what i like about the passport photos apart from the way they are taken, is the idea of them as well as the quality. the idea that they are taken for people to go away, most usually and conventionally to have a good time. Also the simplicity of it, that soley this is a picture of someone, people tend to keep the spare ones as momentoms in their purse, as they are a loved one. These pictures to me seem to last forever. The quality of the pictures are great, the ones of my borther and sister were taken in the early 1990’s, they look dated as does the clothes and haircuts its quite priceless, whereas mine taken in the late 1990’s seems to be more fresh and white. the compostition of these pictures with your head and the top of the shoulders in the picture and then a gap of white, empitness and your head is something that is quite interesting in itself.
Today, i began rooting thorugh my parents boxes of old photos, and i came across an old passport picture of myself from when i was six. I remember having it taken i was in woolworths with my family and had to sit in the photobooth,obviously on my own which i wasnt too pleased about. I waited patiently for the big flash to happen, alas it did to my terror. I also found my brother’s and sister’s passport pictures from when they were around the same age. What i find interesting about these pictures is the way they are taken and the way they come out for example, my sisters picture came out similar to mine she looked quite shocked. my brothers on the other hand is different, he is making cheeky childlike faces and smiling.
i have been looking at Christian Boltanski, his themes like memory, life and death and the instability of existense is something that greatly interests me and inspires me with my work, and are themes thati have always worked with. Gymnasium Chases 1991, is a piece of work by Boltanski that interests me. the idea of multiple portrait pictures of an enitre class is alost everlasting bringing these people back into existence. that is something i want to do. almost bring things back to life, the forgotton memorys.
my most recent work has consisted of a square format as has most of my work in this course. my most recent works however are a square peice of patterned mostly dated patterened paper, with old family images on. some of which are different sizes perhaps to small or different compostitions. However recently i have found myself at a standstill. i feel that i no longer can progress with the work i have been doing becuase i have exhausted the size ans style.
As i find myself at a standstill, i begin to look at the surroundings of my life, things that inspire me which can be anything that speaks to me, such as a picture i find intriguing, and song that speaks to me, a letter, the way the day feels, it really can be anything.
John Stezaker is another influence, more so for the composition of his work. Its as if for him nothing is out of bounds. i porduced a series of work in the inspired by him that i had a lot of fun doing beauase there was no bounds. There is an extremely fun element to Stezakers work which is why i am so attracted to it, its very quirky and decieving, two elements that i hope my work posses (fun and quirky, not decieving).
