After my session on 5 May, I wanted to take a more measured approach. My intention was to use the tripod rather than holding the camera. This, in theory, would line up the shots more accurately. Also, it would enable me to operate the camera differently. By using the tripod, I would be able to use and angle the camera’s ‘live view’ screen to see the composition better. Using the viewfinder means scrunching my face up and using just one eye to see the potential shot on a tiny screen. Using this feature on the camera is a lot more comfortable and productive for me.
The location I chose was the Woodland Gardens in Bushy Park. I wanted to try my new technique at a place I know well. As with the rest of the park, it was thriving and full of colour.
My next trip to the park was on Tuesday 5 May. This was after the class seminar that morning.
The feedback I received during the seminar was quite positive. There was a preference for this set of images as they had a more ‘fluid’ appearance.
I also put them on the wall in my hallway to get a better idea of how they would look within a gallery setting.
The feedback on this type of formation is that they were more ‘rigid’. Also, the class preferred the ‘off-centre’ composition.
With the feedback in mind, I decided to make a repeat of what I did on Sunday 3 May. This was to go to Hampton Wick to drop off the parcel then walk from that gate back to Teddington Gate.
After successfully dispatching the parcel, I returned to the park via the nearby gate. As it was a sunny afternoon, the park was again busy so I wasn’t able to try the four-angle approach. As such, I took a slightly different route and discovered different trees.
The following are the results I thought worked best from the initial shots.
Tree 1 – 5 May 2020
Tree 2 – 5 May 2020
Tree 3 – 5 May 2020
While editing, I also tried a version where the images are horizontally flipped.
Tree 4 – 5 May 2020
Tree 5 – 5 May 2020
Tree 6 – 5 May 2020
Tree 7 – 5 May 2020
Tree 8 – 5 May 2020
Tree 9 – 5 May 2020
Tree 10 – 5 May 2020
Tree Avenue – 5 May 2020
I also tried this following formation in colour. Apart from adjusting the blown highlights, due to the strong sunlight, there was no editing carried out with regards to the colour. What I’ve noticed in the park and in general, how the colours of plants, trees and flowers have intensified since the lockdown. The lack of cars on the road and planes in the air have contributed to a massive reduction in pollution. This is evident in the following image.
At this stage, I wondered if the Black & White route was the correct one to take. Or whether being able to capture the trees in this glorious hue would be the way forward. Further experimentation was required.
Tree 6 – 5 May 2020 (Colour)
I then adjusted the top two images so that there was only one horizon in the complete image.
Tree 6 – 5 May 2020 (Colour) Adjusted horizon – Second Image
When looking at the two side-by-side, the adjusted one looks much better. Again, this aspect has to be taken into consideration during further shoots or choosing existing images for the final body of work.
These were further colour editions – again, no editing apart from a reduction in the blown highlights:
After my trip to the park on 29 April, I decided to try a different area in the park on Sunday 3 May. The location I chose to visit was between Hampton Wick Gate and Teddington Gate. I had to get to Hampton Wick that day in order to return a parcel so I thought it a good way to combine both tasks. My plan was to walk via the street to this destination then return through the park.
Unfortunately, by the time I arrived at the parcel drop off point, I had missed the cut-off time. This meant I had to carry an additional item with me, so it would make it slightly more awkward to manage my equipment. I had recently sourced and bought a suitable backpack that would make it easier and much more comfortable to walk with and carry my camera. Having to hold this bag was a small, but a significant issue that would have to be worked around. There was also the potential for me to put it down while I was taking photos and totally forgetting about it.
There were two other challenges on this day. Firstly, the light was very dull and flat. Secondly, despite the dreary conditions, the park was very busy, This meant taking the initial base and horizon line shot without people was almost impossible. I also wasn’t able to use the four-angle sets of shots that I tried on 29 April. Nevertheless, it was worth continuing with my plan to see what results could be achieved.
One major aspect was changing the image ratio from 2:3 to 16:9. This was to see how it changed the composition. As this project was like to be shown digitally, I thought it would be interesting to use a screen ratio instead of what I normally use.
These are the results:
Tree 1 – 3 May 2020
Tree 1a – 3 May 2020
Tree 2 – 3 May 2020
Tree 3 – 3 May 2020
Looking at these after processing, I realised that I Tree 2 and Tree 3 above were of the same tree, but two different sets of shots. One aspect of which to take note.
This is how the four complete images look side-by-side:
While in the park, I also caught this corvid couple.
Currently being written in preparation for 28 April 2020!
A further task for the seminar on 28 April 2020 was to give special emphasis to a reference I had selected, the Among The Trees exhibition. This reference would be then discussed among the group during the seminar with regards to my project.
For this task, I had to choose between two options to complete it. The choice was between conducting a short interview/conversation with someone who is in some way connected to this reference and writing a short (400-500 word) reflective review of this exhibition.
