Fields & Frames (Progress)

How my idea started:

For my films and frames, I first started wanting to create a dance film based on the vulnerability of leaving a toxic controlled relationship, to struggling to open up to new people even in terms of friendship which I wanted to explore and showcase through a theatrical freeing interpreted dance form. I was inspired by this idea because of FKA TWIGS.

These were my inspirations/research I carried out for my dance film:

The symbolism originally for my dance film was making myself vulnerable, whilst also learning how to be intimate and close with people after dealing with toxic people, and trauma from past relationships and experiences in my life. The symbolism of the red string/ribbon was going to symbol how sometimes you have to cut ties with people you know, people you fall in love with and friendships, etc which is definitely not easy. I also wanted to portray how difficult it is to open up to new people after those experiences due to trust, and vulnerability. In my film, the string was going to be tied to the main character (dancer/protagonist) who tries to connect with the other characters, but it never works due to the toxicity of it.

Through this, the main character learns that she didn't need those people in her life and cuts/loosen the tight robe around her stopping her from being "free". The ribbon and the thin red robe was a symbol of the toxicity people bring into my life after me deciding to open up and become vulnerable which leads me in the same place of getting hurt in the end and struggling to be more vulnerable to the right people, instead of the wrong people which is what I wanted to portray the freedom and liberation from finally deciding to make the decisions to cut ties from negativity as it's something I experience a lot.

My first intimacy project synopsis: 

For my project, I’m going to be photographing spaces that I consider to be intimate, as well as taking portraits of my friends and couples being intimate in different spaces where it allows them to automatically become vulnerable. This is going to be portrayed through 360 of one space and up to 8 analog photos being collaged into the 360 space. I will be capturing friendships, bedrooms, moments alone, and couples in intimate spaces that I consider to be intimate. With my research, I’ve explored different photographers capturing their friends and also them exploring spaces in everyday life that inspired this idea. From my research, I want to explore finding intimate moments whilst also capturing spaces that are intimate, as well as capturing my friends that could possibly share an intimate moment in a particular space.

My newest draft of my intimacy synopsis: 

For my project, I will be focusing on intimacy in people's spaces during the isolation period due to everyone being in quarantine in the world right now. This is different from my first project idea as I will be posting the outcome onto an Instagram platform where my participants for my first project will be taking a self-portrait themselves and sending it to me to post on the intimacy platform I have created. These will be posted every day on @intimacyzine once I receive the self-portraits. During this time, the meaning of intimacy has changed since I came up with my very first initial idea which is why I still wanted to carry on with my concept during this strange time. Instead of it being 360 and analog, my participants get the chance to express themselves in their isolated space which automatically becomes intimate. I will also be taking a portrait in their intimate space after everyone has gone back to the new world and life again. I also had an idea of creating a Wix website of the self-portraits people send me during isolation, and it becoming a platform where I also show the final work of the portraits I take after quarantine. 

Re-drafted Learning Agreement: 

Researching for re-draft of "intimacy project" - during isolation:

I started coming across these photographers as I was sending inspiration for the participants of my project after giving them the brief through a Facebook group chat I created about how my idea has got a slight twist due to our current situation of being isolated and in quarantine. I found these whilst looking for photos my cast can be inspired by for their brief I gave them to take photos of themselves in isolation, so it allows me to have a contrast of two photos of intimacy in two different contexts. 

I also started to look at photo books and zines so, I had that in mind for my outcome afterward when isolation is over, and I can carry on the project. 

What photographers inspired the entire intimacy project:

Since my project has taken a twist around how I'm going to take photos of my cast due to COVID-19, my inspiration of photographers has changed as I cannot take the photos and only my cast whom I've given the brief to have these for their inspiration for their self-portrait in isolation in their intimate spaces. The photos I sent them were pretty much similar to the other artists and photographers I researched for this project but seeing it in the manner of me not being behind the camera and allowing them to take control until I can. These were the photos I sent for inspiration in the group chat I created for the people I cast from a Facebook casting call on Freshers.

Progress during quarantine: 

During quarantine time, I have been in the process of creating a WhatsApp group chat due to deciding to quit social media during an apocalyptic dystopian time of the world due to personal reasons, but it's not stopping me from staying in contact with people on UCA Freshers that were interested in my coming of age - intimacy project. I will be creating this today and making my participants aware of the change in my project and giving them a new brief of the "isolated portrait" and how I'm going to take a portrait of them after isolation, and going back into the new world.

