Early Inspirations

As a starting point for this module, I looked to research artists and photographers who work with nature in a more abstract form. My first point to look at was the work of Anna Atkins and Susan Derges. Anna Atkins used Cynotypes to create beautiful contact images of wildlife, most famously Algae, as shown below. This image reminded me of the tissues of the human lugs and the veins and arteries within us and this made me think about how i could represent that within us in physical form. the use of cyanotypes, or sun printing is something i would like to explore in this module.

Fig 1: Atkins, A., c1843. British Algae Cynotype.

Fig 2: Derges, S., 2020. River Taw Hawthorn

Fig 3: Derges, S., 2020. Sea Garden Series

I was drawn to Susan Derges’s work due to her use of the natural world and the abstract style images these create. In a video ‘Camera-less Photography’ by the Victoria and Albert Museum in 2018, via YouTube. The way she describes water as a metaphor for a stream of thoughts or a circulatory system, resonates with my own idea of looking within. "What underlies the visible rather than show the visible" (Derges, 2018)

Camera - less photography: Susan Derges - YouTube

Fig 4: Weston, B., 1955. Mud Cracks, Nebraska

The slightly abstract work of Brett Weston ha also inspired some of my images. Continuing briefly the 'looking down' idea by capturing textures and patterns that could be used to merge with other images.

The idea of overlay images came from the work of Cole Barash and his work 'Sound of Dawn'. The use of soft colour, tone and mix of overlaying and sewing images together is something I would like to explore within my own work. Intertwining nature and the human body either physically or mentally.

References:

Abel-Hirsch, Hannah. “In Cole Barash’s Latest Photobook, Natural and Human Forms Coalesce.” Www.1854.Photography, 2 Apr. 2021, www.1854.photography/2021/04/in-cole-barashs-latest-photobook-natural-and-human-forms-coalesce/. Accessed 6 June 2021.

Itami, Naomi. “Tide Pools.” Photomonitor, Mar. 2016, photomonitor.co.uk/interview/18483/. Accessed 6 June 2021.

Lark, Jasmine. “Susan Derges | Widewalls.” Www.widewalls.ch, 18 Mar. 2015, www.widewalls.ch/artists/susan-derges. Accessed 6 June 2021.

Lotzof, Kerry. “The First Book of Photographs.” Www.nhm.ac.uk, www.nhm.ac.uk/discover/anna-atkins-cyanotypes-the-first-book-of-photographs.html. Accessed 6 June 2021.

Images:

Atkins, A., 2021. British Algae Cynotype. [image] Available at: <https://www.nhm.ac.uk/discover/anna-atkins-cyanotypes-the-first-book-of-photographs.html> [Accessed 6 June 2021].

Derges, S., 2021. River Taw Hawthorn, 2020. [image] Available at: <https://www.danzigergallery.com/artists/susan-derges> [Accessed 6 June 2021].

Derges, S., 2021. Sea Garden Series, 2020. [image] Available at: <https://www.purdyhicks.com/news/14-susan-derges-sea-garden-at-royal-albert-memorial-16-november-2019-26-january-2020/> [Accessed 6 June 2021].

Weston, B., 2021. Mud Cracks, Nebraska, 1955. [image] Available at: <https://artmuseum.princeton.edu/collections/objects/12271> [Accessed 6 June 2021].

Video:

Victoria and Albert Museum. “Camera-Less Photography: Susan Derges.” Www.youtube.com, 10 Oct. 2018, www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gz5A4qCfm3s&list=PLBvnX-1HEhfMzcu0a_YyaUaAkGBFxWQXo&index=9. Accessed 19 June 2021.

Figures:

Fig 1: Atkins, A., c1843. British Algae Cynotype.

Fig 2: Derges, S., 2020. River Taw Hawthorn

Fig 3: Derges, S., 2020. Sea Garden Series

Fig 4: Weston, B., 1955. Mud Cracks, Nebraska