Tuesday 29 June 2010

No glass?

For the exhibition, I am toying with the idea of removing the sheets of glass from the frames. I came to realise that a piece of glass will reflect the lights in the room and more importantly, it will reflect an image of the audience member. Both these points distract the gaze and affect the intimacy associated with the work.

A reflection of the self while looking at the work shuts off the opportunity to really ponder the person who occupies the space depicted. Usefully, Camilla Brown comments on the interior photography of Anne Hardy who actually wants to use glass to make the viewer aware of the self;

"Hardy's work when printed large and covered in reflective plexiglass, similarly shows the viewer's reflection as they look at the work. This not only disallows the viewer's 'entering the scene' , but it also makes them self-conscious of their process of looking, reflecting their gaze back at them." (Brown, 2006 in Lury, 2006: 74)

The obvious issue with removing the glass from frames is the possibility of audience members touching the prints and leaving finger marks. Hopefully they won't. I quite like the idea as it assists with earlier notions of not forcing a person to gaze on the work, it aids the desire to simply invite a person to consider the work. It offers a warmer, less clinical feel.

While navigating texts regarding audience viewing, I found Anne Hardy's work quite inspiring. Although the scenes she photographs are imaginary and created by her, they offer similar unsettling and uneasy undertones present in some of my test images. I really like her work and it is useful to dissect components relative to camera angle, lighting and mood. Some of the images looked at are displayed below;


Hardy, A. (2005) Untitled VI


Hardy, A. (2003-4) Lumber


Hardy, A. (2003-4) Swoop

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