Blog Reflection

During my research I focused on finding answers to multiple formulated questions all connected to the fields of Environmental Artworks, the use of Beauty and Sublime in Photography as well as Artist-Audience Interaction. 

 

While my main research questions at the start of this research phase centred more around the explicit use of photography to educate society on climate change. I noted that I had missed an important aspect to be discussed when looking at the connection of art and science which is the use or misuse of different art forms for different purposes. This realisation inspired me to rephrase some of my research questions and not just look at how art is connected to science but also how this can be used to benefit artists and audiences to create the greatest possible learning experience. 

 

Ideally these questions will help me look at the theme of my essay from different angles and identify sources that can support different aspects of the argument. While some of my first identified research texts turned out to be less beneficial, other texts I added throughout the ongoing research ended up being upon the most important. While Sontag's work is not based on contemporary photography here theories related to war documentaries can be applied to environmental art as well and while reading through 'Regarding the pain of others' I first came across the work of E. Burke mentioned in a text. 

Burke's work on the sublime and beautiful brings all my ideas of shock and beauty together and explains the use of each. While Burke's theories were written long before digital photography was even a thing, his ideas definitely influenced my work on contemporary fine art. 

 

 'Narratives can make us understand. Photographs do something else: They Haunt us.'  (S. Sontag)

 

This described progress and reevaluation throughout the research period, was probably the most interesting and exciting aspect of this Modules work. While I had an idea at the start, I enjoyed letting the research texts change my theories and lead me to conclusions and new questions simultaneously. 

Updating my Blog regularly, it gave me the opportunity to focus on different aspects of my research and include contemporary exhibitions, classic essays and my own photographic practice. 

Reflecting on my research throughout the module, I found the process of focusing and refocusing my research angle from a broad idea towards a specific question/angle to be the hardest but at the same time the most rewarding. Once I found my area of interest through a lot of the work towards my Annotated Bibliography and Reflective Blog, I was able to build a stronger argument and really connect my theory with my practice work. 

 

'But, in the end, I thought the only way to give us an incentive, to bring hope, is to show the pictures of the pristine planet - to see the innocence.' (S. Salgado on 'Genesis')

 

I enjoyed the freedom of independently directing my research and keeping this digital diary to look back at previous ideas while formulating new theories. After focusing on the use of Beauty and Shock in the past for large parts of my research posts, I enjoyed connecting these research angles to my own practice and to contemporary environmental work throughout the final posts. 

 

The final title of my research work will be "Visual Beauty and the sublime: Photography's effectiveness as an art form to educate society while discussing climate change from a fine art perspective." as it gives me the opportunity to evaluate both the use of shock and beauty to reach audiences while drawing conclusions for environmental artworks in general and the benefits and disadvantages of photography compared to other forms. 

 

My photographic practice will explore the causes and effects of climate change in the Auckland region and use fine art photographs of beauty to tell a 'tragic' environmental story.