limited.

http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=99884703

- When reading the book it referred back to  the literary and artistic movements of the late 18th and 19th cent.

 

 

 

Krauss,R. and Livingston, J. (1986) L’Amour fou: Photography and Surrealism.USA: Abbeville Press and the Corcoran Gallery of Art.

- ``the intensely illogical reality of a dream.'' British and American art educators Krauss, Livingston and Ades in this picture book examine the very extensive role of photography (an unlikely medium on the face of it) in the surrealist movement.

 

 

 

 

Walker, T. (2008) Tim Walker Pictures. London: teNeues Publishing Group.

I decided to mainly focus on Tim Walkers book titled `pictures` as it offered me a glimpse into the artistic process that he used. This comprehensive overview of his work brings us deep inside his glamorous world of adventure. Featuring a wide array of sketches, contacts and Polaroid's. The evocative images I think show a rich, textured nuance and intriguing detail. And also gave me a full rein to his playful side and intersperses collages among the photographs. Tim Walker's work appears in trend-setting magazines such as Vogue and W, and has also created advertising campaigns for exclusive clients such as Comme des Garcons. I was interested in his work form the begging of this term and couldn’t wait to start analysing his eccentric and irrational style of photography.

 

 

 

 

Biography

Tim Walker is a photographer based in London. He's interest in photography began during work experience at Condé Nast, where he set up the Cecil Beaton archive. After graduating from Exeter Art College, he worked as a freelance photographic assistant before working as Richard Avedon’s assistant in New York.

His career as a photographer was launched when he came third in the Independent Young Photographer of the Year Award. He then went on to contribute to high-profile magazines including Vogue, W and Harper‘s Bazaar. Throughout the years, Walker has also shot advertising campaigns for clients including Barneys, Comme des Garcons, Gap and Yohji Yamamoto.

 

 

FACTS…

 

 

•Tim" Walker (born in England, 1970) is a British fashion photographer.

Tim Walker’s photographs have appeared in Vogue, month by month, for over a decade. Extravagant staging and romantic motifs characterise his style. After concentrating on the photographic still for 15 years, Tim Walker has begun directing short films.

 

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For instance, deciding to colour tint a group of cats or projecting a film onto the side of a house, or screen set within a rising tide at sunset. Or posing his models in an oversized knitted sweater and scarf, next to a huge camera or glove or under a tree bearing cakes.Its the sort of thinking that I could imagine creating lots of fun during a shoot (aside from the hard work in creating it of course) as well as in conceiving his ideas. He draws upon his childhood to construct sets for his images that are witty and playful yet sufficiently sophisticated enough to perform for his fashion clients.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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ROMANTICISM

Definitions of Romanticism became known during the early nineteenth century.

•When researching into romanticism, there’s no single work of art that signifies the aims and ideals of the Romantics for example, David’s Oath of the Horatii those of Neo-classical painters.

 

"Despite the lack of a concrete definition one can identify almost effortlessly the romantic soul behind Tim Walker's pictures”. Baudelaire said that, “Romanticism is precisely situated neither in choice of subject nor in exact truth, but in a way of feeling." (Honour, 1979:14)

 

 

•As an intern at Vogue in the early 1990s, Tim explored and studied the magazine’s of Cecil Beaton’s negatives. Research, Exposure to Vogue’s history, led to a lasting understanding of the British cultural history, specially the 30s, 40 and 50s, the era when Beaton flourished.

 

‘Through the heritage of Vogue, he has re-established tangible links to the romantic strain that marked out Norman Parkinson and Cecil Beaton as latter day Gainsboroughs and Zoffanys. He shares with them too a romantic “spirit of place”, most usually rural and paradisal, which is what Tim’s idea of a past England is.’ (Walker, 2008:8)

 

•Photographic history aside, Tim's narrative fashion stories portray bold colour, which refers back to the wartime films of Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger and their own romantic attachment to the English landscape. But mostly, I think, they are obliged to refer back to the early 1940s and Britain's Neo-Romantic artists. “Often self-taught, their paintings are as earthy as if ploughed up from the land itself.” “(Walker, 2008:9)

 

 

Surrealism

•Surrealism is a cultural movement that began in the early 1920s.

