Documenatation.

"One of the best reasons for getting tattooed is to provide documentation of your life; the events that have been important to you, have changed you, the qualities you have encountered and embraced, and the people who have had an impact in your life." -Chess Mcdoogle (from this sight http://ezinearticles.com/?Tattoos-and-Life---Documenting-Your-Lifes-Journey-With-Tattoos&id=3864686)

"My skin is my canvas. The artwork on it represents something that is very powerful and meaningful in my life. I look at my skin as something of a living diary because all mytattoos represent a time in my life. And I never wish to shut the door on the past, so I carry it all with me. "
Dave Navarro

"However, documentary photography should perform the main function - information. It should be direct and truthful to become the unique historical and artistic evidence, creating the archive of time."

http://www.shotaddict.com/tips/article_Types+Of+Photography.+Documentary+Photography.html 

 
Im looking at how photography and tattoos relate.  I find it interesting that both artistic practices are used as a means of documentation.  I am finding my project has become about documentation focusing how there both used for same purposes just in two different ways.  This highly interests me especially since documentary photography is usually what appeals to me the most. I haven't found a way to clearly communicate my concept yet but it has become more clear for me.  I know it is about documentation, relation between tattooing and photography, and history.

http://www.shotaddict.com/tips/article_Types+Of+Photography.+Documentary+Photography.html
This sight explains documentary photography into detail.  It talks about the start of documentary photography and the history of it which I can tie to books I have read explaining similar things with art of tattooing.

This term is overall most important one so far to my project.  It has also made me think about how i will present my work.  I want people think about documentation when they see what I present.  I hope they will relate how im using a means of documentation show a different means of documentation.

One of my photos has not been tampered with yet.  Kind of the direction I am going in.  Although will be paired with a photo of him with environment also.

Meaning

Even though these qoutes do not contain the word I choose for the blog I felt the qoutes broadly expressed about tattoos and meaning. I am finding it very important to photograph models that have tattoos that have real meaning and importance to them.  My models who have real connection to what they choose express as image permanently on their body i find myself more interested in photographing.  Since I find that I am more interested in their meaning and story of their tattoo my images for them come out more more successful.  I believe if these quotes are believed by who I photograph then those who see my work will be more interested in what I am doing.    

"Tattooing is about personalizing the body, making it a true home and fit temple for the spirit that dwells inside it.... Tattooing therefore, is a way of keeping the spiritual and material needs of my body in balance." ~Michelle Delio


"[A] genuine tattoo.... tells a story.  I like stories and tattoos, no matter how well done, and if they don't tell a story that involves you emotionally, then they're just there for decoration, then they're not a valid tattoo.  There has to be some emotional appeal or they're not, to my way of thinking, a real tattoo.  It tells people what you are and what you believe in, so there's no mistakes. " ~Leo, tattooist, 1993, quoted in Margo DeMello, Bodies of Inscription, 2000


"When the designs are chosen with care, tattoos have a power and magic all their own.  They decorate the body but they also enhance the soul. " ~Michelle Delio 


My book I concentrated on researching this week was called True Love by Henk Schiffmacher (I will go back later edit this be proper mla format).    This book basically listed any and every reason people would choose to go and get tattoo.  From listing reasons to different means of tattooing a subject and the tools they use.  The majority of the book contained images of a handful of the main categories tattoos usually go under (ethnographic, classical, early days, Japanese, contemporary).  My favorite qoute from the book was " A tattoo always raises questions that do not so much concern the technique but rather the meaning and purpose of the tattoo."  I also like when it said " Tattoos function as a non- verbal communication" The book goes into detail several reasons why one chooses to get a tattoo and purpose to them which is most interesting part from mentioning it as way express "freedom of the spirit in the prison of the body" to forms of punishment and giing people strength to survive.  All I found very interesting.  I hope photograph tattoos  who go in every catagory I can find for reasons why one recieved and got one.  

I mentioned above in the beginning why meaning was important to my body of work. I think with pairing each subject with two photographs or three express meaning in different ways will help my work.  

