This last week has been somewhat of a rollercoaster for me on the FMP. The highs and lows of studying a 'subjective' subject I guess, but having received some great marks for my FMP Proposal, the initial feedback from my tutor on my work in progress was not so positive. In particular my inclusion of music lyrics appears to be an issue and could distract the viewer from the images. There was also a sense that the scope of my project, looking at the relationship with all of the creative arts and photography, was a huge undertaking and could be unachievable in such a limited amount of time.
Having had a further two portfolio reviews later in the week I began to realise that I needed to readdress what my aims were with this project. It is clear in my mind that the focus needs to be on photography, music and the written word. Just as Roland Barthes essays captured in his book, Image, Music, Text. My work with still life and the link to musical lyrics really excites me and I recognised that I need to get this across in a renewed statement of intent so that my tutors support me, rather than resist my efforts because I am not following the original brief, which has effectively evolved.
As I say the week was a rollercoaster and as low as I felt after my initial one to one, there was a high just around the corner. This came with a portfolio review I had with Carla Liesching who I immediately felt got and understood my work. Whilst she recognised the challenge of including text with images, she suggested this was more about finding a way to display them rather than omit them completely. Her idea of folding the pages of the book so the lyrics are concealed and then revealed, completely hit the mark with me. So much so I could think of nothing else driving home after the call.
This has quickly evolved into a 'dummy book' to test the concept. Whilst it is still in its early stages I am really encouraged as to how this can help shape my project.
As the heading for this week's blog suggests I may have dropped on a new title for the project as my search for the muse has lead me to music as the main connector with my photography. I will therefore be looking to revise my mission statement in the coming days to bring further context to this, however the main question I am posing myself at this stage is:
'If you take away the music, does the image provide the melody for the lyrics?'
I am excited to find out...
Refs
Barthes, R. and Heath, S. (2009). Image, music, text. New York, Ny Hill And Wang [Ca.
CARLA LIESCHING. (n.d.). CARLA LIESCHING. [online] Available at: http://www.carlaliesching.com [Accessed 5 Mar. 2022].