This reflective review could also be of resources related to the reference, including:
gallery talks
interviews
an article
online conversations/talks/events
For this task, I chose the latter. As I wasn’t able to visit this in person, I used the available online resources to write the following. Fortunately, on the website was a virtual tour of the exhibition presented and narrated by Ralph Rugof – Director, Hayward Gallery.
During this virtual tour, Rugof explains how the interlacing network of branches
The interlacing network of branches,
Among The Trees was held in the Hayward Gallery at the Southbank Centre in London from 4 March to 17 May 2020. It was one of the exhibitions that I had scheduled to visit, but this was now impossible due to the government restrictions due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The overarching concept of this exhibition was to explore humanity’s relationship with trees and forests. According to the exhibition’s website page, Among The Trees:
Transports us around the world – from Colombian rainforests and remote Japanese islands to olive orchards in Israel and a 9,550-year-old spruce in Sweden. By drawing attention to the beauty, scale and complexity of trees and forests, the 38 artists in this exhibition turn our vision of the natural world on its head, inviting us to see it with new eyes.
Whether exploring the way that trees – with lifespans much longer than our own – challenge how we think about time, or revealing how they are intimately entangled with human affairs, these artists enliven and expand our appreciation of these remarkable organisms.
The artists whose work was being exhibited were:
Robert Adams, Eija-Liisa Ahtila, Yto Barrada, Johanna Calle, Gillian Carnegie, Tacita Dean, Peter Doig, Jimmie Durham, Kirsten Everberg, Anya Gallaccio, Simryn Gill, Rodney Graham, Shi Guowei, Hugh Hayden, Eva Jospin, Kazuo Kadonaga, William Kentridge, Toba Khedoori, Luisa Lambri, Myoung Ho Lee, Zoe Leonard, Robert Longo, Sally Mann, Steve McQueen, Jean-Luc Mylayne, Mariele Neudecker, Virginia Overton, Roxy Paine, Giuseppe Penone, Abel Rodríguez, Ugo Rondinone, George Shaw, Robert Smithson, Jennifer Steinkamp, Thomas Struth, Rachel Sussman, Pascale Marthine Tayou, Jeff Wall.
As I’ve written in a previous post, I have already seen the work of Ugo Rondione. This was the sculpture cast from a 2,000-year-old olive tree.
This is how it looks within the gallery setting (taken from the exhibition’s website).
While
4 MAR – 17 MAY 2020
By turns poetic, adventurous and thought-provoking, this group exhibition explores our relationship with trees and forests.
Alongside sculptures and installations, drawings, paintings and photographs, there are artworks that celebrate the soaring scale of trees. These include a monumental sculpture cast from a 2,000-year-old olive tree by Ugo Rondinone; a cinematic portrait of a 30-metre-high spruce tree by Eija-Liisa Ahtila; and a vast forest of trees constructed entirely from cardboard by Eva Jospin.
At a time when the destruction of the world’s forests is accelerating at a record pace, Among the Trees vividly highlights the indispensable role that trees play in our lives and imaginations.
Featured artists
R
The exhibition is kindly supported by the Swiss Arts Council Pro Helvetia.
In this short video, Hayward Gallery Curatorial Assistant Marie-Charlotte Carrier explores one of the themes of our Among the Trees exhibition – the way that trees, with lifespans so much longer than our own, challenge the way that we think about time, and put our human lives in perspective.
Trees have this really special way of making us feel small. They make us realise how short lived we are as a species, compared to these giants who have been on this earth for thousands and thousands of years. They create a different sense of time.
The second task I had to complete for the seminar on 28 April was to bring a historical reference within the field of photography/art. Again, this was to assist in discussing the contextualisation of my project and in relation to photographic issues and debates.
Again, I had to present this reference to the group and explain how this historical reference has informed my project so far and have helped propel it forwards.
The historical reference I chose for this task was the Victoria & Albert Museum’s (V&A) exhibition, Into The Woods. This was held at the museum from 18 November 2017 to 22 April 2018 and was the first display of photography after the refurbishment of the gallery dedicated to the medium.
Trees were among the first photographic subjects collected by the V&A as a learning resource for artists and designers. The museum has acquired, and continues to do so, ‘photographs of trees in various contexts: within landscapes and forests, as lone subjects, in relationship to humans, in rural and urban settings, and as symbols of cultural significance.’ (V&A · Into the Woods – about the display, 2020)
The display explored the diverse representation of trees in photography, with works by 40 photographers, including Paul Strand, Robert Adams and Henri Cartier-Bresson. There were many images that were just sublime in their portrayal of trees. Many of these I realise now are pertinent to my current project. The following is a combination of the notes I made after visiting this exhibition in 2017 and my new observations.
