Self Appraisals: Object

What is your understanding of issues related to Object?

My understanding of current issues within society are obtained through the regular reading of newspapers both in print and on the internet. 

I know that there are always issues within modern day society and most appear to be based firmly in politics. Whether it be the war in Iraq and Afghanistan or MP expenses or global warming. 

There are issues forever present in society, therefore it becomes hard to choose one to focus the project on.

What context would you place your work in?

We were required within this project to create an image based on a current issue within society. I chose to focus on the ongoing war in Iraq and Afghanistan. My best friend is currently fighting for the British Army in Afghanistan and it was his youth that inspired my final piece. I wanted to focus on the youth within the British military but also how soldiers are constantly being sent out to fight with seemingly no regard for the devastation caused to them and their families if not all goes to plan.

What were the reasons behind your photographic choices? For instance, how do you think your visual choices translate to your ideas?

I chose to include real meat in my piece to create a 'shock' factor that would get people's attention as soon as they look at the piece. I also wanted the meat to represent the way it seems as though soldiers are thought of by the government: pieces of meat that are 'expendable'. The inclusion of the toy soldiers represents the youth of the soldiers both fighting and lost in the war. I included the poppy within the piece to symbolise the remembrance of the lost soldiers. 

How have you managed your studies?

I feel that I could have managed my studies better but my management of this unit was satisfactory.

What aspect of your shoot productions do you need to reflect upon and why?

I would like the chance to reshoot the piece of remove the distraction caused by my inclusion of the fake blood. After review by myself, my peers and my tutor, I feel that it is too much when used in conjunction with the other elements of my image. 

What has been the most significant challenge on these Units so far? – How can you overcome them in the future?

This was my first shoot using a large format camera and studio lighting and these were my biggest challenge so far. I feel that I can overcome this by getting some more practise with the equipment.

Object Tutorial and Development

Object Development and Tutorial, 6^th October 2011

Development

After compiling primary research my next task was to come up with an idea that would display the subject I had chosen. My first thought was to identify objects that are commonly associated with military and military memorial. The two initial items I decided to work with were a poppy and a toy soldier. Below are my initial thoughts on the connotations the above items could hold in relation to my project:

Toy Soldier: This could be a clear representation of the military but also could represent the youth of soldiers as well. It may also represent the way soldiers are ‘manipulated’ by a higher chain of command.

Poppy: A symbol of remembrance. The vivid red colour symbolises the danger of war and also could represent the blood that was shed within.  The fact that the poppy would be larger than the toy soldier could be used to show that, no matter how small each death of a soldier may seem, they will always be remembered hugely.

I wasn’t too sure about composition at this point but I knew exactly what message I wanted to put across and from there I went into my object tutorial.

Object Tutorial

In my tutorial I introduced my idea and the reasoning behind it. After some discussions I was told that my initial idea provided a good foundation to build upon and from there I made the following improvements to my initial idea:

o   Meat: This would be to represent the waste of human life created by war and how some ‘higher authorities’ may view soldiers as ‘expendable’ even though they may not admit it.

o   Blood (Fake): This is to represent the blood spilt by soldiers fighting for their country. Also the red will be a prominent colour within my final piece.

o   Poppy: I kept this from my original, the red matches that of the blood and it also is a strong symbol of remembrance.

o   Toy Soldiers: These were also kept from my original idea. They represent the soldiers themselves and also the youth within the army.

o   Map/Globe: This would represent the fact that war causes losses all around the world.

Reflection

I feel like I got a lot from the tutorial and it has helped me to create a more complex and interesting final idea. 

Object: Statistical Research

As I had decided to base this unit on the age of young men and women going out to fight in the Afghanistan war, i first needed to compile some research in relation to the overall number of fatalities within the war in Afghanistan and also the amount of under 25s and then under 20s within those fatalities.

I used the following website: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-10629358, to find my basic facts.
Between the war's beginning on the 7th of October 2001 to the present day, 337 British soldiers have been killed in action whilst representing their country. 179 of those were under the age of 25, overall presenting a total of 53% of the 337 lost. 33% of the 179 under 25s were aged 20 years or younger (17% of the overall number of fatalities).

To some this may seem like a small percentage, but to those who have lost one of those 179 under 25s or one of the 60 under 20s this will seem like the biggest number in the world.

Object: Inspiration

My inspiration for this unit came in the form of a phone conversation I had with my best friend recently. He has just turned 18 and has just finished his military training and will be going to Afghanistan by next month. This is a lot earlier than we both expected, and, in a way, it shocked me as it hadn't really sunk in that he was going.
This is when I came to realise how young an age 18 really is to be going out to fight in a real war. This sparked my imagination and from there I decided that this was something that I felt strongly enough about to want to make my Object unit revolve around.

Object: The Brief and My Initial Thoughts

The brief for this unit of work called on me to create a photograph based 'upon a current social issue'. Looking for current debates or issues in the media was one option of a place to look for inspiration; others included issues that I myself felt strongly about or something that I wished to make a comment about.
I firstly decided to narrow down the options for fields in which to search for inspiration. After much deliberation I settled on thinking about issues that I felt strongly about as I felt this would allow me to dig deeper into subjects I had a strong opinion about and therefore allow me to perhaps create a more rounded piece overall.