Relation to work in previous modules
Throughout the MA at Falmouth, I have been working on
different aspects of one project I started with – Culture Crossroads with the
aim to promote the region I come from – the Balkan peninsula – and its
cultural, natural and historical heritage.
In order to bring some order into this vast scope, I
devised six categories dealing with the different aspects of the subjects I
wanted to capture:
-
Remember the Past – historical sites
-
Experience the Present – food, street photography
-
Be Part of Culture – holidays, customs and
historical reenactments
-
See Nature – landscapes
-
Admire Architecture -
-
Feel Religion - places of worship
Throughout the previous modules, I tried to focus on a
particular aspect of my project, realizing that I cannot submit a coherent
portfolio of only 20 images that would be able to cover all six categories. Hence,
for my FMP, I decided to go local since Culture Crossroads proved to be a
tremendous amount of work and time, which will not end after the end of the MA.
Given the time of the year that comes around – winter
– that meant I had to go really local and have 24/7 access to it. This is how I
came with the project ‘Sofia - Between the Lions and the Eagles -
echoes of a lost city’.
General overview – key themes
‘Sofia - Between the Lions and the Eagles – echoes of
a lost city’[1] will explore how famous
historical landmarks within the downtown (symbolically marked with two bridges
– one with statues of sitting lions, the others with eagles) have changed
throughout the years. It would mainly focus on the social aspect of how the
cultural-historical environment changes the inherited buildings and how the
urban environment changes.
Sofia has a long history and throughout the past
century, it has undergone many social, political and geographical changes.
Whole districts appeared while other were demolished but some buildings somehow
managed to stand the test of time. They exist today, squeezed in between modern
shops and restaurants and they tell a different story – of a budding country
that somehow managed to get out of the pit of poverty and slavery to be plunged
into another pit of total control only sixty years later, within the lifespan
of a generation.
That town is long-gone but I will try to trace and
connect the bits and pieces of that lost world in my project to see if old
Sofia still exists.
To do that, I intend to work with local archive
websites (and if necessary delve into the National Archives) to get access to
imagery that pre-dates WWII since after 1945 the geography and architecture of
Sofia was overtaken by Socialist Realism and Stalinist architecture.
I intend to focus on older buildings (created either in
the interbellum period or before WWI) and select images that depict them. Then
I will try to capture the place from the same angle and see how the environment
around the place has changed.
The ultimate idea of the project will be to have it
exhibited – old and new images of one and the same place side by side. The
exhibition will have to take place in May next year.
For convenience’s sake, the project will be confined
only to the downtown where most of the historical buildings are located. Hence,
I will not focus on building created after the 1950s since the architectural
style differs a lot and will try not to overdose the Totalitarian streak in the
project.
Sources of information – local
archives
My main sources of information will be archival sites
such as:
-
Lost Bulgaria archive (http://www.lostbulgaria.com/) -
the biggest photo archive in Bulgaria, fueled by ordinary people who scan and
submit images, which are then extensively catalogued and listed for public use.
This site is very convenient since you can search by category and decade. I
will contact them with the request to let me use the images.
-
Memories from Old Sofia archive and
blog http://stara-sofia.blogspot.com/ - a photo archive dedicated
solely to the history of Sofia. Each week they post some useful information and
imagery about Sofia and are usually very active. I intend to ask for their
support and expertise in both tracing the history behind the selected buildings
but also in using some of the images on their website.
-
Todor Slavchev’s photo archive http://photoarhiv-todorslavchev.com
– a photo archive that once belonged to one of the most famous Bulgarian
photographers of the interbellum period – Todor Slavchev. It is curated by his
granddaughter with the sole purpose to popularize the legacy and work of her
grandfather. I will try to contact her as well, if some of the images posted
there fit my project. She can also be of assistance when it comes to
information since she has dedicated some 30 years of her life to cataloging and
gathering information about the images and can share some interesting insights
with me.
-
The Bulgarian National
Archives -
http://www.archives.government.bg
– this is a last-resort option since sorting through the numerous entries can
be very difficult, not to mention that getting a permit to go in the storage
spaces is very difficult (not impossible but the whole procedure takes a lot of
time).
-
Royal Bulgaria in colour – http://royalbulgariaincolour.com
- a photographic project that aims to show the forgotten story of the Third
Bulgarian Kingdom (1878-1944). They have an amazing pool of images they
colorize. Images are usually dug out either of huge photo archives or scanned
and sent by fans. I can contact the admins for the files of the black and white
originals.
