The Gatie Project

For this project, I started straight away. I took a picture of people sat on a bench inside the museum. Again, it wasn’t like Gatie’s work, but it was a start. I like the image because of its features. It is the opposite of Isoloneliness, but it was just a practice shot. It is of two people observing a picture of Jesus. The couple are evidently lovers as they are close together, and their body language indicates an emotional attachment, even though the viewer cannot see their faces.

After this, I took my camera into town to take some shots. The first two images that I took where at a bus stop. I took a picture of an office chair in the bus stop because I found it interesting that an object that doesn’t belong there, yet for some reason it is there. a few seconds later, a woman sits down on it. I liked the idea that the object that doesn’t belong, has been interacted with. I noticed many passer byes looking at the chair in amusement, but never sat on it. I edited the pictures to black and white because I didn’t have a SLR, to resemble the atmosphere that Getie creates. I would say that the element of loneliness isn’t present in these pictures because of the structure of the photograph. The unmissable sign in the background on the empty chair is visible, but it is faded on the other picture when the women is sat down. I quite like that effect as a relation to the chair, but this was purely coincidental as I did not notice this when taking the picture.

Another two images I took where of another bus stop. There were a sock stuffed with something, and was randomly placed at the bus stop. I don’t know if it was left there by accident or dumped there as rubbish. I managed to capture people walking away from the bus stop, but again, the seat was empty. I don’t think that the same emotions of loneliness that Gatie created is present in this picture.

This image of a woman sat at a bus stop in the rain was my best experiment, because of the reflections left on the wet floor. It creates a tension of mystery, complimented by the missing head of the person sat on the bench. I feel like this is my closest image to the styles of Gatie because the coldness in the image. The person seems to be looking on at the people in the background, but is difficult to tell because their head is covered. This image was in colour, but edited black and white. This made a significance in the energy of the picture. It had added elements of loneliness and isolation, yet not depressing. The perfect blend of Isoloneliness.

Overall I feel like this experiment has been important to me. I have learnt a little bit more about the details of creating an atmosphere. Mood in a photograph is one of the most important features of a photograph as it can invoke emotions in the viewer, allowing them to relate or understand what is happening in the picture. I can take this experiment and apply it into future projects.

THE GATIE BENCH PROJECT

With the inspiration of Adrian Gatie, I walked around town taking pictures of benches. Before I started this project, I had already taken a picture of a bench in Victoria Train Station. It was taken while I was waiting for a friend. The train station was empty while I was there, but I knew someone had been sat recently on the bench opposite me. There was an empty paper cup of coffee. I liked the idea of a presence, but the absence of a person. There is a coffee stain on the floor which could suggest that the person was in a hurry, yet the cup remains up right. It made me think about the person who was sat there. Why was they sat there? Where were they going? When I looked at the photograph on the computer, I noticed a light reflecting on the floor and the middle of the bench in shape of a human. It made me think of a ghost, or that person’s energy that was left by that person. I liked the idea of an imprint left by that person, a piece of that persons history that they left for those who look for it.

There aren’t any similarities about my image, compared to the works of Gatie, but I am happy with the outcome of my image. I think that I can use this as a starting point to the new project.

MANCHESTER ART GALLERY

MANCHESTER ART GALLERY

Yesterday I went to the Manchester art gallery for inspiration as my artist research is becoming difficult, and I find that walking around a gallery is relaxing, as I can just look and not think. Its rare that I get a whole day to myself because of work and university, so I decided to make the most of it. I found a few interesting exhibitions that I was interested in.

Adrian Gatie

Gatie’s work involved a series of black and white photographs that showed people in the street. The natural poses of these people indicate that these photographs may be candid shots. One image ‘Market Street’ (1985) caught my eye and related to my project. A man sat alone on a bench with his head in his hands shows the viewer that the man may be in some sort of distress. There are people walking past, making no eye contact to the man which indicates his personal isolation. Is it the ignorance of other people that is causing his sadness, or is there something deeper? It is hard to tell, but the image is very powerful, contributed by the black and white, it creates a tension of Isoloneliness. This is the perfect starting place to kick of a new project.

