• The title of my project is Wednesday Wonderland
• Wednesday is generally the most hated day of the week (other than Monday), as it often feels like a boring, nondescript day, where you’re kind of in a slump and not creative about anything. It’s very drab and no one likes it. Also, for those familiar with the Addams family, Wednesday is the name of one of their children, and she is known for having a deadpan expression and is associated with gothic undertones. This might be similar to what people think of when they think of 798, an abandoned factory – a sort of eyesore place that’s devoid of creativity and life. However, that’s the expectation that I want to subvert through my triptych. While 798 can be thought of as “Wednesday-like”, it can also be associated with a “wonderland”, where things are not as they seem. Pipes that used to transport steam are used as decoration and old factories that used to mass produce cheap goods now house expensive, one of a kind art pieces. Furthermore, the illusion that the 3 pictures form 1 building (elaborated on later) also plays into the “Wonderland” aspect, where rules of the physical dimension can be broken. Through my triptych and the naming of my triptych, I hope my viewers can consider the unique duality of 798.
• The artists that have inspired my work most are Iwao Yamawaki and Aaron Siskind. Iwao Yamawaki influenced the way I approached my subject, the Bauhaus style buildings at 798. He managed to capture even drab, everyday buildings that weren’t meant to be subjects of art in poetic, intriguing manners. Although his pictures are abstract, they do not completely render its subject devoid of context and its original distinguishing features. Aaron Siskind inspired me to treat everything I approach, even the “little things” as subjects worthy of photographing. In order to develop my ideas for this project I experimented with different angles of framing buildings. In this particular triptych, the buildings are framed in more typical manners, but throughout the process I also tried taking pictures of buildings with different angles and perspectives. I also tried photographing specific elements of interest in different ways. For example, for the first picture, I also tried to take a picture of the pipes from an extreme low POV angle (which almost killed my back), or tried to capture a large amount of the building front-on.
• After experimenting, I brought together these 3 pictures for my final triptych. Although this triptych did not cover some other photos that I really liked I think that each of the 3 photos in the triptych would be able to stand alone as a successful picture, so there’s no “weak link”. Furthermore, the purposeful combination of the three adds a layer of interest to the entire composition. The pictures on the left and right are taken from an angle, whereas the one in the middle is a front on view. To many viewers, this creates the illusion that the 3 pictures actually form 1 picture of a building (of course the perspective doesn’t add up in real life, but its visually intriguing). This compositional structure creates a sense of surprise within the audience, while also conveying the large scale and size of the buildings. The three pictures also convey varied textures and gradients through different brick elements and interplay of light. In particular, the first and third pictures contrast each other, with the one on the left being mostly light-colored, and the one on the left being cloaked in shadow/darker tones.
• Overall, I think that this triptych managed to capture some of the distinctive elements of 798, such as the brick buildings and pipes. One thing that might not have been explicitly captured is links to rebirth. I tried to capture this in some other pictures, which fused mechanic and organic imagery together (such as pipes and plants), but I didn’t have enough photographs to form a compelling triptych.
• I hope that the viewer is pleasantly surprised and enjoys my portrayal of the specific architecture in 798.
• For future projects, I think I need to spend more time around each subject and take more pictures; when I was assembling my triptych, I felt like I had a couple of solid pictures, but I couldn’t find enough pictures with similar elements, tones, and structure to them to put them in a group. Also, I need to work on organizing my photographs in lightroom better.

