(Format: Newest at top. Scroll to bottom for overveiw of project in chronological order.)
All annotations, writing and research can be found in my photo diary
Final outcome: Documentary
Spring Lane portraits
I think that these 3 portraits work well as a set, as they are all quite striking and touching. The portrait format and the three quarter body crop give the impression that the viewer is opposite the subject which creates an atmosphere of intimacy. I find that these pictures are a sound representation of the relationships that I developed with the residents at spring lane.
Bernadette
Spring Lane interiors
As well as the people at Spring Lane, I wanted to get an impression of the actual building so I photographed fragments of the interior, much like my previous 'living room' and 'kitchen' pictures. I concentrated on small sections such as phones signs and walking frames and contrasted them with wide shots of long empty, almost identical corridors and sterile lifts. I feel that the photographs illustrate the institutional atmosphere but this is offset by some personal and homely touches such as the children's fridge magnets and the residents names on the laundry shelf.
Spring Lane: interviews
Below I have displayed portraits of the residents I have hitherto interviewed along with either raw footage or an extract of the dialog I recorded.
Cathy
DSC 1104 from Lydia Francis on Vimeo.
For my documentary at Spring lane, I have so far conducted interviews with several residents and have found them to be a diverse and interesting group of individuals and have all had very different responses to my questions. I try to instigate a conversation whilst filming and then let the dialog take whatever course it may, sometimes prompting where appropriate and have found this had produced some arresting results.
Here I have displayed raw footage of Cathy, a woman I met on the 3rd floor of the building, (the floors have worsening degrees of Alzheimer's, 1 being the mildest and 4 the most severe) together with some photographs. Cathy didn't really engage me in conversation but instead was blissfully contented to sing to herself in half rhymes. It was interesting to consider what was in Cathy's mind as she seemed to be very far away and peaceful. Did she know where she was or who she was? When I asked a carer if this was Cathy's usual state, he replied that she sometimes speaks of her life and family but that it varies from day to day.
Here I have displayed raw footage of Cathy, a woman I met on the 3rd floor of the building, (the floors have worsening degrees of Alzheimer's, 1 being the mildest and 4 the most severe) together with some photographs. Cathy didn't really engage me in conversation but instead was blissfully contented to sing to herself in half rhymes. It was interesting to consider what was in Cathy's mind as she seemed to be very far away and peaceful. Did she know where she was or who she was? When I asked a carer if this was Cathy's usual state, he replied that she sometimes speaks of her life and family but that it varies from day to day.
Cathy's RoomAfter my first interview Cathy, I felt that I wanted to create a broader portrait of her and to get a sense of who she was before her dementia set in. I talked to two carers on the third floor and they told me that Catherine used to be an successful artist and has had works published. I also found that her mind has degenerated significantly since coming to Spring Lane a few years ago; she used to engage the carers and other residents, joining in activities, dancing and painting but now she has forgotten most things, even how to draw. to get a further sense of her character I photographed parts of her room (in some ways an extension of my previous 'living room project'). There were a few family photographs and books and lots of soft toys which she likes to cuddle and call 'her babies'. I think that Cathy painted the picture on the top right. I found this to be quite a sad and touching experience, seeing someones regression into a childlike state.
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Chris
Chris from Lydia Francis on Vimeo.
Norman
norman footage from Lydia Francis on Vimeo.
Richard
Richard has a very interesting story, which I learned when I interviewed him. He was raised as very strictly religious and was beaten by priests at his catholic grammar school, although despite this I think that religion is still a big part of his life. He was training to be a doctor at medical school when, at the age of twenty, whilst on holiday in Italy he was involved in a serious car crash. His friend fell asleep at the wheel and was killed and Richard suffered a skull injury which gave him serious brain damage and he has been disabled ever since. He can't retain information but he can remember most things that happened prior to the accident. He was never able to become a doctor and never married or had any children. Now in his mid 60's Richard is at Spring Lane. He said to me 'I just wish that I had more to offer the world'.
Richard's Room
Molly
Molly's Room
Russell
David: screen shots
David raw footage from Lydia Francis on Vimeo.
louise from Lydia Francis on Vimeo.
Louise's Room
Heck of a wash
Photographs
Documentary intentions:
As a natural development to my documentation of people, I have decided to progress to using film to capture my subjects.
