My initial concept when responding to this title was to create images based on how we are controlled by the government, how corrupt and how their brainwashing system surrounds us. I thought of ways I could question capitalism and how it affects us through the media and the commercial industry. This is something I have a strong opinion on and I want to share my thoughts and opinions through my photographs. I also felt this was a very strong concept to work with as it can have a strong impact to viewers. We live in an age where the younger generation are heavily influenced by technology and social media. These very influential methods control our generation a great deal and is very difficult to break away from. Photography can also have this impact and be very influential, therefore is a strong method in breaking that system. For my images to be successful I want to gather as much research as possible from many aspects of the 'status quo'. Whether it be political issues, riots, big brother, social unrest, poverty and economical issues.
My main inspiration for my The Way We Live Now project came from this music video by the Manic Street Preachers. The song Nat West-Barclays-Midlands-Lloyds is from their album Generation Terrorists. The whole album is a politicised focused theme with the album's songs regularly incorporating a critical focus on global capitalism and the struggles of youth. For a lot of my research, I have focused on many areas of the 'status quo' such as political issues, rioting, big brother, social division, poverty and economical issues.
What I find most inspiring about the album are the lyrics of Richey Edwards. I'm often drawn to his work and also himself as a person. One song that stood out to me in particular was Nat West-Barclays-Midlands-Lloyds. Apart from its obvious title, the lyrics are very much questioning the banking system, and how we are controlled by them and money.
Carried away with useless advertising dreams Blinding children, life as automatons....
Black horse apocalypse Death sanitised through credit....
They give then take away,
repossess and crucify The more you own the more you are, lonelier with cheap desire
"Black horse apocalypse" speaks volumes. Its an obvious link to the logo of Lloyds Banking and also is a metaphor for the 'hypothetical' apocalypse we are currently in. How much we are controlled by the banks and how they affect our own lives and lifestyle. This lyric is also very relevant to the news today as it was recently announced that Lloyds Band will be closing down a number of branches, with a loss of 9,000 jobs. "They give then take away, repossess and crucify"
This is also echoing the downfall of the banking system and the recession, the 'apocalypse' we are currently in.
"The more you own the more you are, lonelier with cheap desire"Suggesting the poor are only valuable to the rich if they are profitable to them.
The visual to this video was just as inspiring for me. I think the use of the Gas Mask is visually captivating, as well as how they use the surroundings and use of clothing. A gas mask is a very clever object to use for metaphorical purposes. This video tells a very symbolic story. At the beginning of the video, we see a man in an all-white suit, washing his hands and looking at himself in the mirror. He seems to be washing himself. Maybe to destroy something, something of contamination or stain. White represents purity and fresh, something he may want to keep, or become. This is a very interesting concept, considering the song is an anthem against capitalism. The man is then seen in a derelict town center where the words 'CLOSING DOWN' and 'LAST DAY' are seen on an empty shop window. He is surrounded by other similar buildings while he is dressed in a suit, and paired with a gas mask. This can either be a statement that the man in the suit, surrounded by a broken down society is protecting himself from this world he is not familiar with. Or rather the opposite. He is protecting himself from the surrounding destruction, which arose from the government.
Gas Masks
For my project, I want to create a series of images with Gas Masks in some way. Their symbolism can be very particular, however can also be quite broad. Symbolism: Fear of getting gassed, fear of being beaten down for standing up for truth, and freedom, and the constitution. A gas mask can represent war and anger. Police often wear them during riots while shooting tear gas. During the war, people wore them in protection of the gasses dropped by the government. It can be a symbolic message oppression, free speech and human rights. It can be a shield. A shield from the government gasses/pollution surrounding you, a shield from society as it can be very alienating from covering your face/identity. A gas mask is iconic and visually stimulating. It can emote various feelings and thoughts. It can also change symbolically due to its surroundings. Pair it with a man in a suit, it represents the government. Pair it with a naked body, it can suddenly ask questions as to why the subject is protecting their face/identity and not their body. It can symbolize being controlled by the government, and being stripped of personality and being.
My very first brief given was for a project called The Grid Project. We were put into groups, given an allacated square from a map of Swansea and were told to visist and research this area. We then had to respond to our surroundings through images, and produce one final image that represented the area. My area of swansea included the St Helens Road, spanning from Russell Street all the way to the very famous Joe's Ice Cream Parlour.
Before I visited the area, I wanted to research the History beforehand. As I know the area, and Swansea quite well, I instantly wanted to research the History of Joe's Ice Cream as it is one of the most beloved places in Swansea. Here is the History from the Joe's Ice Cream website.
Back in 1898, Luigi Cascarini came over to Swansea from the Abruzzi Mountains in Italy. In the midst of the industrial era, Mr. Cascarini was shocked to find that there were no cafes open to accommodate the early workers of the Swansea valley. So Luigi decided to open up a workers haven where he would serve them rich roast coffee from the crack of dawn until the darkness of the night. He worked every hour of the day making his cafe such a success that soon he opened another...and.... another...and another. Before long, Luigi had opened a chain of cafes that his children ran with him. When his eldest son, Joe, was old enough he brought him over to Wales from Italy and Joe ran the cafe at 85 St. Helen’s Road. As a passionate ice cream lover, Joe Cascarini sought to add a truly Italian flair to the Welsh cafes, so following a secret recipe from his home in Italy, he sourced the finest ingredients in Wales and introduced to Swansea the most unique tasting, luxury, Italian ice cream. Joe's sacred recipe remains unchanged and safe in the heart of his family who make the same ice cream almost a century on. Using select ingredients of the highest quality, Joe’s remains an ice cream of finesse. We experiment with our aromas, offering a blend of Welsh and Italian fancy flavours to our loyal Joe's following, but our ingredients will always retain the Joe's stamp of quality. That’s what makes Joe’s ice ream JOE’S. After all...Everything else is just ice cream! ( source )
St Helen's Road
While researching this very well-known parlour, I began to realise how passionate and dedicated this family were to their buisness, something I's like to capture in my images. Another fact I was surprised by was how far back the History went. I then had a basic idea of what I wanted to capture in my final image. I then started to research the History of St Helen's Road.
The St.Helen's ground at Swansea has several unique features, starting with the fact that it is laid out on a reclaimed sand bank and in places the soil is barely eighteen inches thick. The second feature has been that cricket and rugby have happily co-existed at Swansea for almost 125 years, with the ground staging International cricket, rugby union and rugby league. ( source ) In 2005, the venue could hold an audience of 10,500 seated before it was re-developed. The famous east stand, which had provided cloisters over part of Oystermouth Road, has since been demolished and replaced with a metallic stand unloved by locals. It also is the host of a fireworks display on Guy Fawkes Night. I had an idea for an image inspired by St Helen's Road. I thought of ways that somehow incorportate the fireworks display into my images. I wanted to experiment with different mediums such as paint and photocollage, however I knew this wasnt ideal as we only had a little less of a week to create our image. Also, the field may have been related to my area, however I felt I should incorporate something was within my area. With this in mind, I decided to go along with my Joe's Ice Cream concept.