Artist Introduction

Photographic Style

Aaron Siskind’s art aims to mirror Abstract Expressionist painting (“How Aaron Siskind Found Abstraction…”). His unique art style eliminated pictorial space, with “concentration on the arrangement of objects within the picture plane” (“Aaron Siskind”). Notably, he would close in on subjects, removing distracting elements to enhance “emotional sense” or an “allusive aspect”, condensing the energies of the subjcets he photographed (“Aaron Siskind”)

Artistic Vision

Notably, Aaron siskind photographed recognizable places to create a new way of “communicating ideas, feeling, and perpsectives on life and history” (“Aaron Siskind”) and to capture the “drama of objects” (How Aaron Siskind Found Abstraction…). His pictures have often been described as poetic, conceptual, embodying themes of decay, fragmentation, and regeneration (“Aaron Siskind”)

Artist Gallery

Please view Gallery on a full screen laptop for best effects

Gloucester, 1949 | Aaron Siskind

Jerome, Arizona 21 | Aaron Siskind

Durango 8, 1961 | Aaron Siskind

Rome 62, 1967 | Aaron Siskind

Guadalajara, Mexico 21, 1961 | Aaron Siskind

Chicago Facade 7, 1960 | Aaron Siskind

Gloucester, 1978 | Aaron Siskind

Vermont 226, 2006 | Aaron Siskind

Photographic Style

1. Black and White gradients
2. isolated exploration of texture\shape\line
3. some emphasis on near repetition
4. shows a singular plane (2D). Some elements might have an obvious 3D element, such as Jerome, Arizona 21, but they all exist on a seemingly isolated 2D plane
5. even focus, no manipulation of focus

I like how Aaron Siskind’s photographs are very atmospheric. Even though he didn’t create the things he photographed (e.g. the peeling paint), he makes it look so much more artistic than one would think peeling paint on a moulding wall would be. Also, he creates a nice balance of different textures, making the scene varied but also not unbalanced.

Quotation

“Photography is a way of feeling, of touching, of loving. What you have caught on film is captured forever…it remembers little things, long after you have forgotten everything.”

I like this quote as its Aaron Siskind’s own interpretation of photography. Through the quote, we can understand how he really emphasizes and respects the medium of photography. From his description of how what you capture on film stays forever, I feel like he really reveres each snap of the camera shutter.

Furthermore, what he says about photography capturing “little things” connects back to his artistic style. Almost everyone has had fleeting moments where they walk by, for example, some torn paper posters, and just ignored it as unimportant and moved on. However, Aaron Siskind would be able to see these “little things” and through an artists’ eyes see the beauty in the undervalued and mundane, using them to compose a work of art.

Inspiration

Aaron Siskind inspires me in many ways. The way he treats his art, as seen from the quote, is one that is purposeful, intentional, and perceptive. I feel like that is the way I want to take photography as well. I think his emphasis on capturing the “little things” is also one that is significant. It’s part of what makes some art abstract, as you are showing the world from a unique perspective, and it gives me inspiration for how I can find my subject. For example, while other people might try to take pictures of landmark buildings and structures, I could try to reframe things in a different way to show a different perspective.

Also, in my statement of intent, I mentioned that I wanted to capture distinct features of a specific landmark. I think that Aaron Siskind does something similar, as he focuses on photographing interesting aspects of a location, and then names his photograph after that location. I think his emphasis on the “little things” will help me focus on some truly intriguing part of 798 that show some of its characteristics. Furthermore, Aaron Siskind’s art conveys similar to themes to what I want to show in my triptych, such as regeneration and the joy of viewing everyday, unnoticed objects as a subjejct of art. His final pieces also feel authentic and carry a “feeling of the world”; even though the pictures are intentionally framed as 2D slices, you can feel so much texture that you know its rooted in a real life place, unlike some other artists that photograph repetition and texture.

One Photo Analysis

Rome 62, 1967 | Aaron Siskind

Why did I choose this image?

I chose this image firstly because it is representative of Aaron Siskind’s style: framing subject as a 2-dimensional slice, shows different textures’ interaction on a peeling wall; the subject is not anything glamorous, but somehow the way the different paper and font sizes fit together is intriguing to the audience. I think that this style could also be carried over to 798, as 798 is known for having interesting brick walls and walls with graffiti on them.

What do I find surprising or unusual about this photograph?

I find it surprising that Aaron Siskind was able to balance the textures of the different papers so artistically. A lot of people might see the papers, but only a small fraction would take time to inspect it, and an even smaller fraction to stay and take a picture of it. But even then, its hard to make flimsy, cheap, half torn paper look well.

