Brain Fitness Debrief #11

I recall bringing in some artist's photobook to class one day to look at with him, and when I pulled it out and started pointing out aspects of the photos I thought were cool or interesting, he remarked, "But you've already looked at it. The only reason you're pulling this out is to go over it with me but you already know about it." I didn't really understand what he meant by this, but then I explained to him that it was actually my first time looking at these photos, sharing this experience with him. He seemed surprised that I didn't have anything planned out for what I was going to say or what I wanted him to think about, but instead was simply sharing an experience with him. He was more appreciative and attentive after this. This event really demonstrated how sometimes people with handicaps tend to see themselves as subjects rather than peers, where people working with them see them as students to go over material with rather than friends to share experiences with. Treating S as a friend meant a lot to me and represented how everyone deserves to be treated equally, no matter their handicap or mental capabilities. I brought up this very instance in a couple conversations with friends afterwards and pointed out how much it touched my heart to know that showing this person he really mattered, and his presence and friendship was valued. Every person I told agreed that it really made them realize how much a little hand of help, in the form of community engagement, can make a huge difference in someone's self-esteem and life in general.

Brain Fitness Debrief #9

Again, as my partner is not proficient in grasping this kind of conversation, so we focused more on basic conversation today. I wanted to get a quote that would sum up the book, one that I could put at the end, or at the beginning. To achieve this, I posed big questions to him, centered around his theories about life or big lessons he has learned over the years. At one point, he proclaimed "I'm a happy man." I then asked him: "What makes you happiest?" he replied with "My wife." This just proves that my focus for the second half of the book (his family, and sharing experiences with people he loves) was on point, affirming that I have the right idea about where this book is going. S is a very family-oriented man and the love he has for his wife is inspiring and the main focus in his life, so I was happy to hear that this will in fact be a part of the book that will really resonate with him. We then asked him to give us some advice about life. He told us to "Think about the world around you," and exclaimed that "We are not perfect people, but we do as best we can." This theme exemplifies his personality and these ideas have come up when discussing other facets of his life, such as his career, where he worked with people and travelled the world teaching others how to better do their job. Again, I was happy to hear that a section of this book will also support his ideals. All in all I am confident that what I have thrown together, he will be very happy with. 

Brain Fitness Debrief #8

The only time that the topic of the future has risen in conversation with S was regarding Alaska, a place that he previously visited, truly grew passionate about, and now wants to return to. I asked him what was holding him back from going again, and he replied with "Well I don't know... I'm just not there yet!" In this way, I have recognized an emphasis on the present moment from S's point of view. His personal fight with dementia seems to be a struggle with grasping long-term events. Recalling moments from the deep past or deep future is generally out of reach from his mind, where planning for the future seems to be his weakest area. The strongest conversations we have held have revolved around the present moment, where the most time spent thinking and slip up in speech have occurred when recalling something. Every single time I have asked him about something regarding the future, he is completely unable to form an opinion about it. It's funny because now that I think about the things we have discussed when looking at most of his photos, are the funny elements of the photo itself, not necessarily a story or background behind the image. In this way, we have been taking past moments, and still operated in the realm of the present moment, by focusing on what we are seeing, right then, not necessarily the cultural or historical significance of it. This has not ALWAYS been the case, and there are definitely times where he draws on past ideas and events, but for the most part, he is very in the moment. This then encourages and exemplifies the importance of considering how I am taking photos of these photos, and their formal elements as being something he will surely notice. 

Brain Fitness #7

I didn't necessarily discuss these concepts with my partner as he is not able to grasp complex ideas, however I definitely noticed his tendency to engage in these activities nonetheless. While I'm not entirely sure that this falls under the realm of punctum reaction, I noticed that one particular detail stood out to S when he was looking at photos of his father with a young lady. In earlier photos of this lady where she was alone in the photo, S recalled the woman as being his own sister. However, in a later photograph where she was presented alongside his father and they appeared to be about the same age, it became clear that she couldn't have been S's sister, but instead appeared to be his father's sister (his aunt). This one particular detail informed S of the reality of the situation and his relationship to her, and he depended on it for his own understanding. As my project will revolve around family and home life, I am really hoping to represent his relationships to others correctly (i.e. describe this woman as his AUNT, not his sister). In other words, I want the concepts I present in the photobook to align with reality and not confuse him further, but rather work to inform his memory in a correct way. Therefore, I think that I will have to pay attention (and guide his attention) towards little details like this in the photos we look at, in order to get a real sense for what is true, versus what he perceives to be true. 

