For my object project I started my research by looking at 15th and 16th Century artists practicing still life painting.

I came across Vanitas by Pieter Claesz, where many visual references link into the berevity of life and the preciousness of time.

After further research I found and was inspired by Willem Kalfs painting Still Life With Silver Jug. The chiaroscuro and detail to reflections are unlike other still lives I have seen from the period. The fruit, golden watch and reflections, too, are a symbol of vanitas.

After seeing this universal imagery pop up a lot, I decided that whatever my theme, I want some universal symbols or signs in my image, but not so much symbols as familiarities. For example, the wallpaper is that familiar pattern, which is used in many childrens bedrooms seemingly harmless, but when the lights go out it is garish and eerie. The evil looking clown is very commonly seen as an object of horror and the anguished eyes of the telephone before it show that something is amiss. For my concept I was inspired by movies the Goonies and the Lovely Bones to look into maternal fear and how the decrease in children playing in the streets is affected by this. I was drawn into the recent accessibility of information on local sex offenders and paedophiles. I watched a trailer of disturbing short film Michael about the cohabitation of a paedophile and a ten year old boy, in order to create an atmosphere in my mind for my final image. When researching artists who have explored a similar subject matter I came across Hans Bellmer, who created a series of prepubescent dolls and photographed them in provocative situations, which challenged the viewer, instilling both horror and an awkward eroticism.

I also discovered the views on the work of Carravagio. In his painting The Musicians it is said that he captured the seductive intentionality in their faces, contemplating the erotic appropriation of the infantile body.

For my response to my theme, I decided to represent the side to paedophilia we dont immediately assume, where the adult is stuck in a childlike mind, and their actions are reactions to their adult frustrations taken out on their little friends. I used various setups of childrens toys and an adults cane and shoes. Although I started my shoot arranging these in a natural looking setting, as if both child and adult were playing together, it looked messy and I decided to stage my objects, using a cushion to create a pedestal in the centre. The phone lies off the hook crying out for help, facing forward but with no escape, blocked by the cane, and a clown drenched in demonic chiaroscuro. As I was representing the childlike mind, I lit from very low down, and used a snoot to create a direct, harsh light. This creates an atmosphere that is very enclosed and private, as if a memory. For me I do find it quite creepy, and I can still hear the drab tune coming from the wind-up television. My main issue with the shoot was getting the set-up right. I felt that the scene became less and less realistic as time went on and I ended up staging it and it looks tacky. My initial idea required a crafted grid from which to hang lit candles to create a bokeh effect lighting and Polaroid pictures of childrens profiles with the eyes or mouth scratched or burnt away, resulting in a disturbing shrine like image. I also wanted to peel away some of the wallpaper revealing some rotten woodwork beneath. As I was juggling both object and environment together, I found it hard to time-keep and my plan went out the window.

Before final submission I may re-shoot, though it is tempting to change it completely as I have many more ideas in my head to represent my subject. My environment shoot comes in two parts, the pastiche and the series. For my pastiche, I decided to emulate the work by Jem Southam, Seaford Head. In researching his work, I discovered that the reason he shoots his work where he does is that he lives near and knows the areas he works in. This inspired me to shoot mine somewhere I know, and I took my photograph in St Margarets Bay near Dover. I wanted to shoot with a large depth of field, keeping most of the scene in focus, but I could not get the exposure right with this, and the only image that was not blurry was shot with a wide aperture and so focused on the chalky outcrop in the foreground. For my series, I began my research by looking at the concept of beauty, as I wanted to challenge the guidelines of the picturesque. I looked at three writers; Hegel, Kant and Eco all had very different ideas. From my research I found the theories that beauty is either found in functionality or through personal experience. Eco believes that ugliness is not the exact opposite of beauty and that it is more exciting as there are not set guidelines as to what ugliness is. I therefore decided to challenge some of these ideas and looked at dysfunction in landscape. I looked into environmental artists and came across Edward Burtynsky, whose landscapes conveyed my theme on the question of beauty. His Nickel Tailing no.34 is an ugly subject, a baron earthy wasteland, cut through by nickel waste, but the image itself is quite beautiful, glowing like ember, almost like a negative of a country river.

I then found another work of his from his Railcuts series. The landscape depicted has been mauled to make way for the rail track, but the position of the camera, placing of the land slip in the centre and sheer scale of the scene and aesthetically pleasing and romantically awe inspiring. In studying this image, I was drawn to the effects of time and memory, as remnants of the previous landscape still remain.

I looked at the area I am living in now, as Medway is a constantly fluctuating area,

growing up and up, further from the river and countryside. I wanted to capture mans effect on the landscape, lost in time and engulfed by the landscape once more, leaving but a trace soon to be a memory. My first image was taken by the river, from a spot I often see from afar but have not been. Next to a dredger, there is a small wooden boat moored and rotting. I followed this round and found an old jetty that had capsized into the river bed and decayed. These are both viewable on google maps so I am guessing they have been there for some time. I shot the image from quite low down, looking out over the river as I wanted to capture at least the reflections of the industrial side to Medway, as reflections link to both memory and the berevity of life. I shot with a large depth of field as I wanted the image to have a painterly feel, mocking the idea of the picturesque but appealing to the sublime. I then wanted to photograph the disused railway line in Gillingham, just a short walk from the new station. When looking down into a gorge of trees, the tracks cut through like a delicate wisp, fading into the distance. Unlike my first image, I shot this with shallow depth of field to emphasise the way in which this track would be hidden by the trees in years to come. I do however feel it would be better to get a bit closer and shoot wide aperture, to get everything into focus as the foreground is distracting, and it would flow better with my series. Finally for my third shot, I wanted to shoot the old tunnel entrance for Fort Clarence in Borstal after researching the area. However I didnt get a camera until this week and after spending a day shooting it got too dark to shoot there and I did not have any lighting with me. Instead I shot an alleyway close to my house, hoping it would depict nature fighting back against waste which was soon to become memory. However I only had two exposures to do this in and both times I got nudged and so the images blurred. Before submission I hope to at least reshoot this in Borstal.