The group chat:

The brief: 

Photos I sent for the inspiration for their portraits in isolation: 

All the photographers from these photos  - mentioned:

Nan Goldin

Izumi Miyazaki

These gave me inspiration for the portraits I am going to take after isolation too, so I'm glad I found new photographers to inspire this project more. During these, I found photographers that were capturing "intimacy" like I want to, and why they are important so I'm glad I came across Nan Goldin as all of her photography work is based on intimacy.

What I've done so far for the "intimacy zine": 

So far for my intimacy project, I've messaged three participants so far before messaging the big bulk of people that wanted to get involved. But since the meaning of "intimacy" during quarantine has changed due to technology being a big help for everyone in the world right now. I've also carried out research on how intimacy and relationships are changing during this new world order. Some participants are already taking the self-portraits, and I shall be posting them on my photo book's Instagram - @intimacyzine.

 Here is what I have done so far:

So far the feedback for my project has been amazing, and I haven't even taken the second portraits for my work! Many people have wanted to get involved since the use of the platform I'm posting my directed work onto. The interesting thing about my zine is that it is all my direction and my concepts but I am just not the person with the camera due to our situation of isolation which I find super interesting as a form of exploration as a photographer for the entire project as it gives me a chance to interact with my cast through isolation, and still put out work. 

As the intimacy project has already organically grown since I created a Facebook GC of all the people that were interested from my Casting Call on UCA Freshers, I have gotten self-portraits back from those people interested as I gave them this brief -
This means, my idea of wanting to post a portrait of the people I will be taking portraits of after quarantine, it allows me to have the project happening during self-isolation and quarantine which adds more meaning to the intimacy project and how it has changed during these times.

I asked my cast to take a self-portrait of themselves in a personal space of theirs during isolation, so after this is all over I am able to create two contrasts of what I asked them to do, and then allowing myself in their personal space after isolation period is over which will then be portraits I take myself in their private personal space that automatically becomes intimate. I thought to have them take their own self-portraits side by side of my portrait I take, it allows it to have multiple meanings of what everyone is going through during this time and the freedom of intimacy after it's over. This also adds a twist to my project because of having to change my idea slightly due to the problems we are facing in the world currently but still allows me to bring my work and idea to life.

Also during this quarantined project twist, I've noticed other photographers have been doing similar things and still managing to get photos taken with their direction which has inspired my intimacy project more, and the final outcome after it's over. This photographer collaborated with the models he normally takes portraits of by doing webcam photoshoots which is similar to my concept, in a different way as he's doing it with them compared to me directing my people and then getting a photo back but it still in my style/direction which is interesting to see.

From having the zine photo page on my Instagram up for a month so far, people have become quite shocked to the intimate photos which were bound to happen as intimacy is a shocking experience. I'm also very happy and satisfied so far as so many people have sent in submissions to the zine with my brief. The photos I've received are shockingly beautiful, but that goes with the meaning of "intimacy" and what it means to be intimate as you wouldn't really normally see people in their spaces and allowing others in. I'm so proud that it has become a safe space platform for all the participants involved to express themselves and share their intimacy with me as a curator and photographer.

Intimacy is a shocking experience, that normally doesn't get shared which makes my zine more shocking to my audience on Instagram especially during isolation, but it has also been a platform to show everyone in isolation and the impact of loneliness and being extremely intimate constantly.

Seeing these facetime photoshoots inspires my Intimacy Project even more, as I'm asking my cast to work with the brief and get my vision handed back in photos, as the relationship I have with my subjects is done through quarantine just as this photographer is doing whilst being isolated. However, with mine, I'm shooting portraits with the difference of intimacy and how it's changed once the photographer is back in their rooms where it's their personal spaces.

Here is what I have gotten so far:

These were taken with the brief I gave them in mind which people are sending every day. 

I also made sure to save the self-portraits I was receiving as this will be an on-going project during isolation until I am able to take 360 and 35mm photos in Farnham. As I want to make this final project into a zine, I'm making sure I have everything backed up on my hard-drive so when I get round to creating the zine on Photoshop in the later future, it will be organized and ready.

For my next step, I'm going to carry on researching different photographers that have inspired this project, as well as how to create my own zine on Photoshop and how to print my own so, I can be ahead of time and maybe start creating how I'm going to add both portraits in the zine.

Plans for my "intimacy" photo book project during and after quarantine:

My plans for this project is to take the portraits of after quarantined intimacy and start putting my zine in place on In Design as well as making a funding page to be able to print a lot of copies that will be released to sell online and to independent zine shops. However, during how long we have left I will be planning how to display my zine in In Design and start that part before going back to uni. So far, I have over 20 submissions for the isolation part of the project since there will be two contrasted photos for the people that have been contributing. I've already bought all my film, and have experimented during the quarantine. However, Instagram is doing pretty well and I'm more excited to take the portraits after quarantine.