 

•Surrealism in photography was one of the major revolutionary changes in the evolution of photography.

 

•Surrealism is the introduction of the ‘more than real' images to the art forms.

 

•surrealism was a break through in photography, which motivated the photographers for more experiments.

 

Surrealism was a movement in the art and intellectual activities, emerged after World War I.

 

•Andre Breton, was the founder of the surrealistic concepts and he has gathered the influence from the Dande movement.

 

•Surrealist photographs are described as the images, which symbolically represent dreams, night mares, intoxication, sexual ecstasy, hallucination and madness.

 

 

http://www.photorails.eu/articles5.html

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•The streak of surrealism in Tim's pictures is inescapable, informs Robin Muir, the photographic historian and former Picture Editor of British Vogue, in the introduction titled 'Paradise Regained' of the book Tim Walker Pictures.

 

Over emphasized props-drawing inspiration from surrealism art?

•His photo shoots remind me more of theatre sets.

•His staging and props are seen with immaculate detail, and texture.

•Everything he photographs is connected to his drawings of his childhood memories.

 

 

Tim Walker's Set Designer Talks the Fate of the Oversized Props —Set designer (and former Alexander McQueen art director) Simon Costin, who works with both Emma Summerton and Tim Walker, recently shared what happens to all the oversized props that have become a trademark in Walker's work: "It often breaks my heart to consign the props I create to the skip, but sadly, with them being so large, there is little alternative. When I work in NYC I can call Materials for the Arts and have things dropped off to them. Sadly London has yet to set something like that up. I’m pleased to say though, Tim has been able to store many things and has then displayed them at exhibitions of his work. The camera is one such prop."

http://www.fashionologie.com/3368843

 

 

•Robin Muir the photographic historian and former Picture Editor of British Vogue, explained in Tim Walkers Book `Pictures`, the chapter `Paradise Regained`,

 

“The streak of surrealism in Tim's pictures is inescapable. For example, you couldn't guess by the streaks of bacon ascending a model's legs chased by a spider crab or the torn sheets of paper out of which heads pop unexpectedly through.” (Walker, 2008:10) This denotes the British notion of surrealism which I think shines throughout his work.

 

•Surrealist paintings often exhibit many of the same traits: a deeply mysterious atmosphere, with unexplained elements that seem to refer to something else seen, read or imagined beyond the canvas:

 

“In a dusky urban setting with no human presence, where the scale and perspective of buildings, vistas and objects follows an unearthly logic, a single red glove is pinned to a wall, signalling something yet seeming as void as the gaze of a statue's head that floats beside it." (Caws, 2004:25)

 

•Take for instance his photo titled, `Boat in Library`….

 

Referring to this shoot, Paolo Lavezzari noted “Tim likes to clear out, recompose and confuse interiors and exteriors. In their paradox, in their careful exaggeration his pictures almost become a wish, an invitation to look with new eyes. There are no special effects to surprise us with because the wonder is in our eyes as we look for it ...” “(Walker, 2008:68) I agree with this quote as unlike film such as `Avatar`, Walker doesn’t need special effects to make his photo’s believable and inspiring, he uses imagination and creativity instead.

 

 

•I am very fascinated within this concept and use of inside/outdoor, creating a mixture of surrealism. Inside / outside is the notion of opposites attracting or repelling to create strange unusual landscapes both inside and, as here, out – of – doors.

 

When reading Tim Walkers book `pictures` I think the set designer Andy Hillman has explained it well: “You always return with a bump to the real world from Planet Walker and like a long haul flight, there is always some time needed to re – adjust. But you know you'll get the call: “I've got this idea...” "(Walker, 2008:162)

 

•As Aragon writes in Une Vague de reves:

“There are other relationships besides the real that the mind can grasp and which are just as primary, such as chance, illusion, the fantastic, the dream. These diverse species are united and reconciled in a genre which is Surrealism.” “(Caws, 2004:21)

 

'The dull colours of the real' are for the realistic and conscious minds. Perhaps that’s   why during the art movement of Surrealism, Tim Walker likes to submerge into the subconscious and perhaps, overcome the logical and conscious mind.

 

 

•When researching I learnt, that  the mysterious environment that you see  in Surrealist imagery is not about creating, instead its how Tim Walker turns this abnormal environment into fun, which I believe gives the looker a sense of ease. Objects sit in unexpected places, which I assume interests the viewer, into making something believable yet impossible.

