Wednesday 28 March 2012

Week 141: Birthday.

So my birthday is coming up, I'm getting older and I still don't even realise it. Even when I think about age and time, I still don't understand what all the fuss is. Every day is a different day, you might be stuck in a routine, but you can still think differently from the day before. I tend to vary my thoughts whenever I can. Think of new ideas, new inventions and new ways of planning out my life. Most of the things that my imagination conjures up are impossible to create but it's always good to dream.

Dan.



I sometimes look at this photograph of mine, taken on September 11th 2011. This marine, is on his lunch break from protecting the city of New York from any potential terrorist attempts. I always look at it and wander what he's thinking. The entire time I was in the Deli he didn't notice my camera, not even once. He was deep in thought, it was obvious. Being in the army is his occupation, his routine, but that day was obviously a little change in his routine. Maybe he was contemplating his life choices or maybe he was remembering those who lost their lives a decade ago. Either way his thought process must have changed, and that is what I was discussing in the opening paragraph of this post.

Song listening to right now: Karma - Parkway Drive

Friday 16 March 2012

Week 140: The Friend.

Imagine you find something beautiful, it's the best thing you've ever seen. It doesn't matter what it is, it could be anything. Imagine one day, someone takes it away from you and locks it up somewhere where you can't find it. After a long time of trying to find it, giving up, trying to find it again, giving up again etc. you realise that maybe it doesn't matter that you aren't near it any more. The memory and the sense of that thing still remains within you, it still makes you happy and it doesn't matter how long you spend away from it, those memories will always be inside your head. That thing will always be apart of you even if that thing is apart from you.

So I've been thinking about something that crops up a lot of the time in my thoughts. My closest friend is so far away, not only in distance but I am also forbidden to talk to her. So she is also out of reach within the realms of communication too. Even though she is so far away and I have not been able to communicate with her, I know that we are still as close as we ever were or ever will be. She knows that I care for her, and I know that she cares for me, we are not lovers; it's a friendship thing. When you find your best friend you just... know.

She knows that I will always be there for her and she also knows that I want her to succeed in everything she does. Two strongly connected souls can always sense each other, there are twitches in my mood, when I know we are thinking about each other. I strongly dislike the fact we are not allowed to speak to one another and when we do, it has to be done in secret. It's a horrible feeling.

Even though I am not the one that is being constricted by this horrible rule, I am the one that still feels trapped. I know that she feels the same too. She is the kindest girl I know and she deserves to be treated how she treats other people, with the utmost respect and genuine love. She is utterly talented and it is being wasted. Friends are not things that should be prohibited, they should be encouraged.

Although this rule is not actually being implemented on myself, I understand what would happen if I encouraged her to break this rule, so I keep quiet about it and treat the situation with respect. We know each other very well, better than we know ourselves. It is something that surpasses knowledge of secrets about one another or trivial things, that is not what I am talking about, that is not friendship, it's more of a spiritual thing. We know each other perfectly, and that is it. This is probably the most personal entry I have made in a long time, but in all honesty, there is no room left for obscurity this time. It is time for the literal. I want my best friend back and I will always be there when she feels it is time for that rule to broken.

I love you and miss you dearly.
Dan.



From the constriction collection, a very relevant photograph I think. If you've been in a situation like mine, contact me and we can talk about it.

Song listening to right now: Almost Lover - A Fine Frenzy

Thursday 8 March 2012

Week 139: Limitations.

No one can exceed their potential. If you pose the question, "what if somebody does exceed their potential?" the the answer would be, "Then it simply means the potential was not accurately gauged in the first place."

This blog entry was inspired by the film Gattaca (1997), one of my favourite movies of all time. I'm sure I may have mentioned it before but recently it has got me thinking about a lot of things; the future, pushing past boundaries, being content, communication, promotion and a number of different things that may be contained within my own potential.

I've also watched another film recently, again one that I adore and have done for years. Wings of Desire (1987) a film most would think a complete opposite from Gattaca, but there is a lot of similarity between the two. Gattaca is a film about Vincent, his genetics are holding him back in a society that puts you in your place at the moment you are born. Doctors will look at your DNA and almost brand it to your life record. Subsequently this leads to Vincent wanting to push past the limitations of society, these rules and regulations about "Valids" and "In-valids" are holding him back from his true desire and ambition. He cannot be what he wants to be, he cannot realize his dream and the only way to achieve it is through going against everything that society has forced upon the human race. They have told him what his potential is, but not accounted for his human spirit to break past that boundary. It is a film I urge everybody to watch. A perfect film and a masterpiece.

The other film, Wings of Desire, is a story that circulates around an invisable angel who is overlooking the human race. This is his job and he has been bound to it. Eventually he falls in love with a mortal, a trapeze artist to be exact, and he finds himself behind the boundaries of his invisibility. He is trapped and wants to break through to the mortal world.

This is where the two films are similar, the two characters have been set these boundaries but they both show that true desire and the human/non-human heart can achieve much more than they are originally told they are supposed to achieve. An absolutely beautiful and motivating concept that is executed perfectly in both movies. I have loved both of these films for a long time but it is only now, in my relevant situation, that I see the similarities.

Once again, thank you for reading.
Dan.



I have only just started this project. It's an environmental portrait project about limitations of the audience's interpretation. I can't really tell you too much about it, because I have only just begun taking photographs and that is the way I work. I come up with a basic idea and then take the photographs. The pictures then evolve the concept and I get to a point where it all comes together. In basic terms, it is my own idea of how the individual interprets images. With providing minimal visual indicators of where this was taken and any other facts about the photograph, the audience will have to conjure up their own ideas. I will let you now that the aesthetics of the photographs will come from surrealist articles that I have read but that does not entirely explain the concept.

After more photographs are taken in this series, and people see the photos together, they will eventually start seeing patterns and start to understand my concept, much like what will be happening to me when I continue with it. So it finds it's foundations in basic hermaneutics, the onlooker does not have the capability to understand until he/she is given the tools to understand more. This is relevant to what I was explaining earlier about potential. The ability to understand is not in the audience's potential until I give them the tools to break past that boundary and understand it a bit more. The same goes for when an image is presented without text or caption. I could have just presented this image in a gallery with no text, but I decided to help you along a little bit. Playing with limitations on potential can be interesting, but can also be a little bit frustrating for the onlooker, so I will give you the freedom to look at my images and make your own mind up.

Song listening to right now: Conquest of Paradise - Vangelis

Sunday 4 March 2012

Week 138: Attention.

So reputation gets you attention, and funnily enough this week I have been shooting for the band Attention Thieves. They are a brilliant band from the South of England, I seriously recommend any of you reading this to go check them out.

Apart from that, I've been thinking about attention in general. If your reputation acts a catalyst for attention, then what do you have do to get the right attention? Do you have to give yourself the right reputation? and if so how is that possible? I'm not going to answer those questions now. I'm going to give myself a week or so to think about it, I'd like to hear any opinions on this subject to help give me some food for thought to. So get in contact please.

Thanks.
Dan.



Attention Thieves. Check them out right now, EP is released 26th March. Available on iTunes, HMV, Amazon and the usual retailers.

Song listening to right now: Isolated Incidents - Animals as Leaders