Originally, I wanted to write my essay about my favourite photographer, Tim Walker. Analysing his image, 'Alice Gibb in spiders web, Englingham Hall, Northumberland, 2008' taken from his 2012 book 'Storyteller', I decided that I no longer wanted to use this image as the basis for my essay. This is because the theme of the image does not relate to my chosen concept for my final major project for PHVP 3409. I wanted it to be similar in style and research so it could strengthen my knowledge on witch history and gain ideas and inspiration based on composition and mise-en-scene for my video and photography projects. This image however, helped me practice critically analysing a photograph and investigating deeper into potential meanings. I compared my ideas with another student and it was an interesting exercise to see what someone else saw compared to my own thoughts. This helped through my essay, deconstructing the chosen video and speculating potential meanings whilst backing them up with facts and critical debate.
I moved on, researching into witchcraft themed photography and came across fine art photographer, Alex Stoddard. In 2014, he created a series called 'tiny fluttering wings' that was about a witch luring a child into the woods and stealing her youth. I thought this was such a great concept and inspired me on colour, location, lighting and composition. Unfortunately, Stoddards work is not widely known and there is very little written about his work. To gain more knowledge and put in my research for 3409, I emailed Stoddard to ask about the project and he replied, giving me insight into what it was all about, what worked, what didn't and inspiration. As well as this, a short film was made to represent the photographic series with the same name, edited by Devin Schiro. He also emailed me back, telling me all about the project throughout production and how it never was finished which is why they didn't push it out for review. This series really inspired my research and styling and although it did not benefit my essay, it was a great discovery that inspired my own practice.
I then decided to look more into fashion photography and the way they portray witchcraft. I chose this because I like how fashion can transform a theme and make it lavish and beautiful, engaging the audience to buy the product. It really works!! I found an editorial series in W magazine, photographed by renowned fashion photographer, Steven Meisel. The series, entitled 'Spellbound', for fall 2012. the image showed a group of witches gathering around a fire with a male goat leering over as if controlling the women in a trance. It really captivated my attention, and furthered my research into a greater historical background knowledge on witches, their activities and how religious authority at the time of the witch trails, convicted and prosecuted many people, especially women.
It also inspired my practice in composition, colour, location and the gloomy atmosphere. I took elements of both the horror side and the innocent nature in my own practice, whilst keeping my piece more realistic and periodically correct, as apposed to a fashion portrayal. I chose not to use this image as the focus for my critical essay, as there is little written about it critically, only from fashion blogs. I did however, use it as an example of witchcraft fashion photography in my essay, to show how it is portrayed in fashion editorials. Meisel, I found in my research, is known for never talking about his fashion editorial projects. This is because there is one aim and that is to sell the garments whilst displaying them in an exciting themed location and connecting the viewer with popular current fads. Witchcraft seems very popular in fashion, especially richer around halloween. It fades in and out of fashion but has been very popular since the 90's and remains to this day. another fashion portrayal of witchcraft was shown in the fall/winter 2007 runway of designer Alexander McQueen. 'A 45 ft inverted black pyramid suspended over a blood red pentagram, traced in black sand, set the stage for a collection that combined the religious persecution meted out by seventeenth-century Puritans with ancient Egyptian paganism', as stated on the V&A museum about the show. The collection was entitiled, 'In loving memory of Elizabeth Howe, Salem, 1692'. This was because McQueen discovered his relative Elizabeth Howe was tried and convicted during the witch trails in 1692 and this fascinated and inspired him to create and dedicate a collection to witchcraft.
I was going to use this as an extra argument factor as how witchcraft is portrayed in fashion. As this is a live show, and the runway is to showcase the witchcraft inspired clothing, the imagery for it is a typical runway snap to see the outfit. However, there was a video playing overhead, with cryptic sounds and whispers, haunting the atmosphere and creating the tension of magic and evil. This created such a captivating enticement to his collection, as the viewer is engaged by the theme and understanding the lust for the magical world even though it was such a taboo subject. As my research developed, I didn't use this as part of my essay argument. I didn't have enough space to use it, as well as the other portrayals I used to back up my reason and answer the question within the word count. However, this did benefit my research for my PHVP 3409 module, as it helped give me inspiration styling, the cryptic sounds and unusual display of exhibition.
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I watched the film 'The Crucible', 1996, and took inspiration from the scene where the women come together in the woods to give offering to the witch to create a love potion to attract their desired man. This portrayal of witch gatherings, shows the historical setting of the witch trail era in 1692, Salem. It gave me greater inspiration in understanding how religious authority at the time ruled and banished any acts that were considered unholy and branded as 'worshipping the devil'. This included women dancing naked in a forest and gathering together, making any potions and herbal remedies. Wise women who practiced with these mixtures, were considered a witch, accusing them of making potions of evil result and cursing villagers, cattle and crop. This film heavily inspired both my research and development for my critical essay and final major project, in developing a further understanding of witchcraft accusations and prosecutions. As well as this, I took inspiration on costume, location, props and language to make my piece periodically correct as much as possible.
It helped my critical essay argument, in understanding the difference between film and photography and how it entices the audience in on an emotional level. With further research and back up from sound theory books in film, it helped me determine the key elements that divide the media platforms and how this works differently through stills and video, with sound being a primary factor. I learnt through this, the 'third dimension', where Ingmar Bergman suggests the primary factor is the image, the secondary factor is the sound, and both of them together creates the third dimension. He is referring to how film creates another world, that the audience can familiarise with and captivate them in, as if it was a real life situation in a new time and space. I found this research very fascinating and incredibly helpful in developing my own practice. I am creating a video for my final major project, as well as a series of images that will be presented in a book. This research of the importance of sound on an emotional impact and connection with the viewer is what I found inspiring, as I want to create a horror, and to achieve the fear factor I now have a new found appreciation for the significance of sound (though I already knew how important it was!).
I finally came across a series called, Aquelarre, by fashion photographer, Nick Knight. This series instantly caught my attention, as their was rich context about how and why it was created and the aims and understanding of why he wanted to come away from doing the usual beauty driven fashion editorial, and create something unnerving and surreal which he is not used to making. My question arose from when reading Knight's synopsis of the project, where he mentioned that photography is not as effective when aiming for an emotional punch from the audience. I disagree with this statement, because I believe the emotional impact stems from the purpose and content of the image on how it will make you feel. For example, documentary photography aims to make you feel emotionally connected with the image, as the viewer can understand what the circumstance is and know that it has happened in real life. Fashion photography does not aim to make the audience emotionally aware, as it aims to sell the product. So, in this sense Knight's statement in my opinion is false, as it seems, he didn't take into account the many styles of photography and their purpose of emotional response. However, I do agree with the power of video creates the fear factor that I want to create with the theme of witchcraft, that my still imagery won't capture. I think this is because the power of sound is timed to create suspense and this impacts and heightens more then one sense like my book would not achieve in that emotional reaction. Although Knight's piece is not exploring the same area of witchcraft as my project for 3409, the way in which his video has been edited and the sound used has been very inspirational to my own practice and helped inform and enrich my research and development. As well as this, the composition, styling and where he drew inspiration from has helped my research into witchcraft history and enabled me to discover further about the accusations and convictions of being accused as a witch. This is what my final piece is about, so the research that helped inform my essay has strengthened my piece and investigate into folk tales and real history which has benefited my project in both aspects of understanding my chosen subject in detail and applying that information into my own practice and unique portrayal of witchcraft.
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