Choose a formal element and explain why it is important

Texture. I think its evident that its the most intriguing aspect of the photograph. The interaction between and combination of different paper textures shows what Aaron Siskind calls the “drama of objects”, and especially the peeling of the paper shows the theme of fragmentation and possible regeneration and rebirth through ascending normalcy and being immortalized in a photograph.

Quotations

Total Contact Sheet – I took 2 trips to 798, taking pictures inspired by 2 photographer’s art styles. I chose my 2 sets from the total of 800+ pictures.

Set 1 (based off Iwao Yamawaki)

For each set contact sheet color (yellow, green, red), I give broad justifications as to why I picked certain pictures. I checked on DX and it says we are supposed to annotate our contact sheet, however this was not mentioned during class, so I didn’t include it in the post. Let me know if this is a requirement.

Yellow Pictures

I have a lot of yellow pictures as I took 2 trips to 798 and primarily focused on Iwao Yamawaki’s artistic style. I chose all these pictures as I felt like they loosely aligned with either my artistic vision, Iwao Yamawaki’s photography styles, or both. For example, the subject of many of the photographs contain industrial elements such as the bricks and pipes that are attributed to 798. Most of them adhere to at least 1 other artistic style I defined. For many of the photos, they are the most successful shot out of a couple of different angles I made, as Iwao Yamawaki would often frame buildings in a slanting manner (I actually had to work around with the slants a bit as doing it wrong makes the photo look bad). Many of them also featured a strong line and shape element. I also kept those I thought had potential at conveying my statement of intent; although Iwao Yamawaki’s work features strictly inorganic buildings, I also photographed the intersection between industrial elements and organic elements in my pictures.

Green Pictures

I chose the green pictures through rigorous criteria; they had to to Iwao Yamawaki’s art style. Each picture has a strong line and shape element. Many of them include long, fluid lines . Some of them are also angled, similar to Iwao Yamawaki’s artwork. Furthermore, each picture had to be one that I liked, for a combination of reasons, including: clear connection to Iwao Yamawaki’s art style, interesting subject matter (for example, the building with the tree on top of it), and potential to fulfill my statement of intent.

I also excluded pictures that were in landscape format, as after reflecting on the yellow pieces, I decided to do portrait format for my triptych. Although I tried to crop some landscape pictures I particularly liked into portrait, generally the results were not good.

Red Pictures

The red pictures were the pictures I liked the most. At this point, I was certain that all of them would have connections with Iwao Yamawaki’s artwork, so I focused on personal liking and the relationship between picture and statement on intent. Each photograph shows some connection to 798’s defining characteristics, such as pipes, brick wall, old factory equipment etc, so anyone who knows 798 and looks at this will be able to make the connection and say – that looks like the 798 I know. I also believe that the photos convey the qualities in an intriguing manner, allowing them to be surprised by the structural, geometric beauty of old factory-related equipment.

Although I didn’t expect much results, I think that some of the photos also played into other more abstract themes, such as rebirth, which is shown through the pairing of abandoned industrial equipment and new, growing plants.

I think each picture shows an authentic part of 798, and that it shows the viewer 798 – through an artistic lens.

1 Picture Evaluation

Stylistic choice:

• shows an isolated exploration of tone with black and white filter and nice gray gradients
• strong, straight diagonal lines, such as the pipe lines and roof line
• not angled, but shows lines going in different diagonals
• strong shape element, which is made interesting as the pipes are in pairs/threes

I like the different elements of this photograph, as they include both bricks and pipes. Thus, I think it manages to capture many defining features of 798. Furthermore, the pipes are bent in an almost organic-like manner, making themselves seem dynamic, like they are growing out of the rooftop. So, even though the pipes are now abandoned and often ignored and treated as imperfections in the scenery, the photograph allows the viewers to appreciate the pipes and see them in a new light.

