J Bennett Fitts
From '8 Dead Palm Trees' image found on: http://www.fstopmagazine.com/blog/2012/02/j-bennett-fitts-kopeikin-gallery/"John Bennett Fitts, 1977, USA, is a photographer with a focus on emptiness. In his series No Lifeguard On Duty he made large color photographs of empti, 1960's-era motel swimming pools. Most of the abandoned and cracked pools are shot at sundown. In his series Industrial Landscape[ing] Fitts focuses on strangely manicured and manifactured environments. The urban environments, although familiar, get an outer worldly quality. Fitts has exhibited around the world and received various awards. The following images come from the series No Lifeguard On Duty, Industrial Landscape[ing] and Images from the center of the contigious United States"
Quote found from: http://500photographers.blogspot.co.nz/2010/09/photographer-129-j-bennett-fitts.html
In this Image, The objective or the main focus of the picture is the dead palm tree in the centre, however the open background and minimal surroundings makes the viewer notice the space and emptiness in this picture. The viewer may feel the isolation that the picture emphasizes and feels that the empty space is important in this picture because although it may seem insignificant, it is one of the first things the viewer will notice.
image from 'no lifeguard on duty'. picture was found online on : http://www.google.com/imgres?hl=en&gbv=2&biw=1440&bih=720&tbm=isch&tbnid=BzOaDHDN7CEA0M:&imgrefurl=http://www.articlesandtexticles.co.uk/2006/08/16/j-bennett-fitts-no-lifeguard-on-duty/&docid=vdGn2P5ZS92ujM&imgurl=http://articlesandtexticles.co.uk/imgs/0608/bennett01x.jpg&w=750&h=599&ei=TX1eT9C8Ks-ViAej_LHDBw&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=1166&vpy=215&dur=474&hovh=201&hovw=251&tx=106&ty=136&sig=118108706221107151095&page=1&tbnh=165&tbnw=223&start=0&ndsp=15&ved=1t:429,r:14,s:0"In photography my interest has always been held by landscapes; never the heroic imagery most people have come to associate with the term landscape, but rather the beautifully subtle and banal work of the photographers associated with the new topograhics movement. The sense of quiet and isolation that pervades Baltz’s series on Irvine warehouses is something that I always set out to achieve through my own imagery. The photographers showcased in the new topographics exhibition focused on a "social landscape" that explored the way in which man impacts the natural environment. They focused on new subject matter as well, creating imagery that avoided the common themes beauty and emotion. Yet at a certain point during my pursuit I feel that I break off from the strict doctrine of some of the photographers showcased in this movement."
Quote taken from: http://kopeikingallery.com/artists/view/j-bennett-fitts
I have highlighted in red what I thought was really important in this quote, and what I think he is saying is that although the art of topographics don't necessarily focus on conveying themes such as "beauty and emotions, he wants to be able to include these elements into his photos. I think that this photograph, and other photographs in the 'no lifeguard on duty' collection, shows emotions of nostalgia, serenity and peace. I like the idea of taking photos of forgotten locations because viewers may relate to this by going through old memories that suddenly reappear when they see something familiar or similar. Visually, I like that the photo is taken at a slightly high angle so that more space is utilized/shown in the picture, and the bright light mixed with pale faded colours creates a nice atmosphere that is open and almost makes the image look older and faded, which ties in with the nostalgic emotions.
"J. Bennett Fitts traveled some 20,000 miles to produce "No Lifeguard on Duty," an investigation of America's forgotten roadside motels. These vestiges of an earlier era-when families packed into their cars for summer vacations via two-lane highways-now exist in various stages of operation and disrepair. With their parking-lot-adjacent swimming pools prominently in the foreground, the motels reveal a decayed Americana and a near permanent sense of vacancy. However, beyond the cracked paint and the decrepit chain-links lies the nostalgia of life on the open road"
This quote was taken from: http://www.good.is/post/picture-show-no-lifeguard-on-duty/
Phillip Toledano
image from "bankrupt" collection, taken from: http://www.google.com/imgres?num=10&hl=en&gbv=2&biw=1440&bih=720&tbm=isch&tbnid=yKuUN56JrYtunM:&imgrefurl=http://shape-and-colour.com/2008/05/26/phillip-toledano-bankrupt/&docid=v1Ug5JCEp5mprM&imgurl=http://shapeandcolour.files.wordpress.com/2008/05/bankrupt1.jpg&w=500&h=354&ei=xY5eT4npFaSdiAertvH1Bw&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=448&vpy=166&dur=980&hovh=189&hovw=267&tx=193&ty=91&sig=118108706221107151095&sqi=2&page=1&tbnh=163&tbnw=219&start=0&ndsp=15&ved=1t:429,r:1,s:0
"This project was more than photography for me. It was economic archeology. There was something very strange about walking into a recently abandoned office. The heavy, Pompeii-like stillness, punctuated by the occasional sound of the air-conditioning, turning itself on. A coat-hanger waiting patiently for a coat. A limp happy-birthday balloon on the floor. A drawer stuffed with take-out menus. Everywhere, there were signs of life, interrupted."