Image taken with permission of the Manchester Art Gallery

I researched Gatie further to see if I can find any other images similar to ‘Market Street’. I came across this image of a man sat down on a chair reading a newspaper. The image, also black and white does not show any indications of loneliness, unlike ‘Market Street’. Although he his alone, but with people in the background paying no attention to him, the atmosphere is completely clam. This could be caused by the comical factor of the image, but also the peaceful facial expression the man is giving.



http://news.bbc.co.uk/media/images/50169000/jpg/_50169209_161chorltoncumhardy1985.jpg

I like the concept of a bench and Isoloneliness. It is an object that we can sit on and reflect on our thoughts, yet when we are sat down in a public place, we are often ignored. Someone may sit next to us, but not engage in interaction. With this inspiration, I want to take a few pictures in the style of Gatie and see where it leads me.





Personal Experiments and Struggle

Personal Experiments and Struggle

I am still finding it hard to find an area and medium in Isoloneliness that I would like to develop and feel that this whole year will consist of experimenting and artist research. This month I have set a challenge to myself to find a topic that I like and stick with it as I am not going to get very far if I keep experimenting, so this month, I will be focusing on experimenting, next month, it will be one project, and I will stick to it.

For the moment, I have conducted more experiments to do with personal loneliness, as a collective loneliness is proving complicated. Assuming on other peoples loneliness isn’t very wise.

A Portrait of myself

This experiment is clique. I know that I have been trying to avoid these kind of experiments because they are predictable and amateurish, but I could develop from them. Its worth a try. At this stage, I feel I have to because I am running out of ideas and time is running out.

A portrait of myself is self explanatory. I have taken the concept of using a mask to hide behind (I know it’s been done to death). I took some random photographs that have been constructed.

Review;

This is another failed project, as I expected. All the reasons are obvious. The images are amateurish and don’t tell the story of isolation. It could be seen as I am hiding from something, but it is unclear to what. I don’t think I will continue this project because of its predictability.

Artist Research; Raymond Moore

Taking into consideration the past project Ghosts of Spurn Point, and the road photographs I took, it made me think of a photographer that I came across last year. Moore took images of empty places and landscapes. A few of images could be likened to my style, but I think that the intentions were different. He used black and white photography which creates an intense feeling of loneliness. He took several photographs of roads, but they are not blurred like mine, yet the use of black and white photography, he creates a more powerful image than what I created. I think that if I was to do more road experiments, I should try out black and white photography.

I found a quote of his which I think I should take note of.

“Technical matters are relatively unimportant. I use the camera I am happiest with, and that can produce the type of print I visualise; superb definition and ultra fine grain may be far less convincing than a grainy blur” - Raymond Moore

Basically, he is saying that the technique should not be the focus point, but the print should be important. I don’t find that my photographs are completely realistic like Moore’s. Perhaps I should try to experiment with film and print my pictures.

Photo Experiments

Experimenting with imagery

I don’t feel comfortable with the video experiments and I am not confident enough to try other installations. I think that I should go back to photography and experiment with different types of methods to express Isoloneliness. To do this, I walked around town and at home, taking photographs of objects that made me think of Isoloneliness.  

Driving away

I visited my parents for a few days to give myself a break from work. I felt happy to be around familiar faces. When it was time to leave, I got that pang feeling in the stomach (the feeling I get when I feel alone). I was in the passenger seat of a car, driving back to Manchester. I looked out the window and saw the long road ahead. I decided to take a few photographs on my camera phone. The images I took were of the road, which was symbolic of the journey away from comfort. The images were blurred (accidental) because of the speed of the car, however, I liked this effect as it looks like my journey was becoming distorted, and not clearly visible.

 I really liked the effect that this has produced. The blurry effect is a good technique of representing an uncertain future. On the first image, the word SLOW on the road is bluured too. This has not been an intention to capture but i feel like it gives a message to the photograph about the journey.

This image is blurred like the rest, but it looks like a badly taken photograph. I have to include this into my experiments as a mistake so that i can learn from it. If i am to further this technique, I need to avoid making images look like this.

Over all I am pleased with this experiment, even though the foundations of it were discovered by accident. The idea of blurring to create a tension of the unknown or unclear vision works well with Isoloneliness. This is because of the uncertainty the feeling brings out in a person suffering from Isoloneliness. I think that I could take this experiment and adapt it to another project, developing the blurring so it looks more professional.

Technological loneliness

Technological loneliness

Still continuing the experiments in The Cure, I want to try out one more concepts before completely giving up. I would like to explore the concept of technologies and its impact on how we deal with loneliness. I mentioned the idea of technologies been used as a cure, a hide away from loneliness. Internet chat rooms and mobile phones create a civilization where we can talk to anyone in the world, yet are alone in a room. The project is hard not to fall into cliques of artwork, for example, I normally would have done a print out of a social network, and worked on that. I think that it is a bit insulting to a viewer. I have decided to experiment on the actual technology that supplies this cure. I took some close ups of a key board. I made them blurry to represent the distorted vision of the new interactive culture and online salvation that the internet provides. Then took images of the internet not working, as a link to the truth.

