Exercise - Cruel and Tender

Look at the Cruel and Tender brochure ..


http://www.oca-student.com/sites/default/files/CruelTender.pdf




Listen to two videos ...


here..

http://www.tate.org.uk/context-comment/video/rineke-dijkstra-cruel-and-tender

Rineke Dijkstras photos at this exhibition was a contrasting selection of new mothers, lets say in their raw state, alongside the equal raw, but different, macho Bullfighters.

I dont think its is something I would immediately put together as a 'pair' but she explains her reasons.

She had been at a close friends birth of her child and was amazed at all the emotions.  Maybe a little fear, exhaustion, proud and very happy, all in the same space of time.  She wanted to see if it was possible to capture all of this in a picture.

Prior to that, she had been on a school art trip and they had visited a Bullfight in Portugal.  Here they don't kill the bull just wrestle them down, very dangerous.  She felt both the mothers and the Bullfighters were in a life threatening situations.

She wanted to take pictures which showed something of the person, as people are too guarded when they see a camera today. Different from when August Sender took his portraits, people then were much more giving of themselves.  She doesn't like to force this but it makes a picture much more interesting.

Her initial intentions were not to hang theses two set together as one exhibition but they seemed to go together,  something to fight and a baby to protect. A male / female role.. showing women are more protecting and men are more fighting.

Most of the photographs she isolates, not giving much away about their surroundings or personal life, as thats not what its about.

I think its an interesting combination, if slightly strange, but it works, I think I would have gone more for the beauty in new life and motherhood, but then thats probably boring and not as memorable.


here..

http://www.tate.org.uk/context-comment/video/fazal-sheikh-cruel-and-tender


I listened to the video by Fazal Sheikh about his pictures for the project.  His father was born in Kenya and he was going to the coast to document the Somali communities but it was at this time that 1/2 a million people, refugees, were fleeing to north Kenya so he felt this was a more important issue.

Between 1992 and 1994 he visited various camps and returned to revisit families. He wanted to find out what life really meant to these people.  He had been annoyed by the media for depicting them as frail and starving, victims of a cruel world.  He knew the area before the the refugees, and knew there was more to these people than the papers were reporting.

He photographed people in their own settings, in their camps and outdoors, but keeping it simple to avoid any distraction away from the sitter.  He showed a grid of work which were taken in a food tent and later he returned to see if he could find some of these children, 8 years later.
It was interesting for him as some of the desperate children had survived and lived on.

Fazal says he is drawn to places where others do not really want to go.  Most of his images were taken on a polaroid camera.  He also drew on everyone to make decisions on who was to be photographed and where, giving the images a more relaxed feel about them.

He felt that for this exhibition it was essential for him to have text because in this instance the photos do not tell you the full story, so need text from him or the sitter to make them complete.  Text married with the image make the overall piece.  Both a good picture and good text can stand alone, but can be even better when bought together.