Documentary – The Woodmans

Francesca Woodman was a young photographer with a specific vision and the intent to see it through. Often capturing her own frame within the frame, her images were layered and evocative. But driven as she was, something went wrong.

Through interviews (most notably with her parents), diary entries and original footage, C. Scott Willis tries in The Woodmans to discover more about the circumstances of Francesca’s life. It explores not only Francesca’s photography but also the family of artists she came from, bringing up questions about what it is to raise a child in a creative environment, how to foster a child’s creativity and how creative parents might parent differently. It also explores the relationship between the artist’s state of mind and their creativity, for better or worse.

See it here (available until 12 Feb)

shoe-in

rounds

 

Mary Ellen Mark Workshop: Portrait selects

Here are a few of the portraits that made the final cut for the Mark Ellen Mark workshop:

All images © 2011

Mary Ellen Mark Workshop: Cityscape selects

Still collecting my thoughts after the Mary Ellen Mark workshop at Fotografiska in Stockholm. Here are a few cityscapes, which were part of my final selects from the five days of shooting:

All images © 2011

Sensory perception is limited only by fantasy

Does your mind line up a soundtrack when you face an open road disappearing into the horizon? Can you taste sunlight? Is the sensation of scraping your knee red? Yellow? What smells rush through your nose when cold rain drops land on your cheek? How do your surroundings, or your mood, influence how you perceive sensory stimulation? And, most importantly, how does your sensory perception affect your creativity?

Ponder that while you watch this. Synesthesia, a short film by Terri Timley:

For a wealth of information on the subject, try the Leonardo Bibliography: Synesthesia in Art and Science.

New series – Remember not to forget

Pere Lachaise cemetery, Paris. Got me thinking about the fallible human mind, and heart.

Written On The Forehead

One of a series of twelve short films by the war photographer Seamus Murphy, filmed for PJ Harvey’s album Let England Shake. Her lyrics evoke conflict through the intensely detailed and private perspectives of those who have lived through it, while Murphy weaves his battle imagery into scenes from every-day England. Brilliant job.

Bring it on!

Longing for blazing sunlight, dry earth and sweat. Long afternoons fiddling with brown blades of grass, lazy evenings with sun-kissed cheeks, throwing whatever you’ve got on the fire. Imagine my delight when I stumbled upon Jess Gough‘s photographs of Summer Highs:

Nollywood

Pieter Hugo’s series interpreting the Nigerian film industry is staged with quirkiness, curiosity and dare. A must-see!