Exhibition Planning and Finance Lecture with Karin

Today we had a really interesting and thought provoking lecture with Karin about exhibition planning and finance and how she managed it for her own personal exhibition. It was especially interesting for me because before I started University I was interested in become a curator in a gallery, so the things she spoke about were relevant for my understanding of the subject and defined how passionate I was about it still.

Firstly, Karin spoke about her exhibition she produced of her own work at Manchester Photographic Gallery. Before this exhibition was brought together in 2011, she had a number of commissions and exhibitions within Manchester and surrounding areas. She had an exhibitions shortly after she graduated focussing on Manchester musicians and their portraits in 1998. She then had an exhibition at the People's History Museum on the homeless people of the area in 1999, followed by an exhibition looking at the history of mental health in 2002. It was interesting to look at her previous work and how she has developed to become the photographer she is now.

Her exhibition that was held at Manchester Photographic Gallery was titled "AAA Shaun Ryder and Friends" and looked at the portraits she had taken of Shaun Ryder throughout his career. They had a professional and photographic relationship after they met at a festival in the mid 1990s. There were three floors that Karin spoke about at the lecture, Black Grape, Ten Mancs and On Tour with Shaun. Each different floor featured other musical artists that Shaun had worked with and met.

Karin spoke about finance, and how she financed the exhibition out of her own pocket. She was offered the full cost of the exhibition to be covered by the gallery, but they got to chose the frames and mounting techniques that were going to be used. To get full control of the exhibition and how it looked, she decided to finance it herself by taking out a loan, and used a variety of sprayed metal frames, glass mounted images and traditionally mounted frames. In total, she spent £4,500 on the exhibition, including all the prints, frames and access all areas passes for the opening night. The gallery priced the images at 50% commission, and Kopparberg sponsored the event. This made me think about the logistics of exhibition organisation and how much effort and planning would be needed to organise an international festival like we are.

We then decided, in my group, to construct a map of how the international festival would look, and how much it would cost. We, naturally, had to do an estimate of how much it would cost for the opening night of the festival, excluding the hire of Grizedale Forest as there were no quotations to hire a large outdoor area. We can imagine the estimate would be much more because of this.

PRINTS - £3700

18X METAL FRAMES - £2700

11X GOLD FINISH - £900

9X ACRYLICS - £1350

FLYERS - £200

500X LAUNCH NIGHT PASSES - £500

INVITATIONS - £50

SPOTLIGHT HIRE - £250

GENERATOR HIRE - £500

CRANE HIRE FOR HANGING OF IMAGES - £100

INDUSTRIAL WIRE TO HANG IMAGES - £250

PROJECTOR - £100

ACTORS FOR CABIN - £100

DANCERS - £100

LANTERNS - £40

CANDLES - £100

These were based on the sheet Karin gave us with the pricing of the frames and prints she bought for her shoot, as well as personal knowledge of how much it costs to finance an exhibition. I have only had one exhibition and that was at Haworth Art Gallery in Accrington in 2011. It was an awful experience for me as it so badly organised on their part, however, I managed to pull through the stress and exhibit my 7 images. I had been put off until I got offered an exhibition this November in my local town! This lecture was especially helpful in gaining more knowledge about how much time and effort goes into planning something like this, and how I need to be prepared!

Editorial Photography Research

Before my studio shoot with my friend Kelly, I decided to do some initial research into editorial photography by some of the leading magazines, and how they use photography to sell a product or promote a brand! I looked into both traditional photography methods, and a few experimental methods of capturing fashion portraits.

I thought this was an experimental way of showcasing a model through an editorial in a foreign version of Elle magazine. The model has been photographed in a studio using a white backdrop and three lights, two facing the model and one facing the background. However, in post production or so it seems, there has been a watercolour effect placed upon the models face. It appears to be a tattoo of some sort, placed on the models skin. It gives the overall photograph an artistic feel, as well as a Chinese tradition. My photographs are going to challenge the norm of editorial photography, and explore the realms of the unknown side of fashion photography which is not usually expressed within magazines. To help with my submission, I am going to submit my images to a number of different magazines, to gain feedback as to how they are viewed within a fashion industry environment.

This photograph has also been taken from Elle magazine and doesn't challenge the basics of fashion photography within the magazine. The model has been photographed from the knees up, with her hips leaning slightly to the left of the photograph. There has again been three lights used, and also a wind machine from the left of the shot to blow her hair back in a fashionable manner. I see this a lot in Vogue and Elle magazine, where they want to make the model appear more sexy and attractive. I plan to use the white background like a lot of editorial and fashion photography, but make the model stand out.