I aspire to be a director and have been very inspired by the works of Louis Theroux, Werner Herzog and Nick Broomfeild; I find the way in which they engage their subjects, instigate debate and how their questions illuminate aspects of their subjects persona highly interesting. I find Louis Theroux's documentaries very engaging, particularly how he is non patronising in his approach to interviewing and genuinely curious. His revealing films often involve exploring the 'bizarre' and 'quirky', which gives him an Arbus-esque streak which I am drawn to. For instance, in his 'weird weekend' series for BB2 Louis examines extreme American subcultures and professions, such as the porn and professional wrestling industries, survivalists, UFO enthusiasts, brothel workers and white supremacy groups.
"I am Setting out to discover the genuinely odd in the most ordinary setting. To me, it's almost a privilege to be welcomed into these communities and to shine a light on them and, maybe, through my enthusiasm, to get people to reveal more of themselves than they may have intended. The show is laughing at me, adrift in their world, as much as at them. I don't have to play up that stuff. I'm not a matinee idol disguised as a nerd."
-Louis Theroux on his work
I find Werner Herzog's technique especially how he combines aesthetic with narrative. I found his 'death row' series for channel 4 very compelling; it documents inmates of death row, revealing their stories, crimes and personas. I couldn't find a link that would permit embedding, but I have put 'grizzly man', a documentary about a man who 'lived and died with bears' in its stead, which is a fascinating film.
As a natural development to my documentation of people, I have decided to progress to using film to capture my subjects.
I aspire to be a director and have been very inspired by the works of Louis Theroux, Werner Herzog and Nick Broomfeild; I find the way in which they engage their subjects, instigate debate and how their questions illuminate aspects of their subjects persona highly interesting. I find Louis Theroux's documentaries very engaging, particularly how he is non patronising in his approach to interviewing and genuinely curious. His revealing films often involve exploring the 'bizarre' and 'quirky', which gives him an Arbus-esque streak which I am drawn to. For instance, in his 'weird weekend' series for BB2 Louis examines extreme American subcultures and professions, such as the porn and professional wrestling industries, survivalists, UFO enthusiasts, brothel workers and white supremacy groups.
"I am Setting out to discover the genuinely odd in the most ordinary setting. To me, it's almost a privilege to be welcomed into these communities and to shine a light on them and, maybe, through my enthusiasm, to get people to reveal more of themselves than they may have intended. The show is laughing at me, adrift in their world, as much as at them. I don't have to play up that stuff. I'm not a matinee idol disguised as a nerd."
-Louis Theroux on his work
I find Werner Herzog's technique especially how he combines aesthetic with narrative. I found his 'death row' series for channel 4 very compelling; it documents inmates of death row, revealing their stories, crimes and personas. I couldn't find a link that would permit embedding, but I have put 'grizzly man', a documentary about a man who 'lived and died with bears' in its stead, which is a fascinating film.
Louis Theroux: 'weird weekends' Nick Broomfelid: 'Aileen: the life and death of a serial killer' Werner Herzog: 'Grizzly man'
Further inspiration: 'Lift' by Marc Isaacs |
'56 up' a film that follows people from age 7 upwards, returning every seven years to see their progression. This is the most recent film, where the children are 56. |
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I have previously made a 20 minute documentary about a Soho drag queen whose performance name was 'Julie Paid', which I found to be a rich and informative experience, and I found film was an apt way of creating an intimate portrait of someone. In my documentary I recorded 'Julie' preparing for a performance, whilst interviewing him about his life and experiences. Below is a link to the full film.
Julie from Lydia Francis on Vimeo.
I intend to make two documentaries to complete my project:
East Finchley laundrette
One of my films will be about the laundrette 'Heck of a wash' on the East Finchley highroad. Here I will explore the idea of a community within a community, encompassing interviews with staff and customers and shots of the everyday life there. I hope to capture the connections forged between the people who frequent the shop and learn some of their stories, illuminating the ways in which a place can bring together diverse individuals from a variety of different backgrounds. I intend to combine the chronicling of people with the constant monotony of the machines.
East Finchley laundrette
One of my films will be about the laundrette 'Heck of a wash' on the East Finchley highroad. Here I will explore the idea of a community within a community, encompassing interviews with staff and customers and shots of the everyday life there. I hope to capture the connections forged between the people who frequent the shop and learn some of their stories, illuminating the ways in which a place can bring together diverse individuals from a variety of different backgrounds. I intend to combine the chronicling of people with the constant monotony of the machines.
Snow portraits
Blizzard street
During a fierce january blizzard I took photographs on East Finchley highroad as part of my Britain documentation. This serves to illustrate different weather conditions and the subsequent interactions between the people and weather. I have previously explored this humorously British way of reacting in unique and sometimes absurd ways to weather, for instance my 'British summer' and 'Patriotic in the rain' pictures, which show people and extreme temperatures: sun, rain and now snow.
