#david bellmere

[geladaacomics]

A proposal for a sequel to Hidetaka Miyazaki´s masterpiece; Bloodborne.

People that have yet to earn the "childhood´s beginning" ending of said game might have a hard time following.

Continued from the video: M(other) is the first "other"

Motherhood is one of the core themes the original game revolves around; I wanted to continue to build upon the haunting images that beautiful game hosts. Bloodborne combined fears surrounding the mystery of motherhood, the shady links between females and nightly powers, with the general fear of the unknown, and the other “others” that may lurk within.Aliens are also "others "in the writings of Lovecraft. They are associated with savages and immigrants, with exotic foreign cultures.

Along with their more grandiose, fantastical counterparts, these “aliens” were perceived as a great threat, mainly because of the ideas and viewpoints, the alternative religions they played host to, assaulting the European perspective with their undeniable allure, assaulting Christian values and morality. In a way, Lovecraft was afraid of people different than him because he felt they were valid, and potential agents of mighty, secret, powers. I have to say I much prefer this to the bigotry of low expectations that permeates our culture today.

Dolls are humanity itself. The human body can feel quite "alien" when you look at it under the microscope, or if, instead of a pristine surface of etiquette and makeup, you perceive savage, foreign, beast-like insanity in a fellow homo sapiens, instead of an affirmation of commonly maintained narratives and customs. My version of “the doll” acts as a metaphor for this contrast between simplified, stylized, civilized surface and complex, messy, eldritch innards. Brief Commentary on each panel:

First picture: The Doll stands triumphant above a recently defeated (and consumed) foe; a lycanthropic inhabitant of the nightmare labyrinth. She appears to have used ectoplasmic fangs to suck out the creature´s blood, in order to feed the developing child within her. Jacques Derrida proposed "language" to be the core of our world (replacing old favorites such as "History" "Man" and "God"). Derrida, as I understand, understood language not to be composed of two different pieces (word and meaning) but rather, word referencing word, in time, one. My pictures are all meant to place pressure on the distinction we make between form and content, inviting people to reflect on that tired old antagonism that, in my opinion, has wrecked enough havoc on our world.

Second picture: The squid-like child repairs her mother´s body from within, using a mold to produce a replacement for some lost body part. Many elements are placed in relation to each other, as a sort of equation. Compare and contrast; Moon, mirror, water, blood, vase, container, broken container, the idea of Aquarius(which is featured prominently in the original game), gaze, inner gaze, mold, wave, darkness, depths, phallic tower, time, Christianity, England, movement, sperm, menstruation, womb, broken body/head etc

Third picture: The Doll sings (or perhaps screams) a magic attack spell, producing a Moon-like light source. She has lent one of her eyes to her child, who stared out into the world; a mundane crystal orb now host to an otherworldly gaze. Two being find blasphemous harmony with each other, to the point where it´s hard to say where one ends and the other begins. Saint Peter´s cross is a symbol I find very beautiful because of how ambiguous it is, and how it exposes the contradictions within Christian morality. The desire to humble yourself becomes the desire to outdo as well, two martyrs in competition, a shadow of a shadow of a shadow.

Fourth picture: A wider view of the previous moment, it brings me great joy to integrate the famous ruins so often seen in the works of Caspar David Friedrich´s works. Sound and light; two kinds of waves, bring destruction down upon a group of would-be rapist/predators. The famous idea that 0.999(etc) equals ONE is referenced. In videogames strings of nines necessarily represent the idea of "maximum" I find that to be very beautiful. Here a mix that concept with the "number or the beast" idea. This picture integrates a variety a Christian elements to produce a decidedly un-Christian vision.

#bloodborne #hidetaka miyazaki #fromsoftware #fromsoft games #doll #hans bellmer #tentacle #lovecraft #fanart #vaatividya #art #horror #satanism #derrida #bloodborne fanart #fan art #victorian #ball jointed doll #caspar david friedrich #saint peter cross

[wintercorrybriea]

jazzma kendrick by david bellmere

#jazzma kendrick #b

[sourkitsch]

Me when someone tags their shitty digital art as hans bellmer and david cronenberg . Digital works will never have the visceral bodily nature of physical work you should probably just draw on paper or work with some other concept :)

#being an ass about this again bc it’s been a while and I can #conceptually they just function In completely different ways and if you don’t take the materiality of substance into account #maybe you’re just not very smart………. #< me saying they function in different ways is me warming up to digital processes btw. #less of a hater now but I still think digital character based work has completely oversaturated my generation of artists #and maybe we should all kill ourselves over it #if you are thoughtful and cool with digital processes then that’s fine I have no problem with you fyi

[orphicabysss]

april 20 2024

Setting is a warehouse, concrete, high ceilings, cool lighting, dreary. A stage. A long chain hung from the ceiling, and at the bottom of it, swinging back and forth like a pendulum was my girl cousin's body. It resembled a Hans Bellmer sculpture. Limbless. Meat. Not bloodied or gruesome, and she was alive. On the floor some paces in front of me lay her limbs and head, and a jar of the petroleum jelly-like substance substance used to "seal" "her" into the swinging fleshmass.

