Blog Post 3: ‘Project outcomes and personal development’
For the second part of Better Lives unit I was assigned to a group doing Contemporary Portrait Photography. Not only has it been a mixture of great experiences but also the period of various changes in the worldwide situation. The emergence of the COVID-19 has affected not only the health situation but also the economic and social circumstances in many countries.
I have realised that the fact of attending photography classes has changed my point of view on the possibilities I can express my emotions and thoughts. Which during this outrageous time happens to be immensely helpful. Those few lectures and workshops we had on contemporary portrait photography thought me both the basics and the secrets of the use of camera that I had never thought of before. The reason why I have decided to apply for this project was tightly connected to my main course, which is Hair, Make-up and Prosthetics for Performance. My original goal was to learn how to use the camera and how to take a high quality photos of my makeup designs. In the meantime, I have received much more than I expected.
The great advantage of this part of Better Lives project was the presence of diversity within our groups and the tasks we had to undertake. As a group we had to cooperate, which led not only to the emergence of new contacts but also to discussions on future cooperation and careers. The opportunity of meeting this range of different people with diverse interests and perspectives had a big impact on my creative thinking.
At the very beginning of the project there were outdoor activities, we went to Shepherd’s Bush Market, which is located just next to our campus at Lime Grove. It was a memorable experience as for the first time I was directed to use photography to document elements which did not fit into my aesthetic criteria. During this workshop I began to notice the depth in such objects, thus becoming more noticeable to me. I believe that, it might lead to making my work more sustainable.
As a result of those experiences, I have decided to undertake my personal project. It was mainly inspired by one of the first lectures of Contemporary Portrait Photography by Daniel Treacy, where we were presented his photos taken for ‘Rituals (Forest)’.
After two months of being locked up in home quarantine, I took my camera and decided to walk around my house. The things I found, scraps of materials, abandoned tires, bottles impressed me more than they should have. What I felt could be described as catharsis, or purification, it might seem ridiculous to use such great words for outlining something meaningful or invisible for majority of people. Which is why I decided to name this project ‘Mimesis’ (gr. mimeisthai– to imitate), as those pieces imitate reality as well as they are a proof of actions that happened.
Having finished this project, I feel grateful for having the opportunity of attending lectures of Contemporary Portrait Photography. As it opened my eyes on different ways of expressing my insecurities, emotions, experiences… Having realised that photography might be considered a valuable mean of communication in the 21st century, I have decided to continue my training in this direction.
References
Treacy, D. (2020) Contemporary Portrait Photography, [lecture], London College of Fasion, Lime Grove