Wafaa Bilal Lecture Response

QOUTE:
In the lecture he said somthing I could not write word for word (because I write slow) but really struck me.
" Our willingness as a artist is take stand and have courage."  Which I interpreted it as him saying "As artist's we have to have the will, and the courage, to take a stand for our work no matter what."
It caught my interest because it is true.  As artists sometimes we are so afraid to make work that will upset people sometimes.  But our jobs as artists is to make work we are passionate about and we believe in.  People become artist knowing there is a risk of being judged or critiqued harshly.  It should be reason why we wanted to become one in the beginning.  I really liked Wafaa's work because he embraced this very strongly in all his work and probably have made some of the most heavily political work I have seen in a long time.  He truly did have to take a strong stand and have a huge amount of courage for all of his work or he would not have made it.

Three words: 
1) Pain
2) Risk
3)Courage

What Interested Me:
Wafaa Bilal amount of courage he had in his work interested me the most.  I was very impressed to how much he put himself at risk in his work whether it was his art that put him at risk or the people that were angered at what he made.  I am amazed at how he was willing to be water boarded for the sake of art and for educating otheres about how the process really worked.  Someone asked him at the lecture if he made his work about his guilt for his family members who had died he responded saying no in which I was amazed by because that is what I thought all of his art was about.  He said he put himself into a place with his art in which he would undergo pain under the notion that pain is transfered to the audience.  He wants America and the world to see and possibly get a glimpse of the pain those we do not think about that were in or affected by the war go through.  He has a lot of courage doing this but I highly respect him for it.  America and the world needs see views from everyone on everyside that are in or affected by the work. I hope I have the amount of courage he does in his work with mine one day.

ANSWER's TO MY QUESTIONS
1) What is your reasoning in making art that involves pain?  Ive noticed you have couple series that have involved different levels of pain in order to make the art.
ANSWER:  His answer was that he involved pain in his work knowing that the pain he would put himself in for his work would transfer to his audience.

2)How did you come about you idea for your live performance art involving getting tattooed.
ANSWER: I did not get a answer for this but I believe because it tied into his theme of pain (emotional and physical) that went with his other works.

 This was my favorite work because I liked his idea of invisibility but also being there representing those Iraq's who have died without anyone knowing they exsisted.

I believe I have no questions for the artist at least not for now.

Research

This is something I have realized I need to do a lot more of in order completely figure out what my concept is.  I know I want to document people (in every spectrum I can cover) who do things to alter, modify or change themselves.  Through all the research I have done so far I have realized what interests me the most is imagery people decide to permanently place on themselves (tattoos, scarification, and in other ways).  Also from researching what interests me the most is just learning all the different way people can modify themselves.  So I thought maybe my project could be more about my process of learning about different ways people modify themselves and teaching people what I learn through my work.  I still want to print my images large I want people to have to get close and see the details of what i show wether it is gruesome or not.  I believe maybe I could have writing on the image or on the side talking about what I learned with each photo.  What also fascinates me the most why each individual chooses to do what they do.  I also have realised I want to document people that have there change or modification because its what they love and not because they think "its cool".  It will mean more if the subjects are truly passionate what what they do or have changed or modified.  I want to give credit to Harrison for talking to me about what I am doing giving me advice on modification and where to go to learn more.

A couple qoutes from the book Modern Primitives I have been reading
(qoutes solely on tattoos)
"Any Tattoo that didn't come from inside you is not for you"
This was in the book and from Ed Hardy
"A tattoo is an affirmation: that this body is yours to have and enjoy while you're here.  Nobody else can control what you do with it.  That's why tattooing is such a big thing in prison: It's an expression of freedom."

Modern Primitives is the book I have been getting most my information from.  I am planning on getting a book called Modcon that is more updated to learn about more ways people alter themselves.  The book im reading will teach people the several different ways people can change themselves, the reasons why they do it and the experiences people go through when modifying themselves. 

Research will really help me with my work in understanding it more.  Once I have done more I will understand what im doing develope my concept.  Research, although, is what I feel I want my concept to be about.  My research, documentation and learning about all and every way one can modify or change themselves.  I want my concept to be about my learning and teaching about what ive learned through the photos i take.  I do realize I want to change the appearance of my photos since I want to cover more wide spectrum of people and processes people change, alter or modify themselves.

Suspension only one small area I will cover through my work.

Wafaa Bilal Questions

What is your reasoning in making art that involves pain?  Ive noticed you have couple series that have involved different levels of pain in order to make the art.

How did you come about you idea for your live performance art involving getting tattooed.

