Anchorage: Use of Text and Layout

I wanted to explore how single words from my walk sat alongside my images. The font used is not final and only as a placeholder until I decide on the style that could be used.

The images are printed in landscape format on A4 paper with the words opposite, as the images are dark, I chose a white background and black text, but I am unsure if this is too bright and will explore a different alternative, such as grey or black possibly.

Fig 1: Laura Marsh, 2021, Sketchbook Notes

Fig 2: Laura Marsh, 2021, Text Test 1

Fig 3: Laura Marsh, 2021, Text Test 2

Fig 4: Laura Marsh, 2021, Text Test 3

I am unsure how the text and image layout could work, either side by side or underneath, think bac to how Fleur Olby displayed text underneath her work gave a uniformed appearance and kept one image and text to one page. I have also looked at Richard Long’s work, listing his text in various layouts and forms as standalone pieces, something I tried quickly in Photoshop, as list, again more layouts will be explored.

Fig 5-7: Laura Marsh, 2021, Annotatons of Richard Long's Textworks

Fig 8: Laura Marsh, 2021, Text Layouts

Fig 9: Laura Marsh, 2021, Text Layouts, Photoshop

Liz Orton published a small paperback book of text in listed format that was used during a lie performance of her work Every Body is An Archive. The words are in alphabetical order, as an individual piece of work sold in book form, which can accompany the body of work.

My use of text would or could be minimal, so a full book would not be suitable in this case, but the list idea is something I have explored and will expand on, either as a piece at the beginning or end of the series of work, or as individual words accompanying the images. My aim is for any text I use to correlate well with the images I finally choose, thinking back to Barthes’s “anchorage”.

“Anchorage is a control, bearing a responsibility – in the face of the projective power of pictures” (Barthes in Wells, 2019: 132)

And, the metaphorical message, linking to what is in the image and its meaning.

“The text helps to identify purely and simply the elements of the scene and the scene itself” (Barthes in Wells, 2019: 131)

References:

Wells, Liz. The Photography Reader : History and Theory. Abingdon, Oxon ; New York, Ny, Routledge, 2019, pp. 131–132.

Bibliography:

Long, Richard. “TEXTWORKS GALLERY Selected Images.” Www.richardlong.org, 2021, www.richardlong.org/Documentations/text_views.html. Accessed 10 Apr. 2021.

Olby, Fleur. “Velvet Black Editions – Fleur Olby.” Fleur Olby, 2021, fleurolby.com/velvet-black-2/. Accessed 10 Apr. 2021.

Orton, Liz. “Every Body Is an Archive | Liz Orton.” Lizorton.com, 2021, www.lizorton.co.uk/photography/chasing-intensities-figures-for-the-body/. Accessed 10 Apr. 2021.

Figures:

Fig 1: Laura Marsh, 2021, Sketchbook Notes

Fig 2: Laura Marsh, 2021, Text Test 1

Fig 3: Laura Marsh, 2021, Text Test 2

Fig 4: Laura Marsh, 2021, Text Test 3

Fig 5-7: Laura Marsh, 2021, Annotatons of Richard Long's Textworks, Long, Richard. “TextWorks,” Richard Long, 2021, www.richardlong.org/Documentations/text_views.html. Accessed 10 Apr. 2021.

Fig 8: Laura Marsh, 2021, Text Layouts

Fig 9: Laura Marsh, 2021, Text Layouts, Photoshop