Alexander Mourant is an artist, educator and writer based in London, and born in Jersey. The work of Alexander Mourant embraces autobiography, literature and reference-based thinking, to create narratives that question the relationship between the body and the photographic medium. Mourant proposes how images may deal with temporality, spatiality and reflexivity, through new ways of thinking, and alludes to the photographic becoming a terrain itself, and a place we traverse.

Aomori

“It is peculiar how forests have such an affect on us,” observes Jersey-born photographer Alexander Mourant of his latest project Aomori, which was shot in Japan’s ancestral forests. “As temporal dimensions crumble, objectivity leaves us. We are found in a still, oneiric state, contemplating our own accumulation of experience.” (link)

These Images where taken in Japan as the name suggests, as Aomori meaning ‘blue forest’ in Japanese. The link between these two words creates Ideas on forests, as well as the nature of blue. “Together they create a place of high intensity, a place which questions our relationship to time, colour and self.”

The process to take these images was to use a church’s stained glass window, which was cut to make a lens filter. This adds spiritual history through the creation process, which also adds to the rich culture of Japan. “Susan Bright commented on the religious symbolism of my work, saying: ‘the spiritual history of the process seeps through into the image, to a time when the land was a place of worship,’”

His main inspiration for these blue monochrome Images was Yves Klein, and particularly his studies in the colour blue. Yves Klein used blue as it representing his spirituality and religious upbringing, the essence of natural elements like water and sky, and the vast expanse of the universe.

Above is one image from his from his work ‘Aomori’. From a first glace, you can see a heavily dense and humid forest, with the tropical flora coving the whole image. Closer to the top of the image, the bright mid-day sun is breaking it way though the plants, and reflecting off moist plants far into the depths of this forest. This creates an very atmospheric image, and draws the viewer into this magical world.

Blue in art is often used to create peace and tranquillity, and its defiantly shown in this image. The blue colour and the white highlights shining off the plants make this image feel like a old and enjoyable memory of a peaceful time. These Images engulf the viewer into a a mysterious voyage where both sorrow and beauty are tied together. These photos feel ancient, peaceful and respectful, party due to the strong blue that exposes itself to the viewer, as well as how these forests from Japan have taken centuries to form.

The lightness

This work gravitates more towards green instead of the blue from the previous project by Mourant. There was no reason for this, but as Mourant stated, ‘I think this leads into a more intuitive way of making photographs’ and ‘the photographs emerged in a way that most suits them’. To take these Images there was a lot less planning as ‘spontaneous’ process was favoured, looking for the nature of weightlessness in photographs. His main inspiration was from a book called the Unbearable Lightness of Being by Milan Kundera. These pictures where taken in various parks around London.

Photoshoot Plan

What?- I will photograph Raoul, the farmer, working on a field. This includes the tractor, the equipment, Raoul himself and other small details for the project. Having researched the impressionist movement I want to try some slow shutter speed movement photos as I think this will create interesting, bold photos that I can use to carry colours through the rest of the project.

How?- Using a canon mark 5iv and a 70-200mm lens I will compose photos based around, the lighting, the intent and natural moments. To create slow shutter speed photos when I reduce the shutter speed I will use a lens cover to reduce the harsh shadows and the potential over exposure common in slow shutter speed photos.

Why?- This is a strong starting point for the project, referencing how I saw Raoul when I was growing up, what he does and how he does it. It is a summary shoot, covering an introduction to the farmer and his lifestyle. It provides a link between the farmer and the land, demonstrating the UNION of the two in a way even people who don’t know much about farming, can see the true passion and hours it takes to create a union between land and man.

Contact sheets

I took a variety of photos, showing the details and the bigger picture. The lighting was harsh so I used settings that compensated for this, while keeping in mind the yellow of the flowers. I also used a range of techniques from different orientation to slow shutter speed motion blur.

Edit One

This photo, while not being directly linked to farming or Raoul helps add to the spring farming idea, the dog in the photo is ‘posing’ with his toy with a tractor and 4×4 in the background. Dogs and cats tend to keep themselves entertained on farms and yards, this photo shows that. I chose the black and white as it complemented the photo, although I did keep a colour version in case it will fit better in the book as it still a nice photo in colour, having the leading line of the curve.

