Artist Research - Slinkachu

Slinkachu is a street artist that takes everyday objects and tiny figures and transforms them into dynamic compositions and creating surreal images and almost a second world that we don't see in our day to day life. His photography is unique as he is using objects that we would use everyday and has seen them in a different light that some people wouldn't have thought of using them for.

"The 'Little People Project' started in 2006. It involves the remodelling and painting of miniature model train set characters, which I then place, photograph and leave on the street. It is both a street art installation project and a photography project. The street-based side of my work plays with the notion of surprise and I aim to encourage city-dwellers to be more aware of their surroundings. The scenes I set up, more evident through the photography and the titles I give these scenes, aim to reflect the loneliness and melancholy of living in a big city, almost being lost and overwhelmed. But underneath this, there is always some humour. I want people to be able to empathise with the tiny people in my works." 

This is a quote from his website where he displays all of his work for all to see: http://www.slinkachu.com/bio 

Not a lot has been revealed about Slinkachu except that the is a very clever and unique photographer. He has his own way of photography and uses his 1cm tall figures to create them their own little world within our own world. Some of his pieces 'A man standing by a cash machine' lasted approximately 2 months. This means that either they're so small nobody notices them or the fact that they're so special that people just leave them for others to admire. In my opinion I think his work is incredible and I love his style and how unique his work and that every scene that he creates with these tiny figures are different from the last. His work also reminds be of the graffiti artist 'Banksy' as his style is similar as his pieces of work are unique and nothing like the last and also they get left in areas for different periods of time and are admired by all. 

Artist Research - David Hockney

David Hockney is well known for his collages and paintings of Los Angeles swimming pools and is considered one of the most influential British artists of the 20th century. He moved from London to Los Angeles in the 60s and this is where he he painted his famous swimming pool paintings. He then began working in photography creating his photo collages he called 'Joiners', where he would take several photos of the a item at different angles and heights ad would then join them together to try and create a complete image.

In addition to pools, Hockney painted the interiors and exteriors of California homes. In 1970, this led to the creation of his first 'joiner' an assemblage of Polaroid photos laid out in a grid. Although this medium would become one of his claims to fame, he stumbled upon it by accident. While working on a painting of a Los Angeles living room, he took a series of photos for his own reference, and fixed them together so he could paint from the image. When he finished he recognised the college  was an art form of itself and began to create more and more.

Hockney's early paints incorporated his literary leanings and he used fragments of poems and quotations from Walt Whitman in his work. This practice and paintings such as We Two Boys Clinging Together, which he created in 1961, were the first nods to his homosexuality in his art.

Hockney was an adept photographer, and he began working with photography more extensively. By the mid 1970s he had all but abandoned painting in favour of projects involving photography and set and costume design for the ballet, opera and theatre. In the late 1980s Hockney had then returned back to painting, primarily painting seascapes, flowers and portraits of loved ones. He also began incorporating technology in his art, creating his first homemade prints on the photocopier in 1986. The marriage of art and technology became an ongoing fascination—he used laser fax machines and laser printers in 1990, and in 2009 he started using the Brushes app on iPhones and iPads to create paintings. A 2011 exhibit at the Royal Museum of Ontario showcased 100 of these paintings.

Photography Timeline

Emulation Plan

David Hockney

This photo by David Hockney piece is called 'Walking In The Zen Garden'. There are several other images that use the same style and collage effect where there are multiple photos arranged to create a final image but each photo is taken from a different position and angle. Click on the image below to view more of David Hockney's collage work:

The equipment that would have been used for this photo would include:

Camera - I will use my Canon 550D and experiment with both a 55-200mm lens or a 18-55mm lens

Tripod - To secure the camera

Setting To Emulate - Find a suitable setting to photograph as I will now be able to find the exact location as in the image above

Editing the photo will take between several hours as this image will be hard I have to collage all of the images together and line them up so that I can create a final image that is recognisable. The shooting of this image will again take several hours as there are so many image that are going to be captured and also I will have to create contact sheets to go along with the image so I will have to take multiples of the same area of the image.

Date - I plan to take all of my images of the setting on October 3rd and 4th if needed and also to have finished editing by the 5th of October if the photoshoot goes to plan.

Slinkachu

The name of this piece by Slinkachu is called 'Overpowered' and is related to the image as the miniature that is included in the photo is an overweight superhero therefore being 'Overpowered'.

'It's a bit of a challenge trying to pin down exactly Slinkachu does. You could classify him as an installation artist, photographer, gentle provocateur, or even philosopher; each would be accurate in it's own way but even all of them, taken together, still somehow miss the whole that's bigger than all those parts.'

The equipment that would have been used for this photo would include:

Camera - I will use my Canon 550D and using a 18-55mm lens

Tin Can - To be part of the scene

Miniature - The miniature will be used to stand in front of the mirror inside of the DSLR camera

Stand - Possibly to set the camera on at the right height to keep the image crisp and to avoid any possible blur that may occur.

Lighting - I will experiment with both artificial or natural lighting

Editting the photo will take around 30 minutes as there is not a lot that needs to be done, the only editing I will have to do will be to alter the photo by using the levels, saturation to try and get my image as close to Slinkachu's. Shooting the image will take around 1 hour or 2 as I will have to find several locations that I could use and then experiment with each individual location to find the perfect location and then I will also have to set the aspects of the photo up at each location.

Date - I plan to take the photo on the 29th of September and also have it edited by the 30th of September.

Adrian Limani

The name of this piece by Adrian Limani is called 'New Bulb Has Flourished'. It is one of many images that Adrian has used a light bulb to display building, trees, flours and even boats. Click the image below and the link will take you to this collection of FineArt.

The equipment that would have been used for this photo would include:

Camera - I will use my Canon 550D and using a 18-55mm lens and a 55mm - 200mm lens

Tripod/Stand - To make the camera secure and steady to reduce blur

Light Bulb - This will be used to stick in the dirt to edit the tree into

Lighting - Again either using artificial or natural lighting to get the thing off the top of the bulb

Editting this photo will take around a day or two as I need to photoshop the tree into the light bulb but also making sure that I can get the photo identical. This means deleting the background from around the tree so that it doesn't actually look like I have photoshopped the tree into the light bulb but that the tree has actually grown inside of the bulb. Taking the photos will also take around 1 day as I will have to find a perfect location to take the photo of the bulb in the soil and also because I will have to find a tree that is almost identical to the one in this photo as it will show that I emulate other photographers work well.

Date - I plan to take the photo of the light bulb and the tree by the 7th and 8th of October and also to have finished editing by the 10th of October.

Conventions of Surrealism Photography

Here are some photos that follow the conventions of surrealism photography:

Pinterest Board

This is my pinterest board which includes images which are going to help me work towards my final pieces.