I saw/understood that she first attached herself to the chain, then smeared the jelly over her head and limbs one by one, and as each was covered, it sucked into her torso the same way turtles withdraw into their shells. Simultaneously, each appendage would appear on the stage floor, waiting mutely for her to reclaim them.

This was a ritual done for wellbeing. A vacation from the concerns of the mind, concerns of doing, going, of being a person. Sealed inside the ball of flesh, the rhythm of the swinging a comforting metronome. ( For both experiencer and observer )

I stood before the stage, front and center, watching her swing awhile, feeling calm, meditative, hypnotized, curious, mixed with that somewhat queasy feeling I get when I see a stitched up wound, or a lot of blood. Not disgust, but that visceral, edgy sensation. Witnessing her process felt like an act of respect. It had a gravity to it. I was patiently awaiting my turn, playing out in my mind what it would feel like to undergo the transformation. I looked forward to the peace of being headless.

Visual mood: Rick Owens + Francis Bacon + Hans Bellmer + David Lynch

Sounds: Spacious silence other than the occasional sound of copulating chainlinks

Smells: None recalled

#dreamjournal

[nonippels]

Barbara Palvin by David Bellmere  

[already-14]

VISIONS DE MANDIARGUES

MODERNITÉ, AVANT-GARDE, EXPÉRIENCES

Alexandre Castant, Iwona Tokarska-Castant

Dans Visions de Mandiargues, essai sur André Pieyre de Mandiargues (1909-1991), écrivain, poète, critique d’art, surréaliste de la seconde génération et auteur passionné par l’image dont il a constamment irrigué son écriture, sont d’abord invités les œuvres ou les témoignages de ses contemporains : écrivains (André Breton, Alejandra Pizarnik, William Burroughs), artistes et plasticiens (Leonor Fini, René Magritte, Wifredo Lam), photographes (Hans Bellmer, Henri Cartier-Bresson, Man Ray) ou cinéastes (Michelangelo Antonioni, Walerian Borowczyk, Nelly Kaplan). Mais aussi, au fil de brèves liaisons imaginées et contre toute attente, apparaîtront les citations d’œuvres d’artistes contemporains dont l’univers, à de multiples égards, propose un reflet de son esthétique dans le champ de la peinture et des plasticiens (Claude Lévêque, David Reed, Philip Taaffe), de la photographie (Martine Aballéa, Denis Roche, Hiroshi Sugimoto), de la vidéo (Kenneth Anger, Eija-Liisa Ahtila, Bill Viola), du théâtre (Jan Fabre, Jacques Vincey, Krzysztof Warlikowski) ou du cinéma (David Lynch, Raoul Ruiz, Apichatpong Weerasethakul). Dès lors, fortes de ce nouvel éclairage, des thématiques telles que l’œuvre de Marcel Duchamp ou le baroque, l’art des jardins ou la sémiologie, l’érotisme ou la plasticité des images mentales, la notion de genre ou celle de livre d’artiste composent Visions de Mandiargues pour approcher l’incandescente modernité de son écriture : son expérience au xxie siècle. Enfin, des photographies, respectivement de Bernard Plossu, Bona Pieyre de Mandiargues, Florence Chevallier, Érik Bullot, Gérard Macé, Nicolas Comment, Sara Imloul, Kourtney Roy, Muriel Pic et Françoise Nuñez, ouvrent chaque chapitre de Visions de Mandiargues comme une invitation de l’image à l’écriture qui pourrait en être l’écho.

A. C. & I. T.-C.

filigranes.com

#mandiargues #andré pieyre de mandiargues

[demelza-kingston-hnd1d]

The Uncanny

The Uncanny as a term arose in 1919 as the title of Sigmund Freud’s essay exploring the junction between aesthetics and psychology. The writings explored the uncomfortable within the familiar, the blurred line that exists between the homely and human and the unnerving and alien. Some examples would include the doppelgänger, automaton, waxwork doll and mannequin, corpse and body-parts. Mirrors, abandoned houses and graveyards also are borderlands that could be considered uncanny. As a concept in art and pop culture, the idea of the uncanny has been used by writers, artists, sculptors, photographers and film makers for decades.

The Grady Twins, from Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining (1980), by Stephen King.

Laura Palmer’s doppelganger in Twin Peaks by Mark Frost and David Lynch, 1990.

The concept has also entered into science through the work of leading roboticist, Masahiro Mori, author of a 1970 paper titled The Uncanny Valley.  The paper described that while increasing level of human likeness achieved in a humanoid robot’s design initially results in increasing our affinity towards it, this response is finite. Mori had recognised that at a certain level of human likeness, an android’s appearance becomes creepy and weird, resulting in a rapid drop off in affinity, termed Uncanny Valley. Although it was conceived in robot design, the graph is thought to apply to any design with a human likeness, from dolls to CGI characters.