Take for instance his photo titled, `Boat in Library`….

Referring to this shoot, Paolo Lavezzari noted “Tim likes to clear out, recompose and confuse interiors and exteriors. In their paradox, in their careful exaggeration his pictures almost become a wish, an invitation to look with new eyes. There are no special effects to surprise us with because the wonder is in our eyes as we look for it ...” “(Walker, 2008:68) I agree with this quote as unlike film such as `Avatar`, Walker doesn’t need special effects to make his photo’s believable and inspiring, he uses imagination and creativity instead.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

•`It Rained Outside So We Camped Inside' is another iconic and brilliant example of this theme, which I think resembles a certain Surrealist quality, referring to the weirdness of how characteristically altering objects are placed together to create the term of neighbours.

 

It was believed, Vogue was intrigued by Tim's jeu d’ esprit: “Maybe it is all about the photographer's fake game: to think and experiment. If the escape you wish for isn't feasible “outside”, you can organize it “inside” with a bit of imagination. That is where the adventure begins.” "(Walker, 2008:68)

 

 

Tim creates photographs that evoke wonder – a skill as rare and fragile as one of his butterflies. In presenting his imagination to us, his photographs remind us of our own capacity to dream. And, even though his images are pure whimsy, they feel true because thy have been meticulously executed.” – by Charlotte Sinclair, 2008, British Vogue. “Fashion photographer Tim Walker doesn’t seem to belong to the world of you or me. He’s a Peter Pan, a daydreamer, a fantasist. His pictures are mirages, telling stories conjured directly from an imagination that most of us left behind in childhood. Looking at Tim’s photographs is like following the white rabbit into a world where elephants are painted blue, horses are dusted lilac, paintings come to life and pretty girls with Thirties faces are transformed into marionettes or abandoned princesses.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

•When reading Tim Walkers book `pictures` I think the set designer Andy Hillman has explained it well: “You always return with a bump to the real world from Planet Walker and like a long haul flight, there is always some time needed to re – adjust. But you know you'll get the call: “I've got this idea...” "(Walker, 2008:162)

This love of adventure and dreaming, has taken Tim back in time to his childhood storybooks.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dream

• I also researched into Sigmund Freud’s theories and made me think, dream is, of course, frequently considered as the peak of the unconscious mind’s experience, and a resource for the conscious study of that experience. The numerous possibilities I think are never more exciting, to the Surrealists than in dream phenomena, whether interpreted collectively or individually. Far beyond the dull colours of the real, the Surrealists widen this unmanageable openness, as far as the mind could reach. Referring back to Tim Walker, I think he has established this concept throughout his work using creativity and never-endless originality.

 

As Aragon writes in Une Vague de reves:

“There are other relationships besides the real that the mind can grasp and which are just as primary, such as chance, illusion, the fantastic, the dream. These diverse species are united and reconciled in a genre which is Surrealism.” “(Caws, 2004:21)

 

• When viewing his work, I think Walker tries to create and shows us, what he sees in the way of dreams or in his sub- conscious mind. It is this innovation of the sub-conscious or unconscious, that remained a true passion for Beaton and the group of Surrealists.

 

 

FANTASY

•fantasy is a genre of fiction that commonly uses magic as an element of plot, theme or setting

•fantasy takes place in imaginary worlds where magic is common

•Fantasy includes fairy, tales, wizards, or witchcraft in events which avoid horror.

•Fantasy non-existent, it deals with the impossible.

•Dream-like stories, the reality of things is questionable? I could be real or could be delusion? E.g. Dorothy’s dream in the wizard of oz.

MAGIC

•Magic manipulates aspects of reality. It utilizes ways of understanding, experiencing and influencing the world.

•Magic id often viewed with suspicion.

 

 

SURRELAISM

•Surrealism shocks and rebukes the conventional notion’s of reality

•Surrealism questions – what is real and not?

•Surrealism uses sexuality portrayed by symbolism and the placing of objects, where they normally wouldn’t be!

•Surrealism magnifies the common perception

•Surrealism was the main influence in 20th century

•Erocyticism,socialism,dreams and the sub-consous and symbolism portrays surrealism.