Blurb Photobook Design Response

An aspect of this book-making process that I had not previously considered was the use of typography as a decorative element, where in this article, the author points out that the font you use throughout the book may determine the tone of the work. Again, the main focus here is on the telling of a story, a sequence of images that flows together in a way that has purpose and meaning, and is highly curated in the sense that all together, the images convey a particular message. In doing so, the design elements of the book itself may determine how the reader interprets the work. For what I have in mind so far for my own project, I believe I will use a more classical sort of font for the title and captions, as the story I will include revolves around the home life; the central part of any average citizen’s life. From childhood, to attending school, enlisting in the National Guard, locking in a career, getting married and then having his own kids, these events align with the idea of the average // classic life experience. Another part of this article that caught my attention was the mentioning of other artistic media that may be included besides images and text. It may be wise to utilize other artistic techniques in the book as well, where I could make it a multi-media project and include drawings, newspaper clippings, painting, etc. to give the book a new dimension, providing further context to the story // time period in which it the images took place. All in all, my member will benefit most from simple meanings and the conveying of clear concepts, so its important to keep this simplicity in mind when bouncing around design ideas for my photobook. One point I would like to discuss further with the class is: how could the background color on a photobook’s pages play a role in determining the emotion that it evokes from the reader? How might color be used to an artist’s benefit, and how could it possibly hinder the artist’s intent if not used wisely?

Camera Lucida Response

The concepts presented in this article really resonated with me. The author demonstrates two distinct realms of reaction to a photograph that a viewer might experience; studium and punctum. In the realm of studium, the viewer may identify the photographer’s techniques used in creating the photograph, the general messages and meanings that the photographer is attempting to convey, the cultural aspects which are represented in the image, and other related “surface details.” These reactions do not hold much personal significance and do not evoke strong feelings, but rather serve as mere observations. On the other hand, in the realm of the punctum, the viewer may notice specific details of the image that the photographer did not necessarily intend to make stand out. This reaction is entirely subject to the viewer; one certain element may draw the viewer’s attention away from any other studium-based meaning, evoking intense feelings or emotions, and standing as the one thing that the viewer can remember about the photograph when no longer looking at it.

               These ideas really opened my eyes to the fact that, no matter how hard photographers try to embody certain ideas and convey specific messages to an audience, every person may react in a way that is entirely unique to them, a way that is completely out of the photographer’s control. Little details that are sometimes overlooked may have the possibility to encapsulate another viewer, to the point that the entire meaning of the image is lost and the viewer’s own reaction and the creation of their own  ideas trumps everything else. As previously stated, this makes me understand that there are some situations that are just out of the control of the photographer, and some little details included in the photograph that are simply natural to the scene, where if they were eliminated, the photo would be more curated and less authentic. What I would be interested to discuss with the class is whether or not these concepts even make a difference; if we cannot necessarily control the natural aspects of the photo that may draw the viewer’s unique attention away from the meaning, then why even take it into consideration, as the author of this article did?

Photobook Research #2

The photos included in this book are related formally as well as conceptually, it seems, as the style of each photo remains the same. I find these photos very interesting, as they take images from different sources and cut them together to create an entirely new meaning. These photomontages are representative of the Nazi movement, as the entire book seems to revolve around the folly of it all, revealing the curated nature of this genocide and depicting Nazi leaders and soldiers as the cowards that they truly are. In this way, the book is entirely political and anti-war in nature, with an aim to evoke feelings of disgust and disapproval of the Nazi  movement from the viewer. Since these photomontages were distributed during World War II, it is clear that this work was used to encourage social protest among the everyday citizen. As stated previously, the primary design element of the book is cropping images of Hitler and other Nazi leaders onto other photos, drawing around them, and creating new captions for these photos to give them new meanings. 

            The book begins with a montage of Hitler’s face cropped onto the body of a butcher, holding knives up at the ready to kill a hen standing on the table in front of him. The caption of this photo is “Now don’t be scared- he’s a vegetarian,” which represents the concept of Hitler smirkingly posing as the innocent in the situation. Moving through the book, the reader then comes across a photo of a seemingly ravenous hyena bearing his teeth with piles of dead bodies scattered around it, while wearing a top hat and an emblem hanging from it’s neck; the caption is “War and corpses- the last hope of the rich,” exemplifying the way in which these well-off Nazi leaders grasped for any source of power they could manage, relying on their control over others to determine their social status. Another montage shows a very small Hitler watering a large plant, with Nazi helmets and gas masks replacing the plant’s acorns. I interpreted this to demonstrate the way in which Hitler tended to his plan so carefully, visiting each city during his running in the election, curating each speech to target the audience in a way that would make them want to support him and truly believe his motives were meant for good, making the Nazi circle bigger through the fakest of means.

            There is no linear relationship between the photographs, as each one stands independently within the book. Conceptually, all photographs work together to present the truly devastating and pathetic nature of the Nazi regime, however each photograph emulates this in a different way. Each photograph takes up a full page, making its illustrations stand out in full detail while commanding the attention of the viewer, conveying the idea that its messages displayed are truly significant. While use of the montage is highly effective in this instance to embody certain concepts, and while I may utilize this strategy in personal projects in the class, I don’t think I would use it in the photobook assignment for my partner at Brain Fitness due to the fact that he has a hard time grasping abstract representations, concepts and ideas.