The art of re-photography - critical
context and some talk on editing and display
I have always had a passion for old photographs and
stories from the past. Given the long history of Sofia, there were plenty of
stories to tell, by both my older relatives and the national archives. I have
been a fan and follower of the projects and archives listed above for years so
I definitely had an idea where to start looking for source material.
Things were quite different in terms of re-photography
since as far as I know, no colleague in Bulgaria has done something like that.
Photograph abandoned buildings – yes, but no one has tried to capture one and
the same place from the same angle as in some photograph taken some 100 years
ago. Hence, I started looking globally and I found some stunning projects and
artists.
One of the first projects that
I encountered was Douglas Levere's New York Changing[2] which portrayed
the way New York (Manhattan in particular) has changed over the 20th
century. The author started in the 1990s and used absolutely the same
perspective as the one of the previous images. The images are displayed side by
side, showing the differences (or lack of them, in some cases). At first, that
seemed like a good approach to me. I was fascinated by the way Levere used the
same perspective to show the stark changes. However, as I later discovered,
that approach (see fig.1 to the left) turned out to be one of the most
conventional ones and I was aiming for something more ‘artsy’, interesting and
attracting attention.
Fig.1 Douglas Levere - From Pier 11, East River, between Old Slip and
Wall Street. 1936/1998.
My initial idea for display was to have the old
photograph on top of a bigger canvas (referenced and titled) and then have the
re-photographed image below. At first, it seemed like a good idea and a classic
approach but at a second thought, it seemed too mundane. Another idea is to use
a slider and have the old image at the back and the new one in the front and
have people slide back and forth to see the difference. This is a common
approach in editing software commercials but I had no idea how this would be
achieved in an exhibition, since I do not aim for simply online exposure (the
Internet is vast and information is easily lost or hard to reach the right
audience without too much money invested in promotion). In addition, I needed
to figure out what places I need to photograph.
I came across Andrzej Maciejewski’s project After Notman while searching for other
practitioners. He selected iconic locations in Canada, photographed by William
Notman in the 19th century and aimed to re-photograph them
reproducing the same light, colours and shades. The project turned out to be a
huge success since it was awarded by a local cultural magazine[3].
Maciejewski’s approach was
also traditional – the images are displayed side by side and the processing is
done in such a way that the two images visually resemble each other, as if they
had been taken using the same method (see screengrab to the left). What I liked
most and intend to use in my project, however, is the idea to select iconic
locations and re-photograph them. Since the archives are full of images of
Sofia that show random places that have changed drastically, it would not make
much sense.
Fig.2 (left) William Notman & Son - St. Catherine Street Looking East from
Stanley Street, Montreal, QC. 1915
(right)Andrzej Maciejewski
- St. Catherine Street Looking East from Stanley Street, Montreal, QC. 2000.
The iconic places, however, are a different story.
They are recognizable and some have changed drastically. Hence, I compiled a
list of the most famous locations around the downtown and intend to employ the
idea used by Maciejewski’s and photograph only landmarks, not some random
places simply because they have changed a lot.
As good as these two projects
are, they looked too traditional and something was missing for me. Maciejewski
and Levere made me understand what re-photography is about and to get a glimpse
of how it should be done – same angle and preferably same post-processing used –
but I work in colour, not black and white and wanted to incorporate the
coloured image into my work as well.
That was when I came across Vincent Zénon Rigaud’s
work and was fascinated by it. He is a French photographer dedicated to
re-photographing his native town of Reims through the ages. What I loved about
his work (when I saw his website I was amazed by the editing idea) is that he
not only re-photographs the place, he blends in the two images to create a new,
stunning image, encompassing both old and new. (see fig.3 to the left)
Fig.3 - Vincent Zénon Rigaud – Reims. 2017 (cover of a book by Yann
Harlaut)
I loved the approach since it was the first time I see
something like that alongside the other re-photography projects, the one Rigaud
did stood out. It was unique and not only showed two images side by side, it
made a blend of two images, two historical periods and two traditions in one
final image which made me stop and think.
Very few people in Bulgaria, if any, are doing
re-photography projects, at least none that I am aware of. While looking at the
projects of Levere and Maciejewski I saw an idea but nothing that would make me
stand out. Their projects are inclined towards documentary photography and I
must admit, I am not that much into it to be able to produce something of value
in this style.
Rigaud’s project was a different universe for me –
artistic, interesting, and even eclectic to some extent. It combined old and
new in one photograph (which would be much easier to display) and the final
result showed both the stark changes (each of the images is manipulated in such
a way so that the final blend shows the most of the changes that occurred in
between the captures) and the artist’s view.
I liked his approach in terms of post-processing that
I intend to use it in my own project (or adapt it, in case it does not work for
the images I select). To me, Rigaud’s work is novel, artistic and documentary.