TIM WLAKER FACTS

• Tim Walker telling stories through imaginary childhood memory

• His photos evoke wonder/our won capacity of dream

• He makes his photos look real, hard to believe fantasy isn’t!

Models being transformed into fairytale characters by the designs of costume.

 

 

Conclusion

I think, While some people may choose to approach life in the rational, logical manner; both the Surrealists and the Romantics lived by a dissimilar mind of thought. They both held responsibility for the reasonable thinking of the social and political conflict of their age, and responded by inventing a new, unreasonable thought, to create a new world.

Tim Walker approaches photography with a hint of silent upheaval, though not as significant as the rebellious nature of the Surrealists and Romantics. When society is affected, he makes the public dream of happier times through fantasy, imagination and through his childlike innocence. The child in him, shows through the image titled, “Running Away From Home”, and his use of childhood memory to create such fantasy narratives.

 

Tim creates evocative images full of textured nuance and intriguing detail and his innovative photography is amongst the most imaginative and exuberant being produced today.

For more than a decade, Tim's exuberant pictures have helped to define style in the world's fashion magazines. And even in a bleak economic environment, his imagination and fairytale extravagance remain much in demand - whether it is Lily Cole eating from a giant indoor cake tree, Erin O'Connor dressed as a swan amongst geese or Otis Ferry posing indoors in pinks with beagles at his ankles. On graduation in 1994, Walker worked as a freelance photography assistant in London before moving to New York City as a full time assistant to Richard Avedon. On returning to England, he initially concentrated on portrait and documentary work for UK newspapers. At the age of 25, he shot his first fashion story for Vogue, and has photographed for the British, Italian, and American editions ever since.

The Red Shoes 1948

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xmC1bGPq7Js&feature=player_embedded

For inspiration and of interest,  i looked at the video The Red Shoes 1948, as i thought it incorporated some ethereality and drama, something i think Tim Walker was influenced by, and was captured by the other-worldliness that the film portrays.

essay research....

•- Tim" Walker (born in England, 1970) is a British fashion photographer.

Tim Walker’s photographs have appeared in Vogue, month by month, for over a decade. Extravagant staging and romantic motifs characterise his style. After concentrating on the photographic still for 15 years, Tim Walker has begun directing short films.



- On graduation in 1994, Walker worked as a freelance photography assistant in London before moving to New York City as a full time assistant to Richard Avedon. On returning to England, he initially concentrated on portrait and documentary work for UK newspapers. At the age of 25, he shot his first fashion story for Vogue, and has photographed for the British, Italian, and American editions ever since.



- For more than a decade, Tim's exuberant pictures have helped to define style in the world's fashion magazines. And even in a bleak economic environment, his imagination and fairytale extravagance remain much in demand - whether it is Lily Cole eating from a giant indoor cake tree, Erin O'Connor dressed as a swan amongst geese or Otis Ferry posing indoors in pinks with beagles at his ankles.



- He draws upon his childhood to construct sets for his images that are witty and playful yet sufficiently sophisticated enough to perform for his fashion clients.



-Its the sort of thinking that I could imagine creating lots of fun during a shoot (aside from the hard work in creating it of course) as well as in conceiving his ideas.



- For instance, deciding to colour tint a group of cats or projecting a film onto the side of a house, or screen set within a rising tide at sunset. Or posing his models in an oversized knitted sweater and scarf, next to a huge camera or glove or under a tree bearing cakes.

- Tim creates evocative images full of textured nuance and intriguing detail and his innovative photography is amongst the most imaginative and exuberant being produced today.




- Fashion photographer, Tim Walker doesn’t seem to belong to the world of you or me. He’s a Peter Pan, a daydreamer, a fantasist. His pictures are mirages, telling stories conjured directly from an imagination that most of us left behind in childhood. Looking at Tim’s photographs is like following the white rabbit into a world where elephants are painted blue, horses are dusted lilac, paintings come to life and pretty girls with Thirties faces are transformed into marionettes or abandoned princesses.





-Tim creates photographs that evoke wonder – a skill as rare and fragile as one of his butterflies. In presenting his imagination to us, his photographs remind us of our own capacity to dream. And, even though his images are pure whimsy, they feel true because thy have been meticulously executed.” – by Charlotte Sinclair, 2008, British Vogue.



perhaps look into : Styles of 19th century architecture?