Edit Two

I loved this shot with the tractor in the background and the tree/post framing the shot. The photo is an portrait that shows the subject walking and moving the marker. Making for a dynamic, informative photo. I liked this image in colour but the tree is less noticeable as I couldn’t crop the image down without removing the central lock on the subject.

Edit Three

This is a busy photo, I framed it with all the background as I wanted to show the many elements of the environment, I did however remove the one post as it looked odd sticking up from the closer focal length posts. I then used the sliders to lower the exposure, adding depth back into the photo and enhancing the green grass and yellow flowers.

Edit Four

This is a simpler photo, just showing the field being fertilised, I like that you can see the fertiliser, and that the tractor is almost perfectly between two posts framing the subject. The house in the background helps add context and build a story as it is made of classic Jersey Granite surrounded by fields and hedge rows. This is a good base image for the story.

Edit Five

Having taken this shot through a fence I have the fencing lines in the photo, this adds to the photo, leaving the viewer a deeper understanding of what it feels like to be witnessing the farming around them. This was a simple edit, bringing the colour in the shot back to life using the sliders.

Edit Six

Inspired by my research into art movements I wanted to try some slower shutter speed photos to add to the story. I created this photo, I think it gives the never ending feeling of farming which is what I wanted, to show that farming is always going to be important. I like how the flowers make a sea of yellow/gold and then the darker colour of the tractor contrast it. Even the fencing wire adds movement to further the never ending feeling. Editing wise all I needed to do was reduce the over exposure by moving the exposure slider down as when using a slower shutter speed the photos will appear over exposed.

Edit Seven

A simple detail shot to tie photos together is what I needed in this part of the shoot, I had a few photos with this bag/marker in so I wanted a shot of the markers to highlight them. The bags had patterns and flowers on and I wanted to compose the image to show more than one, showing how they were being used as markers. It only needed slight adjustments to correct the colour.

Edit Eight

This is a longer range shot, using the building and fence post to frame it. I noticed I hadn’t got many straight on shots so I wanted one as it will help the book flow if I put the dog photo and the portrait in. It also emphasises the tractors shape with the roll bar being portrait.

Final Photos

Overall I have a good selection of images, focused around the work being done to the fields to maintain them. This is a core part of my project showing the machines being used and Raoul working. Having a mixture of black and white and colour images allows for a variation in tones, textures and compositions. There is different techniques used in each shot, from how I’ve framed them to how I have picked which moment to photograph. I am lacking finer detail shots, however I plan to get these in the next photoshoot. Having researched ‘FOR EVERY MINUTE YOU ARE ANGRY YOU LOSE SIXTY SECONDS OF HAPPINESS’ I wanted a mixture of shots, some composed, some natural, using the environment like I have with the low angles using the daffodils to enhance each photo. Inspired by the impressionist movement, I used a slow shutter speed on some of these images, creating bright colourful slightly abstract photos. Forcing the viewer to focus on the photos and what is hiding behind the blur, also creating the circular farming feel. Continuing onwards no matter what, it also provides a nice base of colour I can them link through out the rest of my book.

Mood-board / ideas:

 

• A girl in her room
• A friend
• What she gets up to
• behind the scenes
• what you do when your 18
• unfiltered
• untitled
• cinematic
• personal
• up close
• confronting
• revealing
• expressive
• dramatic

Above I have listed key words and phrases that I am going to explore throughout this photo shoot. Capturing a girl in her personal space, environment which reveals her inner world behind closed doors, creating this sense of new reality perhaps showing us a new world that we’re unfamiliar with, and is different compared to ours. I want to express union through how her world could be different compared to someone else like the viewer, this idea of getting up and close, confronting us showing us this new reality, shows us how people are united together expressing to us through new world and realities. I am going to capture her in unfiltered moments, expressing scenes that perhaps could be relatable or engaging to us as the viewer which leads us into her inner world. I am going to follow the phrase getting up close and personal, showing raw, emotional scenes which ultimately create unfiltered, confronting expressions.

Lighting:

I am going to capture photographs as the sun is setting so there is this natural light that is creating shadows, new formations of reflections which we typically wouldn’t notice. I want this to exaggerate and highlight new forms, as well as the subject, highlighting angles and tones. I am going to be capturing the photo from the same direction as the natural light that is shining into her bedroom which will express this cinematic, unfiltered feature.