The Uncanny Valley, Masahiro Mori, 1970.

Telenoid, an uncanny robotic communication device designed by Japanese roboticist Hiroshi Ishiguro.

Some key artists working in the uncanny:

Claude Cahun, Que me veux tu? 1929. 

Hans Bellmer, (1902-1975), The Doll, c.1936.

William Eggleston, Sumner, Mississippi, c. 1969-70.

Lucas Samaras, Photo-Transformation, 1974.

Francesca Woodman (1958–1981), Untitled, from Angel Series, Rome, Italy 1977.

Cindy Sherman, Untitled #153, 1985.      

Robert Gober, Leg, 1989.

Ron Mueck, Dead Dad (detail) 1996-7.

Mona Hatoum, Grater Divide, 2002.

Juno Calypso, A Cure For Death, 2018.

#illusion #preproduction #inspiration

[anarchist-caravan]

“ In the prologue of Gary Shipley’s 2017 novel Warewolff! , the narrator states that he began to hear “one thing’s voice, and from that voice a portrait of itself—of itself made up with other things. It was learning to talk by shaping the stories of its victims.” Later on, the radically alien narrator describes the world he encounters: “Just stuff that isn’t me. And I do not feel like stuff. I feel like this endless faceless seeing. I’m a seamless tracking shot without arms or legs. It’s like I’m blind or have locked-in syndrome when I don’t.” David Roden compares Shipley’s work to Hans Bellmer’s anagrammatic dolls, because :

both have no axioms or rules beyond the hazards of its dispersal. It is its own entirely misleading portrait. It has no people or worlds, only disjointed clones, plucky carcasses and scripts we mistook as our lives. Yet despite this ontological poverty, we can read Warewolff! Something happens, even if we do not understand what. Its dispersal is the horror of biomorphism: a condition somewhat akin to life that, like Shipley’s alien, “discloses its arrangements” through our language centers. And this is the condition of unbinding: we are spoken by something; we pass into something without even the assurance that our hunger is our own.

The Thing does not just come from another world, but from another time: pre-human time, well before“shared time life regression” became a possibility. It does not speak to us. It’s not speaking us. Our hunger is dismissed. The Thing is a transduction mechanism, a system for translating itself into itself across different language-forms, impelled by an ananthropic rather than inhuman drive. The inhuman or posthuman are necessarily defined from human existence; they’re translations from the human into some otherness. Their hyperplasticity is a quantitative increase in plastic force. But The Thing does not actually care about humanity, technology or intelligence. Intelligence becomes completely irrelevant when it freely navigates through living forms, encountering cognition as just another edible formal feature. Purely immanentized “living”, it dismisses thinking because “thinking has interests that do not coincide with those of living; indeed, they can and have been pitted against the latter”. It is what Meillassoux would define as a “contradictory entity”, which 

is always-already whatever it is not: /…/ the introduction of a contradictory entity into being would  result in the implosion of the very idea of determination—of being such and such, of being this rather than that. Such an entity would be tantamount to a “black hole of differences”, into which all alterity would be irremediably swallowed up, since the being-other of this entity would be obliged, simply by virtue of being other than it, not to be ot her than it. 

Accordingly, real contradiction can in no way be identified with the thesis of universal becoming, for in becoming, things must be this, then other than this; they are, then they are not. This does not involve any contradiction, since the entity is never simultaneously this and its opposite, existent and non-existent. A really illogical entity consists rather in the systematic destruction of the minimal conditions for all becoming—it suppresses the dimension of alterity required for the deployment of any process whatsoever, liquidating it in the formless being which must  always already be what it is not.

Aesthetic metaplasticity is evil aesthetics: it is the appropriation of any empty anthropological form to hide the inhuman amorphousness, the reformulation of the cogito “less in terms of an I think and more in terms of an It lives”. As Mark Fisher concedes, “it has seemed as if the deterritorializing impulses of capitalism have been confined to finance, leaving culture presided over by the forces of reterritorialization”. Metaplastic works, such as those by Gary Shipley, Kenji Siratori, Jake Reber and Mike Corrao, explore cultural deterritorialization through contingent abstraction. They’re made of entities which are not only hyperplastic—able to transform themselves into anything existent—but metaplastic: able to morph into anything non-existent, or to counter-morph anything existent. They’re full of bodies that, rather than anticipate an age of cyborgs, enhanced humanoids and intelligent machines, “announce the end of being”, full of “objects that announce the end of meaning”, of “elements that whorl each of their parts containing the end of the cosmos”. In those artworks we find “something akin to Time, but a Time that is inconceivable for physics, since it is capable of destroying, without cause or reason, every physical law, just as it is inconceivable for metaphysics, since it is capable of destroying every determinate entity, even a god, even God /…/ It is a Time capable of destroying even becoming itself by bringing forth, perhaps forever, fixity, stasis, and death.”  

