Medium 4- ART

Frida Kahlo

One artist that I found used flowers in their paintings was Frida Hahlo. Most of her paintings were self portraits and after researching further I found the symbol of the flowers in most of her paintings.

"Kahlo would center-part and braid it into a tight bun and accessorize's it with headpieces and flowers usually from her native country. Often wearing flowers and using them in her paintings as a celebration of her national heritage, their symbolism of fertility and fecundity was also pertinent to Kahlo who was unable to have children herself as a result of the accident in her teenage years" 

The symbolism of these images shows how powerful flowers can be and yet so simple at the same time. The way the images remain colourful and bright show such a heart touching symbol. The flowers were seen in most of her self portraits to shows that it is part of her and she cannot change the past similar to us being unable to alter Nature itself. 

Below is some images of her:

Georgia O'Keeffe 
Another painter I found that uses flowers in their paintings is O'Keeffe. She uses close up images of flowers and paints them with beautiful colours and they way she uses texture is quite simple yet pretty at the same time. I feel the way her images are produced links with the way these flowers could be symbols for such big themes like love, death, health and much more.

Below is some of her work:

Research into the symbol of flowers

I found it really interesting the way Victorians use different flowers to represent different things. On older gravestones I found images of flowers that had been carved into the stone. I researched this as I found it linked with my project and found a lot of interesting information.
I found a blog that looked deep into some of the flowers and gave information as to why this type of flower was used.

The Victorians really loved their flowers and found them beautiful. Certain flowers represent specific symbols so here is a list of them:

Roses have several meanings and can mean any of love, hope and beauty. If roses are joined and carved onto a grave, it can signify a strong bond between a couple on a joint grave. If the roses are connected in a wreath it stands for beauty and virtue. Another way a rose is symbolised is a partially blooming rose to represent the death of a person who had died in his or her teens/early life and the opposite fully bloomed for someone in the prime of their life.
This is just one of the flowers in which symbolises such a variety of things.

After looking into the symbolism of flowers I found the most interesting one which involved the lily.
The lily is another flower usual laid on graves which represents the innocence and purity of someone. I took part in some research and found a couple of artists that used flowers in their paintings. Artists for years have looked at flowers and used them in their paintings as symbols.#

Using this research I found some information in which I can use to inspire me and my final images.

Inspiration #3 Robert Mapplethorpe

After researching further and talking to people, I discovered the photographer Robert Mapplethorpe and his work on flowers. I am looking at the symbolism of flowers and how they are used to express certain emotions. Mapplethorpe's work I feel is beautiful and really shows the simplicity of a flower. The different tones in the images show detail in such area we wouldn't normally look. Most of the images are in black and white and this adds to the depth.

Below is some of this work:





I like the way the images shows the only focus of the flower and the fact the rest of the image is quite simple. The way most of his images speak thousands on their own adds to the fact they are symbols of quite simple things.

I want to use these images as inspiration and look closer at the way black and white can add so much more emotion to an image which at first looks really simple.

Medium 3- BOOKS

I decided one of the best forms of inspiration would be a book. I looked in the college library and focus a couple of images that I felt really reflected the mood of my project. I looked through all types of photography books as I didn't want to rule out any form of inspiration. I looked in books I wouldn't usually expect to look in and found some interesting photographs that I've taken inspiration from.

One of the books I looked in one off Jeff Wall's books. I found lots of really interesting images in this book which didn't necessarily relate to my project but I still felt inspired to create good images. I looked through this book:

Through looking in the book I found multiple pictures that related to my photography project.
The image below I really liked as it liked with the idea of flowers being added to the graves of those who have passed as a symbol of peace and respect. I also liked the way the image had been taken and framed which created a nice theme.

I found one image that specifically linked which was this one: 

The image is off the holocaust memorial graves which already people feel emotional about but the way the elongated picture draws there eyes create more depth. I feel like the way the image is dragged out acts as a timeline and represents the way this is placed on a timeline. It shows how much of an effect it had on the world and how heart touching is can be. 

This image was spread across two pages which I felt added to the depth of the image an worked nicely with the length and natural lines on the page. I also like this image as it is mostly background which shows the foreground and draws the audiences eyes to the image.

I also like the way the colours of the image are not bright or dark. The colours are blacked and show real life. It acts as a reminder that the World Wars were real and people are trying to recover and come to terms with what happened. I like the way Jeff Wall has used this colour tone to set a realistic mood to the picture. 

The first image I found of Jeff Wall's was the Flooded Grave and instantly loved the image. 




I feel this images represents the way flowers and water have combined at a grave and symbolize how nature is all around. The flowers in the grave show how not only are flower going to be placed on the outside of the grave yet because of the flooded grave, the flower petals have emerged themselves in water and have become part of it. The image says a lot about the way flowers are used when someone passes and how they have a beginning and end like a human.

Inspiration #2- Forest McMullin

This website I found and gained an interest in. I felt the photography really developed their project and allowed me to take inspiration. The photography is called Forest McMullin and the projects name

'Nous Nous Souvenons' 

which the English translation is roughly is 'and we remember'.

I found these images really eye catching due to the tone and colour. As you can see below the images colour are not vibrant and vivid yet quite bland and plain and due to the image matter the images really show their real colours. The fact the flowers are slowly dying it shows how the flowers are representative of the person who has passed. The images on their own still have so much depth and emotion and when combined work really well.


These images let me take inspiration in the way that I like how they are shot and they represent such a huge theme through such a simple and interesting way. I like the way the flowers decline naturally similar to a human and the way they sit on the grave with respect.

