The underground p.2

Metallic honeycomb protects coloured wires from exposure. Red and blue line aluminium, shooting throughout the ceiling, which is constructed from yellow musk tiles. There are four visible, arranged as hopscotch, littered with drill holes. Twin, thin wire is trapped between the chicken wire and tiles, as if lacing the metal work together, a small line sewing the ceiling. In addition to this, three black plastic ties are used, two in the centre and one on the right-hand side, seemingly not strong enough to hold an important structure. To the right there is also more metal, the grid is stopped with rough edges, disappearing in front of steel, curved to follow the shape of the wall. Extending from this edge there is more plastic, creating a horizontal curve to the left, once again framed by hard metal, two pieces that create a step, building the plastic away from the ceiling, crossing the thin wire, which holds another black tie, this time horizontal. Further towards the centre there is a piece of re, possibly a reflection of light, trapped between the honeycomb and base. There are two steel hinges, attaching a vertical metal bar to the ceiling. This is also secured to the plastic, crossing with a bolt, one of four, all screwed in at equal intervals throughout the plastic. A blue vertical wire pierces the yellow, slicing through the exposed area. This is framed by more thin wire, leading throughout the frame. There is a red wire too, of the same thickness and brightness, once again shooting through the area, alongside eight more slices of metal, the edges lit by an unknown source. 

Can words be art?

Grey Description -> Text works

"Images are more precise and richer than literature" p.10, Ways Of Seeing, John Berger

• Write what you see, what's there?
• Thinking about presenting the text without the photo- would it work? Should I include the image?
• The more detail the better
• Use a standard size and style font.
• Emotion?

From this I wrote a grey description, using this photo as the subject. 

"Throughout the carriage canary parrots, radiating from ten vertical poles, which allow anonymous primates to hang and balance, as the mobile flooring jolts and sways beneath them. To the left, behind one stanchion, reaching half the height of the car, an unidentified figure can be seen in a mustard coat. Thin black bugs connect longitudinal waves to an electrical device, linked via a thin black cable, tangled amongst a burnt sienna scarf. Knotted pink fingers grip the gadget close to an average frame. A corrugated plastic hexagon couples two sections together, dancing in time with the deck. At the highest point a honeycomb of metal guards a fluorescent tube, illuminating the foreground. Beyond this, cuboid light-emitting diodes brighten silhouettes. Reflecting against two visible surfaces, yellow and white combine to fuse cream, contrasting against a section of ultraviolet light within the corrugated sector. Incandescent words in the upper- centre read ‘The next Station...’, and although out of focus, this is repeated approximately six meters ahead. Above this the same text is flipped into the ceiling, mirrored, and illegible.

Vertical and horizontal lines cross, creating an ongoing grid, broken by bodies. Further ahead the coach seems to get busier, with thirteen visible, yet unknown individuals. Warmth from the chaos of the intertwined is juxtaposed by cold blue light, leaked by the emptiness of the forepart. However, this matches one, two, three blue notices, which nobody seems to be paying attention to. The signs are white, with cobalt blue rectangles and small black writing, that cannot be read unless up close. They are all obstructed by the shapes and forms of the carriage, blocking information, and hiding tidings. It is quiet, which is unusual, given the situation of thirteen strangers in a pod. Not one appears interested or to be engaged with anyone else. They are separate forms, brought together only by yellow poles. Three of them; one sat, head down, one holding a horizontal bar and staring ahead, and one engaged with a mobile, wear hats. They all wear black coats. In the centre, there is a child. They wear a venetian red coat with a faux fur stripe around the hood. They stand with their small arm laced around a post, which due to the lighting appears to extend past and into the ceiling. This same shade of red is repeated as the details of a polka dot bag, which is navy, and the mobile phone of a seated woman. Her eyes are focused on the screen, that is held up above a blurred newspaper, resting upon on her knee. The newspaper is the evening standard, blue capital text against dirty white paper. It features a face that’s reminiscent of an orange Sainsbury’s carrier bag."

• Text or sound? - Sound could be more engaging, people may be more willing to listen than read
• Could use a white/blank screen- what are they seeing? Removes context. Only words.
• Speakers or headphones?
• What tone of voice? Monotonous: even less context/emotional impact, less connected, more like a script? Enthusiastic? 

If speech- do I want the speaker to have seen the photo before recording, or should it be blind? Could try doing both myself, although other people would change the relationship, adding another layer to the work. 

Edits continued

Tips:

• Take ALL the photos and don't delete them until you've looked at them on a computer screen, even then I'd keep them in, just in case...
• Back your photos up
• Actually get round to developing your film

Editing

Street Photography

After referring to my contact sheets, I edited a few images in Photoshop elements. I experimented with overlaying images to make a photo-collage using different layers and opacity's. Here are the final edits:

Contact Sheets

Whilst in London I wanted to try doing some more street photography, as the environment and general atmosphere is much different to in Worcester.

To select which images I wanted to take further I annotated them in my sketchbook, picking out patterns and colours that stood out to me. I then found common themes; looking at line/structures/grids, crowds(where there is more information to take in) and single colours, particularly yellow and red.

From here I thought about presenting the work as a series, with some photos in black and white and others worked on top of in the same yellow or red colours. 

I also wanted to try them in black and white, as no colour removes context; so there is more for the viewer to question, possibly making it more engaging?

• Could try writing grey descriptions of photos and present this alongside the edit?
• Need to develop film