What is more, he primarily works in colour and the style of his other images
(non-related to this project) is similar to the style I employ when
post-processing my images. I think I have found a way to stand out within the
photographic community and the general public since no one has done something
like that.
That leads to the next part of this document – the
timeline (or work schedule).
FMP timeline
October – December 2018 – preparation and research
-
15-31 October - selection of materials/ locations
to shoot
-
1-4 November – attending Photo Forum Fest (the gathering of Bulgarian
photographers) – looking for information about exhibition spaces
-
5-30 November - contact with archives to
request a full-res file of the images and arrange copyright issues/demands (if
any) for the final publication
-
Start photographing the
locations to get the best angle, setting and atmosphere – around the beginning of
November. Photo-work is ongoing.
-
15 October – 30 November - check other professionals
who have done similar things in the past, contact them if they are local
-
15 October – 30 November - research for practitioners/
styles and techniques to employ;
-
1-15 December – first attempt to talk to galleries and exhibition
spaces (may need to talk again since December is generally a holiday month)
-
15 December – 02 January – Break, holiday time
January 2019 – setting the exhibition date and location
-
3-15 January - talk to galleries to find a
particular exhibition spot and getting in the schedule; set exhibition dates
-
15-21 January creation of a portfolio of
the locations in different times of the day and weather conditions
-
21 January – 15 February – buffer weeks (bad weather
conditions are common at that time) so in case of a good weather I will keep on
with the fieldwork. If not – will do some further research and editing
February – March 2019 – project promotion
-
15-29 February – sorting out through the image
pool and selection a portfolio
-
01 – 03 March – National holidays
-
Around 10th of
March project
promotion (start) – creation of a Facebook event. Start of posting some of the
images on the Facebook page, blog and website of the Culture Crossroads project
(since this project is a part of the big one)
-
05 – 10 March - selection of images for
print and printing arrangements (takes up to 2 weeks to get them done)
End of March 2019 – beginning of April – final preparations and
exhibition
-
10-20 March – printing the selected
images and talk to the curator to set the size of final canvas (depending on
what I decide to do)
-
20-30 March - prints and exhibition
setting; arranging catering if needed (transportation of the prints will not
probably be necessary since I plan to exhibit them in the gallery above the
print studio)
-
1-15 April - exhibition (dates may vary
according to availability but plan to have the exhibition opened no later than
15 April).
References:
·
Lost Bulgaria
website – archive of images of Bulgaria within the past two centuries and a
half
Available at: http://www.lostbulgaria.com/ [accessed
15 October 2018]
·
Memories from Old Sofia blog – an archive dedicated to
images from Sofia within the past two centuries
Available at: http://stara-sofia.blogspot.com [accessed
15 October 2018]
·
Royal Bulgaria in Colour website– an archive dedicated to colorizing pre-world
war II images
Available at: http://royalbulgariaincolour.com [accessed
15 October 2018]
·
Douglas Levere's project, New York Changing
Available at: http://www.newyorkchanging.com [accessed
15 October 2018]
·
Andrzej Maciejewski’s project After
Notman
Award by Scopio community and magazine
Available at: http://www.scopionetwork.com/pt-pt/node/159?language=en#1 [accessed
15 October 2018]
Personal website:
Available at: http://www.klotzekstudio.com/ [accessed
15 October 2018]
·
Todor Slavchev’s photo archive
Available at: http://photoarhiv-todorslavchev.com
[accessed 15 October 2018]
·
Vincent Zénon Rigaud’s personal website
Available at: https://www.vincentzenon.com [accessed
15 October 2018]
List of figures:
Figure 1 – Levere, Douglas - From Pier 11, East River, between Old Slip and
Wall Street. 1936/1998
Available at: http://www.newyorkchanging.com/pier11.html
[accessed 10 October 2018]
Figure 2 – (left) Notman, William, & Son - St. Catherine Street Looking East from
Stanley Street, Montreal, QC. 1915
(right) Maciejewski,
Andrzej - St. Catherine Street Looking East from Stanley Street, Montreal,
QC. 2000.
Available at: http://www.klotzekstudio.com/After_Notman_big_12.html
[accessed 10 October 2018]
Figure 3 – Zénon Rigaud, Vincent - Reims. 2017
Available at: https://www.vincentzenon.com [accessed
10 October 2018]
Book available here: https://www.amazon.fr/dp/3831327858/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_ep_dp_fooZAbA34PQFZ
[3] More about the award can
be seen here: http://www.scopionetwork.com/pt-pt/node/159?language=en#1
No comments:
Post a Comment