Seminar Tasks

Seminar Tasks

Seminar Task- 20/03/18

Above, I have included my responses to the Seminar task from week 9, based around the reading from Georges Perec; “An Attempt at Exhausting a Place in Paris”. For this I sat for 25 minutes on my own in the bottom floor of the Minerva Building and observed and noted my surroundings.

Seminar Task – From the 30/1/18 – Analyse Photo

 

What time period, decade or year do you think this photograph was created in? What visual cues support your choice?

I believe this photo was taken either during the late 1990’s or early 2000’s.  I was led to think this because of the more vintage and retro clothing that the woman in the photo has on.

 

Where in the world was this photograph taken? Again, please detail your reasons for asserting your choice.

I believe this photo was taken somewhere in the United States as the photo is clearly demonstrating a celebration of Valentines Day due to the heart shapes on the wall and the banner which is slightly cropped out but does reveal it is some special day revolving around love and relationships. I feel America is one place that would take this type of holiday to this extent and take it more seriously than others. Additionally, the bar atmosphere with an American looking beer on the wall also leads me to believe this was shot in America.

 

In a short paragraph, how would you describe the key visual elements of the photograph? What is contained within the frame?

The photo clearly shows a woman in a bar on her own. The bar has a colour scheme based solely around the colour red, a colour which is commonly associated with love and passion, and throughout the frame, heart shaped stickers are seen on the wall, this makes the viewer come to the conclusion that it is Valentines Day, also hinted at by the banner which is slightly cropped out but gives the viewer an idea that it is some kind of special day. The woman is alone at the table, however there are two drinks at the table.

 

How is/are the human subject(s) of the photograph engaging with the camera/photographer?

The woman in the photograph is not engaged with the camera in the sense that she is looking directly at it. In fact she is looking into the distance, which leads me to ask the question, what is she looking at? The subject however is looking down as well and the expression on her face leads me to believe she is feeling upset or even annoyed, this could be related to the two drinks on the table. For example, she could have potentially come here with her partner, her partner may have left and now she is looking into the distance contemplating their relationship.

 

What, if any directions do you think the photographer may have given to the subject(s) of the photograph?

If any direction was given to the subject, I believe it would have been to firstly stare longingly into the distance, away from the camera but also be quite slouched sat at the table, giving off more of the impression that she is either annoyed or upset with her partner.

 

What do you believe the photographer wants, you, the viewer to take from the image?

The photo obviously displays strong Valentines Day themes the excessive use of the colour red (which has a strong connection to Love and Passion) and with the photo leading me to to believe it is based in America, it does make me feel that Americans do take this holiday too seriously, however the colour red also has the connotation of danger and so could also be demonstrating the danger of love and relationships in demonstrating what could happen when it goes wrong and how it could make you feel.