-

GERMÁN SIERRA - Metaplasticity - Šum12

#GERMÁN SIERRA #David Roden #Metaplasticity #Šum12 #Mark Fisher #Capitalism #s. And this is the condition of unbinding: we are spoken by something; we pass into something without even the assurance that our hunger is

[canforasoap]

© Nadia Lee Cohen (British, born 1991)

She’s my fav photographer, the weird, unexpected mixture between Alfred Hitchcock, Martin Parr, Otto Dix, Quentin Tarantino, David LaChapelle, Helmut Newton, Max Ernst, René Magritte, David Hockney, Cindy Sherman, Roy Lichtenstein, Hans Bellmer, Hanna-Barbera, Lorena Bobbit, Stanley Kubrick, Louise Bourgeois, James Ensor and and and

#nadia lee cohen #lee cohen #cohen #photography #contemporary photography #fashion #miu miu #miumiu #young artist #young photographer #british photographer #nadialee #nadia lee

[myblacknightworld]

What are your favorite characters?

Hey!

So, starting with the fandoms I recently hopped back into (without stopping loving the characters): DC and Miraculous. For DC I have, like, the whole Batfam + Alfred, Commissioner Gordon, Jon Kent, Supergirl, WINN, Barry Allen, AQUAMAN (boy he’s amazing!!!!), Catwoman and Harley (Harely is my baby and deserves the world after what Joker did). For Mirculous it’s easy, I have four in total, and those are Marinette, Plagg, Chloè and Felix.

Then, hopping on other fandoms. Let’s start with Marvel and Doctor Who. For Doctor Who there’s my girl Rose, and Eleventh. I just adore Eleventh, he’s an uncoordinated housecat and I love it (quoting the meme) and obv Jack Harkness and also Rory (poor boy is the perfect bf). Then, for Marvel. Oh boy, this will be long, and without explaining why I love them. My holy trinity of Marvel characters are Black Widow, Spiderman (Peter Parker) and Shadow Girl. But I have so many favs that it borders ridiculous: other than them, there’s Miles Morales, Gwen Stacy (i prefer her to MJ), Tony Stark and Pepper Potts, Hawkeye (deaf circus baby, i love him), Fury, MAY PARKER (listen the woman raised her nephew all alone she’s been his mother supported him through everything I stan one(1) queen), Iceman, Quicksilver (both Avengers one and X-Men one), Peggy Freacking Carter who deserved better (I stan), Storm, Rhodey, Gamora, Thor and Loki, Hope Van Dyne and Kurt Wagner (aka my blue baby), with honourable mention of Scott Lang, Deadpool, and Moon Knight.

Then, on with the next two fandoms: TUA and Magi. For TUA it’s easy peasy lemon squeezy: Diego, Klaus, Numebr Five, Ben and Vanya. Honourable mention of Dave. Magi, oh my good sir Magi. Magi will be the death of me basically each character is my love, my child, my baby to be protected. Name one character and be sure it’ll be on my list. Apart for Sinbad, David, Arba, Spartos and Hinahoho (i could never stand the latter two even if they’re good people. Dunno why).

Then, on we go: FMA and One Piece: FMA. I have two words: Team Mustang. And a few other people, namely Ling Yao, Maria Ros and Maes Hughes. One Piece is a bit more people, My holy trinity is Nami, Rufy and Makino. But there’s also Shanks, Zoro, Chopper, BROOK, Ace (I’m still not over him tbh), Dragon, Garp, Smoker and Tashigi, Cora-san (also still not over him), Law and Bellmere (and definitely still not over her).

Then there’s Total Drama, Bleach and Deltora Quest. Total Drama is only Gwen and Chef. Deltora Quest is only Jasmine. And Bleach... Bleach there are a few, starting with my Holy Trinity/fam: Toshiro Hitsugaya, Rangiku Matsumoto and Gin Ichimaru (am I crying over Gin’s death and my sunken fam hcs? Yes, yes I am.). Then there’s Ichigo, Tatsuki, Rukia, Byakuya, Urahara, Yoruichi, SHINJI my man. Is that Isshin’s name I’m hearing in the distance? Damn sure it is! Isshin is a good dad, and he’s adorkable but badass. Sort of like Sups and Bats.

Then BNHA, Detective Conan, GOT and Huntik: BNHA it’s literally 7 people: Todoroki, Momo, Aizawa, Ms. Joke, Shinso, Hawks and Fuyumi. For Detective Conan is 5 people: Shinichi himself, Kaito Kid (he improvises 90% of the time and I love it), Masumi Sera, Shuichi Akai and Eri Kisaki (a lovely woman who will demolish you in court). GOT I love and adore Arya, my boy Gendry and Tyrion Lannister. Huntik. Huntik is my childhood and though I see perfectly how much flawed she is, I love Sophie. Lok is a puppy and a son I must protect, then Dante and Zhalia are my babies too, and don’t we forget my love Montehue and his axe.