Composition:

I am going to capture different poses, firstly focusing on environmental portraits. Capturing a series of portraits like this will express the subjects inner world and show us her reality forming unity. Then following David Hockney’s joiners technique I am going to create the same composition.

• fashion – contrasting colours that stand out and are clearly expressed within the photograph
• record players / records, albums
• dressing up
• books/magazines
• facial expressions / poses
• trying shoes/heels on
• music

This photo-shoot is going to be staged but unfiltered, showing you the true reality, behind the scenes of a girl in her bedroom getting ready, makeup, hobbies.

Ernst Ludwig Kirchner – Inspiration:

These images above express reality, confronting views that are from behind the scenes within the subjects life, as we are shown through raw emotions and feelings. From portraits alone with a pose, or facial expression to the subject lying on a chair within their house with drink bottles near by, which expresses this engaging reality that closely relates to the subject we initially are drawn to in the subject. Although these are paintings I want to express the same effect but in a photograph. I going to do this by capturing unfiltered yet staged moments, choosing what they wear – from colours, outfits, and makeup, which will show the clear defining, definition of contrasting colour, that expressionist painters use within their loose brushstrokes. So expressionism has influenced me to capture people in unfiltered moments, with clear oulines and contrast, using bold colours and poses. I want it to be dramatic, expressing emotion.

These next photos show the next steps I want to focus on in a following photo shoot – which will show a series of images at different point within her (the subjects) life. So going out of her house to the world around her and how she fits within in. This expresses union as we see how she fits in with people alongside her, through what she wears, emotionally, through expressions and poses.

Man Ray (1890–1976) was an American artist known for his experimental photography and role in the Surrealist movement. Even though he was initially trained as a painter, he became most famous for his experimental photography. His “rayographs” (an approach to photography and often called photograms) and dreamlike images pushed artistic boundaries, influencing Surrealist photography. In 1921 Man Ray moved to Paris which is where his artistic career started, as he became associated with the Parisian Dada and Surrealist circles of artists and writers. He experimented with many different mediums including films, Photography, painting, sculptures and even fashion.

To take his surrealist photographs, he would be required to think completely automatically, so the photographs are unconscious and imaginary to the purest form. Surrealism manifested itself in a juxtaposition of words that was startling because it was determined not by logical but by psychological.

rayographs

“I have finally freed myself from the sticky medium of paint, and am working directly with light itself.”

To make his rayograph, he placed objects, materials, and sometimes parts of his own or a model’s body onto a sheet of photosensitized paper and exposed them to light, creating negative images. He embraced the possibilities for irrational combinations and random arrangements of objects, emphasizing the abstraction of images made in this way. Below is an example where the image is centred around a comb:

In this image, There are only shades black and white due to the technique used. The Image is a negative as the objects acted as a shadow for the light sensitive paper. There is only one clear Item that can be identified, which is the comb in the centre. The arrangements of objects around the comb keeps it the centre of focus and makes the viewer wonder about the importance of this object. We can also see many lines thought the image, which keeps the overall composition even and pleasant to look at. The confusion that this image creates through its use of objects that cant be interpreted reminds the viewer of dreams that they may have had, where some parts are clear but once the whole dream is put together its complete nonsense.

The way this image has been produced emphasizes the influence of the light and shadow instead of the importance of the picture itself. Looking at this article helps understand why he took these images.

Glass Tears, 1932

This photo was taken in Paris and is one of Ray Man’s strongest photos, and was often composed with other photos. Here you can see a cropped image of a woman’s face, with unusually large tears, as well as the models eyes, with her mascara-coated lashes looking off to the distance. This makes the viewer wonder what she was looking at. The eyebrows are tilted down which suggests she is in a sad emotional state, giving questions on why she is feeling distressed. The lighting is highly exposed, using studio lighting which was likely done to expose the truths about this model.

It terns out that this is not a real woman but a fashion mannequin with glass bead tears on the cheeks. This was likely done as Ray Man recently broke up with his lover and wanted to have revenge on her. The large, glistening teardrops are melodramatic, an exaggerated sign of sadness that makes a mockery of the sentiment. It may also be because Man Ray is exploring his interest in the real and unreal by challenging the meaning of still-life photography, which links to the surrealist art movement. The eyes being the main focal point of this image is common theme used by surrealist artists as it is an important symbol of inner vision, a concept central to their philosophy.

