Observation

3/11/14

Observation

 

By observing the area from different angles and aspects of it i found that it changed the mood and overall feeling of something that originally and at first glance seemed quite insignificant. this method of recording celebrates and amplifies the spirit of the subject matter, bringing them back to life almost as they become re noticed again. I crouched down very low for this picture with the camera on the ground in order to include the leaf that was growing out of a crack in the concrete floor as well as a low angle of the abandoned couch. This shows the urban battle between the struggle of plants trying to grow in man made areas.

ob·ser·va·tion [ob-zur-vey-shuhn] Noun

1.  an act or instance of noticing or perceiving.

 2.  an act or instance of regarding attentively or watching. 

3.  the faculty or habit of observing or noticing.

In animation it is important to become a great observer and to notice the minute. To study the world around you with all of its contents and complexities. This project is to start the process of observing and 'seeing' as well as looking. In the environments we find ourselves in there are many new things to discover. Some of the things we may pass by, at first glance perhaps their precious or interesting qualities not noticed. I am going to become aware, and notice these precious aspects of things. and record and save my findings in various ways.

flâneur/flaˈnəː,French flanœʀ/

noun
A person who saunters around observing society.

We are going to wander to Stockport's Market Square to a courtyard at the back of an art cafe called '7 miles out'. We will be "les Flâneurs". Explorers with the simple intention of noticing things, and noticing things that perhaps may not be immediately obvious. This task allows me to take time to notice things in small confined area narrowing my range of space to observe and there fore encouraging me to look deeper into this area. 

I will record my findings with a range of methods and materials such as papers, drawings materials, cameras, sound recordings, and impressions with clay to build my collection. I will use them to explore the place but also to explore the idea of "capturing". 

Leonardo Da Vinci 1452-1519:

Leonardo was a great observer. He excelled in many areas, his range wide and way ahead of his time in a broad range of areas. He closely observed the body and how the brain worked and the circulatory system. His findings of these topics became the basis of research today. 
He was one of the most famous, inventors and scientists who ever lived. His energy was limitless when i came to asking questions and searching for answers and on top of this he was the master of observation, which led to more questions and discoveries. He had a strong desire to learn as much as he could about everything he observed. He learned from experiencing, experimenting and observing everything he came in contact with. 

“The average human looks without seeing, ! listens without hearing, touches without feeling, ! eats without tasting, moves without physical awareness, inhales without awareness of odour or fragrance, ! and talks without thinking.”!

- Leonardo da Vinci 

Elliot Erwitt Newyork City 2000:

Elliot Erwitt is a photographer from France who observed the world as he walked through it searching for moments and timing, taking into consideration the angles and positioning of an image and the importance that all of theses have combined. One of the subjects Wdward frequently photographed through out his career was dogs. This picture below is one of his photographs of observation.

Since the 1970s, he has devoted much of his energy toward movies.

This photograph shows an image that has not been digitally manipulated or manipulated in any way, but shows how the photographer has taken an observational recording of a situation at just the right time and angle to capture this moment in a certain way making it seem as though the dog on the persons lap is actually the head of the person with a human body. 

"To me, photography is an art of observation. It's about finding something interesting in an ordinary place... I've found it has little to do with the things you see and everything to do with the way you see them."

- Elliott Erwitt! 

Scene from American Beauty Directed By Sam Mendes:

                           

This short clip from the film shows the observation that one of the characters from the move made and how by observing the dancing plastic bag he brought it to life, noticed its precious qualities, if movements how it flowed and gave it human characteristics by describing it as a child and by saying it was playing. This way of describing and viewing the inanimate object most would see as just rubbish, gave it a personality like a human would have and gave it life. 

My Own Observations: 

When visiting the courtyard there was not much space to observe as it was a small confined area that had been left untouched for some time. My task was to observe and record unnoticed aspects of the area and small sections of interest and this idea of being in a confined area allowed me to delve deeper into sections of the area rather than being overwhelmed with subject matter of a large area. I wanted to observe the textures of the area along with the shapes and spaces within it and also the inhabitants of the area such as the creatures that had moved in and made it their home due to the lack of human interference such as the numerous spider and insects that had made their homes here.

I wanted my recordings to show the atmosphere of the place and the components that make up this area to give viewers a sense of the place and show them a more in-depth view, delving deeper into the perhaps less noticeable observations rather than showing the area as a whole. This way the viewer can feel each aspect of the area individually and build up their own overall feelings of the atmosphere and personality of the place. Almost like a more forensic unraveling of the courtyard.
To do this i recorded my findings in various ways, making sketches of the natural structures in the area and broke/ chipped fragments in the wall, i made rubbings of the various marks and textures of the area and used different materials to capture and symbolise the atmosphere of the place.
I found that when recording

These are two images i took while observing the courtyard i was in. I recorded them by taking photographs, a very literal method of recording, however i took them from unusual angles and of unusual subject matter such as the top image which show shows an image in which i positioned the camera from underneath a small tunnel in the side of a wall of a spider web, to show the perpective of this section of the are that the spider may hve, giving the audience a diffrent point of view. This shows how i have used an extreme close up and angles and positioning to show a new approach and perspective of the area to the viewer which celebrates a very noticed yet intriguing section of the place. The second image shows how i have used black and white photography to emphasise the contrast i found in some areas. the effect of taking pictures in black and white is that it reduces all the distractions of colour in the image and shows clearly areas of high contrast but also emphasises the textures on the floor in this image. Again i took this picture in a perhaps unusual side angle in order to prevent the audience slightly from seeing the image literally (as a couch near a sheet) breaking the everyday connects made with the image at first glance and allowing the audience to sense the atmosphere of the image and so see the textures, lines and shapes made by the area, rather than just to look at recognisable objects that are easily dismissed. The image requires more thought and deeper observation that just first glance due to its angle and so starts to make the audience themselves observe this area in a deeper way.

