A-Level Coursework - Year 1

The sub-sections will be here

Inspiration/Moodboard

This is the moodboard I created which I used as the starting point for this entire project.

I had a huge focus on body horror-esque elements for this first half. I wanted to explore a personal side of 'human life'. It was also at this point that I completed some research on dehumanisation, our (mis)understanding of the word and human empathy/apathy.

My two main sources of inspiration at this point were the photographers Chen Zhe and Michael Ackerman due to their surreal and body-horror themes.

Photoshoot: One

The first photoshoot of the project. The idea behind it was a location that was cold, wet and isolated. The idea of being left alone lying on the floor of an empty car park at night seemed fairly dehumanising to me.

While writing this, the visual aesthetics of the first edit stand out compared to the rest of the project as I was still developing what kind of visual aesthetic I wanted.

The second and final photo here was an edit I made later on in the project, feeling that a focus on a spectral being furthers the idea of death and dehumanising the body.

Photoshoot: Two

Going further into the idea of 'dehumanisation' and body horror. The goal was to create photos and edits that obviously looked human but were unusual enough that they feel off and uncomfortable for viewers. In the end I feel I could have been more subtle with the final photos here as they border on early-2010s creepypastas, but you'll see later on that I take some inspiration from this area of the internet and build on the exaggerated visuals of this photoshoot - rather than backtrack.

Experiment: Pinhole Photography

This was my first point of experimentation in different techniques for this coursework. I chose pinhole photography as the distorted, black and white and imperfect visuals of the pinhole would aid the visual style and themes I was exploring.

Unfortunately, this did not result in any success. I can't remember the exact reason why they didn't turn out well, but it was something to do with the actual pinhole itself.

Photoshoot 3

I was originally going to do this photoshoot with the pinhole camera, but that obviously didn't work out. Digital would have to do for now.

I used the clingfilm as a way of physically distorting my face. The intent was to bring more feelings of discomfort, death and suffocation.

Artist Research and Response - Dave McKean

It was at this point I felt I needed to research a new artist to further develop and reason with new styles and influences into the project.

I chose McKean due to his surreal take on the physical form of humans, his focus on textures and his usage of both digital and physical art. Most of my inspiration from him was his photographic work.

Photoshoot 4

Combining elements of Dave McKean's work with the aesthetic and style of photos I'd taken so far, led me to using physical textures in different forms. I experimented with 'gel printing plates', which involved rolling black ink onto a gel plate - then placing and smoothing down an image onto the plate to create an imprint - then removing the image and placing down a plain surface on the plate, which is where the ink image will be printed on to.

I used different surfaces for a variety of textures.

Experiment: Polaroid Emulsion Lift

I then chose to experiment with emulsion lifts using polaroid images. I only have one example, but for privacy reasons I won't share it here.

Photoshoot 4

This photoshoot was aiming to create a narrative through a series of photos. I made use of the gel plate printing as well as using liquid emulsion techniques in new ways.

I used new textures like stones to replicate the 3D and often stone-like look of McKeans photos. The stones did not turn out a proper success and the images are only partly visible on them.

Part 1 Final Piece

The last photoshoot was done in preparation for the final piece of the first year of my A-Levels. This isn't the final piece of the coursework, but it is a middle point where I can bring together all my ideas and techniques I've learnt so far into one. The piece is intended to depict a narrative of our urge to conform in society and in the process becoming something that is not ourselves - perhaps even dehumanising?

The poses and facial expressions get more contorted as the dehumanisation gets stronger and reaches a point of being inhuman.

The textures and layers are there to create physical depth, but also aid in contorting and twisting the human form in the pictures.