Peter DaSilva: Beyond the Tattoo.

I choose Peter DaSilva because I was very drawn to his photo work on his website titled Beyond the Tattoo.  What drew me to his photographs were the fact his models were modified and the different ways he posed them in relation to their modifications.  Although I am not sure I will imitate his lighting style it fits for his kind of work.  My favorite of his work is the last photograph I have posted Her positioning fits for her tattoo and her hair cut.  Overall I am very drawn to how he stands his models in accordance to their modifications they have.

Peter DaSilva is a photographer based in San Fransico, CA.  Hes grown as a photographer bring s string for Associated Press, Staff photographer for Oakland Tribune an San Francisco Chronicle and is now the main freelancer for NY Times in Sanfrancisco since 1996.  Polaris Images New York represent him and hes been published in several papers, magazines and online sites.  He is a very successful photographer.

I could not find any qoutes on him except for one article talking about his work in full detail on this site.  http://shutterbug.com/techniques/pro_techniques/0407sealife/index.html

http://shutterbug.com/techniques/pro_techniques/0407sealife/index.html

http://www.polarisimages.com/

http://www.dasilvaphoto.com/

Modification.

I was able to go to this place called Onetribe recently.  They specialize in making jewelry out of natural materials for those who have modified there bodies through gauging.  They have whole book shelf full of books on everything I want my senior portfolio project to be about.  One book I picked up called Ancient marks by Chris Rainer had some very interesting information.  He summed up  why people modify there body into three reasons
"1 Religious and/or spiritual
2 Social status for adornment
3 Sexual Pleasure"
I never really thought people would modify there bodies except for reason number or 2 or because they just wanted to but when I really thought about it everyones excuse goes under one of those three reasons.

It also interested me when he mentioned "Most cultures revere androgynous (people who are different) characters as God like."  Our culture usually makes people who feel or seem to different as failures or freaks.  I thought with this quote/ inspired me to want to show photographs I have of those who modify there bodies as beautiful.  In a way the average American crowd would not be use to seeing one covered in tattoos or with several piercings.

Both qoutes were from the book Ancient Marks by Chris Rainer.  The book talks about culture of people and its ties to traditions of marking their bodies in different ways over time.  It goes over more then just piercings and tattoos, to spliting (spliting tounge or other body parts), piercings and as simply changing your hair.  I still have more to read but it has been the most highly useful and interesting book on my ideas for my project so far.

This book and topic has been very useful for me.  Its helping me deeper understand what my project is about and how I possibly want to present the images in the end.  I know from reading it no matter how each subject has modified there body I want to show them in a way anyone will see as beautiful with use of lighting and setup.

Artist: Amy Hill

Amy Hill is an artist in New York.  I choose this artist because her series of work named Bikers really interested me.  I really liked the dramatic lighting in her paintings I am interest in lighting my subjects for my project in a similar way.  I also like the presentation of her paintings and would be interest in presenting mine in similar way. 

Amy Hill is a painter from New York.  Shes had over a total of 50 group and solo exhibitions all together.  She went to two school NYU and Carnegie Mellon University in 1976 an 1977.  Shes had 5 awards and grants all together and six residencies.  I couldnt really find much of a biography on her just information about her through time such as her school, awards and residencies. 

I could not find any qoutes on her surprisingly with all the art exhibitions she has been. 

 

http://www.amyhillpaintings.com/html/bikers.htm 

http://www.re-title.com/artists/Amy-Hill.asp

These are the only links with her work.  The first link is her site but I could not find her work anywhere but besides the first two sites. 

What I want my project to be about.

For senior portfolio I am heavily interested in making my project about Body Modification.  In my Art History African and Oceanic art class my teacher was telling us about meanings of tattoos and piercings of the people from those countries.  He had mention how when you have piercings in some of the tribes it is viewed as a sign of strength because of your ability to endure pain.  This really caught my interest. 

I know body modification is what I want my project to be about.  It is interesting to learn the meanings of tattoos and piercings in other cultures through out history.  Im not sure how I want to setup to be or how the people are placed in the images, the lighting, or if I want people to be naked or clothed but hopefully I can figure it all out.

I already found a place called onetribe (small business that makes guages out of natural materials) that I may be able to help me find people to model for me and give me more information on history of body modification and ways its viewed in other countries.

http://onetribe.nu/index.php