Other Images I like

Statement of Intent

For my exam project, I would like to explore Cubism. My main inspiration for this project is Stephen McNally. These are some images by him:

I am particularly interested by his work as I admire how he uses different camera and editing techniques. I would like to do this myself by using a range of shutter speeds and exposures. Some locations I am planning on going to are various places in St Helier, St Aubin and in St Brelade. I will also be going to London during this time so I would like to take some images there. When forming my final outcomes, I will firstly do this in photoshop as it will allow me to play around with different layouts and designs and then I would like to recreate them by hand. I will do this by printing and cutting out each of the segments I will be using and stick them together on to some card.

Cubism relates to the theme of Union as it is an Art Movement which has brought together many photographers over the years. Photographers who have explored cubism each share common styles and interests. Being part of this art movement creates a sense of belonging and proposes a collective influence in art and photography. Cubism also relates to the theme of Union as each fragment of the image join together to form the subject as a whole.

I am interested in exploring Cubism as I really enjoy taking landscape photos and think that it will be amusing to form my own joiners. I also think it would be a good opportunity for me to be able to experiment with different techniques and ideas.

Liminal (Space)

Liminality is a quality of being in between two places or stages/on the verge of transitioning to something new.

I plan to use this inspiration by using liminal space as the union/connection point of where dreams and reality connect.

Liminal spaces look and feel real yet there is some dream-like and uncanny quality to them.

Found Footage

Found Footage is a cinematic technique and film genre, all the work is presented as if it were film or video recordings recorded by characters in the story which are then later “found” and presented to an audience.

I plan to use this technique to create some sort of narrative that interprets what someone may see during this union of dreams and reality/the unconscious mind. I also want to use it to make my images more intimate for my viewers as if they are actually watching someone go through these experiences.

I experimented with layering of photographs on photoshop as I liked the multiple layered effect of having lots of faces overlapping one another, each coming in from different angles. I liked the connection that was created from this, even though they are duplicated versions, because it shows hoe the subject is brought back together and unified.

This was my final outcome, I duplicated the subject multiple times and then rearranged them, and adjusted them so that they formed a connection in the way that they are brought together.

For these edits I experimented with layering images together, however I used the same image but reversed them the blended them together so that they fitted together. I liked the mirrored effect as it creates this interesting effect as subject is reflected in the opposite way.

“I was inventing a Language for people to see…” – Francesca Woodman

Francesca Woodman was an American photographer well known for her B&W photographs which often featured herself or female models. Throughout her life she had practiced techniques such as long exposure to try and capture movement, blur and occasionally full disappearance. She took inspiration from surrealism and fashion which can be seen throughout her images featuring clothing.

Woodman was interested in what photography as a medium does with time, it disrupts the linear flow between the past, present, and future. As a female artist, these interests made her work unusual for its time, since Feminist artists of that time were boldly affirming individual presence, Woodman privileged trace, absence, and reflection.

To create her photographs Woodman used long shutter speeds and double exposures, this allowed her to create her ghost like and ethereal images, by doing this she was also able to capture different stages of movement and a pattern of time.

“Real things don’t frighten me just the ones in my mind do.”

Analysis of Work

Technical –

Unlike some other pieces of her work, Woodman most likely used a faster shutter speed to avoid capturing movement within this photograph. She has also used natural lighting and a varied tonal range, the darkest parts of the image are completely black while the lightest parts are a smoky white.

Visual –

Just like the rest of her photographs, this image is in black and white which adds to the image’s surrealist atmosphere. In this photograph she is wearing a polka-dot dress and directly making eye contact with the camera whilst some of her other photographs feature her nude body and blurred face.

Contextual –

This photograph as well as her other polka-dot dress images were a staple of her RISD period, these images were made while she was studying abroad with RISD in Italy from 1977 to 1978, these continued when she moved to New York 1979.

This photograph in particular, along with some others, were made in her studio/home which was an old dry goods factory off-campus with no kitchen, heat or shower. The decaying building was used as a backdrop for the majority of her work.

I chose Woodman as one of my inspo photographers because of the aesthetic of her work and uncanny aspect of them. I was also inspired by the blurred motion that she includes.

