VE EVAL.

  The previous 25 blog posts have been a collection of images, photographers, blogs and things that I generally find fascinating through doing so I have found the many ways in which we explore information and can draw knowledge for our own work through many contexts. 
  The idea of Visual Exploration for me is the ability to have reference from many media's with a visual reference in order to create a final piece with an all round view upon many subjects not just holding a camera and taking a photo of your pet. It has more than helped me understand more of what I can include and draw context from.

Filippo Minelli - Place Branding

  Filippo is a contemporary artist using open public spaces and urban typology to represent his vast interest into graffiti art however in recent years he has tried to break away from this by using more provocative unusual interventions in city squares to try and estrange him from the 'conventional' graffiti art. 

  His new project is called Place Branding and he is experimenting with both silence and speech in order to represent and area in Spain. His images are very creative and challenge what both silence and speech physically represent. 

Here are some of his images for the project of Contradictions: 

  When speaking about his photographs Minelli says; 'The aim of the project is to point out the gap between the reality we live in and the ephemeral world of technologies.
Writing the names of anything connected with 2.0 experiences in the slums of the third world as to underline the idealization connected with these experiences, which provokes a small-but-important detach of the perception of reality.'

  These photographs really interest me and I am very much agree with the concept Minelli speaks about that our reality is majorly warped by the fact that we are so obsessed with our social networking world that third world seems so detached and it should be priority.

http://www.filippominelli.com/contradictions/

Xu Bing: Tobacco Project

  During this week my boyfriend decided that he wanted to quit smoking, but whilst doing some research into what tobacco really is and does I came across Chinese artist Xu Bing who did a project in 2011 called ' Tobacco Project' its based upon a strong interest he had upon the subject of tobacco and in recent months Bing had a two week residency at Richmond.

  Xu Bing uses tobacco as both material and subject to convey a wide range of problems including global trade and the ironic factor of advertising a potential harmful substance. He is a bookmaker and the fascination he has with visual culture and packaging especially has influenced him to into the trilogy of work he has produced in reference to tobacco in recent years.

  His projects involved physical cigarettes with an emotional link; An installation created in an abandoned tobacco plant near Duke included a recorded voice reading the medical records of Xu Bing's father, who died of lung cancer, conveying a personal connection to tobacco and death. In exploring the complex connections between people and tobacco, the project ultimately concerns fundamental issues of human culture and of tobacco as a medium of social exchange. 

a tiger-skin-pattern rug made from over half a million cigarettes standing on end, with either filter or tip up to make an alternating pattern of orange and white.

  I found this work interesting at this moment and time because the relationship being of both physical and mental links within the exhibition and project for Bing is fascinating and when looking at the images they look pretty and interesting but the background message is horrific, dark and doesn't necessarily have to completely be related to you for you be able to share the knowledge upon tobacco. 

  After smoking for three years he has now, quit for three weeks four days.

                           http://www.vmfa.state.va.us/Exhibitions/Xu-Bing/

Katie Piper : Science of Seeing Again.

This week I had a chance to actually watch my television and watched television documentary Katie Piper: The Science of Seeing Again, I have previously seen her story and charity work she has done and this documentary particularly fascinated me. In the sulfuric acid attack Katie was subjected to in March 2008 her face was left heavily scarred with third degree burns, however during the same incident she lost vision in her left eye and in recent months has had eye tissue from the cornea of an anonymous male donor donated in order for her to be able to see again. 

  This documentary really fascinated me and its amazing how life changes so drastically and one person can provide the power of sight for somebody as unfortunate as Katie Piper. I am very interested in how our eyes work and the idea that Channel Four can provide knowledge of this without having to be a scientific program, but simply of how it is a life changing event. 

 

 Katie: The Science of Seeing Again 

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2096767/Katie-Piper-Acid-attack-survivor-eye-sight-restored-stem-cell-surgery.html

Quoteskine - Lee Crutchley

  

  This week I bought a book of an illustrator I follow on Tumblr his name is Lee Crutchley and he has put all of his jottings, lyrics he admires and sayings into a book called Quoteskine Volume One. It's printed in color and he has individually scanned every one in. I really like his work and the messages behind it he uses clever color techniques to be able to make people see exactly what he wants you to. His art is really interesting and simple drawings are a great way to be able to establish yourself with a particular style. 

  After looking at Lee's work I would really like to incorporate text / lyrics imagery against some of my photography because as well as being able to have my photo to look at the words add depth to the photograph giving it a better understanding and adds to the understanding of the photo I have produced.  

'99 Problems' - Jay Z paraphrase, Lee Crutchley

Joy Division, Lee Crutchley

http://www.quoteskine.co.uk/

Crutchley, L,. Quoteskine Volume One.

Daniel Shea

  

Racine Ohio, 2010 Daniel Shea

Old Lock 24 Campgrounds, 2009 Daniel Shea

 Removing Mountains, 2007, and Plume, 2009-2010.

  Daniel Shea is a photographer I found when blogging on tumblr, I didn’t particularly take much notice instantly but after looking at this website I became a little bit obsessed with his project he shot in Ohio concerning the study of the social and political institutions surrounding these practices he carries on study further into the cultural implications this sort of coal collections has caused. He included a PDF file with this images explaining what exactly he wanted to do and this made my understanding of the work a lot more in depth and precise. His social documenting techniques fascinate me and I really love his work in Ohio.

Raymond City West Virginia, 2010 Daniel Shea

                            http://www.danielpshea.com/photography/coal-work/

Marco Rea - Altered Visions

My Sad Clown, Marco Rea

  Marco Rea an Italian artist born in Rome in 1975 has lived and worked there his whole life and is amongst one of the only artists that creates and uses spray on his advertising posters. His pop surrealist influences mean that he takes close reference from the emptiness and silence of aesthetics as a general. He begins his work with a glossy image one which is aesthetically pleasing to sell a product and then the fascination and desire to see this allows him by simply editing out the original image to completely change the image to bend the atmosphere of the art itself; making it other than self.  
  The work is somewhat creepy but making the images of exactly what he wants to portray by using mixed media makes the image very powerful and personal to the artist himself.

no name, Marco Rea

 http://marcorea.carbonmade.com/about