Tokihiro Sato (B. 1957) – Hakkoda #2 (2009)
The first work I encountered when entering the gallery was a piece by Japanese photographer Tokihiro Sato.
In this work from 2009, Sato created the bright spots in the image by using a mirror to reflect the sun’s rays back into the camera during a long exposure. Sato’s intention behind this image was to represent the ancient origins of the Japanese people, representing both masculine strength and female sensitivity.’ (Hakkoda #2 | Sato, Tokihiro | V&A Search the Collections, 2020)
Alvin Coburn Langdon (1882 – 1966) – City Hall New York (1912)
This night-time image of an urban tree uses the New York electric street lighting to great effect. With the trees in silhouette against the glow, the lights in the windows beyond are like illuminated leaves. In comparison with Sato’s image above, the use of light within the image again gives the tree an ethereal and magical appearance.
Ansel Adams (1902 – 1984) – Aspens, North Colorado 1958)
For me, this image has both a beautiful simplicity and sublime use of lighting and tones. Having revisited it for this task, it was a prompt to explore this aspect further with my own images. There is a real feeling of delicacy captured and I made a note to apply this deft touch to my own work.
Bae Bien-U (B. 1960) – SNM-012H (2014)
Bien-U’s specific interest in pine forests stems from his quest for a Korean identity as an artist in a post-war, dictatorial period. For him, the pine tree embodies the same qualities that characterise Korean people: ‘eagerness, perseverance through years of conflict, and spirituality’.
This piece is part of Bien-U’s Sonamu’ (Pine Tree) series, which the V&A outlines in the following:
The pine tree is an age-old subject that carries various meanings in Korea. During the Joseon Dynasty (1391-1910), it was associated with literati culture, epitomising dignity, integrity, and longevity. Its trunk was used to build palaces and temples, its branches to decorate the house of a new-born, its needles, bark and pollen to prepare ceremonial dishes, and its ashes to make ink cakes. In the Three Kingdoms period (57BC-668), the pine tree was believed to be a divine being accompanying the soul of the deceased to heaven, or a messenger delivering one’s wishes to the gods. The departed was therefore buried in a pinewood coffin, and pine trees were planted nearby the tomb.
The trees, for me, in Bushy Park have become part of my own existence. I have become aware of starting to recognise particular ‘characters’ These ‘individuals’ may not be as culturally significant as those pines in Korea, but I feel their presence in my own existence.
Benjamin Brecknell Turner (1815-1894) – Causeway, Head of the Lake, Loseley Park (1852-4)
Causeway, Head of the Lake, Loseley Park (1852-4) Negative
Causeway, Head of the Lake, Loseley Park (1852-4) Positive
Further images which I realise now were influential my current project were these by Benjamin Brecknell Turner. Turner began practising photography in 1848 using the ‘calotype’ or paper negative process patented by William Henry Fox Talbot. When I saw Turner’s photographic impression of the Lime Trees in Loseley Park, the negative and its corresponding positive print were shown together. By comparing these two versions of the same science, this reveals the dynamic patterns, including those of the branches. This influence is evident in my own reversal of black and white in my recent images of the trees of Busy Park.
Denis Brihat (B. 1928) – Cherry Tree in Blossom (1985)
Brihat’s capture of this Cherry Tree is an example of this photographer’s intense engagement with nature and an example of his experimentation since the late 1960s with mordançage. This is a photographic process using metal toning and etching techniques that give the original image a shimmering appearance. Again the aspect of the image reacting with environmental light is something that I have been exploring over the last five years.
Edward J Steichen (1879- 1973) – The Pool 1899
Edward J Steichen The Pool 1
Edward J Steichen The Pool 2
The plaque accompanying this image in the gallery stated:
With soft focus and fine printing, Steichen was able to transform this muddy woodland scene into a haunting tonal study almost like a musical composition. One version was subtitled ‘A Symphony to a Race and to a Soul’. Twilight and water merge the real world with its darkening reflection.’
According to the additional information for this image provided on the by the V&A website states ‘The out-of-focus style of the photograph is typical of Steichen’s early work and representative of the suggestive, rather than literal, quality of Photo-Secessionist photography.’ What I discovered when researching these images on the V&A website is that each one has a related webpage and PDF outlining all the relevant details. An essential and most-welcome resource.
Jerry Uelsmann (B. 1934) – Untitled (1969)
Copyright – Victoria & Albert Museum
Uelsmann created this image in the darkroom using multiple negatives to make his prints. This innovative photographer is notorious for his surreal compositions and fantasy scenes that often incorporate trees. This use of multiple exposure exchoes my attempts to achieve a similar effect digitally.