In the end I didn’t like where I was going with this idea. I could develop the pictures into a montage or create a piece using them, but the idea seems dull so I decided to try a different medium. Plain pictures of technologies isn’t informative enough of my opinion, so I wanted to experiment with film. I bought a keyboard and used an old mobile phone. I then filmed destroying the key to the cure. I did this to see what it would like from a different perspective.   

In the end I didn’t like where I was going with this idea. I could develop the pictures into a montage or create a piece using them, but the idea seems dull so I decided to try a different medium. Plain pictures of technologies isn’t informative enough of my opinion, so I wanted to experiment with film. I bought a keyboard and used an old mobile phone. I then filmed destroying the key to the cure. I did this to see what it would like from a different perspective.   

The videos didn’t turn out as I expected. I lost the hammer that I was supposed to smash my phone with, so had to use a nut cracker, and the saw I used to cut the keyboard in half snapped. I liked the idea of filming the destruction of technology, but it didn’t turn out as expected, and am finding it difficult to think of a use for the videos. I am going to leave this idea for now, but may come back to it after I have created another mind map.

 

Sketch book experiments

Sketch book experiments

While trying to develop my ideas of how sex is used as an escapism, I tried some visual creations to try to inspire me, since finding an artist that uses condoms in the same gratifications as me. I did a 3 piece image based on myself. ‘Memories are worthless’ is the first part that consists of a film negative in a money bag, followed by ‘Sex is priceless’, just a plain condom stuck to paper, leads to the final piece, ‘Fuck yourself’, a page from a pornographic magazine, with images of myself with my eyes covered. This piece was created purely to inspire myself, and motivate my mind to create as I am currently caught up with my dissertation, that is giving me an artist block. Looking back on the piece, I don’t think that I could relate it to any significance in my project, however, I feel that I represents a glimpse into my own personal conflicts.

After deciding that I cannot use any of the new experiments to move forward, I decided to move on, but still using condoms. I created a mini journal, set out like a note book. It consisted of 4 pages, where I photocopied 4 condoms on each page. I used this to question why sex could be used as a cure for Isoloneliness. The first page worked like a number factory (those mathematical machines used at school to help develop sum skills). The condom is a factory that answers the questions you put in. I called this the sex guru.

QUESTEION                                  SEX GURU                           ANSWER

The cure for loneliness?                 .................                         yes

An excuse to fuck?                         .................                         yes

Habit?                                             .................                         yes

Animal instinct?                              .................                         yes

Fear of rejection                             .................                         debatable

The next 2 pages were based on opposites. The 4 condoms on the 2^nd page each had a title, and on the 3^rd page, a word that was an opposite was used as a title for that pages condoms.

PLEASURE                                           ................                           PAIN

PASSION                                              ................                           FEAR

EXCITMENT                                        ................                           DREAD

ROMANCE                                          ................                           LUST

The fourth page of the journal was shrunk by using a photocopier. It consisted of 4 condoms, but with no information attached, apart from the clip in the corner that stated ‘PROJECT ABANDONED’. The whole project is to represent the truth in the cure, that what we think, is actually the opposite of what we want. We want to believe that what we think helps, but it doesn’t, or that it might only be temporary. This project also invokes more questions, and ideas for projects. What happens when we detach from our sexual partners? When 2 become 1, what becomes of the 1, and what does the 1 feel when the 2 are not together?

Moving on

I have decided to move on from condoms, and the mission to explore a cure for Isoloneliness. This is because I feel that I cannot create a sound project that can express Isoloneliness. The journal experiment didn’t work because it was basic, and nothing to stimulate the viewers thinking. Again, it has failed to represent a solid argument for a cure. The whole concept of this project is becoming difficult because of the technicalities of expression. One problem I found I have in my work is assuming that what I state is an actual fact, a fact shared by a collective thought shared by everyone on this planet. I feel that, in order for this project to move on, I should try to make this project based on human thought, and leave it to the psychologists.

