Pictures of Places/Things. Landscape/Still Life as Art
[Consider PACA Ch3 Deadpan, Ch4 Something and Nothing, and the New
Topographics article]
Select at least 3 good photos (can be 5, 10,
20) that belong together as a single project. Present at least 2 more
photos as photos you took for the project but that ultimately did not
make the cut. Present the extra 2 separately (clearly marked as not
making the cut). This is to think critically about selecting as part
of your process.
As a starting point for this project, I want you all to think about
what it means to make landscape or still-life (and these categories
can be very much open to interpretation what it is) responding to the
things you read about, most specifically but not limited to chapters 3
and 4 of PACA and the New Topographics article.
I ask you to think where the art is.
(eg. Why is it worth showing to others?)
Some thoughts:
We've been looking at and reading about what
people think is good within the art discourse. So I want you to
consider that. And make a case for why your art work is
worth our attention.
A good way to approach this is to make work
informed by the current discourses and precedents set by other
artists. Take a position - you could resist or push forward the
legacy, for example of the new topogoraphics. Do you like or dislike
their work? If so why? And then think how it could be responded in the
work. Make sure you are responding with intent at every stage of the process
One method I suggest is to start by copying a style/position of an artist you like. The reality is that you won't be able to make an exact copy but inevitably you will contribute your mark on it. Think about what you have contributed.
Make the work relevant for you, your time, and your place.