With a only a short time left before the exhibition I have a pool of images to select from. I printed them as test prints and had a stack of 5 x 4’s. I then taped them to the office wall and would see them every-time I would enter or leave. I think it’s important to ‘live’ with the images. I was feeling a little weird about the space and how many images to show and how so I went in to speak to Aled Hughes a previous tutor and ex co worker of mine. Aled has know me for over 10 years and has taught me at college level as well as working as a lecturer when I was a supporting staff member to the Ba Hons Photography teaching Staff at Cardiff Met. Whilst there I was just starting the project so Aled knows me and the work really well. He’s also a successful artists with many solo exhibitions and books. I feel he is a perfect person to talk some ideas thorough with.
Untitled. Chris Chucas. 2018 - One of the images Aled preferred.
Below is a recording of the meeting and I’ve also pointed some key points out.
Brief transcript of interview :
F: And the lyrics as well, try and make them as vague and obscure as possible?
A: Yeah, yeah definitely I just want to read those words and I want to think to myself, did that person write those words and taking it for granted they did and why is that person writing those words?
F: that’s a dilema I had as-well, I’ve got people who have let me use their words but I haven’t got pictures that work of these people enough to marry their words with their picture.
A: Why do they have to be their words?
F: That’s what I’m saying, so that works.
A: What you’re doing there is creating intrigue and people will always look at portraits and wonder who these people are wherever you’re from, human beings make that eye contact.
F: So for the exhibition as well putting words within the picture, something like that where I’ve left space or brought forwards, sort of a united colours of Benneton thing, do you think that would maybe draw a bit too much focus to the words?
A: Then thats the next massive massive dilema, it’s how big is the font? What font are you using? And where are you putting it in the picture? Because first and foremost there’s gotta be a marrying that they both work and you don’t really want one to supercede the other, because they’re both as important as the other.
F: But like words tend to sort of over power images anyway right?
A: Yeah so you’ve got to, the first hit has got to be they’re person and it’s then wow oh they’re interesting what’s that say and then you would go in and look at it closer, then you would read it.
F: I guess another part of that’s problem is how big are the prints in the first place?
A: Yep, so the scale of that is essential.
Using a sunrise and sunset as a start and end device for the show
Discussed a double exposure attempt, agreed it’s not enhancing either image and best to leave alone.
Potential Diptychs are a creative way to suggest to the viewer a narrative but still allows the freedom for them to come to it on there own which is important for me as the author.
Splitting the portraits with some environmental and some backdrop could work but for an exhibition it would need to be split in 2 on different walls and one wall might not work as well.
Keep experimenting with the Dyno labels, I’ll try and break the formality of the image up with them, try awkward angles and if mounted maybe them overlapping the image onto the mount.
I’m realising that my work deals with themes of solitude a lot and maybe some of the more succesful images are those with the small human figure in lost amongst the night.
I’m going to continue to emulate my film look as it’s familiar to the audience, it also connotes feelings of honesty through imperfection through the pushed film look similar to underexposed images we would get from throwaway cameras in the 90’s.
Keeping the words used with images as far away from being recognised as lyrics as possible to give it proper breathing space.
It’s about the human element and existential understanding of mortality.