This quote was taken from: http://www.mrtoledano.com/bankrupt
This photo looks hectic and busy, but even so the viewer still doesn't focus on one thing in particular and instead observes the picture as a whole. This picture tells a story that many people can relate to because of the recent economic crisis and the continuing fluctuations in the economy and business world. This type of issue relates to everyone in the word and the photographer adresses this issue by showing abandoned office areas and allowing the images to portray different emotions. In this image I can relate the imagery to stress, sadness, worry and uncertainty for the future. Camera techniques such as the wide angle and even lighting helps the space look bigger and allows the viewer to concentrate on all areas of the room.
image from 'Bankrupt' collection from: http://www.google.com/imgres?start=15&num=10&hl=en&gbv=2&biw=1440&bih=720&tbm=isch&tbnid=gWFy_D_eMXf8NM:&imgrefurl=http://keef.tv/blog/archive/category/places/&docid=FvN0NEbJFPgx9M&imgurl=http://keef.tv/images/uploads/Toledano1.jpg&w=500&h=384&ei=LpJeT6_ZNoOdiAfu7bnPBw&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=991&vpy=120&dur=1&hovh=197&hovw=256&tx=123&ty=123&sig=118108706221107151095&sqi=2&page=2&tbnh=149&tbnw=187&ndsp=24&ved=1t:429,r:4,s:15
"The interesting this is that, as is part of the risk of the modern Western economy, businesses now can almost literally disappear – bankrupt and shut down and finished in a day. These aren’t places where everyone was notified and packed up and left everything spotless for their predecessors. These are buildings where people quite literally grabbed what they cared about and then just disappeared"
This quote is taken from: http://shape-and-colour.com/2008/05/26/phillip-toledano-bankrupt/
I think that this space is similar to J Bennett Fitts' idea for "no lifeguard on duty" where the emotions are evoked through the idea that the spaces in the photos are forgotten, abandoned and almost empty. They are like palimpsests that tell stories from the past. I like this idea because people are always very afraid of uncertainty in the future. Owners of this office would not have planned for this space to be in ruins after a few years, and the viewers of this photo collection would feel uneasy about how this could have once been a striving business but is now completely deserted. There is consistency in the camera techniques used in many of these photos, like the photo above, the angle and light composition is very similar.
Tokujin Yoshioka
image from 'twilight' display from: http://www.google.com/imgres?hl=en&gbv=2&biw=1440&bih=720&tbm=isch&tbnid=5y44iqMcMeFMWM:&imgrefurl=http://www.dezeen.com/2011/04/17/twilight-by-tokujin-yoshioka-for-moroso/&docid=E5pq6cTdQYL9LM&imgurl=http://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2011/04/dzn_Twilight-by-Tokujin-Yoshioka-for-Moroso-141.jpg&w=468&h=468&ei=d5deT_iyDoOViAe9tNnqBw&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=789&vpy=365&dur=2703&hovh=225&hovw=225&tx=101&ty=153&sig=118108706221107151095&page=1&tbnh=144&tbnw=144&start=0&ndsp=19&ved=1t:429,r:16,s:0
"the space of light and aura has been created so that the light reflects onto the surface of the chairs,
revealing the various textures in which they are made, existing in the different white materials, such as plastics and unique fabrics"
Quote taken from: http://www.designboom.com/weblog/cat/8/view/14160/tokujin-yoshioka-twilight-moon-and-memory-chairs-for-moroso.html
I chose this artist/designer as my third inspiration because this design and atmosphere projects so many harmonious and relaxing emotions, and almost feels surreal to look at because it is out of the ordinary and the artist uses lighting, shadows and shapes to create a unique visual experience. I like how the objects are spaced out in a random order so that the space does not appear empty or formal. The light is ambient and helps make the shadows look less sharp so that there are no harsh contrasts in this image.
picture of rainbow church from his 'spectrum' display from: http://www.google.com/imgres?hl=en&gbv=2&biw=1440&bih=720&tbm=isch&tbnid=r4Fj1HM7JnqYFM:&imgrefurl=http://brocadedesignetc.blogspot.com/2011/04/rainbow-church-tokujin-yoshioka.html&docid=azAt9wgk57uoWM&imgurl=http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-KlyTbLq3gE8/TazbeulpDbI/AAAAAAAAESo/SlLbwbvQfPY/s1600/001_rainbow.jpg&w=424&h=590&ei=d5deT_iyDoOViAe9tNnqBw&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=1029&vpy=193&dur=1148&hovh=265&hovw=190&tx=85&ty=171&sig=118108706221107151095&page=3&tbnh=167&tbnw=76&start=43&ndsp=25&ved=1t:429,r:11,s:43"the idea of this architecture project 'rainbow church' dates back to when I was in myearly 20s. when I was in france for a business trip, I went to vence, a commune locatednear nice. there, I visited the chapelle du rosaire, which henri matisse, a french painter,created in his last years. I was engrossed in the beauty of the light that the chapel created.
I experienced a space filled with the light of matisse: being bathed in the sunlight of the provence, the stained glass with matisse's vibrant colors suffused the room with fullof colors. since then, I had been dreaming of designing an architecture where people canfeel the light with all senses."
Quote taken from: http://www.designboom.com/weblog/cat/8/view/10020/tokujin-yoshioka-rainbow-church-at-spectrum.html
I like that there is a mix of vertical and horizontal space created through this art piece and the actual idea of the crystal wall because it allows light reflections to be colourful which adds interesting detail to the all-white surroundings. The narrow walls frame this image and emphasizes the height of the room which ultimately gives the room the illusion of more space. I like his simple designs and ideas because it looks elegant, timeless and straightforward.
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