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THE BRITISH LANDSCAPE; a magical realist perspective.

Published online; 27TH October, 2011 ACADEMIC DOSSIER Author: Catherine McCann

The online version of this article can be found at: http://globalgirlk.blogspot.com/ http://www.scribd.com/GlobalGirlK

THIS DIGITAL COPY HAS BEEN MADE AVAILABLE FOR PERSONAL USE SO THAT YOU CAN ACCESS, DOWNLOAD AND PRINT A COPY. ALL IMAGES CONTAINED IN THIS DOSSIER ARE LICENCED UNDER CREATIVE COMMONS.

For it is a land of illusion, a place in the mind, a shimmering mirage of riches and mystery and death. (Lingenfelter, R. 1986, p.1) Throughout the creation process of the five images, I have learned a number of techniques including; working between layers, masking, the use of different tools correctly in Adobe Photoshop, differences between file types and where images can be accessed freely e.g. Wikimedia Commons. Additionally, during the process we investigated a wide range of artists and their styles. Moreover, group and individual critiques were held. All of which, assisted in the development of my creative ideas from the original photo to the final digital image and the decision to base my images on the theme of nature versus man. All of the photos taken for this project were captured across various locations in Canterbury, including; Hambrook Marshes, Love Lane and Westgate Gardens. The landscape is Omnipresent and constantly changing due to the influence of man and nature. It is a space and place of a grandiose scale. It is important to recognise the value of the landscape and how it has become complicated by man. Societys relationship with the landscape and nature can frequently be overwhelming. Thus, a struggle subsists. To deflect from the staticity and low levels of interactivity of my images, between the visualization and the observer, I have created each image as a statement where colour speaks volumes and focal points are established by experimentation with lighting effects. The purpose of this is to evoke a sense of exploration, fantasy, choices and analysis, as nature, man and the landscape are fused as one. The design of each image symbolises the beauty of the landscape that is taken for granted by transforming the real into the surreal and by employing the environment of the landscape as inspiration. A Canon 550 D, Olympus FE230 and a Blackberry Curve were used in the project as tools of discovery and revelation. Fundamentally, each image expresses what I comprehend as the landscape, both in its past and present form, as a renewed space. The images question the creation of the landscape whether man made and there are also religious resemblances, especially in image 05 (see appendix). In the images graffiti and man made structures were utilised as a representation of man. Research was performed before, during and after the production of the images. Inspiration was taken from artists such as Ron Raybould, John Goto and Anselm Kiefer. Ron Raybould as seen in the Stark Gallery in Canterbury, displayed a set of vibrant digital photography works. This particular exhibition, presented digital images containing graffiti art (see appendix) and some images based on colourful saturated landscapes. This depiction of colour is represented in my 5 images as well as the combination of landscape and graffiti art in order to create an illusionistic and independent image. John Goto on the other hand, exemplifies the fact the he uses Photoshop by creating images in a collage-style as well as the adoption of vibrant colours all within the background of a landscape, in his exhibition entitled Floodscapes. His images communicate a relationship between nature and man, alongside the idea of a narrative. Similar to Goto (see appendix), my images portray the surreal and therefore, it is obvious that I have availed of photo editing software to assist in the making of this project. I particularly like his use of colour that is ubiquitous throughout my final images. I have ordered the images from 01 05 in

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order to create a sense of narrative, journey and exploration, deepening the thought process of the observer. Anselm Kiefer takes a different approach to both Raybould and Goto in his paintings and sculptures. His works of art dont have a dependency on colour and they are highly expressive, invigorate feelings of mystery, hardship and struggle, directed by his brush techniques. The darkness in my images, created by shadows and lighting effects, depict a similar struggle and personify a clash between different features within the image. Furthermore my images were influenced by John Russells depiction of Magic and Modernity in British Art (see appendix); a colourful, expressionist view of digital images. I tried to combine this element of magic realism in the landscape by incorporating reality with fantasy as conveyed by Katti (2009); Its appeal is rooted in reality and dares to explore magical elements present in that very reality, very elements that are often taken for granted and ignored In terms of analysis, there is a sense of continuity and immortality between and within the images. Image 01 and 03 especially provide a psychological choice to the observer. A choice of direction and paths to follow, creating their own narrative and future of multiple possibilities. This network of times which approached one another, forked, broke off, or were unaware of one another for centuries, embraces all possibilities of time... Time forks perpetually toward innumerable futures (Borges, J. 1941, p.34). The possibilities created by the images presents time as forking or branching and conveys a mood and sensation to make the observer think further, conjuring ideas and provoking the observer to want to explore more. The graffiti evident in four of the images acts as a link between the pictures and it stands for a symbolic gesture of mans linguistic expression. The reason as to why I used Graffiti in my the images is because graffiti is becoming increasingly a part of the landscape and as a newly accepted art form, not only in the British landscape, but also on a global scale. It may fade over time but remains inscribed. It is an example of free artistic expression that does not normally receive the recognition that it deserves. Graffiti can either add to a landscape, with its eye-catching vibrancy and bursts of colours, or destroy a natural landscape if done poorly and in a vandalistic manner. Reverting back to the theme of nature versus man, graffiti is also a sign that man was at sometime present in a certain place; There is little pure nature in a literal sense left because almost every spot has been touched by human beings and traces of their presence have been left behind (Gorter, D. 2006 p.86) Therefore, the landscape is partially man-made as man manipulates and tries to restrain it. However, it is a place and space to be preserved and respected. This is the message that I have hoped to create across the 5 images. Nature, man and the landscape have the potential of working together, yet sometimes one can over shadow the other. This is why I have used lighting effects to highlight parts that may be missed and not acknowledged on a daily basis by the passer-by. Finally, man will continue to exert a sense of control over the landscape, as it is a

