Bringing language to my work

I want to bring sentences from the story into my own work. I have looked at a variety of way to do this and there are a couple of questions I need to ask myself:

  • Firstly, do I want the language to be in Welsh or English? use of the english language means more people will understands the words however Welsh is more authentic, true to the work and feels right as it is exposing Welsh language to a new audience.
  • How will I write these words? Will I use handwriting, collage, graphics, printmaking?
  • Colour – should I use colours that compliment the tones in the composition or stick to neutral colours such as black and white

I will be working through these questions by experimentation on paper.

 

Here are some influential images:

Little Mix pose naked and scrawled with insults for new song Strip | Ents &  Arts News | Sky News

The concept of this shoot alligns with the message I am trying to put across about these mythological characters. However, Little Mix are one of the most famous girl groups in the world. Not many people are aware of Nell therefore I must be more blunt with how I want them to be perceived rather than sending people mixed messages.

 

Nell Shoot 3

The main objective of this shoot was to ensure Nell is being portrayed as a strong character. I decided to change the outfit as I believe the previous shoot’s outfit was unsuitable. The texture of the satin and the velvet remind me of water and its movement. I also focused on shooting from a lower angle and asking the model to raise her chin slightly more than normal. the plastic sheet was used to bring movement to the shoot, reminding us of the way water moves but also about how this material impacts wildlife, seas and lakes is particular.  I styled the models hair as if she had been in water – this slick back look is very on trend at the moment, meaning it will capture the eye of young people. The lighting is more shadowy than I usually shoot, although this was new to me I am pleased with the results and will continue to shoot with similar lighting. During the post editing process I decided to use colour corrector so the tone of the image is slightly blue. I think this caused the image to pop and makes the composition feel more magical.

Nell Shoot 2

During me feedback I was made aware that the images from my second were not very empowering. The use of water made my shoot perhaps overly suggestive and sexy – although I do not mind these characters having sexual appeal, I must be careful that I am not sexualising them. I like this image as I believe it does feel strong and mysterious. The dramatic lighting is something I have been working on with Chris in the studio. Moving forward, I will reshoot the character of Nell as I want to be 100% happy with the images before I move on to another character. I will experiment with this use of dramatic lighting and focus on shooting from a low angle, carefully using empowering poses which will reflect this character appropriately.