These are two more of the image i captured at the courtyard. The top image shows another example of contrasts in the area between light and shadow and creates a rather humble effect in the this image i think as the small spotlight in the abandoned dark gloomy surface highlights the subtle mossy textures that can be seen in the image showing the formation of life on the crumbling bricks and emphasises the organic nature of the textures in this image. There is also an element of movement in this image created by the line made by the edges of the bricks in the middle of the image which travels to the top of the image and shows perspective. this line leads the eye along it and creates an aspect of movement. It also shows some repetition as the eye leads along the line due to the fact that the bricks are in town and repeat one after another along the line.

These two images were the most straightforward images i took with regards to how the audience will view them as straight away we see the couches and know what they are with out having to look any deeper into the image etc. However i liked the feeling these images had and the qualities they possessed with the message they portrayed about the area and their literal appearance helped with this. I think these images show the overall feelings i got from the area of abandonment, with traces left and clues that show how it used to cared for at one point. This image of the chair shows the regal design of the couch and its form and textures still intact, however the viewer can also see how the chair has become weathered and broken and now sits abandoned in the urban outdoors, however even so, the image still shows a humble and even charming appeal about it, with the contrasting textures and subtle tones of washed out naturalistic colours. This image shows how the abandoned objects can still be captured as precious and how their spirit can be revived through observation.

The top image of these two shows text in the top left corner behind the curling barbed wire. the curling of the text reflects the curls of the wire. These two images of the same area next to each other shows the contrast of the elements inside it however with one main theme of 'abandonment'. The wires suggest a more industrial and urban environment while the spider web show a more natural and earthy environment. 

Slide Show of all the images i took for my observational recordings:

Time-lapse Videos i captured of the area:

This video is showing some of the movement in the area. The movement is subtle and simple, of a piece of leave attached to a string of spiderweb swaying slightly, it suggests the simplicity of the area with regards to the fact that it has been pretty much untouched and emphasises this feeling of loneliness and abandonment about the place as this is the only movement i show of the area and so gives a feeling of no business or human interference. This video also gives the visual perspective and point of view of the small inhabitants of the area such as the spiders (keeping up with my reoccurring theme of spider webs).

This image is a timelapse video i took of a worm moving through soil on the floor. The effect of it is a twitchy hard to focus on almost eery short clip as it shows the dirt around the worm and the organic form of the worm itself. This is showing a more naturalistic view of the area and its inhabitants, but also displays an uncomfortable atmosphere that reflects the subtle uncomfortable feeling of the courtyards mess and abandonment.

Some of the drawings i recorded of the area (can be seen in sketchbook): 

This is a charcoal rubbing i took of one of the textures in the area. This was the texture and form of a rusted grid on the floor. The effect of using charcoal creates a gritty dirty appearance and reflects the nature of the grid. This idea of rubbing to record an image, is directly recording each fragment of the subject while still maintaining a rather abstract and not completely figurative appearance of the grid. 

Drawing i made to represent one of the spider webs i noticed and recorded.

Drawing i recorded of another spider web that leads into a hole in the wall. 

In the courtyard there were wires along the walls that hung limply and as though they were about to fall off. I drew the lines made by these wires and overlapped the different trails made by each of them to make an abstract representation of these wires. The creases in the tracing paper represent and suggest the cracks in the wall behind the wires. 

05/11/14

Displaying my work 

I placed my display under a desk as it is hidden away slightly and the viewer has to crouch down to see it. this in a way reflects the nature of the area and my experience of the area as there are many hidden aspects of the area that are interesting and when finding these i had to move around, crouch down lean over things to observe some hidden parts of the area as opposed to just walking round it staying at a constant height.

These photographs show how i have hung up my elements and recordings in my display area, some of my recordings can not be seen such as two small screws i hung up from the ceiling of my display that i collected from the courtyard and brought back with me. I also had my videos playing at the back of this display however i had to move them by the time i photographed my display. 

I arranged my display in a way that would represent the area as a whole even though i only recorded small individual section of the area such as the numerous spiderwebs. i organised my findings in a way that they were spread out with in the area. For example i have placed many of my spider web recordings hanging from the roof of my display as most of the time they were up fairly high and hung. i have placed my recordings of the old couch at the back of my display as this is where it was situated in the courtyard. there were also some wires that hung on the wall of the courtyard, i made drawing of these and placed them on the walls of my display. I chose to have my display in a this section underneath a table as it creates a darker environment and emphasises this gurney abandoned feel that the courtyard gave to me, and allowed me to reflect my experience more clearly.
The way i organised my work in this section is layered. Some of my work is behind others, meaning that the viewer has to look further to see more of my findings. This represents the area and the nature of how i recorded my work with regards to the fact of the more you look, the more you find.