Links Used:

https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artists/francesca-woodman-10512/finding-francesca

https://www.artnet.com/artists/francesca-woodman

https://woodmanfoundation.org/francesca/works

https://www.theartstory.org/artist/woodman-francesca

https://www.tate.org.uk/art/lists/five-things-know-francesca-woodman#:~:text=Woodman%20used%20long%20shutter%20speed,which%20suggests%20motion%20and%20urgency.

https://www.modernamuseet.se/malmo/en/exhibitions/francesca-woodman/francesca-woodman

https://iass-ais.org/proceedings2014/view_lesson.php?id=84#:~:text=Francesca%20Woodman%20knew%20how%20to,words%20needed%20to%20tell%20them.

https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/auction/2019/classic-photographs/francesca-woodman-polka-dots

Bernd and Hilla Becker were a pair of photographers who coined the term: Typology. Typology means the study of types, in photography this means a collection of the same subject photographed and arranged together in a grid, inspired in part by 3 German photographers.

Karl Blossfeldt

Karl Blossfeldt produced a body of work where he showcased standardised photographs of different plant-life. Each image showed a highly detailed copy of a plant arranged in the same way for a uniform look. The images were arranged together in the book which was originally used for modelling by art students. The inspiration that Bernd and Hilla Becker took from his work was his study of type, standardisation and arrangements which they later changed into grids. Karl Blossfeldt thought that photographers should utilise the cameras realism to scientifically showcase the real world which I would have also inspired the dead-pan approach used in typologies.

Albert Renger-Patzsch

Albert Renger-Patzsch studied the natural form and industrial subjects shown like a scientific illustration. Similarly, like Karl Blossfeldt, he believed that photography’s strengths were in its ability to capture real life texture. Bernd and Hilla Becker took inspiration from the subject matter of Albert Renger-Patzsch being industrial texture and the approach of realism.

August Sander

August Sander was a German documentary photographer who aimed to photograph every person in his town for his project People of the Twentieth Century. “If we can create portraits of subjects that are true, we thereby in effect create a mirror of the times.” is a famous Quote from August Sander which represents his approach to this task: portraying the town justly and truthfully. He didn’t just photograph the elite or those who could afford to be photographed as this would be a biased ‘miss telling’ of the townsfolk, he photographed everyone from children to bakers and those who would otherwise be forgotten. He arranged his photographs into the volumes: The Farmer, The Skilled Tradesman, The Woman, Classes and Professions, The Artists, The City, and The Last People. His work was to act as a truthful time capsule of the real people in his town. The inspiration that Bernd and Hilla Becker took from his work was honestly capturing every ‘type’ and preserving it.

Bernd and Hilla Becker

Bernd and Hilla Becker’s Typologies were in black and white showing industrial structures before they were taken down as a way of preserving the uniqueness of each structure. They were large grids of structures that looked different but served the same purpose. Each photograph was taken outside in natural lighting. The sky makes up most of the background and would have been taken in cloud or grey skies. The use of natural light show the structures honestly as they would have been seen which was important for the point of preserving the structures in photographic form. The contrast is quite low without any dark blacks or bright whites. Every image was taken at the same angle with the same framing to standardise each image which makes them fit together in a grid. Each one is centred and close cut in the frame to minimise wasted space which is important when arranged them in the grid as space is added between each image. This also makes the focus extremely clear which is equally important when quickly glancing at the overall grid.

Each photographers influence is clear in these images. The photographs show an industrial structure like Albert Renger-Patzsch, arranged in a grid like Karl Blossfeldt and preserve unique subjects like August Sander all the while standardising and grouping by types.

For every minute you are angry you lose sixty seconds of happiness – Julian Germain

This book is composed of eight years of photos, and archived a series of images of a old man living life, reflecting on the past years. Based in a small coastal town.

Why?