The Life Cycle of a Condom

Analysis of objects in a condom

I chose objects that I think people turn to when suffering from Isoloneliness, yet I don’t know why I put them in condoms. I could have used the objects in their own context, and feel like that it doesn’t work by putting them in condoms. My focus for this project was to illustrate sex and one night stands as a cure, not other cures. If I am to return to this project, I will extract the objects from the condom and use them in another way.

RISK ASSESMENT; The hypodermic syringe I used was brand new, and free from sharps. A friend who uses insulin provided the needle, and he handled it at all times, including putting it in the condom. It was disposed of in his sharp box carefully and responsibly.

The Life Cycle of a Condom/Mid term review

The idea for this creation was inspired by using condoms to capture ‘life’. My aim was to represent a cure; a one night stand. By creating a brief time line of a condom in its different stages of use, would represent been used for sex. I wanted to represent the gratifications of sex, and how we see sex as intimacy. Between the times of sex, we are as close to another person, physically, as any other activity. This craving for intimacy might be seen as a need, an escape from been lonely. Based on personal experience, one night stands can be deconstructed as a temporary cure for loneliness. The life cycle intentions were to illustrate this idea.

Behind the controversy

The instalment did cause a bit of a controversy when people found out that the last condom contained real seamen. I feel that I had to use real seamen because it represented the capture of life, creating another lonely vessel (life). I wanted to create a piece that was realist, and if I used a substitute, it would have lost its values.

However, I presented this idea to my peers at the midterm review and received mixed comments. Although several people liked the concept, the work was classed as subjective. A situation that did not occur to me at the time of creation. The problem with my work was that it wasn’t clear to the viewer the intentions of the piece. One comment that I took on board was that it could be evidence of a loving relationship, when the work is supposed to represent a one night stand. I looked at the piece after and could see that it was hard to understand what was going on. In my mind, I knew what the significance was, but failed to notify the viewer.

The development of The Life Cycle of a Condom

Taking in to consideration on what was said at the midyear review, I decided to try develop the piece. One of my ideas was to add the time on the life cycle, and turn it in to a time line. From the first part, I placed a time on the back ground, and on each one until the end was 5 minutes ahead of the first one. I wanted to try and create a time scale of 5 minutes that would signify a one night stand, or a ‘quickie’. I then framed the condoms, not to create an impact on meaning of the piece, but to keep the condoms safe. Upon self assessment, I felt that it still didn’t work, and I started to struggle coming up with ideas to represent a one night stand. At this point, I decided to move on to another part of the project because time was running out, and the cycle project was becoming very time consuming.

 

The Cure

Introduction to The Cure.

Exploring what may be the cause of Isoloneliness through relics of abandonments and voids must conclude a cure. What is it we objects use to escape loneliness? Sex, Technologies, Interactions are some of our utopia’s. This part of the project will explore what we do as humans to evade the feelings we hate. One of my ideas is about one night stands, our cravings for contact, flesh on flesh. Our most primal needs against our primal fears. Those who sanction in relationships, or in wed lock may not feel the same as one who is single. I know that this project will be theoretically complicated, because everyone feels different towards sex, so I am not going to get too technical about this, and just experiment.

My first idea to represent sex is the use of condoms. Condoms are used to prevent things such as STI’s or the creation of life, obviously, you don’t need a sex education, but I want to focus on the prevention of creating another life, another vessel to become infected by Isoloneliness.

I have experimented with condoms by putting objects inside them that don’t necessarily relate to loneliness, but have implications of a negative lifestyle. As condoms are used to ‘capture’ life, I wanted to use them to capture things in life. The things we use as a cure.

Experiment 1; Cigarette Butts

Experiment 2; Pills

Experiment 3; needles

Experiment 4; phone/technologies

Experiment 5; nothingness

Analysis of objects in a condom

I chose objects that I think people turn to when suffering from Isoloneliness, yet I don’t know why I put them in condoms. I could have used the objects in their own context, and feel like that it doesn’t work by putting them in condoms. My focus for this project was to illustrate sex and one night stands as a cure, not other cures. If I am to return to this project, I will extract the objects from the condom and use them in another way.

RISK ASSESMENT; The hypodermic syringe I used was brand new, and free from sharps. A friend who uses insulin provided the needle, and he handled it at all times, including putting it in the condom. It was disposed of in his sharp box carefully and responsibly.

