User:Jakemorris/Researchproposal

For Steve

Research Proposal

In this Trimester my research will focus on psychological theory and its relationship with cinema and photography. Previously, I explored the topic of Trauma and Transcendence through the lens of my Hasselblad. The project began last year with photographing Lockerbie, a town where Pan Am Flight 103, a regularly scheduled Pan Am transatlantic flight from Frankfurt to Detroit via London and New York. The plane was targeted by terrorist activity on 21 December 1988. The aircraft operating the transatlantic leg of the route was destroyed by explosion, killing all 243 passengers and 16 crew, before landing on the small unsuspecting town of Lockerbie, killing the eleven residents below. The next steps to the project were in attempt to capture photographs of Aberfan in Wales, where the catastrophic collapse of a colliery spoil tip at around 9:15 am on 21 October 1966 crushed an entire school full of both teachers and children. And then finally images of the people and place of Hungerford, in reference to the Hungerford massacre, which was a series of random shootings in Hungerford, England, on 19 August 1987. Michael Robert Ryan, an unemployed antique dealer and handyman, fatally shot sixteen people, including a police officer before shooting himself. Admittedly, this did not work the way I originally intended as they somewhat felt like they held an element of dark tourism when shooting these steps of the project, and almost exploitative of the community. Defining them entirely by something that happened, a stigma which surrounded the town.

I enjoyed this project, but it was never really finished for me and I would like to attempt it with a fresh pair of eyes, in a way which would better align with my moral compass. In conversation with Steve, we spoke about what I like about the photographs i took of Lockerbie; STEVE: "I get the idea that you want to make a project that records the trace of some dramatic event. You seem to be fascinated by how time effects these sites, how a vague trace is left. The line of new builds in Lockerbie leaves a trace but this trace needs to be contextualised, it needs someone to flag the significance (the act of photography does that): the story of Lockerbie transforms an images of Lockerbie. This relation to a trace and evidence may harbour a deep research question. Someone once told me that trauma is a failure of representation. Fred wests’ house has been knocked down; Jimmy Saville’s gravestone was removed = it seems obscene to allow an image to prevail because an image cannot do justice to the events"

Reading list:

One of the outputs for this will directly be a website of my own, which may function as advertisement for my artwork whilst articulating my thoughts and processes in a way which could be used in professional context, such as if viewed by a potential employer. I always find it very difficult to write about my own work, and believe it would be a good opportunity for me to be able to collect my thoughts and show different meanings to what is first seen when viewing my images.

The project will be called A Crows Ability to Distinguish, and will be based on this theory:

I would like to relate this idea that crows can not only recognise trauma, but can transfer this onto other generations of the species. I will explore this visually in people and place but more specifically how a traumatic event can leave traces on people and place.

The main output of this series will be in the form of a book or exhibition, showcasing my work and giving context to the subject in texts that surround the images.

documentary (?) / book (?) / exhibition (?)

Photobook inspiration:

Sleeping by the Mississippi - Alec Soth
Shot At Dawn - Chloe Dewe Mathews

WATCH LIST:

Tarnation

Films on Shortoftheweek

I have something to tell you
Feathers
The Shock Doctrine

tracing paper - crow

In 1953 there was a flood, deemed the greatest natural disaster to occur in the Netherlands in the 20th century. The combination of a heavy north-westerly storm and a spring tide caused flooding in large parts of the country. The disaster claimed the lives of 1,836 people and tens of thousands of animals, and many homes were destroyed:

https://www.rijkswaterstaat.nl/english/water/water-safety/the-flood-of-1953/index.aspx

Recently there has been flooding of the Waal river, which could create similarities in theme. Perhaps worth exploring.

Travelling to the Watersnoodmuseum, to document what I see in Photographs. Looking particularly at people and place towards research. Will ask about the 1953 flood and find information within the museum.