Do I really have to go on? Because I don’t want to stay here all night listing my favs... I can go with some of the other many many fandoms, but more than this it’s quite frankly too much lol

#me #blacky answers #my fav characters #there are too many #you can't just come and ask me to list them all #they're too many #really girl #they're so many

[gorgeus-fashion]

Lais Ribero for Elle US June 2014 photographed by David Bellmere 

#lais ribeiro #swimwear #elle magazine #david bellemere

[parish-m-blog]

Hey Guys,

Sharing with you the work of David Bellmere.I am being following his work since a long time! But got a chance to study his work deeply.

David Bellmere is Paris, France based photographer.

His work has been credited as striking the perfect balance between sensuality and elegance in his images.

In February 2018, Bellemere was one among several photographers accused of sexual misconduct by professionals in the fashion industry.

The main thing I like about his photographs is he always uses natural light and the way he makes his models comfortable! He has his personal series called as nude! You can find the documentry for the same on Amazon prime!

Here is the link to work of David Bellmere : 

https://art-dept.com/photography/david-bellemere-preview/4901/

Here is the link to David Bellmere’s Documentry :

https://www.amazon.com/gp/video/detail/B076MJN9Q5

[tylanovak]

artist models for this term

painting 

- Oscar Murillo

- David hockney 

- Brian harte

- Urszula Gogol 

- 

photo 

- Ana mendieta 

- Hans Bellmer

- Unica Zürn

[westphotolukedas]

Nadav Kander - The Meeting

210220

Nadav Kander (Born 1961) is the first photographer that I cite in conversation about which practitioner has influenced me the most. He was born in Tel Aviv and based in London, although he does not regard himself to be British. His photographs are a part of the collections at the National Portrait Gallery and Victoria and Albert Museum.

Kander began taking pictures at 13 years old with a Pentax camera. In the South African Air Force, he processed film and printed aerial photographs. In 1986, he moved to London where he currently resides with his wife and three children. Portraiture and landscape photography are the main genres that he is best known. I have an appreciation for the consistency in his career, which has traversed 30 years across fine art and commercial platforms. He has photographed celebrities, models and a multitude of other sitters. In 2009, his 52 portraits published in The New York Times Magazine portrayed President Barack Obama and his closest associates. It is the largest portfolio of work that the publication has ever showcased. Later that year, Kander was awarded the prestigious Prix Pictet Earth for Yangtze - The Long River (2008). The shortlist of nominees included Ed Kashi, Andreas Gursky and Naoya Hatakeyama. The list of his other awards is extensive and includes a World Press Photo Award 2013 and 2014, Honorary Fellowship from The Royal Photographic Society 2015 and Outstanding Contribution to Photography from Sony World Photography 2019. (Lens Culture, 2020)

During the World Press Photo Exhibition 2014 at the Southbank Centre, London, I was particularly taken by Kander’s 3rd Prize entry of actor Chiwetel Ejiofor. The photograph first appeared in New York Magazine as a staged portrait to commemorate the British actor. Ejiofor, played a black man kidnapped in 19th Century America and sold into the slave trade in the film 12 Years a Slave (2013). He received an Oscar nomination for the role and won Best Actor at the BAFTA awards. Actors have a trained ability to respond to a camera. He appears poised yet relaxed. Kander’s characteristic turquoise key light is apparent with a red back light to highlight the outline of the sitter. The lack of a fill light leaves a proportionate amount of this face in an enigmatic shadow. This low-key lighting design gives the photograph a sombre tone. Emphasis is placed upon Ejiofor’s eyes, which reveals the complexity of his role in the film. As a viewer of the work in person, I felt a closer affinity to the subject when it was close to life sized. Its considered forms had a significant presence akin to a drawing, painting or sculpture. (World Press Photo, 2020)

The Meeting (2019) is a book that acts as a homage to Kander’s career, with photography from his early foray into the genre to illustrious works recognised within the fine art and academic communities. The annotations add insightful anecdotes about each piece and the man himself. The opening, entitled ‘The Triangle’ outlines a relationship of personal interest to me between sitter, photographer and viewer.

‘I don’t photograph to tell stories. I photograph to make stories. The viewer, if they hold their gaze long enough, becomes the author of the work’s meaning.

Consider there’s a metaphorical suitcase packed with white, grey and darker clothing that we carry around with us wherever we go. When we meet someone, we choose what items to show; maybe only clean white shirts, perhaps darker one. This unpacking is symbolic of a meeting. Much like when I work with a sitter. Our stories collide and change depending on the day, the weather, our emotional states.

If I manage to make a portrait that stirs a viewer then they complete what I call ‘The Triangle’ by bringing their own story or state of mind to the picture. This is fundamental to me, but often missed or misunderstood, because photography is still considered by many to be a record of an event. It is that; but it is not only that. How can it be?

Perhaps if we replace the word ‘photographer’ with ‘poet’ the point becomes clear. It is accepted wisdom when it comes to poetry that every individual reader finds his or her own meaning in the poem and this perspective is unique - no more less valid that yours or mine. The same, in my view, is true of photography.’

In email correspondence between 4th and 28th April 2019 with David Campany, Kander describes his photographic process. These extracts resonated with me as a practitioner of portraiture and landscape photography.