Artist research

Artist research

Looking for artists to help inspire me so early on in the project is hard, as I am unsure of my foundations, or where this project will be going. One artist, however, that I was introduced to by a friend, had some very interesting images. I don’t think that his subjects were specialized in loneliness, but some of the methods and styles in his work remind me of the project I am doing. One of his images is a gritty picture of trees and the ground from an ariel view. The camera angle alone gives the place a feeling of isolation, allowing the viewer to see the amount of empty space in the photograph. What appears to be mist consumes the clear vision of the viewer, giving it a claustrophobic atmosphere, conflicting with the ariel shots intention of space. The black and white tones create a lingering feeling of eeriness.

http://www.we-find-wildness.com/2010/12/lukas-wassmann/

I wouldn’t compare it to The Ghosts of Spurn Point, however, I feel that if I had seen this image before I took the photographs, they would have turned out different. When taking my pictures, black and white photography didn’t even occur to me. This image has inspired me to experiment with different techniques when using photography in this project, and camera angle is an important tool.  

Moving forward; return to the living

Moving forward; return to the living

It might be a while before I return to Spurn Point, so I need to try out different experiments to represent Isoloneliness. I feel that I can move on from my last experiment with an understanding that my work could become clique, predictable or completely contradictory of my aims. I have had several ideas of what I want to do next. I am still unsure of the path I want to take, i.e. making it a personal or collective project, so for the time begin, I am going to explore both.

The Ghosts of Spurn Point

Source of picture; http://www.eriding.net/media/photos/geography/spurn_head/050905_cbrown_mp_geo_with1.jpg

Ghosts Of Spurn Point

As a child, my parents took me to a place called Spurn Point. An isolated part of the Yorkshire coast, built with sand banks and shingle banks, overlooking the ocean. The Victorians built their sea defences on the banks, which are maintained by the Ministry Of Defence, which are now abandoned. From the mainland, it is a 3 mile drive to get to the point, then the road ends. You can walk around the whole point on the beach, where the old war bunkers decay, and traces of its history barley remain.



 

The place is a congealment of beauty and loneliness. This week, I returned to capture the tension and vibes of Spurn Point. It’s hard to explain the emotions you pick up from there, even through photography. There’s a physical magic that can only be experience when you walk onto the beach. It’s a strange sensation when you walk around the point, passing the abandoned war bunks. A spirit of the past latches on to you, the living, begging for interaction, for it to be remembered. The lighthouse, a ghost within its own rights, seems to wait, overlooking the sea, ready to warn the dangers of the rocks below. You pick up a tragic sense of loss, as the only interaction it gets is one way. The boats receive the signal of danger, and then sail away, not replying to the lighthouse. It now has been out of use since 1986.

The pictures I took all have a story which I feel like I need to tell you.

The Ghosts of Spurn Point

#1. Clouds and Towers. When I approached the main part of the point, the first thing I saw was the old radio tower. The picture is in sepia, because I mistakenly pressed the wrong setting on my camera, but I feel that it mimics the physical feeling that the place emits when you are present. The clouds are parted above the tower allowing the light to brighten the grounds. The strong winds agitate the vast spaces of grass, like the waves of the ocean. In the background, the old keeper’s cottages can be seen, but no sign of life is detected.

#2. Still Vibrations. As I approached the shore, I saw wooden beams stuck into the sand. The beams have no use now, so they stand alone, neglected, and battered by the cold North Sea when the tide comes in. These ghosts appear to be waiting for interaction, like many of the objects on the point. When I look at them for a while, I can imagine a row of people standing on the beach, awaiting a boat. The rough texture of the sea contrasts with the smoothness of the sand, creating tenseness between the two subjects.

#3. Abandoned to the sea. Once a storage for explosives, this metal structure is now empty, constantly whipped by the sea. Rust all over the structure indicates disregard from human communication. As it is not in use anymore, there is no need for repair. This ghost will remain in limbo until the sea erodes its foundations.

#4. Water’s edge. The light house that stands alone is the most haunting ghost of Spurn Point. Its only interaction was one way, warning boats of mortal danger. It never received communication back. Now, out of use, its light remains off. The vibes that I got from this ghost was a tragic sadness. Loneliness and decay has taken its toll on the paint, and the strong north winds have damaged its windows. It seems to stand there, alone, waiting for boats to warn away from the Point.

#5. Protruding sea. As I walked further away from the lighthouse, it seemed to call me back. I turned around to see the sea draw closer to it. The empty sky shows the isolation on the Point. The beach seems welcoming of the sea, yet the lighthouse seems scared, frozen still in fear.

