Which of the words given in the brief document have you selected, and why?
I have decided to select ‘entropy’ as a theme for my project. According to London University, the idea of ‘entropy’ in the arts is the measure of disorder from a system – it can be the disorder of human emotions and actions, which is I want to focus on in my project. I am able to relate to it on a personal level as student life is very chaotic at times and life in general can be chaotic and have a disorder. I also enjoy creating photographs of a busy nature so I think I would enjoy using ‘entropy’ as a theme the most.
What do you want to point your camera at?
I can personally relate to the chosen them as I believe teenage years are stressful, so I would point my camera at students, teenagers and anyone of a similar age to me. I intend to photograph people more rather objects, as I want to focus on human chaos.
Why are you interested in this subject?
Merriam-Webster defines ‘entropy’ as “chaos, disorganisation, randomness”. I am really intrigued by busy images and how you can distort or obscure a subject. There is a particular feeling I get when I look at a distorted image – I find them really interesting and moving to look at. A lot of busier images I have seen online have used specific techniques, for example, slow shutter speed which I think can add a hidden meaning to a photo – why is one particular subject in focus in comparison to the rest? You can see a busy photo with lots of people in, but someone still stands out. It just really interests me.
What do you hope an audience will take from your images?
I would like my images to have emotion – I want the audience to feel moved by my photography. Even though I may not focus on one particular person, I want my photography to tell a story about a particular place, student life etc. I also want the audience to be genuinely interested in the visual aspect. I would like the audience to visually or metaphorically see the chaos of our emotions and actions.
What areas of research are you considering to help deepen your understanding of the subject you have chosen?
I am going to research into the different areas of entropy in photography. When I have googled it in the past, I have seen pictures of abandoned buildings, mental health, objects tangled together, obscured faces or places/objects. The subjects tend to be very different, but all have an overwhelming sense because of the business or distortion. I am also going to research more into entropy as a subject, as before this brief, I’d never come across the term before so was initially unsure as to what it meant, and in terms of art.
What practitioner(s) or visual resources would you consider to have influenced you? This does not have to be photographic.
Initially, when researching on Google and Pinterest, Stephanie Jung’s work stood out to me. I was originally going to focus on teenagers and psychological aspects specifically, however, after seeing Jung’s work street/city photography, I realised I like the business of the images and how she conveys chaos in a city. It’s a fairly simple concept, capturing a city, however the blurriness of the images adds more impact.
What support or equipment might you need to achieve your goals?
I will need to capture a group of people at once, so I should stay away from secluded areas etc. However, I could capture secluded areas with less people and tell a story about the people in the picture. I will also most likely use a Canon 700D camera as I have used that one the most in my time so far at Uni so I prefer that one – however, if I am recommended a different one, I will use others.