This editorial piece has been captured and featured in Vogue magazine. I have always followed Vogue and their work since I began University and even in that short space of time, I have examined their work and seen a change in it. Some of their editorial work is high end fashion, looking at pre-today and the fashions that have been. Others use the general "white background" approach when trying to see a product. The above shot is an example of where they take a fashion style from pre-today and base a photo shoot concept around it. This looks like it has been taken from the 19th century, judging by the dress and cuffs on the sleeves. There appears to be a stronger light emerging from the right of the image, casting a show on the left hand side of the models face. Again, a wind machine has been used to give the model an element of sexiness.

Above is how I pictured editorial photography to be captured. A typical white background with the model and what she is wearing being in focus. I plan to capture it this way as I want the blood and cuts to be the focus of the image, although I can image it would be even if I used a patterned background or a location. I want the blood to take all the drama of the photograph, and make the viewer look and think "Wow, why is she modelling looking like that?". I want to challenge the typical view of editorial and fashion photography and show people that it can be interesting, and can be captured in a scary and different way.

Kyle Thompson

For our main practitioner, who is going to represent the overall festival, we have chosen the work of Kyle Thompson, who is a self portrait photographer who is still relatively unknown in the photographic world, but is becoming more recognised for his self portrait fine art work.

My photographer was Maurice Heesen and we all agreed that his work contained subject matter that some members of the public may find offensive and graphic in nature.

I love Kyle Thompson's work because of the raw nature of his images, they show his struggle as a person and as a photographer, as well as document his thoughts and journey to becoming a photographer. I have followed Kyle Thompson's work for a number of years, so have witnessed the journey from his becoming an amateur photographer to a professional and recognised one. It would be nice to have someone so young who could connect with the students at the workshops on a personal level. 

Research: Paul Godfrey

I have chosen this image by this photographer, because of the setting and lighting that he has chosen. I love the dark lighting that seems to be directed from above the model and from the right. It makes her eyes appear mysterious and gives the image an overall dark feel. I will experiment with lighting in my images, and hopefully gain the intimate feel that these photographs possess.

Research: Erwin Olaf

Erwin Olaf is a photographer who has developed the series "Royal Blood", which looks at historical figures and represents them using blood and gore.

This photograph is based on Elisabeth of Bavaria, Empress of Australia and Queen of Hungary. The photograph, showing a knife through the heart represents the way she died after she was stabbed by a young anarchist at the age of 60.

This image is based on Alexandra Feodorovna who carried the disease "Haemophilia" which is a gene related disorder. She was executed in 1918 and was shot several different times. These photographs are edited a lot in PhotoShop, and I would like to keep editing to a minimum.

This photograph represents Julius Caesar who was one of the most famous political leaders, and the knife in the back represents the backstabbing and betrayal that ultimately lead to his death. I find these photographs inspiring and had made me think about the colour of background I want to have when capturing my photographs. Originally I wanted a black background to make the images dark and mysterious, but now I am drawn to having a white background and a well lit surrounding to show off the blood and make the photograph more visible.

http://www.erwinolaf.com/360/
http://www.wicked-halo.com/2009/07/royal-blood.html

Research: Clayton Cubitt (Raw Flesh)

"There is a face beneath this mask, but it isn't me. I'm no more that face than I am muscle beneath it, or the bones beneath that." -Moore

I have been looking at the work of Clayton Cubitt's and his series "Raw Flesh" which explores alternative fashion photography by posing models with cuts of flesh from animals, and using them as part of the shot.

http://claytoncubitt.com/raw-flesh/

Research: Steven Klein

Steven Klein is a fashion photographer who incorperates gore and blood into some of his imagery. He works for major fashion companies such as Dior, Alexander McQueen and Calvin Klein but challenges fashion photography by delving into the unknown.

I love this image because of the high fashion element which has been merged with the extensive blood and gore. Although my shoot is taking place in the studio, I have been inspired by this because of the use of blood in high fashion photography and how it has been accepted by brands as a form of art.

Klein also experiments with dark elements, such as metal and challenged the sexual aspect of the "nude" model. I like this photograph because of the dark setting and how the models make up compliments the atmosphere of the photograph.

This image was selected to appear alongside the exhibition held at the National Portrait Gallery titled "Face of Fashion". The exhibition was held alongside photographers such as Corraine Day, Paolo Roversi and Mario Sorrenti, which goes to show how photography as graphic as Steven Klein's can be viewed alongside photographs that are different. All my group are referencing the mystical element of fashion and portraiture photograph, and I was slightly worried that my work would not fit in. However, after seeing this exhibition and the work that was presented I feel at ease.

http://www.npg.org.uk/fashion/klein.php
http://fuckyeahstevenklein.tumblr.com/

Research: Jiamin Zhu

Jiamin Zhu has produced some images as part of a series looking at gore in fashion photography, and they have influenced me so much when planning and creating my idea for my studio shoot next week. I love the contrast between the high fashion make up on the face and the gore and blood on the chest. Although in my photographs, I want to use cuts and scabs on the face, with the high fashion make up, I have been inspired by this photograph for the composition and lighting of the studio lights.