- Iin Tim Walkers work he uses alot of 19th century Artitecture for his locations.

-The public buildings, clubs and institutions of the early 19th century town illustrate the ambitions of the town’s middle classes.


http://www.lookingatbuildings.org.uk/cities/manchester/an-introduction/styles-of-the-19th-century.htmlof-the-19th-century.html

Literature source `Narnia`


- Some people have said on articles that his photographs can transport them into another world, this made me think of the Chronicles of Narnia, enhancing a world of imagination, desire, and entertainment.



- From reading about enchantment and fantasy it made me think of the film/book ` The Chronicles of Narnia. And therefore I began to explore the narrative of this storyline.



- The book is a series of seven high fantasy novels for children. Written by Lewis between 1949 and 1954 The Chronicles of Narnia has been adapted several times, complete or in part, for radio, television, the stage, and film.



- Set in the fictional realm of Narnia, the narrative explores the concept of a place where animals talk, magic is common, and good battles evil. The series narrates the adventures of various children who play central roles in the unfolding history of that world. I believe when comparing to Tim walker's work he tries to illustrate some of these narratives within his photography creating the illusion a fantasy world.

 


•- When reading about this narrative I learn the Inspiration for the series was taken from multiple sources, including traditional Christian Greek, Turkish and Roman mythology, as well as from traditional British and Irish fairy tales.

Clothing couture/connection to fairytale? – theatrical clothing?

Fall 2008 Couture: Christian Dior

Paris Fashion Week AW 2012: Alexander McQueen

Sarah Burton has become a household name since she designed Kate Middleton’s wedding frock, but with her AW 2012 collection for Alexander McQueen she showed she was a fashion force to be reckoned with.Depicting the outlandish McQueen style, models clad in big fur creations, including puff short dresses and evening gowns, marched down the catwalk, while ruffles and pleats in skirts gave a nod to the Elizabethan dinner party.

Photography by Nick Knight VOGUE

Cecil Beaton similarities?

Costume-classical historical context, compare to original photo?

  - Looking at Beaton's photographs and scrap-books I quickly realised how easy it is to find elements of his influence in much of Tim's own work .



•- The mad props, the fantastic backdrops, the inventiveness, the nervous energy that Tim has used to fantastic effect in the pages of Vogue and Vanity Fair and their brethren for the last decade...it was all here, in Beaton's pictures. Although, what Beaton started, Tim has certainly taken to astounding new levels.



•- “Beaton started life as a photographer in the 1920s,” he said, talking quietly, quickly. “His photos were often naively taken, but became famous and iconic. He made a natural progression from social photography, at tea parties and fun occasions, to professional photography. Because of this, his photographs have a sense of play, a sense of fancy dress and an elegance to them. He has a genuinely natural instinct for what is beautiful. He often used his sister and friends as models, he did shoots for fun and had fun doing them.”

Cecil Beaton self-portrait, 1930- Tim walker said :


"He took whatever was around him to use as props and composed images using his surroundings. This is a genuine gesture not often found in fashion photography now. That is why I am always going back to Beaton.”


“When I look at his photos I see a sense of unreality and fun. Looking at this photograph of Oliver Messel, who may have been a lover of Beaton’s, and was certainly a very good friend, you can see this sense of unreality”.


"Even during the war, Beaton used the fighting as inspiration and made fashion images with military props and battle scenery”.


“When you look at photos you get a sense of the person who took them, and the way they are feeling too. A photo is a mirror of the photographer.”

 Juliet Bewicke, Horse in House, Eglingham Hall Tim Walker for British Vogue, 1998.


“A friend of Cecil Beaton’s was Lord Bernard. He was an eccentric, who brought his pony into the kitchen to have tea. I loved this, and did a whole shoot based on Bernard. I put a Spanish stallion inside this fabulous house, Eglingham Hall in Northumberland. I wanted to recreate the mood of Beaton’s work, rather than any kind of replication or tribute. The lady in this picture, Juliet Bewicke,” he said, pointing, “was one of the first models that Beaton used. She had a wonderful fur suit in the attic that she had had made to wear to the races back in the 30s or 40s, I persuaded her to put it on - it was great fun.”



http://www.memoirsofafashionindustryfailure.co.uk/2011/04/tim-walker-and-cecil-beaton.htmlbeaton.

