Almost All of My Students Onboard With Blogs...

So are they using them for the purpose I thought they would, and wanted them to?

My intention still remains that they are critiqing and reflecting on their work as pieces of Art. Some of the comments a few are making about their work are 'it looks nice...' which is not that. I also want them to engage with, and justify their concepts as much as possible. Students are not going to achieve those higher grades unless they do that, together with clear links to established practice and use of Art principles that mean something to that concept. Some students have yet to put anything up and I do think it is because they are terrified that they don't know what this is, in their own work.

My next focus is to pull back to the principles and elements of photography and teach these explicitly maybe for 10 mins at the start of each lesson before I let them delve back into their work, and to work with certain priority learners who are yet to fully come on board with this process. Hopefully within 2 weeks of this post, all of the blogs will be functioning and active every week and students will use sentences about their own work that discuss the elements and principles visible, putting themselves in the spotlight as the 'artist' worth discussing, at a higher level.

Notes from the first Group Critique for 2013

Critique (with the Year 12 students only) went for 1 and a half hours and they did alright. The following are notes from this critique. They are here as a record for the students themselves and could hopefully offer more insight into their work than you could glean from their blogs at the stage they are in right now. They are notes only and somewhat informal.

12 photography notes from the critique: June 12^th 2013

Zusje – not using the blog, subject matter is still life, had a thought to use her cactus which she has named Dorothy, but it doesn’t work. Her work looks like Vanitas so far. Doesn’t have many objects within it though. White space is used very well. Wants to extend her subject matter to include a candle and a bottle shaped like a skull. Has research Vanitas for 2.1 Painting already, so has a sound understanding of this genre to help get her stared in photography.

Thinks her photos so far are a bit weird and is not convinced. Likes the ones on her board so far.

Marissa – blog is going alright, changing her concept and putting up more photos that are in line with this. Is ok with the technology side of things. Needs to add gadgets for followers and reading list.

Overall concept is her relationship with her Nan before she died. Her presence. With starting again, still going to use the shadows and use them to indicate her presence. Has a teddy bear that belonged to her and is covered in beads wants to incorporate pictures of Nan when she was younger. Beads come off so could be useful for shadows too. 

Samuel – ok with the blog so far and is following 5 others. His work is about himself and his life with his family. Although willing to blog about it to quite an in-depth level, would rather people read what he wrote than he spoke about it out loud in class. All students to go online and comment please.

Danielle – thinks she has too much writing on her blog – I don’t agree. It looks good. Has included her note taking pages and visual thinking which is great. Overall concept is one of feminism and girly stuff, girls being decoration and treated as objects. Recommended reading “the Beauty Myth” by Naomi Woolf. Has used a jewellery holder which is a headless female figure. Taking away the head removes something of the personality and sense of person over object so this is an apt choice. Lots of lace and fabric. Could look at Rozi Demant for further inspiration, though she is a painter, she uses a similar voyeuristic kind of view of the feminine subject. Highly sexualised imagery. Probably blocked by the school system. Could use the lace as a ‘lens’ to extend ideas, re-shoot altering view points, looking down, looking up, voyeuristic nature of lifting the skirt and key holes…

Terence – struggled with getting started with the blog as he was away when we really got started with it. Is getting on top of it now, but is yet to publish the first post. Overall concept is his love of music and guitar. First three photos do currently lack a relationship. Wants to hold onto using the cover of passion and warfare from Steve something-or rather who inspired him to play. Teacher discussion about holding onto something as a subject for the wrong reasons e.g. Zusje’s decision to drop Dorothy from her work, which was the right decision… there is however, potential for Terence to use the album cover and the vinyl album as an object to create geometry, the grid and be a device rather than an object, therefore combining those objects with the guitar is more relevant.

Brooke – 80 views on her blog which is great so far, needs to figure out how to follow a blog and adding some gadgets to make it easier for others to follow her too. Overall concept – childhood memories, fashion vintage, inspired by her Granddad who is a photographer. Could be a very Art deco theme to the work if she wanted to, how could she incorporate op shop pieces of clothes, items on clothes hangers, think Drama room props for instance…Great Gatsby?

Hazel – struggling with the blog technically, but is keen to keep going – Samuel to help her out. Chose objects that mean something to her personally. Box, rose, family photo. Some successful photos using the drama room lighting rig. Editing using layers and colour/black and white areas within the same photo – these look lovely so far. Aperture is used well and could be used to more effect. Suggestion that she becomes a part of the photos as a presence, her shadow or her form but out of focus while her main subject is in focus either in front or behind her. Suggestion that she look at one of Danielle’s artist models – Madalina Wasiczek. Suggestion to try and use patterned cloth in the background but make sure it is out of focus and becomes just shapes to toy with.

'Ailine – needs to put more images and ideas on the blog, got side-tracked with the Michel Tuffery images she saw and changed her direction significantly. Now working with her own cultural identity, specifically Tongan/Samoan aspect of her heritage. Lava lava photo which is the main one on her block has good depth and lighting and contrast. You cannot tell it was shot in the corner of the art room. Could you use yourself interacting with the drum and wrapping the lava lava as well? Self-timer or someone assisting. Ailine suggested that she play around with the shutter speed whilst drumming playing with hands being blurred and being focussed and clear. 

Critique

To critiqueis to review or analyse something critically and carefully. The word critisise is the anglo-sised version of the word and generally seen in a negative light. Critique is the French variant and is seen as the more helpful verb. It all comes from the Greek word ‘Kritikos’ meaning skilled in judging. It is a very important part of any art making, writing or research based work. It always needs to be peer–reviewed and critiqued. What if there is something glaringly obvious that is of use, right in front of you and you have been staring at it for so long, you forgot to see it? You should not be scared of this process, you should want it to happen. It is helpful and necessary. 

That is the next step for our blogging students. They are going to take what is on their blog, and what they have in paper notes and have a group critique in class. This is usually like pulling teeth. However, 2 of my students have already used other online forums to discuss their actual blogs and therefore their work, many of the students blogs have been seen by staff members here at Hornby High School and I am hoping that in publishing their work and explaining it, even if it is just a little, they will have broken down that fear a little.  

The questions I want them to answer for this critique are:

-          What was your initial concept? Can you put it in one sentence?

-          How do your objects/imagery relate to this concept?

-          What are you favourite artist models and how do they relate to your concept and subject? If they don’t, does this matter?

-          Do you feel that your work is at the skill level required at level 2?

Beyond that, I want them to interact with each other, offer advice and support to one another and lift their general camaraderie with each other to a more 'professional' status.