Ideas

Flower Idea Development
After completing artist research my favourite idea is to recreate sculptures of Andy Goldsworthy's around Hulme, using the lines of flowers as a metaphor for a 'timeline of regrowth'. The problem I have to overcome with this idea is where I am going to get the flowers from. In an ideal world there would be somewhere where I could pick them whenever I liked, however I can't think of anywhere nearby. I could buy them for quite cheap from Asda but I don't know how long they would last if I needed them for reshoots. I would also have to buy a lot so it could get quite expensive. Another idea I have had is to buy fake petals off the internet. You can buy a thousand petals for about £5 which could be a possibility, however the weather would have to be perfect for this to work or they would just blow away. My last idea is to use fruit instead of flowers. Fruit would last longer, they are more accessible to me and they also bare the same connotations of regrowth that flowers do. However, I don't think this would look as effective. Random fruit placed in Hulme wouldn't look as natural as flowers.

Ideas/Research

Ideas Artist Research
Andy Goldsworthy

Andy Goldsworthy is a sculptor and photographer. He is well known for his sculptures located in natural landscapes, made from natural materials. I selected the images above from his wide variety of work because I think they fit in really well with my theme. The line of flowers has connotations of 'timeline' along with 'regrowth': essentially, Hulme is a timeline of regrowth and redevelopment. The circle of flowers in the top image is also interesting as this could be used to refer to the cycle of growth Hulme has experienced. On Goldworthy's website he uses a diary format to show the challenges he faces when creating his work. The entry attached to the second image above reads, "Diary: 8th June Swindale. I have waited for dandelions to appear again after the ring (4th). It has been overcast/raining ever since. But today sun shining! Cloudy as well. Had to wait until almost midday for dandelions to fully open and dry out. Went off in the car searching around Brough. And change at the woods - bracken now rising about bluebells which are now past their peak - this work couldn't have been made any later in (a matter of days)."

I think it would be really interesting to recreate these images in Hulme, it is just whether I will face too many challenges when making the sculptures, especially as I am inexperienced in that field.

Ideas/Research

Idea Artist Research
Farhad Ahrarnia

Farhad Ahrarnia's collection Beautiful is the Silence of Ruins is made up of digitally manipulated photographs of famous Hollywood stars of the 30s - 60s, such as James Dean, Carole Lombard and Montgomery Clift, combined with archive images of Iranian ruins. These are then printed on to canvas and then partly embroidered. Ahrarnia raises the issue of how war is glamourised by todays media by using images of glamourous stars (some holding guns) beside images of war ruins. The embroidery links the two photographs together with the use of the darting lines across the two. Ahrarnia links the ancient monuments of Iran with the modernity represented by Hollywood, while the tight threads hint at the tension between the two countries. At first glance the shapes and lines are very colourful against the black and white images but then we notice how angular and harsh they are, which creates a sense of anger and stress.

This could relate to my own idea of Hulme and the flower quite nicely. I could get a photograph of Hulme and a photograph of a flower and put them side by side to create the link. Or alternatively I could have a black and white image of Hulme and embroider colourful flowers on top of the image. Although I think this would make a very interesting piece of work, my lack of embroidery skills may be a hindrance!

Ideas/Research

Idea Artist Research
I am going to look at different artists that could give me inspiration for a 'flower' related final outcome.

Roberta Bailey

Roberta Bailey creates these interesting images by scanning in flowers. Her work celebrates their mysterious beauty and showcases their intricate design. She explains her technique as follows. "I start by arranging the flowers in a clear container (glass or plastic) on top of the scanner (I take off the scanner lid). Then I make preliminary previews and zooms while adjusting the composition with a toothpick and tweezers before scanning... After I have made a few dozen scans of different compositions with the same elements, I select my favorite(s) to complete in Photoshop. Some images take only a few hours, while others may take a few days to complete. For me, the most important part of the process is playing with new and different scanning and Photoshop ideas." I like the way the scanner creates folds and creases in the flowers and the way this creates interesting patterns. The beautiful colours are also enticing.

I could use this idea myself by scanning in images of flowers and overlaying them with images of Hulme  in Photoshop. I could also scan in photographs of Hulme with flowers/petals already laid on top.

Ideas

Flower Idea
During the previous shoot I had the idea of using a flower as a metaphor for the regrowth of Hulme. I think Hulme can be related to the cycle of a flower as it has 'died' and 'regrown' on more than one occasion. I wondered how I could incorporate this idea in my photography. I don't want to just take photographs of flowers as I think this is a very unimaginative and boring idea. Could I incorporate flowers by overlaying images of them on top of photos of Hulme using Photoshop? Could I scan in images of Hulme with petals on top? Could I use textiles in order to embroider flowers on top of images? I think to progress this idea I need to research various artists/photographers related to this subject for inspiration.

Shoots

22/04/13 Inspiration Shoot
Week beginning the 15th April I became ill with flu and hence didn't attend Uni all week. I also didn't do any work and I feel a bit behind but am keen to catch up this week. To start with I decided to do a shoot in Hulme to gain inspiration for a new idea as my last one didn't work. During this shoot I photographed different things in Hulme which interested me. This is how I got the idea of using the flower as a metaphor for  Hulme's regrowth cycle. I want to look in to this idea further. I also want to point out the lighting in this shoot. It was shot around 8-9pm, just as the sun was setting and I think this creates a very interesting lighting affect.

