To Begin ...
My brief instructed me to select one contemporary photographer from a pre-arranged list and elaborate on their images in relation to my environment unit.
I chose to look at Simon Norfolk as I have a strong interest in war related photography. Norfolk’s work and his powerful political views behind it intrigue me and I felt that I would enjoy deconstructing his images in relation to the environment in which they were taken.
Background
Norfolk’s work in Afghanistan mirrors that of 19th Century photographer John Burke (1843-1900), who was the first ever photographer to make pictures in Afghanistan between 1878 and 1880. Norfolk used Google Earth along with ridgelines and history books to calculate the locations in which Burke took his original images. He described his ventures as a “romantic gesture” to Burke’s earlier work.
He draws on a strong historical context that comes from his study of Burke’s previous work during the Second-Anglo-Afghan War as he feels that it is a powerful example of historical imperialism which both “interests and enrages” him having himself once called the war itself a “tragedy”. He also appears to draw heavily on his own personal view that the war in Afghanistan has wasted billions of lives and has “achieved nothing”.
Norfolk used a cherrywood and brass field camera that used 'plates' of film 5 inches by 4 inches that was much like Burke’s. This gave the photography its great detail and smooth tonalities. However Norfolk could not use the same form of chemical shooting as Burke as it would not be possible for him to import it into the country as the chemical itself, collodion, is highly explosive.
On his choice of camera Norfolk said “The camera looks like an antique and this makes people with whom I cannot communicate appreciate quickly that I am probably not the CIA or some other threat, nor am I probably worth robbing or kidnapping.”
His Work
I feel that this image reflects Norfolk's statement that billions of lives are wasted. The bleak, low light conditions emphasize his views his views on the war and this emphasis is further supported by the blue, melancholy lighting. The latter also portrays Norfolk's disappointment in relation to the brutality inflicted upon the people of Afghanistan by imperialists.
The extended foreground's domination over the thin sliver of dull sky in the far background could be seen as a reflection of the extensive amount of wasted lives the war has presented. The imperfectness of the trampled snow around the cemetery could be perceived as a suggestion of the chaos the war has caused, a damage that cannot be undone.
Swimming Pool that Crowns Tepe Wazir Akhbar Khan, 2010-2011
Norfolk's image of a swimming pool could be related to the idea of human presence within the landscape as the pool seems to have be formed from the landscape. This may also hint at the notion of the landscape's relationship with humans.
Again the image is lit in what would appear to be pre-dawn or post-sunset lighting conditions, giving it the same cold, blue tinge as 'A Shia Cemetery', which again reflects Norfolk's disappointments.
The derelict surroundings further contribute to the melancholy feeling given to the piece by the aforementioned lighting conditions; they allow the structure in the centre to become the main focus of the image as it appears detached from the environment surrounding it.
The lack of people present in the photograph could also be seen as a link to the number of people Norfolk says have been lost as a result of the war as a pool is a place that most would expect to see a thriving amount of human activity.
Districts of Wazir Akhbar Khan and Sherpur, 2010-2011
Similarities can be drawn from the previous two photographs I have spoken about and this final one in terms of the lighting used within the piece: the blueish, pre-dawn conditions that link with other images from Norfolk's collection displaying his disappointment in the way the country's affairs have been handled.
Norfolk's positioning when taking this image puts him directly in line with the mountains in the background that tower over the mismatched city below. This may show that, even though the war is an extremely powerful occurrence that has forced may of its country's occupants to live in less than perfect conditions, nature will always be the overshadowing force that will remain throughout any war or anomaly.
In relation to this and other images he had taken that were similar, Norfolk stated that when Burke had taken photos from the same location it had just been pure landscape whereas now, over a century later, it has been completely overrun by man-made structures and altered by various historical and political events.
Norfolk's Summary of his Work and my Reactions
In an interview about his work at the Tate Modern, Norfolk states that he tries to add a degree of beauty to his images in order to draw potential audiences into the narrative of the piece and, as a result, trick them into listening to his views on the issues he has displayed within. He described his use of beauty in photographs as "tactical".
I am intrigued by Norfolk's work and I enjoy the way he uses beauty as a tool in which to draw in his audience and put across his own views on the world. I feel that successful photography is able to entice a potential audience into it's story and cause them inadvertently to become part of the artist's world. It is for this main reason that I particularly am drawn to Simon Norfolk's work.
Bibliography
- http://halsey.cofc.edu/PalimpsestAfghanistan/sn_images.htm
- http://www.simonnorfolk.com/burkenorfolk/conversation.html
- http://channel.tate.org.uk/#media:/media/930144047001&list:/channel/playlists/45927933001&context:/channel/search?searchQuery=burke+and+norfolk
- http://maxcolson.wordpress.com/2011/05/06/simon-norfolk-at-the-tate-modern-a-tate-video/
Hi Ashleigh, It would be good to see how you are going with the Portrait project?M
ReplyDelete