Machines for Living :The Voice

Taking inspiration from my previous idea, I have chosen to look at how the voice is a key machine for living. Based around the early 20th century artistic view that the machine can be interpreted as an intricate natural system or organism such as the human body, I wish to explore how the voice is used, and how we are defined by the way we communicate. What fascinates me is the idea that  the voice can be interpreted simultaneously as both a product of a mechanism within the human body, and additionally as a concept of expression. I have been inspired to pursue this idea through the observation of a machine used to deliver vocal communication, namely through the technology to aid the disabled. While the machine used by those unable to speak embodies the idea of a machine for living, I am also inspired to document the variety of ways in which the voice is used to create impact.

Machines for Living

The Machine For Living project is proving to be most interesting and is encouraging me to explore many different ideas and potential artistic techniques. I was drawn to the conception of the machine as an important concept and metaphor, and so this lead me to begin the project by exploring the role of machinery in war. In doing this, I placed particular focus on how the literature of Kurt Vonnegut, Howard Nemerov and Ernst Hemingway can not only serve to explore the perception that soldiers are mechanisms of war, but can also provide an insight as to why the manner of these particular veterans has been branded as 'cold, rigid and mechanical' like a machine by many. I was inspired by the photographic works of Stephen Sagmeister and his fusion of text and the human form to therefore produce a series of small graphic drawings of Vonnegut, Hemingway and Nemerov each decorated with quotations from their literature taking form around their structure. In terms of the quotations, I chose those upon which reflected the war time experiences of the writers themselves, so as to explore the way in which experiences can shape who we become (in this case, how such war time experience have the power to influence an individual's behaviour to become much like a machine).

Overall, I am fairly pleased with how the outcome of the drawings. I wanted to capture the raw expressions of the subjects and thus I did not add any tonal value to the drawings, and instead stuck to a black graphic line. However, I struggled with the accuracy of the line and keeping the figures in proportion, which has given my drawings a slightly rougher quality which I would like to improve upon. Overall, I think that I want to move on from this idea and explore other ways of interpreting a machine for living.

Reflections in the Mirror

These are a few examples taken from my photographic series on 'Mirrors'. In terms of their position in the power point I produced, these photographs arrive in a quick succession and mark the peak of the subject's mental anguish. I experimented with  a slow shutter speed to achieve the distortion of the subject's reflection in the mirror, which I hoped would solidify the unsettling impact of the photographic series. In these particular examples I was inspired by the portraits of Francis Beacon, whereby the face would be contorted and twisted - thus arguably masking the identity of the subject. Although I am pleased with the outcome of these particular photographs, I would have liked to have experimented more with the effect of lighting, and exploring interesting ways in which I could use deep shadows or blinding light to further exaggerate the distortion of the subject's reflection.

The Mirror Project

Upon first gaze, it can be argued that the mirror is a product of vanity; it fuels our fascination withour superficial appearance. However, the mirror is also a means to compare who we feel we are 'inside' and the person the rest of the world sees, and thus I was inspired to examine this notion in more depth using the symbol of a mirror to communicate reflection on identity. Having not only taken inspiration from the photographic works of Duane Michals but the Surrealists' use of the distortion to generate 'a sense of nightmare or hallucination', I produced a series of photographic images reflecting the unsettling battle of the male subject with identity and mental anguish using photography and the physical manipulation of numerous mirrors. The subject is seen in differing sets of attire throughout the photographic study, the intention being to underline the subject's almost 'shifting' perception of his own identity, namely racial, as well as to encapsulate the idea of an individual harbouring many different personas.Taking this a step further, I used digital media to create a form of 'digital theatre' whereby I aimed to chart the internal battle of the subject through editing software on Powerpoint. Throughout the moving succesion of images, I hoped to merge theatre and media to leave the observer feeling as though they had been given a deeper insight into the subject's internal battle; using the arrangement of the images as a reflection of the subject's thoughts. One of the key ideas behind this project was the examination of the battle between an individual and identity, and  by the end of the series I wanted to demonstrate how this affects all. Thus by the end of the photographic series an image of the photographer (myself) is revealed, whereby I am taking a photograph of the subject, yet a reflection of myself is taking another photograph of me. Though arguably a subtle gesture, I hoped the the impact of the photograph would reinforce the series as a whole.