“I took one of Oliver Messel ‘s stage designs and recreated it for a shoot I did the other day. I don't like to use image manipulation, so the giant swan had to be a real prop in the room. It was created using a large latex model of swan’s feet, and a huge flat blow-up of a picture of a swan positioned over them. It is a homage to fashion, surrealism and Beaton.”


I love this staircase picture, I love the location. that he randomly found when travelling. I think he wondered around knocking on doors, trying to get into buildings that he liked the look of. He found this staircase and loved it, so took a location picture. He showed it to the stylist at vogue, and suggested a dress with a long train. The stylist got in contact with Stella McCartney, who made this dress especially for the shoot. I think he also found it easy to construct photos in his mind when he saw the location.

Surrealism

•Surrealism is a cultural movement that began in the early 1920s.



•Surrealism in photography was one of the major revolutionary changes in the evolution of photography.



•Surrealism is the introduction of the ‘more than real' images to the art forms.



•surrealism was a break through in photography, which motivated the photographers for more experiments.



Surrealism was a movement in the art and intellectual activities, emerged after World War I.




•Andre Breton, was the founder of the surrealistic concepts and he has gathered the influence from the Dande movement.



•Surrealist photographs are described as the images, which symbolically represent dreams, night mares, intoxication, sexual ecstasy, hallucination and madness.


http://www.photorails.eu/articles5.html



 -Going to look into the 2004-surrealism book from the library. ....



 -The streak of surrealism in Tim's pictures is inescapable, informs Robin Muir, the photographic historian and former Picture Editor of British Vogue, in the introduction titled 'Paradise Regained' of the book Tim Walker Pictures.

 
Over emphasized props-drawing inspiration from surrealism art?

•His photo shoots remind me more of theatre sets.

•His staging and props are seen with immaculate detail, and texture.

•Everything he photographs is connected to his drawings of his childhood memories.

 

Tim Walker's Set Designer Talks the Fate of the Oversized Props —Set designer (and former Alexander McQueen art director) Simon Costin, who works with both Emma Summerton and Tim Walker, recently shared what happens to all the oversized props that have become a trademark in Walker's work: "It often breaks my heart to consign the props I create to the skip, but sadly, with them being so large, there is little alternative. When I work in NYC I can call Materials for the Arts and have things dropped off to them. Sadly London has yet to set something like that up. I’m pleased to say though, Tim has been able to store many things and has then displayed them at exhibitions of his work. The camera is one such prop."

http://www.fashionologie.com/3368843

After 1st tutorial, I realised I had to down-size my research and concentrate on less theories, so perhaps I could now explore theatre and film….


-I'm also going to explore the War time films by Michael Powell- `the red shoes` 1948.



•1940`s-50`s films- fantasy, escape connection to escaping from contemporary fashion?



•Explore Sigmund Freud's psychoanalytic theory- psychological in Tim walkers work?



 -The special effects used in the making of `AVATAR`, use the most significant technologies to create unique special effects. Where-as Tim walker uses extravert over sized props to create a similar effect….?

after all research I have decided to consider the questions :





•Qualities of surrealism?

•Romantic notion

•the belief of fairytale

•how he incorporates the belief of dreams.



 -Extravagant and surreal staging and romantic motifs characterize his unmistakable and unique photographic hand writing. The spontaneity and the simplicity of the foreword explore Walker's effervescent romantic vision and seemingly endless surrealist ideas that invariably creep up from beneath the surface of his imagery.

The description of Tim's picture's show a romantic notion of an individual voice, of passion and of deep sentiment.


In general, definitions of Romanticism is known as an artistic and intellectual movement originating in Europe in the late 18th century and characterized by a heightened interest in nature, emphasis on the individual's expression of emotion and imagination, departure from the attitudes and forms of classicism, and rebellion against established social rules and conventions.