NK - I’ve walked down one road since I started photographing when I was 13. I feel I haven’t deviated at all. I still need my work to strike the same chords in me that I’ve always longed and striven for. My photographs (however varied a viewer might find them) come from the same inner place. I seem to revisit a slowed-down reality, which is very beautiful and important to me. Slow, quiet and slightly uneasy, alluding to more going on beneath what you first see. The subconscious need to express what feels meaningful and profound never goes away. I just try many ways to revisit it, to come at it from different directions.

DC - The portraits you’ve made seem to have quite a special place in your work. As if a face, or a person, is a way to get to the tension between surface and depth. I feel the human face is somehow already an image before it’s photographed. It’s already a kind of presentation, or representation of the self, although a very fragile and elusive one.

NK - That is beautifully put! Yes, my photographs of people are an essential part of my practice.

They follow on from my photographing landscape. When first dealing with landscape I realised it wasn’t the natural environment I was after, but the man-altered landscape. I focused on a darker nature, our destructive ambivalence to our surroundings, but I shrouded these scenes in beauty using compositions that, purely from their form, colour and weight, would have an effect on me apart from the information shown.

DC - Portraiture is often thought of as a two-way exchange, between photographer and sitter, but you’ve talked often of the viewer being crucial to meaning. That said, there’s a real intimacy to your portraits, as if these people have been given the freedom to forget their audience momentarily. We viewers can look, without feeling we’re being performed to. Is this how it is?

NK - I’ve had to think a long time about your question. Much of what I do is intuitive so finding the words is difficult. When I’m in front of a person (or a landscape for that matter), there’s nothing in my head that matters. I’m just looking with so much concentration that sometimes it feels as if I might explode. I do not want to be stirred so badly! All I want is for something to show itself, something that if I release the shutter will become an image that will stir me and unsettle me. To get close to this I must direct people very softly, subtly, and create the appropriate light so that they experience something of themselves. Any frivolous act for the viewer will never work; it would appear transparent. It has to be just for them and me. Only once this is successful does the viewer enter and make up the triangle. Artist, subject and viewer - each one a part of the whole.

From beneath the surface beauty, comes an existential call that touches on questions of destiny and the unknown. The works of Hans Bellmer, Man Ray, Raoul Hausmann, Dalí and Hans (Jean) Arp have also had a big influence on me. Although my work is not surreal, the feeling I get from the work of these artists is something I always search for. For example Jean Arp’s sculptures were very informative when I began photographing the nudes that became the series ‘Bodies - 6 Women, 1 Man’.

DC - It’s interesting that you put it that way. Very often I find myself wondering what landscapes your sitters were in just before they came to you, what it was - out there in the world - that is on their mind as you make the photograph.

NK - A portrait is one way of looking at some facets of our condition. There’s a precious and beautiful flicker of understanding, or the opposite, that shows itself for short periods and disappears. These periods, which I must see and try to photograph, are often responses to the light or the atmosphere that the light imbues. I must try to recognise them as an image that has what I love; depth of feeling, vulnerability and poise, pride and soul, a recognition of something more than just this moment now. Little of this clear to me, but this is the best I can do to explain it. (Kander, 2020)

Summary

It is an inevitability that a photographer emulates their heroes. Whenever I read that someone like Kander also had starting points for their practice, I am encouraged. I have covered in detail the practitioners that have inspired me for this project - Smith, Andrew, Refn, Sigel and Norwood. There are blog posts committed to each of them. However, I felt that Kander required more substantial meditation. There are parallels between his voice and my own - low key lighting and moody colour saturation delivered with a quiet temperament. He reveals that these attributes are the reflection of triangles that he forms between himself, his sitter and viewer. A sitter may choose to present themselves in any number of ways to his lens then this narrative is open for further interpretation by anyone that encounters his imagery. During his interview with Campany, he explains that he implements soft direction, free of frivolity to search for each photograph. He also explains a slow and quietened reality that he occupies beneath the surface appearance of what he sees.

The Ejiofor portrait inspired me during a formative stage of my photography. There is overlap with the other photographers and cinematographers that I have mentioned. Low key lighting is a continuous theme; however, Kander’s renderings have more depth. He is reluctant for media attention and I found The Meeting (2019) to be highly enlightening. His is the work of a ‘poet’ acting as a ‘photographer’, to use his own metaphor. As an analytical student, I have attempted to dissect what makes Kander, Kander. An awareness of his process is just the beginning. My lighting will resemble his, in addition my direction style is already collaborative instead of dictatorial. Any additional intricacies are unique to his voice. As I develop as a photographer myself, I am hopeful to have as reputable career and recognition. There are plenty more triangles that I am eager to construct.