Below are some of his images:

Medium 2- FASHION

Link to the website found

This is another medium that I took inspiration from and have been a fond lover of for many years. I found the dress to work well as inspiration as the dress involves both an aspect of nature and woodland but also  the dress decays as a symbol of the designers death. This dress also works well as I links death and nature together really well,

The quote from the catwalk was 'the dress was made of live flowers, and literally fell to pieces along the runway, a symbol of decay'  The dress can be used for inspiration as the way the designer has naturally felt to honor  Mcqueen is by using flowers. The fact they decay naturally as the model walks shows how nature and death link hand in hand. The use of flowers in Alexander's other work is not only used as a sign of respect and honor but he uses the flowers as a huge fashion statement. Nature is used worldwide as a sign of respect when someone passes and in this case it seems to be Alexander McQueen.

McQqueen himself said 'Things rot. It was all about decay. I used flowers because they die” He used the flowers to show how they naturally rot on their own. This links with my project as it shows the natural progression of rotting flowers in comparison with death like a graveyard.



This video clip is off the whole fashion show featuring the dress with the flowers attached.

Here are a few more image of the decaying dress for Alexander McQueen:

Medium 1- POEM

I followed through this brief with researching different mediums such as literature and poetry. I found a really gripping poem in which the poet describes a flower and its journey to dying. the poet talks about the flower losing its beauty and falling apart.

This link to my photography project as I can link how flowers are wilting or dying with the link with nature. In a woodland environment flowers are growing continuously and the life and death of a flower is usually in the same place. This links with the death of a human and how flowers are given when they die. The fact a flower represents a human and the way they decline is similar. The poet also supports my idea in which flowers and death are hand in hand when growing and dying. The flowers act as a symbol of a person and when they die, more flowers are given to show not only their respect but the idea of them continuing to live in their hearts.

Below is a copy of the website with a link to follow:

Each Flower Petal Slowly Dying

Light Whispers Of Death

Hanging In The Brisk Afternoon Air

Lightly A Petal Floats Towards The Ground

A Gust Of Wind Quickly Whisks It Away

One By One The Flower Becomes Bearer

As Each Petal Vanishes.

The Day's Become Darker

The Nights Lighten

And The Flower Becomes Lonely

Till Eventually Only A Stem Remains

To Show It's Cycle Of Life.

The Flower Willows Towards It's End

The Petals Become Scarce

What Once Used To Be A Colour Delight

Now Hangs In Deaths Mist

As An Emerald Waiting...

Waiting For The Last Petal To Die.

Finally The Emerald Stem Dies Away

And Slowly Decay

For Again One Day

It Shall Show Its Colours

And Whistle In The Wind

With All It's Petals In Full Bloom...

 Ian Humphreys

http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/a-dying-flower/

Inspiration #1- Flip Franssen

One of the first places I looked for inspiration was on a website called Lensculture. This website let me conduct a search and find photographers and photography projects relating to my project.
From looking online I found multiple times of photographs that had any relation to my project and the following was included. The photographers name is Flip Franssen.

Flip Franssen is a photographer and after researching him further, found that he works commonly in journalistic photography. His images are typically black and white which is why this project stands out more as the use of colour in the following shots are one of the main focuses. I also found that Franssen likes to refer to his images as 'timeless'. This related with my projects as the thought of death symbolizes the peace and tranquility of his images. I also looked into the way he takes his images and typically he takes images that are busy and contain a lot of people which contrasts these images.
The project named 'Forever Goodbyes' shows a series of pictures that use colour, tone and grain to show the peacefulness and silence of those who have passed.
I have taken massive inspiration from these images as certain ones show blooming flowers and woodland in relation to those who have passed.
I like the way the flowers and woodland looks in contrast with the grey and bland colours of the graveyard and gravestones. I have also taken inspiration from these images as I like the way they are composed, the way they have been created. I like the way the images have been cropped almost in the moment and show the environment in such a small picture.

I want to use these images to relate back to and compare my images with.

Here below are the main images from the series I have taken inspiration from and looked further into.

Woodland Shoot #1

Woodland shoot

After researching this project in great depth and looking into it, I decided to go on a shoot to test my idea. I wanted to take some shots to test whether it would work or not. I looked into the area and took note on the areas I didn't like and the ones I wanted to explore. The area I found had lots of colour and did not lack interest. 

I visited a graveyard in Hillsborough and used my IPhone to explore the area. The area I really liked but have found some negatives and positives:

Negatives: 

- The weather I found a challenge to work with. On the day of the shoot it was a bright and sunny day which due to the area meant I was challenged with shadows. The shadows were hard to work with as the shadow was on the gravestones of the trees which made the images look worse. 

- I also found the area to be full of woodland but not necessarily flowers. I want to explore some areas with more nature like bright flowers so may visit another graveyard.  

-Using my IPhone I found was a challenge as well as I could not  achieve the look I wanted.

-One of the last negatives I found was trying to compose shots that showed both the gravestones or the idea of death and the woodland itself. I tried including both in most images yet sometimes found it difficult. 

To try and improve these, I will always keep a note of the negative so in the future I can refer back and try and change my shots.

Positives:

-The area worked well for including both woodland and gravestones

-I found the area locally so the shots were not hard to produce

-As above the area was not far from my house therefore was not time consuming 

-I also found it really easy to take the images and always had something to shoot

Below I have added the shots that I took and have not edited any of them: