Year 2.4 - Extracting

Short video about what I'm looking for during this project. Yes, I did notice the hair :) - haha.

My next step is to look for an environment that conflicts even better with the rawness of the stones and/or find a way to make the stones look like something else, whatever that may be! If it is even possible to make the stones look like something else, or if it's already something else by photographing it in a studio!? Or is it still just a rock?

I strongly feel like the camera and the environment creates something of great value out of these rocks. Another interesting question.

I figured by removing these items from their environment, I changed their meaning. I took away the pure energy it holds, the rawness.
By photographing (for example the stones) in an artificial way, changing its environment, I may also be able to change the stone's essence, if that's what I want. It's that conflict that holds my interest (the camera lies, remember). What happens to the raw stones when photographed in a studio? Or even in a different environment? Is the stone still real? Did it become something else?

  

Video: Sand 

Year 2.4 - Between the lie & truth - update

Within my studies the research to illusion and truth became very important. There's a conflict that appeals to me. It seems the image, the idea became more important than reality. Reality is boring and the illusion gives us something more, it's attractive, different.

I have been looking for something pure, something real, perhaps even authentic. The example of the beach of Baudrillard (Blog post 'Year 2.4, Start' http://aliciavanloenhout.blogspot.com/2012/04/year-24.html) was quite interesting to me, which made me start looking on the beach. I photographed the raw structures of rocks and collected some sand, stones and water.

Year 2.4 - Between the lie & truth

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It feels like we are all continuously searching for patterns, shapes and similarities to different situations and things we see. Just to be able to see 'the bigger picture'. To have a meaning, to understand. Our mind mixes thoughts, ideas and images seen before. I think it's rather impossible to search for the absolute truth, simply because I believe there is no such thing. It's more likely we all have our own ideas we consider truth, because of the way we've been raised or what others have told.

In this project my camera represents my eyes and mind. The images seen below are created through mirrors.. But it's not the way I see the world just yet. It's merely how I interpreter the camera and our thoughts towards the world. Or, my thoughts. As an illusion, indirect. I'm working on this right now so I'll update soon!

Year 2.4 - Start

 

Het nostalgische beeld van een verleden (cliché), zo romantisch, zo'n leugen. Het vroeger wat is ingeprent en als fijn kan worden ervaren in ons geheugen is niet de realiteit zelf, maar wat wij, als  individu, persoonlijk erkennen en herkennen als zijnde ervaringen en situaties (welke wij al eerder hebben gezien of gehoord), of misschien wíllen hoe een beeld van het verleden eruit ziet, d.m.v. onze kennis van beelden en ideeën wat wij ooit gezien hebben. Deze informatie wordt opgeslagen in onze hersenen (databank). Natuurlijk is deze informatie onbetrouwbaar doordat dit verward kan worden met andere 'gegevens'. 

 Dus hoe definiëren wij de 'waarheid'? Ik heb nooit in een absolute waarheid geloofd, omdat mensen subjectief zijn net als alles om ons heen. Tijdens dit project ga ik kritische vragen stellen aan de fotografie zelf en de verschillende aspecten ervan, hoe onze visie en ideeën zijn veranderd door deze nieuwe manier van kijken naar de wereld.

An image this illustrated, to represent the past in such romantic way, is nothing but a lie. The past we remember isn't the real past, but what we know and recognise through situations, experiences and images we've seen before. All this information is stored in our brain and of course this information isn't always that reliable because feelings and ideas are easily mixed up in our heads. So how do we define 'truth'? I've always believed there's no absolute truth, human beings are subjective and so is everything around us. I'll be researching and asking questions about photography itself and its aspects, how our vision, ideas and beliefs changed because of this new way of looking at the world. It will be the main question and focus in my research during this project. 

While studying work of the philosopher Jean Baudrillard there's an example of the beach we know and think about and there's the real beach. For example: when a beach is set up in a studio, for commercial means perhaps, and we walk in that studio or see a picture of this beach we'll feel that this beach is more real to us than when driving to an actual coast.. (maybe not when you live in Hawaii?).

Photography tempts us with its manipulative beauty. Of course it's obvious that this beach is a set up, but everyone gets the idea of a beach where a real beach won't always accomplish to create the same feeling. It shows how certain words and ideas (mostly through photographs) we've gathered in our minds over the years are not 'real', but became our truth. 

Year 2.3 - Minor Photography

De Narcist
The Narcissist

Vanuit het idee, fascinatie en ook frustratie voor en over de narcist ben ik gestart in de vorm van een dagboek gedurende de minor periode (richting fotografie). Vanuit een soort identificatie en punten van herkenning in de narcist heb ik onderzoek gedaan naar deze persoon met het idee te proberen zo iemand te kunnen begrijpen. Het waarom. Aangezien de logica van een echte narcist zeer eigenaardig is voor mij (en vele anderen) begrijp ik nog steeds niet de gedachtegang. Is het controle? Is het pure lust naar status? Is het werkelijk een verwerping van het leven? Dit zijn de concrete vragen die naar boven kwamen tegen het einde van de minor periode.

Naast deze vragen over de narcist zelf is er een richting ontstaan over de vraag wat waarheid en leugen zelf nu eigenlijk is. Hoe dun is deze lijn? Voor een (zware) pathologische leugenaar is zijn leugen zijn waarheid. De narcist gelooft in zijn eigen leugens en zijn eigen macht.

Door fotografie in te zetten als medium (wat in eerste instantie wordt gezien als de meest realistische manier om beelden te creëren, maar eigenlijk heel misleidend is), start ik een nieuw onderzoek naar onze perceptie van 'de wereld', onze waarheid en de leugen die hierin verscholen ligt.

The idea, fascination and at the same time frustration about the narcissist made me keep a journal when the minor photography started it in year 2.3. The identification with the narcissist was interesting to me so I did some research to try to understand the narcissist. Is it control? Lust for power? Or is it truly a rejection of life itself? Those were some of the questions I tried to answer.

During this project I actually started to question truth and lie itself. Illusion. The lie is the truth to a real pathological liar, and the narcissist believes in his own lies and his own power, which is an illusion, 'cause most of the time they can't stand authorities and can't handle power... They make things really complicated for themselves.

By using photography, which is a medium usually considered as realistic, it's quite interesting because photography is actually very manipulative and misleading. So because of this project during the minor, I sort of continued the project in a new way at the fine art program, to explore my own truth and my own idea of the truth and the lie, the illusion..

Het is nu 5 uur.

It's 5 'o clock right now.

 

Het was er prachtig en ontzettend warm! Een groot zwembad met uitzicht over de zee, een bar, alles 'all inclusive'.