#6. Empty shells. A small trail on the beach is made up of the sea’s rejects. Empty shells that once contained life. As I walked over them, the crunching sound echoed across the beach. The trail takes me past an over grown war bunker. Foliage has taken root, breaking away at the bricks. It crumbles as life grows. Its the only life on the Point, yet it is destructive and dull. It eats away at the history, and the tide salvages what is left.

#7. Empty shells – bunker. sea shells are not the only empty shells on the Point. One of a few on the Point, the bunker stands alone, still serving the Point as defence, yet neglected by its very creators. The lighthouse watches the bunker in silence when the tide drowned it, helpless. The bunker watches back, in awe as it is submerged by the sea.

#8. Ladders in the sea. Accapella, the sea beats in one drone. The ladders represent loneliness to me as they appear to go nowhere. Surrounded by the sea, it would be off putting to climb, leaving the ladders abandoned. It also represents escapism, for the ghosts of Spurn Point, yet they cannot use it. Perhaps, in this limbo, this is a form of twisted torment for the ghosts.

#9. Rotten texture. On the point, there is alot of texture, which contributes to the story of neglect, isolation and abandonment. In this photo, I captures the rust on the wood. Damaged from exposure to the elements, it looks like the wood is crying over its wrinkled face. Is it crying from loneliness?

#10. Rope. This bundle of rope is the most colourful ghost on the Point. Its tied against the rotting wood, yet remains bright and vibrant. Is this a beacon of hope that colour can remain in such desolated and dystopic place? The pebbles in the back ground and foreground eliminate the smoothness of the beach, creating an unsure atmosphere. They were placed randomly by the tide that battered the wood.

#11. Replacement. As the weather lightens, more of the Point can be seen more clearly, yet it seems the magic of it is fading. More wear and tear is visible to the human eye. Rotting wood and sea defences consumed by nature become more irrelevant. Bricks that cry crimson rust have no more significance to me. The electricity has dissolved when the clouds broke away. My time on this Point is over. For today. The ghosts have gone back into hiding, away from prying eyes. Is the light a saviour from the loneliness, and the darkness a vessel of fear? The darkness brings out the ghosts in this Point. It brings it out in all of us.

The forgotten footsteps of the dead

 We forget the dead. Our footprints pass without care, without love, and the footprints are destined to be eaten by the sea, leaving no trace of our trail. History eats away into the lonely bodies and brittle bones.

These two photographs are different to the others. They are not ghosts, but carcasses. Empty shells of the living. The first is of a dead crab. This is not my focus. The foot prints behind are more interesting. They show ignorance of the humans the walk past. The fail to acknowledge the presence of the crab. They just walk by as if the past doesn’t matter. It died in vain, ignored by man.

 The second is the bones that are been hidden by the sand. The wind blows the grains over the bones, erasing the evidence that history once lived. Decay is also hiding history. When rigor mortis is complete, and the sands have consumed the bones, no one else will know what once was. With this photograph, I have immortalized it. You know about the dead seagull of Spurn Point.

 

Analysis of the Ghosts of Spurn Point

To go back to where it all began, to understand the poetry of Spurn Point would be beneficial to this experiment. There is a lot to learn from this place. Its beauty and its betrayal. To understand the ‘sad magic’ of its history and abandonment would help me represent a place of Isoloneliness. The photographs I took, represents Isoloneliness, but on a personal scale. I wanted to create a documented case of isolation that the viewer could relate to. Fair enough, the images could be identified to my intentions by a viewer, but the isolation is on more of a personal journey. At the moment, I can’t think of a way to allow this experiment to become more accessible to the viewer. All I know is, that the viewer needs to go to Spurn Point to understand the loneliness for themselves, to feel its textures, to see its loneliness and to hear its voice.

I am pleased with the images, if I was to take them as aesthetical, but this isn’t what this year is about. As it is my first experiment of Isoloneliness, I expected to make mistakes such as depth and story within the photographs. I aimed to capture texture, but only caught a glimpse. Looking back at the lighthouse pictures, I could have gone closer and photographed the peeling paint, which would have represented the neglected aspect of Spurn Point. However, I felt pressurised by the fear of becoming clique, creating a set of photographs that would look amateurish and predictable. One part of the experiment that I thought was clique was the photographs that were taken in sepia. Baring in mind, this was purely accidental (a conflict between finger and camera), it looks like I have done this for effect. I think that using sepia to create a ‘haunting’ effect is over used and expected by a viewer. I think if I used a more gritty approach, for example, using an original SLR, with a grainy film roll. This is something I could consider when I return to Spurn Point.