"Despite the lack of a concrete definition one can identify almost effortlessly the romantic soul behind Tim Walker's pictures. That is the way they make one feel. Baudelaire said that ,Romanticism is precisely situated neither in choice of subject nor in exact truth, but in a way of feeling." (Honour, 1979:14)


FANTASY



•fantasy is a genre of fiction that commonly uses magic as an element of plot, theme or setting



•fantasy takes place in imaginary worlds where magic is common



•Fantasy includes fairy, tales, wizards, or witchcraft in events which avoid horror.



•Fantasy non-existent, it deals with the impossible.



•Dream-like stories, the reality of things is questionable? I could be real or could be delusion? E.g. Dorothy’s dream in the wizard of oz.



MAGIC

•Magic manipulates aspects of reality. It utilizes ways of understanding, experiencing and influencing the world.



•Magic id often viewed with suspicion



 
SURRELAISM

•Surrealism shocks and rebukes the conventional notion’s of reality



•Surrealism questions – what is real and not?



•Surrealism uses sexuality portrayed by symbolism and the placing of objects, where they normally wouldn’t be!



•Surrealism magnifies the common perception



•Surrealism was the main influence in 20th century



•Erocyticism,socialism,dreams and the sub-consous and symbolism portrays surrealism.


TIM WLAKER FACTS



• Tim Walker telling stories through imaginary childhood memory



• His photos evoke wonder/our won capacity of dream



• He makes his photos look real, hard to believe fantasy isn’t!



Models being transformed into fairytale characters by the designs of costume.



Bibliography

Caws, M.A. (2004) Surrealism. London: Phaidon Press Ltd.
Honour,H. (1979) Romanticism. London: Penguin Books Limited.
Krauss,R. and Livingston, J. (1986) L’Amour fou: Photography and Surrealism.USA: Abbeville Press and the Corcoran Gallery of Art.
Walker, T. (2008) Tim Walker Pictures. London: teNeues Publishing Group.






























































































































- The architecture of the High Victorian decades is dominated by Gothic Glossary Term and Italianate Glossary Term styles.

2012 Time Machine (Full brief)

Monday 27th February 2012 Time Machine
Today the brief was issued complete with a full description of the task in hand.
There are two components to the assessment. An Essay and supporting Research and Development PowerPoint as described below. Both components must be submitted in order to pass the assignment

Written critical assignment 40% (LO3)

You are asked to produce a 2,000 word written assignment. Choose an example of contemporary visual culture from within your own area of study. Discuss ways in which historical and cultural perspectives might be used to interpret its meaning. In your response, make reference to key ideas encountered in the lecture programme. Specific attention should be paid to academic conventions.

Research and development 60% ( LO1) ( LO2)You will submit a research document in the form of a PowerPoint presentation. Important: PowerPoint's MUST satisfy the following research criteria:

 

1) A clear introduction to your presentation, which should include the differentpublished sources you have used and your reasons for choice. You should useno less than 5 published sources to inform your presentation. These should notbe Wikipedia references.

2) A clear definition of key ideas relating to your given topic, with supportingevidence in the form of, no less than, 3 quotations from 3 different publishedsources. Quotations must be interpreted and their importance discussed, theyshould also be referenced correctly using the Harvard method.

3) The cultural context (political and social) in which the topic came out of/was inreaction to.

4) An illustrated ‘who’s who’ of key individuals associated with given topic, with aclear explanation of what you think their significance is and why.

5) Historical examples of key words/images/artefacts associated with given topicand an assessment of their importance.

6) Contemporary examples of key words/images/artefacts associated with giventopic and a comparison to the historical examples.

7)A ‘bullet point’ conclusion.

8) A bibliography and illustration list correctly set out using the Harvard method

 

 

Time Machine task 2: Film Review

The film ‘The Idiots’ by Lars Von Trier.

 

This film is about a group of middle – class people in their early 20`s, whose intention is to ‘spass out’ in public and in the privacy of their owned uncles home, I which they are all living in. The episodes of retardation are seen as controversial & provide the film with an unconventional method of viewing this type of behaviour that occurs in everyday society. It explains to the viewer, how this group of people cope with society, despite their occupations such as, a doctor, an advertising agency & an art teacher, as well as escapism from their real lives e.g. children and wives.