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public space. If I had to reproduce this project, I would explore other parts of the British landscape and try to improve my technical ability in Adobe Photoshop

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BIBLIOGRAPHY: Books and journals Borges, J. (1941) The Garden of Forking Paths. In New Media Reader. U.S.A.: Library of Congress Cataloguing-in- Publication Data, pp. 29-36. Chalfant H. & Prigoff J. (2006) Spraycan Art. London: Thames and Hudson. Creswell, T. (1996) In Place, Out of Place; Geography, Ideology and Transgression. Minnesota: Minnesota Press. Gorter, D. (2006) Further possibilities for linguistic landscape research. In: D. Gorter (ed.) Linguistic Landscape: A new Approach to Multilingualism, Clevedon: Multilingual Matters, pp. 81 - 89 Lee, S. (2001) Digital imaging, a practical handbook. London: Library Association. Lessig, L. (2008) Remix, Making Art and Commerce Thrive in the Hybrid Economy. London: Bloomsbury Publishing PLC. Lingenfelter, R. (1986) Death Valley and the Amargosa: A land of Illusion. U.S.A.: University of California Press. Ma, E.K. W (2002) Translocal spatiality, International Journal of Cultural Studies 5(2), pp. 131 152. Machotka, P. (1996) Cezanne, Landscape into Art. London: Yale University Press. Packer, W. (1999) Contemporary British Landscape. London: The Pale green Press. Rush. M. (2005) The Digital in Art. In New media in art, 2nd edn. London: Thames & Hudson, pp.180-239. Schroth, O. (2010) From Information to Participation, Interactive Landscape Visualization as a Tool for Collaborative Planning. Zurich: National library of the Netherlands. Shohamy, E. & Gorter, D. (2009) Linguistic Landscape; expanding the scenery. New York: Routledge Street Art, Painting in the City: London, Paris, Madrid (2008) [DVD] Tate Media, London; DC Recordings. Online articles Callow, R. (2009) Landscape Photography: How to Create Expressive Landscape Images. Available at <http://www.brighthub.com/multimedia/photography/articles/40595.aspx> (Accessed: 15th March 2011). Katti, M. (2009) A Journey Through a Magical Landscape. Available at <http://thefiendish.com/2009/02/a-journey-through-a-magical-landscape/> (Accessed: 15th March 2011). Melvin, J. (2004) Meaning, mapping and making of landscape. Available at <http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m3575/is_1283_215/ai_n6120341/> (Accessed: 15th March 2011). Websites http://www.adobe.com/designcenter/cs4/articles/videoindex.html (Accessed: 13th November).

http://www.edwardrraybould.com/ (Accessed: 15th November 2010). http://www.graffiti.org/hc/canterbury/ (Accessed: 13th December 2010). http://www.johngoto.org.uk/ (Accessed: 7th January 2011) http://www.starkgallery.co.uk/index.php (Accessed: 13th November 2010). http://www.tate.org.uk/collection/artistrooms/theme.do?id=1000006 (Accessed: 13th December 2010). http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cqjmU4SgSvQ&feature=related (Accessed: December 4th 2010). http://watashinotutorials.wordpress.com/ (Accessed: 7th January 2011).

Images (featured in appendices) Goto, J. (2002 - 2006) FloodScape Project. Available at <http://www.johngoto.org.uk/floodscapes/floodscapes9.htm> (Accessed: 16th March 2011). Raybound, R. (2010) Exhibition in Stark Gallery. Available at http://www.starkgallery.co.uk/p47822/4599/c262-9057-9057 (Accessed: 16th March 2011) Russell, R. (2009-2010) Magic and Modernity in British Art. Available at http://www.johnrussell.org/Web%20pages/Artworks/Exhibitions/Solo/A_dark.html (Accessed: 16th March 2011).

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APPENDICES:
Image_01 Image_02

Image_03

Image_04

Image_05

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