Shoots

13/04/13 Initial Shoot
I went out with the intention of photographing 'characters' in the streets of Hulme but was disappointed with the lack of people. There was no-one of any particular 'peculiarity' and no-one to represent the subcultures of Hulme and I came back empty handed.  Even if I managed to capture a couple of people over the length of the project, I wouldn't be able to get enough images for the projection and this is why I have decided to rethink my idea. I am going to go back out in to Hulme and photograph anything that catches my attention. Hopefully this will inspire me with a new idea.

Final Piece/Exhibition

Glass Crescent Installation

Kat has made the final glass installation (pictured below). I think it will look really good with the projections on. She has also said that she is going to collect rubble to put around the base to keep with the idea of 'new emerging from the old'.

Ideas

08/03/13 Group Tutorial
Yesterday we had a group tutorial with Liz. She liked our idea of projecting on to a glass installation and also liked our individual ideas for the film/photography. I told her about my plan to photograph the people of Hulme in the street which she told me to go for. I just need to get going and have an initial shoot in Hulme to make sure that it will work.

Research

08/04/13 Team Roles
During this session we had to create stories in a team while another group watched us. The other students that watched then told us who they thought took charge and was the leader of the group. The team I was in for this session wasn't the same group that I am working with in Unit X so it was hard to relate the findings. However, I did find things out about my own role within a team. I have noticed that I am not a natural leader and especially don't like to dictate others. I do however offer good ideas and thoughts which help to create the final outcome. I am good at compromising and don't push my ideas upon people if they don't agree with them. Overall, although I am not a leader, I still value myself as a useful team member.

Research

08/04/13 NWFA Film Screening
In this session, Marion Hewitt from the North West Film Archive came in to show us various videos about Hulme from the collection.

No Place Like Hulme (1978):

We were shown this YouTube video about the Hulme crescents, which highlighted why the crescents failed so badly. 

• The long walk ways didn't feel like streets as they were intended to.
• The children had nowhere to play but the decks and stairs, creating noise for the residents. It was also dangerous for children to play there.
• When lifts were broken families with prams, groceries, toddlers etc had to walk up the flights of stairs.
• Once one flat was affected with vermin, an entire block would suffer from it.
• As Hulme became so unpopular, the council made it a dumping ground for homeless families resulting in a high proportion of problem families being concentrated in one place. This lead to crime rates soaring and residents being scared to open their doors.
• Residents didn't have any sense of ownership or 'home' because their little flat was just one of thousands of others, which were exactly the same. Thus they didn't feel any responsibility towards their flat and didn't bother to look after it. 
• Decks weren't patrolled by police. 

A City Speaks (1947): We were then shown Chapter 5 of a film called 'A City Speaks'. The film was made by Paul Rotha for Manchester Corporation in 1947, a time when Hulme was a sea of terraced slums. The chapter we watched was on the Hulme Redevelopment scheme. The documentary compared two different parts of Manchester: one area that had already been redeveloped, and one that hadn't (Hulme). The developed area was shown to have different houses of different sizes for different people's needs. They had bathrooms, front and back gardens and were spaced out. The film expressed that the council also wanted to develop Hulme but that there would be less spaces for people to live. The residents were told that some people would have to move and sacrifice their current lives for the benefit of Hulme.

We were shown another video after this which consisted of various interviews of people who had grown up in Hulme/Moss Side. What struck me most was the sense of community spirit that all of the interviewees told about. I was also surprised at how diverse Hulme was/is and the mixture of cultures and races that lived there side by side.

Ideas/Research

Idea Artist Research
Maciej Dakowicz

Maciej Dakowicz is the author of the photo book Cardiff After Dark in which he photographed the nightlife in central Cardiff.

He says, "St Mary street is one of the main streets of central Cardiff – the capital city of Wales and a city like any other in the UK. The street is one of the main hubs of clubs and pubs of the city. Sooner or later most party goers end up on that street. The street is closed for cars on Saturday nights and together with adjoining alleys and lanes becomes the main scene of fuelled by alcohol and emotions city’s nightlife. Everything takes place in public – from drinking, fighting, kissing to crying and sleeping. Supermen chat up Playboy Bunnies, somebody lies on the pavement taking a nap, the hungry ones finish their portions of chips and the policemen stop another argument or fight. Nobody seems to worry about tomorrow, what matters is here and now. Then another week at work or university, until the next weekend."

I thought the scene he sets here is very reminiscent of the 70s and 80s in Hulme. The party atmosphere he captures in Cardiff reminds me of the alcohol and drug fuelled parties of the crescents. Most of his photos are quite humourous but I also find them grotesque and disturbing at times. The characters he captures don't realise that they are making a fool out of themselves because they are too drunk and there is something about watching someone behave unintentionally stupidly that is a little unsettling. His use of bright colours also creates a garish atmosphere and mimic the bright, busy lights his drunk subjects are probably experiencing.

Ideas/Research

Idea Artist Research
I want to look at a few street photographers for inspiration and research purposes as this is the direction I want to take my project.

Bruce Gilden

Bruce Gilden is well known for his photographs of strong characters and individual peculiarities. I think this is relevant to my project as this is what I want to capture from the people of Hulme. He has an interesting approach to taking these images. He searches for a 'character' on the street, walks up to them and fires the flash in their face which, more often than not, startles them. This produces some very interesting photographs, aswell as at times humourous. The use of flash also highlights the figure from the background, which is again emphasised by the stark black and white photography. The main focus of these images are obviously the 'characters' which is Gilden's aim. Although I love these photographs, I think Gilden's technique would be hard to do. Apart from the fact I would be too nervous to startle strangers in the street, I would also have to think about their feelings and if they wanted their photo taken in the first place.