Reflection: Intent

I have been thinking about the resemblance between nature and the human body, and looking into the work of Liz Orton and Alicja Brodowicz recently. Showing the natural fragility and decay of objects in relation to the body, the similarities that are unnoticed or linked to us in some way, whilst still showing the beauty and details of the items I photograph.

"I prefer listening to the small voices in our world, those which whisper. I have a feeling I am always being saved by these whispers, my eyes naturally focus on small things" (Kawauchi in Company, 2009)

This statement by Rinko Kawauchi in an OjodePez 16 article by David Company, sums up my own thought process and inspiration and attractions to certain objects, currently the skeletons of decayed leaves, and this goes back to Sontag when discussing the techniques of Fox Talbot in her book On Photography , how he focused on small areas of butterfly wings, books and shells, yet they were still recognisable.

" When ordinary seeing was further violated - and the object isolated from it's surroundings, rendering it abstract - new conventions about what was beautiful took hold. What is beautiful became just what the eye can't (or doesn't) see: that fracturing, dislocating vision that only the camera supplies" (Sontag, 1977: 90-91)

You can recognise my subjects, but with the editing styles I am taking them out of their surroundings and separating them from the world they are in.

I am considering developing my project title on from last module, where the intent was to look down and slow down, pause and look at the unnoticed at our feet, 'Look Down', now to the idea of the title being 'Fragile'. This word I have used a lot when describing my intent and work during this module and the objects within, along with the relationship to the fragility of our bodies and my own spine. The natural progression to change the title to suit the intent feels right. While keeping that idea of capturing the unnoticed beauty in what I discover.

"The proper moment is when one can see things (especially what everyone has already seen) in a fresh way" (Sontag, 1977:90)

Fig 1: Laura Marsh, 2021, Sketchbook Notes for Intent

Fig 2: Laura Marsh, 2021, Sketchbook Notes for Title Idea

References:

Books:

Sontag, Susan, and Penguin. On Photography. London, Penguin Books, 1977, p. 90-91

Company, D., 2009. Rinko Kawauchi. [ebook] OjodePez 16. Available at: <http://rinkokawauchi.com/en/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2017/12/2009_OjodePez-16.pdf> [Accessed 25 February 2021].

Figures:

Fig 1: Laura Marsh, 2021, Sketchbook Notes for Intent

Fig 2: Laura Marsh, 2021, Sketchbook Notes for Title Idea