The Commission Unit Briefing & Initial ideas

After our initial briefing two ideas have developed for task 1 where we have to create a piece of work based around the idea 'Waste' shot in the Medway area; as I had already done my Object unit on the theme of consumerism and waste I decided I wanted to go a completely different route.
My first idea is to look at abandoned/derelict buildings that have been left to rot and waste away, deteriorating to the point that the property becomes unwanted & unused as a home.
Just because someone didn't want to live there anymore does this mean that someone else wouldn't have wanted to live there? This idea has been inspired by a programme called Britain's Empty Homes, where they follow around people from the council who visit empty properties and try and make them livable again and help couples to find a building to renovate and make their home.

 

There are thousands of empty properties in the UK waiting to be re-invented however some are deemed unfit to be lived in for different reasons which I'd be interested in looking in to.
I also want to explore the idea that just because someone didn't want to live in a house anymore does this mean no one else would want to?
In the briefing my attention was brought to a couple of photographers that I am interested in doing further research into. I want to first look at the work of steffi Klenz, I previously looked at the series 'A Scape' and now I want to begin researching her series 'Nummianus' which explores buildings that have been evacuated after being judged unfit for living in.

I was also attracted to the work of Robert Polidori, especially the series 'After the Flood' which explores the appearance of houses in a neighbourhood that have been hit by severe flooding. It brings up questions about the purpose of these buildings now that they have been transformed by disaster, whether they are now a waste product of the tragedy or still people's homes.

Robert Polidori said, "I attempted to make visual sense of the forces of chaos that threw houses about as if they were made of cardboard, these photographic records are offered as a kind of visual Last Rites for life trajectories that are no more."
When he photographs the outside of the buildings they often look quite normal like a facade for what has occurred within retaining the memory of the owners.

The final photographer brought up during the briefing was Sze Tsugn Leong, particularly his series 'History Images' where he focusses on cities in China being destroyed. I also like the way that he often includes buildings uninhabited contrasting with modern, populated sky scrapers.  

If I decide to go with this idea I will start exploring similarities between derelict homes left abandoned for some time & think about whether they are waste and therefore should be destroyed, should they be saved or are they waste at all.


My Second idea is to explore how clothing is used but is then kept for sentimental reasons and tucked away to never be worn again, can this be seen as wasteful as these pieces of clothing could be re-used? This idea developed from the way my family hoards items which has been passed down to me; I have a very short memory so I like the way by looking at things like photographs and items from childhood reminds me of events. However by collecting and storing away things to look at every now and again could this be seen as waste? We have many items that were knitted by my grandma, christening outfits, my mum's wedding dress etc. that sit in the attic; however what interests me the most is when a photograph reminds you more of the clothing than the event & seems to depict the last time it was worn depicting this idea of waste.
My first inspiration came from an exhibiton I visited at the V&A museum called Shadowcatchers: Camera-less Photography, Adam fuss did a series titled 'My ghost' which tries to attract our attention to the idea of memory- the way it can fade in time.

During the alumni talk, Ida Taavitsainen talked about the work titled 'My Mother's Clothes' of photographer Jeannette Montgomery Barron; she creates a portrait of her late mother through still life images of her cherished clothing, shoes, and personal possessions. As her mother's struggle with Alzheimer's progressed, robbing her of any remembered past, Montgomery Barron began this unique visual album as a way of both sparking her mother's memories, and coping with her own sense of loss.
This sense of stillness within the images is intriguing, as if the memory is held within the garments however it is interesting to see how well these clothes were obviously preserved but now have been put away never to be worn again despite the way clothing used to be made to last and obviously has and will but is this a waste to just keep as a sort of memory?

I was also inspired by the work of Riitta Paivalainen particularly her series 'Imaginary Meetings'; I love the way she freezes clothing into positions which makes it look as it is still being inhabited by the memory of the owner. They are strangely positioned out in nature, it makes the audience intrigued by their story; it could reflect the idea of our societies wasteful behaviour by the way we throw away clothing which is perfectly fine to buy more clothing creating this inefficient cycle which could effect nature through industry.

Julie VonDerVellen's fashion pieces titled 'Paper Clothing' has an overall message of garments evoke memories, memories evoke garments. The way clothing is made out of paper gives the opposite idea of waste, it acts as fabric layered with a narrative tailored to an event that she is trying to portray. They are recreations of actual attire surrounding a moment, interlacing objects with memories like we attach memories to clothing which is why people hoard and find it hard to throw clothing away. The garments she creates reveal new beginnings, tragedies, life lessons and notable achievements in her life.  

Clothing retains memories which is why we find it hard to throw them away so we store them away and they get wasted however on the other hand it today's society people are throwing away clothing without thinking about the consequences rather than recycling it or taking stuff to charity shops after all what is waste for one person may not be for another.

If  I choose this idea, I am interested in exploring ways in which I can portray these themes as I am particularly keen on this concept due to my connection with objects I collect and store away, and haven't ever considered the idea of it being wasteful.