Creep 2 — updated! =)
Found time to do a second series on Creep so here you go!
My take after the first series was that i realised my pictures didn’t invoke as much thought as i expected. i tink it was more of me focusing on the three aesthetic qualities that i overlooked the fact that it is me, as the photographer, to present MY point of view and what I was trying to convey.
however, i felt that the theme sometimes put our brains to the test, restricting us to think abt the 3 POVs. :/
creep remains as a subjective word to all of us but for this series, i want to portray creep as a moment in which we feel isolated from the world, our directions in life sometimes being so structured and rigid that we just decide to ‘go with the flow’ instead of choosing our own paths to life.we also tend to pick the ’safe’ option coz we are afraid of the alternatives that lie ahead of us.
i also portray the 3 pictures below from the view of a traveller, who is seeking new experiences as he/she enters a new environment.
Realism:
imagine if we were to be one of the foreigners/migrants coming in to Singapore. Are those luggages that are coming out a sign that we’re embracing a new way of life? Or are we just bringing in a part of our past that serves as a reminder of where we are from? The idea of the entrance of the conveyor belt : are things coming out? or are we just pushing them back in?
we do not know which luggages are coming out and hence we do not know what to expect. just as how life is unpredictable for the new migrants here.
Formalism:
As the luggages are being brought out and the inquisitive traveller ponders about what lies in each luggage, we tend to forget about the driving force that lies behind our decision to travel to the said country. was it out of our own desire? or was it external influences?
the image here shows a close-up of the conveyor belt, to portray the idea of studying what makes up the belt and in the metaphorical sense, what makes up the driving force behind a person’s travel. the desolate backdrop also gives the feel of loneliness, that as a traveller would sometimes feel when placed in a new environment for the first time.
expressionism:
i feel that this is the best expressionism shot for the conveyor belt as it shows the ‘aimless’ journey of the belt. if the luggages are not claimed, it goes round and round, to the point of no return.
i like the way how the individual rubber plates are placed because to me, it shows that there are multiple routes for the traveller to take, and it is on his onus to either choose the planned route laid out in front of him, or just to carve his own path.
this series really means a lot to me, because having to travel only a few times by air, i’ve always been awed by the conveyor belt. as it transports a traveller’s luggage, i feel that it also transports one’s excess baggage from the past.
for this series, i’m rating this as 9.5/10 because i feel that all three realism, formalism and expressionism shots are each thought-provoking and portrays the idea of a desolate and isolated feeling that one would feel as a traveller.
commenting on others’ works, i feel that Ivy’s work on the vandal was interesting as she provided an issue for us to ponder on. how often do we actually walk past this vandalisms without thinking about who actually was involved and why they did it? though we all know it is the work of loansharks, she captured the literal meaning behind it, how one is being chased after, to be publicly embarassed in your own private estate and finally (of my own reading), the accused being victimised by the acts of those loan sharks (and hence the view of being imprisoned in the last shot). this is an alternate reading from what ivy has presented but i thought it gives a POV from the accused instead of the loan sharks as well. =) that series deserves a 10/10.
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this assignment was all about exploring the aesthetic functions of a picture.we had to take them from a realism, formalism and expressionism point-of-view. the three distinctions, though may take the form of a same object, is supposed to give the viewer a different feel, about what the photographer’s intention is.
this week’s theme was creep.
so a few things came to mind:
i) creep as an adjective
ii) or creep as in a noun
i took a couple of pictures pertaining to this theme such as plant creepers and my creeping money plant just outside my house. but i thought most people would have already thought of that and so i decided to capture these:
realism:
formalism:
expressionism:
in this series of pictures, i wanted to capture how, in a very scenic view such as that at Changi Boardwalk, decaying and corroding objects still take place. and with that, i took pictures of the creeping rust that was pretty much evident on the very nice white railings that led to the sea. pretty ironic isn’t it — like who would voluntarily walk INTO the sea? ;>
realism: here, i wanted to show the contrast of the rusting rails and those that were not. However,after Jialin commented that the picture was focusing on a certain part didn’t actually give it the ‘realism’ feel. it should’ve been an overall picture instead. yup, i got what she meant, i wanted to take from the sea POV but it was impossible to step on the rocks and take it facing up. but i’ll try again! =)
formalism: i was just sitting on the steps, when i decided to take the picture of this. it was one of the very first few shots and i thought that it depicted the ‘creep’ theme very well – that the rust was slowly creeping upwards, alongside with the perception that the railings were increasing with height as well.
expressionism: here i wanted to show that despite all the rust that occurs in other parts of the boardwalk, the Kelong hut (which is a traditional symbol of sea life) still stands and that no matter what the age, it will continue to thrive. which is why i took the picture through the railings. However, Mr Reddy didn’t really get what i was saying here and I figured i could’ve captured an ironic scene — a wedding couple taking pictures there. coz i saw quite a no. of them who did so. =) i’ll try and capture something like the one below the next time i make my trip there.
overall, i realise i could actually improve some of the shots. =) i’m rating Jialin’s edited first series as a 10/10 coz she manages to evoke some sort of suspense with her pictures. the dedicated red-ness and the isolated two buckets give it an additional feel to it. Also, i thought that Paul’s work was interesting as well, the way he focused on the ‘headless’ angel in the cemetery. I’d give that a 9/10 and though i don’t seem to find any relation to it with the ‘creep’ theme, i thought there was a message that was evident in his pictures — that one day, things would deteriorate no matter how much care was put into the object. n i thought the theme was somewhat similar to mine.
as such, i’d rate my work as an 8/10. =)
