Artist Book Idea

Just made a quick discovery in class whilst looking for artist books.

Nina Judin designs and makes artist books, they are way beautiful. 

This is what i'm leaning towards at this early early point in time;

A View from an Apartment - Jeff Wall

What do our lives look like to a complete stranger? Our homes? Do they notice how we arrange our knickknack's or our most treasured possessions on the mantel? 
Jeff Wall's approach to these questions is pretty wild, it looks like a real apartment and feels like a real family setting. It's so inviting to just look around, take everything in without feeling like you're intruding on these people's lives. He gives the viewer all the necessary tools to get to know the people, how they live, what their habits are like, if they fold their washing or have their feet on the seat. 


We don't usually get free rein to just check out a house, someone's home, but this series proves how curious we are, how desperate we are to know how others live. Wall has a few other series' that are similar to A View from an Apartment but they have more depth and narrative to them. 
A View from an Apartment tells a story without even trying, it just exists for curious eyes who thirst to know what the people are like on the other side of the glass.

Concept Photograph 3

These are all the words i never had a chance to say. Unless you write something down it doesn't really exist yet, it's purely a thought or silent wish in your head. 
The immediate focus in this photograph is on the bow holding everything together, similar to how my top and bottom lip did that for me. I felt that a shallow depth of field would give it a beautiful soft feeling around the edges, cut away the sharpness of the envelopes and emphasize the soft curls of the bow. These letters are sitting on an old chair that is so worn nobody has the heart to sit on it just in case. I'm unsure of the mark bottom right of the image, i don't think it detracts but it might to another set of eyes.
There will be no text in the series I've decided, it's too hard trying to balance words and image and not have them clash and cancel each other out.

Concept Photograph 2

This is my first attempt at image one, Blogger doesn't do the colour justice unfortunately. 
I believe people who say they're fine after a tragedy like heartbreak are constantly looking for a way out of the mass hurt they're enduring, they're on the brink of leaving but they have no escape plan, just a packed suitcase full of happier times. 
In this frame I wanted to employ a really shallow depth of field to grab the beautiful bokeh and a bright colour to offset the brown suitcase. As a first try at this part of the concept I'm pretty happy with the result but there are a few more things i need to try before settling on it.

Concept Photograph 1

In one of my story boards i've jotted down the use of a steering wheel and hands as they represent so much more than just that. These hands belong to a mechanic friend of mine who, with a group of close mates , undoubtedly saved me from walking straight off a cliff looking for respite from pain induced by another. We were driving down to the coast one short summer day and i remember looking over and seeing how marked and blackened his hands were from all the grease and oil the day before. It was then i realised that in life no one is going to get out without being a little scratched and bruised, it's how we deal with those little hiccups along the way that matter.
 I understand this image doesn't do the concept justice but it is a simple start to this very rad process.  

First Folio Thoughts.

Story : 

1. An account of imaginary or real people and events told for entertainment: "an adventure story"

My story is one of endless goodbyes, intoxicating hope, silly love letters, red umbrellas, a constant exploration of what home means to me, welcome back embraces, and those people who i base my existentance around. 

After reading what David Campbell had to say about linear and non-linear stories and how we need to ask ourselves "what story do we want to tell?", I'm heading towards a linear story of the past 12 months. 

Starting with the loss of identity and finishing with recovery of soul. 

Picture one - Bent knees picking up old tattered suitcases 

Picture two - Stack of letters on a chair, "after i send these i hope i'll be more than okay" 

Picture three - Crack of light under a dark room doorway

Picture four - Road trip, hands on the steering wheel

Picture five - Portrait of the three boys. 

Picture six - All we know is distance

Picture seven - A pair of wings 

Picture eight - Slow dancing in a burning room? 

Picture nine -  Welcome home embrace

Picture ten - Red umbrella in amongst farm land


Purely rough thinking, stick around for refined ideas.