Research: Maurice Heesen

I have chosen to base my research on Maurice Heesen on his set "Muerto Feliz" which looks at how death can occur at anytime and we should continue on through life with a smile on our face until the very end. I find his work inspirational because of the setting and time that has been placed into each photograph and the story behind them.



http://mauriceheesen.prosite.com/

Meeting with Jason - 11/02/2014

We, as a group, had a meeting with Jason Lock today to go over our ideas and see how far we had progressed in terms of planning and what we were doing photographically. Our initial idea for a location was Somerset House (http://www.somersethouse.org.uk/), but on second thoughts after speaking with Karin on Thursday, we didn't think the location reflected our mystical and weird portraiture theme and we needed to find somewhere that helped this.

Here, above, is Somerset House in London. It was our initial location for our festival but on reflection it didn't fit our magical and weird theme of surreal portraiture and "Realms of the Unknown. They host art events and weddings there as part of everyday life there. However, we have decided to change our location to Grizedale Forest in the Lake District.

Grizedale Forest is already open to wooden and metal sculptures that are scattered around the park, giving it an artistic feel to it. One of my groups members has been to Grizedale Forest before to see a photography exhibition in the forest, where the photographs were printed on a large scale and hung from the trees in a path, making you follow a story. For the other three members of my group, their work can all be hung outside, but because of the graphic nature of mine and Maurice Heesen's work, they would have to be shown in a cabin/hut to comply with the 18+ age restriction.

Maurice Heesen

For our festival idea, we have chosen “Realms of the Unknown”, which explores alternative portraiture photography, focussing on magical and “weird” side of capturing people. Maurice Heesen likes to tell stories through his photography, developing a narrative that we can follow, no matter how dark or disturbing it may be.

Although you could class Maurice Heesen as a known practioner, in my own personal work I have never seen nor heard of him. From his biography on his website, it doesn’t seem like he has exhibited in any exhibitions, which is why I chose him as I thought using this work as a solo exhibition would be impactful and get his name out there more as an arts based photographer rather than commercial. I, personally, prefer this work that focussed on the surreal and bizarre, rather than his commercial work. He has worked with numerous clients, such as Nike, Vodafone and McDonalds.

The set of photographs I have decided to base my research on for my own development and photographic imagery for this festival is “Muerto Feliz”. The tagline for this piece is “We only fear death because we don’t know what is there. It’s better to keep laughing in life until we meet death.” His piece concentrating on people laughing and smiling until the very end, grinning at the camera whilst they lie in a pool of their own blood with the world seemingly carrying on. My favourite image from the set of 5 images is the image showing the man at the table with the gun in his hand, with what I believe is his wife or partner washing up in the background. This give me the idea that Heesen wants to show that when we die, the world carries on and we will just end there. Quite a depressing thought, but very well executed through this series. Maurice Heesen is the standard of photograph I aspire to be if I ever decided to take the freelance, arts based, commercial route of photography.

I decided to choose Maurice Heesen for this festival because of the nature of his photographs. I have never seen some execute gore and blood in their work so professionally as Maurice Heesen has, hence why I am so intrigued and impressed by his work. If we was planning the logistic of the festival, his and my work would have to be exhibited in an age restricted room because of the nature of the imagery. Subjecting young children to these images would be wrong. I plan to develop a set of photographs looking at high fashion models, with the hair and make up, but with a twist of blood and gore. I plan to use dark lighting and shadows to manipulate the viewer and make the imagery seem dark and confusing.

Initial Research

After receiving the brief, my small group have decided to base our exhibition idea on the concept of "Realms of the Unknown", a different take on portraiture photography by delving into alternative ways of photographing the human body.

We have been asked to create a festival idea based upon the ideas of other international and local festivals that take place focussing on photography and showing the work of small and world recognised photographers. We have to produce a series of 6 images relating to the theme we have chosen as a group.

New York Photo Festival
All photographers work to a theme, which last year was Resolution. All submissions that are chosen receive a prize, and it explores the matrix of art photography and social documentary  The festival is held online, as well as live events being held by 4 curators.

PhotoMonth - Krakow
The theme this year is fashion, and photographers are chosen before the events rather than have to enter a competition. This year photographers such as Corraine Day, Walter Pfeiffer and Milou Abel are working with the festival.

Fotofestiwal - Lodz
This is the first photography festival that was ever festival that was created in Poland, there is space for various forms of photography and a forum for discussion on specific pieces of work and the festival as a whole!


My chosen photographer for the research towards my festival is Maurice Heesen and their set of photographs titled Muerto Feliz.

I want to go all out on this brief and compose a series of photographs for this brief that represent what I find interesting within portraiture. Heesen's images are graphic, and therefore could not be shown to everyone without a disclaimer. Therefore, I need to think about the content of my photographs and if this would be suitable to visitors of all ages, or just 18+.