Because in documentary photography, it is often about representing the subject and displaying information, as I have learnt in my previous research. For this reason, I wanted to explore more about abstract photography, and how I may be able to experiment more with abstraction in my approach and how it can benefit the images. I was going to look at books about abstraction in photography, but a lot of them just describe different techniques, so I decided to look at abstraction in art to see if I could understand how it can change/benefit art. In this text, theres a reference to a quote by Max Bill who says ‘Concrete art is the opposite of abstract… Concrete is the ‘representation’ of something that was previously not visible, not palpable…The purpose of concretion is to translate abstract ideas into reality so that they can be perceived…’ For me, this translates into concrete paintings being similar to documentary style images, as it is a true representation of the subject, where as absratct paintings are like abstract images, as they bring something more to what is already there.
Abstraction can be a way to express your own mind and thoughts by adding to what is already there. and therefore giving a new view of the world to the viewer. ‘[T]he true miracle of the language of art is not that it enables the artist to create the illusion of reality. It is that under the hands of a great master the image becomes translucent. In teaching us to see the visible world afresh…’— I’m not trying to create a new subject, or make the farms look something different to what they do in order to give a different impression, but rather to use my own perception in order to add something so that it can open up other doors of interpretation.
Zimmer explains how usually in art, especially old art, the aim was to represent the subject in the truest form (similarly with documentary photography), however, in more recent times, artists are less restricted in their representations. ‘the goal of capturing the essence of an object becomes something different from painting the most accurate, most detailed, likeness.’ I don’t want the attention of the image solely to be on the process of how the crops are grown and what the company does because, for me, the essence of the subject I’m photographing is about sustainability, and therefore, I need to take this abstracted idea and use it to influence my approach. However, this doesn’t mean that I have to throw away and ignore what is right in front of me, I just need to bare in mind why I’m interested in the subject and then bring this essence to the images accordingly.
‘Underlying this … superficial existence of things … one can search for a truer, more essential character, which the artist will seize so that he may give to reality a more lasting interpretation’ — Similarly, I want my approach in the images to have a lasting effect on the viewer, so that they can understand the benefits of vertical farming, and therefore eventually create change. Rather than approaching the images in documentary style, by adding my own essence, (by using abstract techniques from the purple lighting and mist), i’ll be able to give a more lasting impression.
I have to bare in mind how it will look to the viewer as the concept is relatively new to everyone, how I view the concept of vertical farms will be essential when deciding how to approach
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