I think all of these effects tie back to my statement of intent, which is why I finally chose this as one of my “red” photographs

Set 2 (based off Aaron Siskind)

Yellow Pictures

I have less amount of pictures in set 2, so I wasn’t as strict with criteria for selecting yellow photos. Generally, what I wanted were photos that were decent (good focus, no blur or noise, good subject), and then showed some kind of texture. Some photos had more of a 3D element to them (such as  pattern and texture created by repeated ridges/windows/pipes) than Aaron Siskind’s work, which is almost strictly 2 dimensional. However, I felt like they captured an interesting pattern and a unique part of 798, so they were also included in the preliminary cut.

Green Pictures

For the Green photographs, I did very thorough elimination. First of all, I either tried to convert my landscape-orientation photos to portrait. If they did not work well in the portrait format, I eliminated them immediately. I also took away pictures that weren’t to my liking or weren’t “interesting” enough. For example, photographing just some peeling paint with now much variance in texture. This is because these photos don’t really fit the vision of my triptych, as I aim to photograph something distinctive that surprises the audience. I also took off photos that strayed too far from Aaron Siskind’s photography style and had too much of a 3D element. For all my green photographs, they capture some interesting feature of 798, for example an arrangement of pipes on the wall, or how different “shapes” or windows are matched together. This fits with my intent to capture the “soul” and structural quirks of 798. I also photographed some instances where patterns are broken, or photographed near patterns, which I think help to build that sense of surprise and individualism.

Red Pictures

These were the final 4 photos I selected for my “red” photos. I think that each of the photos has a significant link to my statement of intent. Although my first picture was taken from somewhere close (not in) 798, I feel like it captures the idea of finding beauty and pattern in unexpected places, such as a mass construction site. While it is a 3D site, the mass repetition of construction units creates a unique sense of texture while juxtaposing the idea of identical rooms with artistic creativity (which also fits with Aaron Siskind’s photographic techniques). The subject of construction also conveys a feeling of rebirth, and allows the audience, who would usually regard construction sites as eyesores and not worth much attention in a new way (which is also how Aaron Siskind treats his subjects). For others, they capture the quirks of 798 such as brick walls, brick chimneys, and interesting windows in an artistic manner. I feel like each picture would be able to stand on its own in a photography exhibition.

1 Picture Evaluation

Line – strong sense of straight lines from the subject in the composition. There are also “invisible lines” formed by the alignment of the 4 windows, making it seem like there is a cross in the photograph.

Shape – The different windows make up the shape element in the photograph. What I like about this photo is that the shape of each window is different, subverting the expectation of the audience. Although windows are not usually associated with being “drab” and “cheap”, most people would expect windows to be just ordinary staples of a building and all be uniform in design. However, the varied shapes add some quirk to the brick building, allowing the audience to be pleasantly surprised.

Repetition/Pattern – The bricks in the middle add some sense of repetition. I had to zoom out a lot to capture the 4 windows, so the bricks make the middle parts of the photograph feel more balanced and less empty.

Texture – The shadow/paint on the bricks conveys a strong sense of texture, as do different details on the windows, such as the reflective material of the windows on the left.

Value/Tone – There is some shade/value in the photograph, however, I did manually take off some shadow in post-production, as I felt like that de-emphasized the other more important elements of the photograph.

Focus – Clear focus.

Link to Aaron Siskind – Although the photograph is not as zoomed in and tightly cropped as most of his artwork, I feel like this photograph manages to reflect some of his techniques, such as emphasis on near repetition, photographing a 2D plane, while also capturing the “drama of objects” by portraying the unique differences in each window.

Link to intent –

As mentioned before, this photograph captures some unique aspects of 798, such as large brick walls. It also juxtaposes the uniformity of the brick wall (in extension 798’s past as an industrial family) as well as the mismatched windows (in extension the refurbishments done by artists to 798 during its “rebirth” as an art district). There’s a lot to unpack in the photo, which makes the audience realize that even a boring wall of a factory could become a work of art.