 

After the controversial ‘gang-bang’ scene, in which the teenager Josephine and Jeppe seem to be falling for each other, the other members of the group are seen relaxing out in the garden. The peaceful, idealised scene is disturbed & shattered by Josephine’s father who embarrasses her, invading and bursting the bubble in which they live in. When talking to the group, the father talks about medication issues with his daughter. This issue brings  light to a possible mental problem that she already has. The group didn’t know about this issue and highlights the possible hypocritical actions of some group members. In an aggressive and forceful manner, her father draws attention to a conflict between the real world and their make believe world by removing her from the house. The groups happiness is crushed, in particular, Josephine and Jeppe’s. You can notice this reaction by Jeppe demonstration of his  idiot persona. When watching, I felt personally this was the most emotional, realistic and dramatic scene. Despite Jeppe reverting back to his ‘idiot’ persona, I feel this sort of behaviour is the only way he can truly express himself It seems like he cannot cope with this merge of realism & idealism.

 

The way Josephine’s father reacted to the knowledge of her personal behaviour and Jeppe’s idiot persona is commenting on our views towards this behaviour in our culture. When watching the film, I noticed another example of this sort of behaviour; when the idiots are encountered by real disabled people, and cannot deal with their behaviour, the film acknowledges that these particular characters can be criticised for what they do, but can also be justified as a twisted way of expression. 

 

 

 

The print screens shown on my left highlight, that you really have to be an idiot to change society or at least believe you can. This idea of breaking all  the rules in film making through using the rules of Dogma 95, is metaphorical for the way the group is breaking the rules of authority; being an idiot is an act of despair but also courage. 

 

 

 

 

When approaching the end of the story, it became clear that the game was almost over for the characters. I noticed this, as some of the group members found, they could not confront and reveal the idiot inside themselves. However, when referring to the beginning  of the film, the character, Karen seemed quiet and withdrawn and was only by chance recruited into the group. Whereas,  at the end her character was found to have the deepest personality. After volunteering to go home and ‘spass out’ with Susanne as witness, we return to her home where we are finally immersed in complete reality. The character is coldly welcomed home by her family who assumed she was dead having been missing for the last 2 weeks, and due to her not attending her own baby’s funeral. I noticed, when watching the film, this character is the only person to spass out in `reality`. I think this personality, becomes a shock to the viewers nothing is resolved, however it seems Karen is found to have the most undesired life, in which allows her to act out and throw it all away, deserting her typical lifestyle. 

 

When making the film I think the crew have tried not to make fun of mentally ill people, but to hide away and regress back to their childhood, dealing with a society they are used to.

 

The character, Stoffer believes “They are the ones who are making fun,” I believe, everyone in society who does not take their view, deflects the argument that the group portrays, referring to stirring trouble and insulting people in the society they have abandoned. 

I also think the use of a handheld camera adds to the realism & naturalness of the scenes, almost like a documentary home video. especially when analysing the quality of the picture.

 

The camera moves freely as if part of the group among the action focussing on the most interesting occurrence. Although simple and realistically shots add to the lifestyle in which they all live in, enhancing an  unrealistic distortion created in the characters minds and thoughts.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Through out the film I think we discover that the world begins to fall apart. While on the surface it would seem Von Trier is commenting on the attitudes society has to the mentally handicapped, however deeper down it appears to be in defence of defect.

 

When researching, I learnt that Lars Von Trier’s style of working refers to the French New wave, which was the name given to a group of youthful French filmmakers of the late 1950s and 60s such as Jean-Luc Godard. The style depicts a self-conscious rejection of classical cinematic form such as moving freely with the scene rather than keeping the camera position still. He also takes inspiration from the Swinging London period which involves the flourishing fashion & cultural scene in the 60s of optimism & hedonism; a cultural revolution.

 

Both style's portray traditional values of storytelling, acting & theme. They exclude the use of elaborate special effects, and also believed in improvisation. However when watching the film I think he had broken some of these aspects.

 

He uses music in the `gang bang` scene and also portrays a stunt double. I think by creating these effects it keeps the audience interested and aware of the narrative that is applied.

 

I also believe, the film ‘The Idiots’ is referring to the conflict between a group of middle-classes views on society, their love and hatred towards their own personal lives. It captures the characters individual personalities of abandonment and stressful lives in which they all live in. I think by emphasizing this matter, the narrative moves the audience and creates an emotion that reflects the persons behaviour.