Donald in the corner shop
Gill and Mike: Living Room
Gill and Mike: Kitchen
Donald: Kitchen
I also recorded parts of kitchens, to further illustrate the personalities of the subjects.
Donald: Living Room
This is my second 'living room' observation. I took photographs of Donald's living room, concentrating on small fragments of the room; documenting pictures of family, model cars, cassette tapes. I then pieced together the pictures, matching the tones and textures , such as the horizontal lines of the picture frames and tapes. I think that the objects depicted coupled with the portraits of Donald really create a portrait of him. For instance, by seeing the interior of his living space, the viewer is able to see that he is a fan of racing cars, Marilyn Monroe and old hollywood musicals. I think that by displaying both the person and their belongings, it creates a much richer representation of the person, rather than a simple photograph of their face.
Alec and Tina: 'Living Room Project' development
As a strand of development, I have decided to concentrate on people's environments and the subsequent interactions and details that make them specicific or familiar to an individual/s. My 'local laundrette' documentation somewhat explored this, as I took photographs of the people and their surrounding objects, (such as the 'please dont take the baskets home' sign) capturing what makes a place unique. After photographing the interior of my neighbors house, I found that by displaying the images in the above format highlights how the images correspond to one another and demonstrates the way that our belongings reveal aspects of our lives and character. The Alec and Tina photos were taken in their living room, which is, for many households, perhaps the most personal room, used for entertaining, reclining and 'living' in; the central organ of a house. Therefore, I intend to take a few more observations of people and their living rooms, mixing the objects and people together in a mosaic format, thus, hopefully creating a portait of their individuality and quirks.
End of project 1
Development of seasonal documentation:
Christmas Revellers
For my 'Britain book' I have attempted to record the British at christmas, with interesting results.
Tesco
Methodist Home for the Aged: Darts
As a development from my prior documentation of 'Mulberry Court home for the elderly', I decided to expand my work by taking further observations at different retirement homes. These photographs were taken at 'the Methodist Home for the Aged' in Muswell Hill, where I asked at reception if I could take portraits of the residents. When I arrived, the inhabitants of the home were playing darts and socialising and I tried to capture their liveliness in my photographs.
East Finchley Christmas Market
69 Bedford Road: Alec and Tina
This set of photographs is a development of my 'community' documentation. Alec and Tina, who are originally from Greece, have lived two doors down from me ever since I was born; I have known them all my life. I asked to take some pictures of the interior of thier house and portaits of them and they happily obliged. I tried to capture a sense to their relationship and personalities, as well as the furnishings of their house.
Cities
Brighton
Amanda Palmer: Exploring sub culture and atmosphere
Responses to Paul Grahams 'Beyond Caring' series:
Local Laundrette
Retirment home
Sketch book page (click to enlarge)
Community center: Muslim women having lunch before prayers
(Paul Graham Development)
In the above 3 observations I have used my local community as a source of inspiration, documenting places and people residing in East Finchley. In this way, I feel that there is a sense of intimacy and familiarity in the photographs; in this way they are more personal to me as a photographer. I tried to capture the diversity and ambience of where I have grown up, and visited some diverse places (primarily community centers, retirement homes and shops) in order to convey this.
Selection edited in B&W to explore tone, shadow and focus of subject.
Although I think that the pictures look more bold and dramatic in monochrome, I think that the colours work better as they are so vibrant, and such an integral part of the image.
Fortismere Fireworks
Fire Eater Tryptic
Paris: Capturing ambience
Street Photography
Cat People
The Eifel Tower: Tourism
Paris exhibition visits
Paul Graham
Tattoo Portraits
Sketch book page (click to enlarge)
Monochrome Development
Slut walk
Patriotism
Exploring culture in London
China Town- culture within culture?
Thai Festival
Curatorship Task
Tales of the city: San Francisco
American Kitsch
Out of town: Jackson Portraits
Dancer in the Dark
Sketch book page (click to enlarge)
British Beach
Gay Pride Parade 2012
Sketch Book Page (click to enlarge)
Diamond Jubilee:
Patriotic in the rain
Sketch book page (click to enlarge)
British Summer
Sketch book page (click to enlarge)
Tales of the city:
Monochrome
Sketch book page (click to enlarge)
Sand Hands
Balance
Lines, shapes and colours
Introduction to project (sketchbook page scanned) |
At the start of this project I experimented with shapes and composition, before I began to think of ideas and