First meeting Charles Snelling because he was selling flowers. Julian Germain knocked on Snelling’s door, having seen his sign in the window selling flowers. The house and car were also intriguing for Germain, brightly coloured and eye-catching. Having met Snelling through simply knocking on his door it was the start of a 8 year long friendship, documenting Snelling’s life both past and present. Germain wanted to capture Snelling, an interesting man in his own light, unfiltered, real. The book is a note on friendship, the photos taken have an informal feel, the type friends would take and share. Carefully curated to show the real Snelling, unfiltered, from his memories to passions taken from a viewpoint of friendship rather than a photographer. The portraits cover a series of things, from Snelling’s gentle life style, unapparent to the modern world, surrounded by colour, flowers and beloved memories of his wife. The work is aimed to be evocative, captured the joy Snelling had for life and the freedom he felt exploring in his later years in life. A large part of the book is based on the loss of Snelling’s wife, Betty, her presence is throughout, whether it is snapshots of old photos of the pair or the brightly coloured flowers they both loved dearly. Germain focused on accurately documenting Snellings life, filled with music, memories and passion, showing the world an example of how to live life. ‘We cannot personally invent life; we have to follow someone’s example.’ Germain found Snelling helped him in may ways, a clear mind to learn from in a commercial world. There doesn’t need to be winners and losers as the modern world suggests but a life filled with colour, memories and freedom.

Julian Germain

Julian Germain is a photographer, a story teller. Based in Northumberland but his work has been featured all around the world, including Sao Paulo, MASP, London and the Photographers’ Gallery. Germain’s most well known work is this book and his ‘Classroom Portraits’. ‘For every minute…’ is a book based around Charles Snelling and details of his life from highly emotional moments like reflecting on his late wife to the joy his brightly coloured, Robin Reliant brings him. Germain’s ‘Classroom Portraits’ is a still Germain’s signature style, intimate reflections and experiences on peoples lives, hoping to share how to escape the commercial lifestyle we are all encouraged to live in the modern world. Often Germain works with found photographs, allowing for the viewer to have a further understanding of what and why Germain is photographing the subject, what their life and experiences has brought to Germain’s.

How Germain took the photos

Each image is made up of elements, nothing is done without reason. Germain takes a friendly approach, but his skills remain professional, balancing images well, knowing when he can allow for small flaws like off kilter angles or soft focuses to add to the reality of documenting someone’s life, life isn’t perfect so the photos need to reflect this. Unusually Germain, not only includes Snelling’s own photos in scrapbooks, but holds them to the same weight as his own, providing a rich insight into Snelling’s life in a way he couldn’t do as not Snelling himself. Germain’s work is complimented with Snellings photos and Snelling photos are referenced within the work. Germain ensured he included many photos of Snelling himself, either composed portraits or snapshots of a memory. Some of the portraits, are composed in a way similar to fine art, centred, simple subject focus with a snippet of a passion, or often linking to a scrapbooked photo of Snelling or one he took. Technically, Germain is a very talented photographer, focused on his best outcomes, what is the most beneficial to the narrative. Many of the photos in the book are taken with a shallow depth of field, a ‘fine art’ style. Germain used colour, a huge part of Snellings life to show that it is a huge part of Snelling’s life. Within the work it is clear the love Betty and Charles’s put into their photos is reciprocated through the passion Germain has for his work. Carefully composing his portraits to include small details like flowers, colours, and lighting developing the narrative of Snelling.

One of the pages is a scene of Betty holding a plant taken by Charles’s Kodak Instamatic. Then on the right, is a photo of Charles holding the same camera, a soft focus on himself and the camera being in focus. This is a key example of Germain’s technical style, re-living the moments found in found photos. Furthering the emotional effect of the photos. Within the book there are elements of ‘snapshots’ where Germain has replicated the style of Betty and Charles’s own photos.

The Book Itself

The title consists of the majority of the text, the book otherwise only containing a brief afternote from Germain. However, over the years Germain has shared further details on the time he spent with Snelling, the photos themselves and small stories and memories he created with Snelling. There is no apparent need for text in the book, the photos themselves are compelling enough, covering small interactions, revisited memories, everyday life.

It was published by MACK, in 2005, five years after Snelling had died. Containing 80 pages 23.5cm X 28cm in size, specifically a reference to matching one of Snellings original photo albums. Adding another small touch of Snelling to the book. The cover is a hardback with a cloth cover, one printed with flowers similar to the wallpaper featured in some photos. Having a 1970’s design bodes well for the contents of the book, full of colour and passion. When first opening the book the first pages are of Snelling’s photo albums, a strong impression for a sentimental, emotional story to come, these scrapbook inserts act as milestones within the book, structuring the narrative for the viewer and providing a personal insight into the story not just from Germain’s point of view.