Bibliography

Kander, N. (2019). The Meeting. London: Steidl

Lens Culture (2020). Biography. Lens Culture. Available from

www.lensculture.com/nadav-kander

[Accessed 10/04/2020]

World Press Photo (2020). 2014 Photo Contest. World Press Photo. Available from

www.worldpressphoto.org/collection/photo/2014/29789/1/2014-Nadav-Kander-PS3

[Accessed 10/04/2020]

Nadav Kander, Chiwetel Ejiofor, 2014

#theconstructedphotograph #westphoto #nadavkander

[356mission]

List of artists who have participated in exhibitions at 356 Mission: 2013 Laura Owens Math Bass Mike Bouchet Sarah Braman Sara Clendening Barry Johnston Kricket Lane Daniel McDonald Pentti Monkkonen Matt Paweski Jennifer Rochlin Colin Snapp Jessica Stockholder Oscar Tuazon Daniel Turner Amy Yao Eric Palgon Yshai Yudekovitz Nicholas Arehart Bridget Batch + Kevin Cooley Danielle Bustillo Joey Cannizzaro Jamie Hilder Meghan Gordon Becca Lieb Mindy Lu David Sikander Muenzer Bryne Rasmussen-Smith + Andrew Smith-Rasmussen Tatiana Vahan Sturtevant Shimon Minamikawa 2014 John Kaufman Scott Reeder Oliver Payne Yuki Kimura Alex Katz Michael Dopp, Calvin Marcus, and Isaac Resnikoff Trevor Shimizu Becca Albee Brody Albert and Kaeleen Wescoat-O'Neill Lilly Aldriedge Katie Aliprando Mark Allen Dewey Ambrosino Marie Angeletti Eika Aoshima Jonathan Apgar Cory Arcangel Jacinto Astiazaran Lisa Anne Auerbach John Baldessari Judie Bamber Ray Anthony Barrett Peter Barrickman Darcy Bartoletti Math Bass Stephen Berens Jennifer Berger Molly Berman Cindy Bernard Amy Bessone Lucas Blalock Seth Bogart Jennifer Bolande Joseph Bolstad Elba Bondaroff Marco Braunschweiler Brian Bress Brian Briggs and Laura Copelin Delia Brown Sally Bruno Edgar Bryan Elizabeth Bryant Jedediah Caesar Jedediah Caesar and Kate Costello (Extraterrestrial) Sarah Cain Kristin Calabrese Ingrid Calame Ross Caliendo Joshua Callaghan Brian Calvin Andrew Cannon Ben Carlson Jae Choi Milano Chow Donna Chung Jonathan Clarke Sara Clendening Justin Cole Kelly Marie Conder Matt Connors Vanessa Conte Alika Cooper Liz Craft Meg Cranston Cameron Crone CH Cummings Lila De Magalheas Dave Deany Michael Decker Gracie DeVito Michael Dopp Katie Douglass Lauren Dudko Julia Dzwonkoski and Kye Potter Mari Eastman Brad Eberhard Clifford Eberly Shannon Ebner Benjamin Echeverria Ken Ehrlich Alyse Emdur Karl Erickson Ron Ewert Ann Faison Cayetano Ferrer Gabrielle Ferrer Luke Fischbeck Katy Fischer Morgan Fisher Jesse Fleming Maya Ford Simone Forti Brendan Fowler Magdalena Suarez Frimkess Erik Frydenborg Francesca Gabbiani and Eddie Ruscha Nikolas Gambaroff Kathryn Garcia John Geary Veronica Gelbaum Rashell George Laeh Glenn Samara Golden Piero Golia Sayre Gomez Hannah Greely Justin John Greene Cassandre M. Griffin Katie Grinnan Mark Grock Julian Gross Karin Gulbran Jamal Gunn Becker Karl Haendel Mark Hagen Rick Hager Kate Mosher Hall Kevin Hanley Justin Hansch Peter Harkawik Jenny Hart Jeff Hassay Michael Henry Hayden and Anthony Lepore Carol Hendrickson James Herman Nick Herman Roger Herman Marcus Herse Paul Heyer Ian Hokin Evan Holloway Violet Hopkins and Foxy Production Jonathan Horowitz Amy Howden-Chapman Joe Hoyt Melissa Huddleston Cannon Hudson Amy-Claire Huestis Raymie Iadevaia Mitsuko Ikeno Daniel Ingroff Charles Irvin Alex Israel James Iveson Johanna Jackson Dain Johnson Kathleen Johnson Barry Johnston Emily Joyce E'wao Kagoshima Stanya Kahn Glenn Kaino, Sadie Kaino, and Stella Kaino Raffi Kalenderian Sanya Kantarovsky Matt Keegan Michael John Kelly Sean Kennedy Julie Kirkpatrick Karen Kilimnik Tom Knechtel Keith Rocka Knittel Rebecca Kolsrud David Korty Greg Kozaki Max Krivitzky Cyril Kuhn Rosina Kuhn Andrew Kuo Shio Kusaka Joel Kyack Molly Larkey Elad Lassry Tom Lawson William Leavitt Ann