Dunes, gullies and craters

“I don't think I've seen images more beautiful and affecting for a long time.” This is what Sam Leith said in an amazing article talking about the photographs beamed back from the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter Satellite. This article published on Sunday 21st March in the Guardian is well worth a read and the images are something quite unexplainable. 

I have never been one to get overexcited about space; in fact I have always felt that the Moon Landings are somewhat of a hoax, but seeing these photographs of Mars, something changed. I have been completely moved by these images and would say that they are truly sublime. They make you see in a new way, a place where we are not so important, but are at the mercy of these great natural forces. 

Look at these links:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/artanddesign/2010/mar/21/sam-leith-mars-photography

http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/gallery/2009/sep/03/mars-images-space-exploration?picture=360648318

All images are copyright, NASA.

PX 100

Its time to celebrate! The Impossible Project has just launched their new Polaroid film, the PX 100 Silver Shade/ First Flush, (I am applauding them as I write this) I can’t explain just how excited I am that they have achieved what many thought was truly impossible. I await the new collection of film with baited breath, until then I am off to buy, buy, and buy.

http://www.the-impossible-project.com/

Back in the dark

Today I went back into the Darkroom after nearly four years! It really was just how I remembered; quiet, peaceful with a strong smell of fix. I wanted to do some experiments in black and white to test whether my new project will in fact work as I have anticipated it to. The above tests, which have been unfocused in the enlarger are cropped versions of a portrait I took of a friend, (this choice of image was purely for visual reference, my chosen imagery is yet to be revealed.) 

All works above, copyright Melinda Gibson 2010.

“Risthelhueber did indeed swing it"

“Risthelhueber did indeed swing it - and, not for the first time of late, the Deutsche Borse judges have shown a distinct bias for a certain kind of conceptual art photography that might be better suited to the Turner prize shortlist.” This is what Sean O’Hagan wrote in the Guardian reporting on the news that Sophie Risthelhueber was awarded the Deutsche Börse Prize on Wednesday night.

As you will have already read, I commented on the fact that this year’s prize was from the very beginning; being pecked at and in some places was worthy of that. However I was somewhat disappointed when reading O’Hagan’s article as I felt that same old question surrounding Photography popped its head up once more, is photography an art form?

As with all art forms, trends come and go, experimentations take place and that by no means it is any less worthy of artistic credibility or as Joanna Pitman, from The Times suggested an “abandonment of quality.” Conceptual Art Photography, as all like to call it now, is a very important development in Photography. It paved way for artists that use photography to feel worthy, understood as professionals outside the constraints of straight photography. It is an ever-increasing market within the industry and artists like Raad, Collins as well as Risthelhueber are intrinsic for its development. One can only hope that the Deutsche Börse is re-branded as an Art Prize because in my eyes Photography is worthy of that. 

Scott Short

The above images titled from top right to bottom centre are, “Untitled, (violet) 2008,” “Untitled (white) 2005” and “Untitled (green) 2009” are works by the American artist Scott Short born in 1964.

Short is an artist who has produced a body of work that focuses on large-scale paintings created from the abstracting process of reproduction. He paints the results of photocopying colour construction paper over and over. The results become black and white paintings at sizes like 82” x 60”. They comment on the copy becoming the original and the machine becoming the creative author in production. They have a wonderful place within our digitalised world and have been incredible research for yet another project I am undertaking. 

I have previously created a body of work that is exactly that. Four years ago at Degree level I completed a body of work that consisted of  large scale photocopies, commenting on the loss of the original and the reproduction process that aids this. I want to revisit this idea, with a mature take on the process as well as our new digitalised ideals. I will reproduce images through the traditional method - analogue enlargements in the darkroom. I will also be trying outing the project through photocopies once more and seeing what works best. Keep a look out for new posts relating to this experimentation, I enter the darkroom tomorrow!

All works above © Scott Short, 2005-2009.

Textual Addition

I have been developing this project through the use of text. I removed the pages that corresponded to the Photomontages and once again cut out each picture that appeared on both sides of the page. I then layered them over one another starting with the largest number at the back.

What you get is a wonderfully abstracted textual version of the book whereby the negative space created by the removal of images makes new words like "maomestic" as well as drawing your attention to the void left by the cuts and slices. I am also trying to work out whether this composition adds or detracts from each separate part.

All new pieces are copyrighted Melinda Gibson, 2009-2010.