Only Five Years Late...

Originally my plans were to post all of the work I had produced over the three years I spent at university. However, other projects outside of university took up most of my time, effort and focus. Recently, I felt inspired that I was ready to share at least a little something from my years at university but I didn't want to jump straight back into blogging with new material and no explanation. After five years I think this blog and you guys deserved at least that.

26/03/2020

Gothic Surrealism

Final Module Project - Photography and Video BA (Hons) Degree

So, for my third and final year at university, we were required to design and create our own experimental and analytical project for one of our final modules. What I loved most about my final year, and particularly this project, was that we had the freedom to do whatever we wanted. For some time I wasn't exactly sure what that might look like or what themes I wanted to present or experiment with. 

To begin with I was very interested in using ideas that best represented fairytales with a realistic, magical fantasy feel. When researching I found various artists that had beautifully achieved that mystical aesthetic that are found within fairytale-like worlds. Annie Leibovitz in particular manages to perfectly capture many Disney animated stories. With a number of collaborations with well known celebrities and cleverly designed character costumes, Leibovitz captured her audience through popularity and identification, whilst managing to re-create those ever familiar fairytale scenes.

Later in my research I became somewhat un-inspired and decided to take a much darker route. I've always been drawn to books or films that convey feelings of unsteadiness. This was clearly evident during my first year as I co-produced a short video titled 'nightmare'. To some people, the idea of the unknown or paranormal behaviour can bring a sense of fear. For me it's quite the opposite. I find it all the more exciting. Christopher Mckenney, a photographer that specialises in 'horror surrealist photography', was exactly the inspiration I needed. His work portrays the paranormal in a very simplistic yet effective way. Other artists in particular Kevin Corrado and Clarence John Laughlin, collectively gave me the driving force for this project.

Naming the project 'Gothic Surrealism' and producing my ten final prints, my time at university came to a close. Do I miss it? No, Do I regret it? Not one bit! My final year was by far my favourite and thoroughly enjoyed experimenting with and truly developing my knowledge and skills. However, I can assure you that I don't miss the deadlines or the nervousness before presenting my work, or the anxieties I felt whilst waiting for my results! I learnt so many things, made what I hope to be lifelong friends and discovered a love for other projects such as making videos. I can remember despising any video work in my first year, and yet now I make video content for YouTube. Funny the paths that life can lead you along.