for me and everyone else

This post on jmcolberg.com made some really good points in regards to being critical vs. being negative. I thought everyone could benefit from its content.

blog 14

Scott Chandler
his site (in particular the funeral homes)
Statement:
My Funeral Homes Series examines the design and atmosphere of modern funeral homes, and the effect of these spaces on their inhabitants. Every man made environment is constructed explicitly to facilitate a specific purpose or event, and to encourage a specific emotional state, and much can be read about those who dwell within. Funeral home interiors incorporate elements familiar and comforting to people in a time of grief and vulnerability. Couches, arm chairs, coffee tables, paintings, and drapery all provide a reminder of the average living room. However, certain elements disturb this imitation, such as the lack of personal items, the unusual arrangement of furniture, or the over-abundance of tissue boxes. The spaces are designed to give a sense of privacy, but are often used by several different families each day.

Death is an important aspect of this project, but the images do not confront the issue directly. The photographs take on a more passive approach to dealing with the subject of mortality. They do not overtly present the image of a funeral home, and will require some examination from the viewer. Most western cultures avoid dealing with death, and modern funeral services are a reflection of this. Bodies are preserved and appearances often restored to life-like conditions. Chapels and viewing rooms are filled with flowers and photographs of the deceased. My photographs reflect our tendency to avoid confrontation with death out of fear it will remind us of our own mortality.

Bio: I am a recent graduate of the Ontario College of Art & Design with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Photography. My work is primarily documentary based, and examines the constructed environment and its unconscious effect on its inhabitants. I am interested in issues of private and public space, representation, and isolation. I have recently exhibited at the Edward Day Gallery and Gallery 44, amongst others, and in 2007 I was selected as one of the winners for Canada in the Magenta Foundation’s Flash Forward emerging photographers competition. I currently reside in Montreal where I am pursuing a Master of Fine Arts at Concordia University.

Review: From Jen Bekman's Hey Hot Shot!...

When I saw this photo, I had a strong inclination to go here to see if I could color match the carpet to a stock palette in inventory and then here to research the economics of possible options to best outfit the floors of a funeral home. Scott Chandler's above photo reminds of the house I grew up in suburban Toronto with the barren walls, yellowed curtains, hideous light fixture and decent floor lamp, along with the synthetic, bright carpet (my house had pink carpet.) I also love how you can see the vacuum cleaner tracks across the carpet. That reminds me of my mom. Chandler says that his work is:

primarily documentary based, and examines the constructed environment and its unconscious effect on its inhabitants. I am interested in issues of private and public space, representation, and isolation.

This photo is from Chandler's Funeral Homes series which looks at the design and atmosphere of modern funeral homes and the effect of these spaces on their inhabitants:

Every man made environment is constructed explicitly to facilitate a specific purpose or event, and to encourage a specific emotional state, and much can be read about those who dwell within. Funeral home interiors incorporate elements familiar and comforting to people in a time of grief and vulnerability. Couches, arm chairs, coffee tables, paintings, and drapery all provide a reminder of the average living room. However, certain elements disturb this imitation, such as the lack of personal items, the unusual arrangement of furniture, or the over-abundance of tissue boxes. The spaces are designed to give a sense of privacy, but are often used by several different families each day.

Chandler currently resides and works in Toronto where he recently graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Photography from the Ontario College of Art and Design, adding to the list of many talented Canadian artists and designers that have come out of OCAD's doors. As a sidenote, when the college revealed its completed look to the city as a giant crayon box on stilts, designed by English architect, Will Alsop, there were many varied responses to its design. If you have not seen the very distinctive building, you can go here to see more images. The school is located in Downtown, Toronto beside the Art Gallery of Ontario (which is currently turning transforming into a $250-million remake by Frank Gehry.) Chandler has a website with the rest of the Funeral Home series as well as another body of work that looks at hotel lobbies. It is a rainy day here in New York. It is a day to sit inside and not endure Mother Nature. Here is a link to Six Feet Under clips: 1 + 2 + 3 + the last. After you've checked those out, you may also wish to enter the competition.

Link of the week!

Blog 13

• Did anyone critique your work this week? If so, what were their impressions?

what a disaster. my premise and work was thrown to the wolves. control and human superiority didn't go over well. i am sticking to my original idea of pets elevate to the human level.

• What was the most motivational or creative moment of the past week?

i'll let you know when it happens.

• What do you want to achieve in next week's studio practice?

shoot new places and try new lighting.

• What did you achieve in your studio this past week?

i learned what not to do.

• What has been an artistic failure this week?

a disastrous crit. i wanted to quit for the first time. i shut down during the crit. i struggled not taking the criticism personally. i hope its alright if i have more than one failure this week. ugh!

• What was the most profound thought in relation to your practice this week?

grad school is meant to make you cry and break down.

• If there was a visiting artist this week, what is your impression of their work and process in relation to your own?

N/A

Never forget your dead dog could become your engagement ring.

Complete

Paul Thulin has read your blog up to this point/entry. Your blog is currently up to date and complete.

article/essay questions

Jerome Bel
article

What affects would choreography have on my images?

Perhaps more gestural and chaotic images would appear from directing my subjects. However, I am not a director. I honestly don't feel like I know what's going to look best in the end. If I did know how to direct... me telling the subjects what to do with their own self and also telling them what to do with the animal could really create disorder. However, I do not want to dictate so much that its unnatural for them. I still want their reality of everyday life to appear. I don't want my subjects to feel so out of place and unusual that it becomes uncomfortable and artificial.
(How much choreographing did Bel do? I know he chose dancers and non dancers. But did he tell them what to do and how to dance and when to dance? OR was that left up to the dancers? Which segments did he direct? How much control did he utilize?)

Can you redefine the decisive moment? How predictable is the decisive moment?
Because animals are so unpredictable I think any moment cold be expected. Chaos isn't surprising when it comes to animals. To a certain extent they cannot be controlled. Perhaps the decisive moment could then become the moment when everything falls apart and the pet owner loses control over the animal. But if that is the decisive moment, will that represent the idea I am trying to get across in my statement?
Sonali doesn't feel that the questions I raise in my statement are reflected in my images. That's a big problem. A problem that I don't know how to fix just yet.

Blog 11

• Did anyone critique your work this week? If so, what were their impressions?

yes. My work is progressing and the more I shoot the closer I will get to working the kinks out.

• What was the most motivational or creative moment of the past week?

getting positive feedback on my work and statement.

• What do you want to achieve in next week's studio practice?

find more people to photograph and explore new format types. Also, I want to try new sources of lighting, i.e. T.V. screens, desk lamp, etc.

• What did you achieve in your studio this past week?

I had a fairly successful shoot with snake lady.

• What has been an artistic failure this week?

i still haven't printed any new work.

• What was the most profound thought in relation to your practice this week?

i should be put in a test tube and studied because i'd rather be around animals than most people. i am what my work is about.

• If there was a visiting artist this week, what is your impression of their work and process in relation to your own?

N/A

always good for a laugh...

for Nia, the snake charmer