Genevieve Enright
John Ardic
'Achromatic Alleyways'
Rationale
The everyday aesthetics of contemporary digital photography are
primarily focused on the ‘immediate, fleeting display…and framing of the small
and mundane (Murray, 2008:147), as opposed to the warmth of nostalgic, domestic
living. In considering the disposable, temporary nature of photography, we
chose our theme of alleyways and our subtheme of being colourless, or as it is better
described, achromatic. Alleyways serve as the intermediary between destinations
such as a workplace or shop, yet they are often overlooked due to their decay
and perturbing nature.
The effects of sepia and black and white, colours that are traditionally typical of domestic photographs, have been manipulated in the photo essay to convey an ironic message that instead of ‘embalming moments of time’ (Bazin, 1967, as cited in Murray: 2008:154) that are warm and inviting, they have instead assisted in encapsulating an environment that is ever foreboding.
Exploring the urban eye, one might still find that there is beauty in the mundane, as was our experience visiting the alleyways of Eastwood, Parramatta and the Rocks. The texture of decayed bricks, the vector lines of the paths and the tessellations of the bricks reveals a fleeting fetish for an achromatic style that may be initially perceived as desolate and disarming, but under a second glance, features a slight liveness.The industrial, capitalist urban landscapes of Parramatta and Eastwood and the historical landscape of The Rocks are connected in this stream. Initially, we disregarded some earlier photographs due to their blurry/grainy edges, but as (Murray 2008:160) ascertains, there was an ‘attraction to the imperfect,' that portrayed an aesthetic of mundane authenticity.
Conversely, the music score ‘Afterwards’ (2012) by cis minor was chosen due to its melancholy style, and we aligned the timing of each photo to a new piano chord being struck as to further highlight the sense of immediacy and disposability that follows the appreciation of each photograph. Just as the beauty of the mundane alleyway is displayed, it is replaced by the experience of reaching the destination.
The effects of sepia and black and white, colours that are traditionally typical of domestic photographs, have been manipulated in the photo essay to convey an ironic message that instead of ‘embalming moments of time’ (Bazin, 1967, as cited in Murray: 2008:154) that are warm and inviting, they have instead assisted in encapsulating an environment that is ever foreboding.
Exploring the urban eye, one might still find that there is beauty in the mundane, as was our experience visiting the alleyways of Eastwood, Parramatta and the Rocks. The texture of decayed bricks, the vector lines of the paths and the tessellations of the bricks reveals a fleeting fetish for an achromatic style that may be initially perceived as desolate and disarming, but under a second glance, features a slight liveness.The industrial, capitalist urban landscapes of Parramatta and Eastwood and the historical landscape of The Rocks are connected in this stream. Initially, we disregarded some earlier photographs due to their blurry/grainy edges, but as (Murray 2008:160) ascertains, there was an ‘attraction to the imperfect,' that portrayed an aesthetic of mundane authenticity.
Conversely, the music score ‘Afterwards’ (2012) by cis minor was chosen due to its melancholy style, and we aligned the timing of each photo to a new piano chord being struck as to further highlight the sense of immediacy and disposability that follows the appreciation of each photograph. Just as the beauty of the mundane alleyway is displayed, it is replaced by the experience of reaching the destination.
References
Journal
Murray, S. (2008), 'Digital images,
photo-sharing, and our shifting notions of everyday aesthetics', Journal of
Visual Culture August 2008, vol. 1, no. 2:147-163.
Music by cis minor (2012) "Afterwards", CC Attribution License, Source : http://snd.sc/WEIZZw
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