Sophy Rickett (B. 1970) – Playing Fields (1995)
Rickett used a panoramic line of four separate photographs. According to the details on the V&A website:
The focus of the atmospheric nocturnal landscape lies beyond the line of trees, obscured from view. The source of the bright light is unknown and a touch unnerving. An expanse of black that fills the middle ground becomes an illusory, unfathomable space, heavy with the ambiguity of landscapes at night and the imagined sound of wind in the foliage.
When revisiting this series, I saw the similarity with my recent concept of having the selected images from an interval timer sequence and the multiple-exposure shots of the trees.
Abbas Kiarostami (1940-2016) – Untitled (1978-2003)
This silver-gelatin print is one of the series that Kiarostami took during long, solitary walks which allowed this filmmaker and photographer to become immersed in nature. According to the additional information on this series, the images:
Reveal the concentrated vision of the artist exploring the repeated motif of trees in snow. Shadows and snowdrifts contribute to the breakdown of a sense of scale and perspective. An atmosphere of solitude and meditation is evoked. The images become the equivalent of emotional states and the trees almost human, echoing the saying of the Islamic mystic Muhyiddin Ibn ‘Arabi (born 1165 – died 1240): ‘the tree is the sister of man’.
This is reminiscent of my own long, solitary walks through Bushy Park which enabled me to become immersed in nature.
What I found reassuring when revisiting this exhibition is that I am not alone with my own tree obsession. These intriguing and multiple subjects are worthy of photographic study and each and every photographer can bring their own particular interpretation of these beautiful beings.
During the scheduled session for 28 April, I had to discuss the contextualisation of my project, both specifically in relation to relevant photographic issues and debates (both contemporary and historical) and in relation to fields outside of photography.
To prepare for this session and the purposes of discussion, I had to complete three tasks. This involved bringing a triple set of references that I felt was integral to my own work.
The first of these references had to be a contemporary one within the field of photography/art. For this task, I chose the exhibition, Among The Trees. This was being shown at the Hayward Gallery at the Southbank Centre, London from 4 March to 17 May 2020.
Unfortunately, I was unable to go to the exhibition itself while it was on. Fortunately, there was a whole wealth of information on the Southbank Centre’s website that I could refer to. This included virtual tours, interviews with artists, and podcasts. I also ordered the exhibition catalogue and was waiting for it to be delivered at the time of writing this post. The expected arrival date was between 2 and 6 May 2020.
During the session, I had to be prepared to present this contemporary reference to the group. I also had to explain how Among The Trees had informed my project so far and helped to propel it forwards.
A further task was to give special emphasis to one of the three references and I have selected Among The Trees for this purpose. I had two choices in how to do this. The first choice was to conduct a short interview/conversation with someone who is in some way connected to Among The Trees. The second choice was to write a short (400-500 word) reflective review of an exhibition, gallery-talk, interview, film, novel, article, online conversation/talk/event, etc. related to this contemporary reference for the purposes of discussion amongst the group.
I chose the latter option, the result of which can be read here:
On what was considered to be the hottest Good Friday ever, I took my dose of daily exercise in Bushy Park. This involved a walk to Teddington Gate, then through the park to gate near to Hampton Wick before returning home.
This gave me the opportunity to enjoy the park in considerably less-polluted air and glorious sunshine. It had been a couple of months since I had explored this side of the park, so it was interesting to see how it would inspire me with my current project in mind. The following were taken with my smartphone – I didn’t take my DSLR with me as it can become quite heavy and I find that I can be less spontaneous with my photographic observations.
Inspired by my images from 20 March, I was looking for specific trees and features in the park that would feed my current thoughts about taking my concept further.
One tree that really caught my attention was this particular beast.
This is a tree that was felled a couple of years ago. The trunk is surrounded by cut branches with the leaves and small branches stripped from the ends. Also on display is the roots that have been cut through. I had walked past this tree many times before and had always intended to photograph it. To me, it appears as a surreal sculpture that could have been created by a conceptual, 3D artist.
I continued my walk through the park and came across this specimen.
I’ve always been fascinated by this tree – again it’s like a sculpture. It reminds me of Ugo Rondinone’s Winter Moon, a cast of an olive tree. I saw this at the Maxxi, the Italian National Museum of 21st Century Arts in Rome in 2017.
This is an aluminium cast of a tree coated in white varnish which was on display outside the museum. It is one of a series of 12 casts of century-old olive trees found in Puglia & Basilicata. As stated on the accompanying plaque, the artist’s inspiration behind the pieces is to
“tread the path between nature and artificiality, reality and fiction, and displays a sort of petrified nature, which can be considered as a monument and transcends place, space and time. This aesthetically shocking piece enables the artist to deepen the link between what is real and what is artificial.”
These are further photos I took of Rondinone’s ‘tree’.
There seemed a resonance in appearances. Also, there was a pervasive feeling and echo of the change in what appears to be real/unreal in these current times.
Jennie Meadows MA Photography 