Leese Sarah Lehrer-Graiwer Alex Lemke Julia Leonard Anthony Lepore Sharon Lockhart Nick Lowe Tim Lokiec Andrea Longacre-White Anaïs Lozano Christopher Lux Caleb Lyons Matt MacFarland Ashley Macomber Tobias Madison Becca Mann Josh Mannis Chloé Maratta Calvin Steele Marcus Frank Masi Max Maslansky Katie S. McCauley and Bradly D. Fischer Danny McDonald Ross McLain Alex Meadows Jason Meadows Mieko Meguro Dain Mergenthaler Matt Merkel Hess and Conrad Merkel Donato Mezzenga Dianna Molzan Pentti Monkkonen Rebecca Morris Jane Moseley Hanne Mugaas Joshua Nathanson Davida Nemeroff Ruby Neri Ryan O'Halloran Tara Jane O'Neil J.D. Olerud Silke Otto-Knapp Robin Paravecchio and Ignacio Genzon Michael Parker John Parot Jane Parshall Julia Paull Mary Pearson Andrew Hirsch Perlman Jon Pestoni Primo Pitino Todd Pleasants Megan Plunkett Monique Prieto Jon Pylypchuk Chadwick Rantanen Sarah Rara Josh Reames Isaac Resnikoff Michael Rey John Riepenhoff Carolyn Pennypacker Riggs Shelby Roberts Jennifer Rochlin Ry Rocklen Torbjorn Rodland Mark A. Rodriguez Alix Ross & Morgan Ritter Amanda Ross-Ho Amanda Ross-Ho and Erik Frydenborg with Jorge, Mother, and Bud Nancy Sandercock Melinda Sanders Aaron Sandnes Rachelle Sawatsky Asha Schechter Carolee Schneeman Max Schwartz Zach Schwartz John Seal David Benjamin Sherry Peter Shire Flannery Silva Alex Slade Ryan Sluggett Alexis Smith Barbara T. Smith Jen Smith Joe Sola Frances Stark Linda Stark Jason Starr A.L. Steiner LeRoy Stevens Kate Stewart Thaddeus Strode Ricky Swallow Jordyn Sweet Martine Syms Tara Tavi Paul Theriault Amanda Tollefson Beatrice Valenzuela Monique Van Genderen Sigrid Vejvi Mark Verabioff Laura Vitale Erika Vogt Amy Von Harrington Christine Wang Mary Weatherford Michael Webster Benjamin Weissman John Wesley Brica Wilcox Chris Wilder Elise Marie Wille Lisa Williamson Lena Wolek Nate Wolf Jonas Wood Suzanne Wright Aaron Wrinkle Wendy Yao Jason Yates Michael Zahn Bari Ziperstein Jesse Fleming Larry Sultan André-Pierre Arnal Pierre Buraglio Louis Cane Noël Dolla Daniel Dezeuze Christian Jaccard Jean-Michel Meurice Bernard Pagés Jean-Pierre Pincemin Patrick Saytour Claude Viallat 2015 Anna Helm Lisa Lapinski Jay Chung & Q Takeki Maeda Lisa Anne Auerbach Lucky deBellevue Rochelle Feinstein Dane Johnson Jane Kaplowitz Max Krivitzky Ann Leese Cary Leibowitz Paul McMahon Rob Pruitt Sam Roeck Ruth Root Jason Rosenberg Theo Rosenblum + Chelsea Seltzer Joe Scanlan Lena Wolek Sam Anderson Becca Albee Eric Wesley Ben Vida Katy Fischer Kerry Tribe Graham Lambkin Shahryar Nashat Seth Bogart Nancy Lupo and Molly McFadden Rebecca Morris Gary Indiana 2016 Susan Cianciolo Seth Price Wayne Koestenbaum Lutz Bacher Chris Domenick & Em Rooney Wu Tsang Maggie Lee Eric VVysokan John Seal 2017 Trisha Baga Brian Sharp David Reed Henning Bohl C-Brushammer COBRA Daisuke Fukunaga Naotaka Hiro Ken Kagami Veit Laurent Kurz Soshiro Matsubara Puppies Puppies Stephen G. Rhodes Trevor Shimizu Yosuke Takayama Yuji Agematsu Nancy Arlen Jeremy Anderson Hans Bellmer Bill Bollinger Lee Bontecou Robert Breer Dan Burkhart Cameron Nicolas Ceccaldi Magalie Comeau Tony Conrad Jay DeFeo Michaela Eichwald Agustin Fernandez Terry Fox Ilka Gedő Jean-Léon Gérôme Bill Hayden Matt Hoyt Steve Keister Mike Kelley William Leavitt Lee Lozano Robert Mallary Harold Mendez Henri Michaux Eric Orr Tom Rankin Deborah Remington John Singer Sargent Michael E. Smith Unica Zürn Jacqueline Kiyomi Gordon

[samglynnposts-blog]

An example of stop motion horror which tells the strange story of a cat like creature that steals human body parts from it’s human prey. 

directed by Robert Morgan who was influenced by film makers such as: 

David Lynch, David Cronenberg, Joel Peter Witkin and  Han Bellmer

#robert morgan