My final essay was presented ably by Evan (of the Comparative Media Studies Program) who is our resident sound and music guru so I thought it was rather fitting (check out his AMAZING final essay too). I enjoyed how he compared the three parts of the essay to three movements, each with a distinct mood and feeling. Evan and others in the critique also pointed out that when watched in order, the pieces moved from more industrial to more warm photos of community and people (which I hadn’t intended but was a great outcome). And everyone liked the use of audio and music, so the hours slaving over it was well spent. The big complaint was overuse of the Ken Burn effect, which I totally agree with.
I had the privilege of going first and presenting Kris’ essay on 64 Salem St., a currently vacant lot in the North End. The site is fascinating to me because it isn’t so much defined by what it is, but rather what it’s NOT. Check it out for yourself (and everyone elses too) then read over my notes below.
On 64 Salem St. Essay:
Impact and significance overall:
- Brief forms of address
- Messages embedded in empty space
Particular character of the urban landscape:
- Voyeurism
- How landscape is like a scar from actions of humans and how it keeps a subtle record of history
Strengths:
- Clever use of rollover/graying and aspects of one photo as front page (really plays up multiple storylines)
- Unscripted dual images (but confused about order and intent)
- Like the quotes but should be smaller or hidden
- Many storylines within each photo and great interplay when pair up
- Good use of repetitive elements (fence, poles, sidewalk, shadow); some metonymy (cracks/holes/puddle standing for whole site)
- Like anticlimax of the Santa Claus quote with the climatic image
Suggested Improvements:
- More size requirements (element wrapping weird)
- Scripted has text that is overwhelming or distracting from photos
- Missing larger picture of site (maybe a map?)
- Are pairing of quotes and images too literal?
What larger themes does the essay raise about landscape?
- Missing faces makes you think about details around
- Beauty/meaning in things you don’t notice in everyday life or at first glance (Amelie)
- Element of characters traveling around but landscape is a character itself
- Very detail specific and framed statements about neglect/use
…and about the use of photography as a form of inquiry?
- Different angles really make more artistic and less like a record of an event
- Neglect comes out in words but the context and sheer size isn’t felt in just words
- Also lost in words is the hidden/sub-level/everyday
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