Ideas Factory 

scenarios from movies & shows - altered emotions/ memories/ feelings 

Teen Wolf - Memory Manipulation

Memory Manipulation is the ability to manipulate the mind of an individual, either by distorting memories or otherwise removing them completely. Many supernatural species as well unnatural possess this power. It has been known to be very dangerous and sensitive ritual.

Harry Potter - The Memory Extraction Spell

The memory extraction spell (incantation unknown) was used to remove single, specific memories from one's own mind and place them in a pensieve or a flask for storage or if they wished to see the memory again. It is unknown if it has an incantation.

Fine Art - Collection

photography + film by GUS & LO

Gustavo López & Lorena Parra, working name "Gus&Lo", are a professional duo who work together on a collaborative basis, based in New York city. Their work encompass Fashion and Advertising for Film &Print.

my response

I am facstinated by the way they combine photography and moving image. It's like seeing a still photography come to life in a really subtle and interesting way. Despite its simplicity, its ability of storytelling is no less than a actual fashion film. I feel like adding the videos on the background really helps bring a certain mood or message into the photography, which is something I would like to do in my collection project.

Jennifer's Website

"Flower Boys is inspired by portrait miniatures, American folk art and the Victorian interest in floriography; a means of cryptic communication through the use or arrangement of flowers. The series is focused on young males, photographed in a traditional portrait style with a contemporary twist. The work aims to question the stereotypical imagery of men and celebrates the flamboyant and feminine side of the male. Pattison worked with casting director & stylist Jo Simpson and stylist Christopher Kelly."

In Sight of My Skin

"In Sight of My Skin is an ongoing series of arresting nude portraits of women. The process of making this work so far has taken Jennifer on a highly personal journey. She chose to make a series of portraits of women without clothes as this was a situation she felt challenged by. Her intention was to create a space where the sitter felt in control and allowed her to capture a little of their spirited character; the element of their personality which drew her to them."

Graphic Communication Design - Illustration, Printing and Moving Image

Hide & Seek by Malika Favre

my response

I am really amazed by this video. Despite the simplicity of the illustration, it creates an eye-catching effect by duplicating these geometric shapes and moving them to transit into different images in a really subtle way. Because of that I kinda felt dizzy watching it, but in an enjoyable and dreamy way. I love the use of colours in this video. The artist used black and white to build up her images while adding only a few bright colours such as red and green on the objects she wanted to emphasise, creating a minimal yet interesting aesthetics. Another thing I really like about this video is the way the artist used blank spaces to create interesting compositions and setups. Lastly, the music gives a crucial touch to the video, creating a mysterious and playful atmosphere, which matches really well with the title "hide and seek".

Screenshot from Video

Screenshot from Video

Screenshot from Video

Graphic Communication Design - Art Direction & Graphic Design & Typography

La Bâtie by TWICE

Twice is an art direction and graphic design studio based in Paris created
by Fanny Le Bras and Clémentine Berry, "We bring our skills to the fields of music 
and fashion as well as to art & events."

This is the creative direction for the graphic identity of la Bâtie, a performing art festival in Geneva Switzerland, 2018. 
"The body is treated in a pictorial way on a grand scale, symbolically suggesting the woven links between the audience and the performers. It is placed in a scene and a script, stripped of an individual personality, a body which materializes the festival itself. "

my response

 I saw this project on Visuelle, a website that feature graphic design projects. It caught my eyes because of its minimal, clean and modern aesthetics. Another reason why I chose this as my research is that it combines graphic design with photography and moving image, an area I have always been particularly interested in. I really like how they use images of human bodies in interesting gestures without showing the faces to connect with the concept of performance art.

my response

They promoted the festival by printing information on various objects like shirts, publications, cotton bags, posters, along with social media, publications and installations in different locations . The typography on all of the items is in the same style, which in my opinion is a crucial factor in branding and graphic identity as it helps the audience recognize its image. I am fascinated by the font design that looks as if the letters were in motion, which responds to the movement of performance art.

3 Dimensional Design & Architecture - Jewellery Design

The Living Points Structure collection by Ewa Sliwinska

Translucent tendrils protruding from these body adornments by Polish designer Ewa Sliwinska amplify small movements made by the wearer.

Video - The Living Points Structure by Ewa Sliwinska

Image

"The constructions are designed to be worn on the back or a shin, and each object is formed with dozens of elements practically levitating close to the body, responding to each body movement with vibrations adjusting to its speed and strength," Sliwinska told Dezeen.

Pieces can be worn on the shins, thighs, arms or back – some on multiple body parts thanks to the elastic mounts. The structures are designed to bounce and quiver at the slightest movement of the wearer, amplifying small gestures.

Fashion Communication

"The Eternal Summer"-Fashion Film for Jewellery Brand Keef Palas by Miquel Díaz Pont

my response

Graphic Communication Design - Exhibition

All I Know Is What's On The Internet @ The Photographers' Gallery

"All I Know Is What’s On The Internet is a new exhibition from The Photographers’ Gallery that presents the work of 11 contemporary artists and groups seeking to map, visualise and question the cultural dynamics of 21st Century image culture.  Importantly, it investigates the systems through which today’s photographic images multiply online and asks what new forms of value, knowledge, meaning and labour arise from this endless (re)circulation of content.  

The exhibition considers the changing status of photography, as well as the agency of the photographer and the role of the viewer within this new landscape.  The artists involved draw attention to the neglected corners of image production, making visible the vast infrastructure of digital platforms and human labour required to support the endless churn of selfies, cat pics and memes.  Certain works draw specifically on the experiences of content moderators, clickworkers and Google Street View photographers, and invite visitors to consider their own position in the image flow."

my response

I think this exhibition is successful in terms of provoking people's thoughts on the relationship between new technology inventions such as the Internet, searching engines and social media and social, cultural and political topics.

LAN Love Poem by Miao Ying

my response

I feel like recently more and more artists from China are creating works based on the Chinese government's strict control on the use of Internet. I have seen many pieces of work like this on social media. It is really interesting that theses artists, mostly based in countries outside of China, are sort of expressing their anger through online platforms like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc, all blocked and banned in China. I genuinely wonder what would the local Chinese think if they see what's happening. Would they be shocked by such actions and rebuke such actions or feel related to the anger?

Although work like this is seen everywhere these days, there's something special about this piece that I really like. The artist expressed the concept in a sarcastic and funny way instead of being really serious on the topic.

Dark Content by Eva and Franco Mattes

#stopthealgorithm

#fightthefilterbubble

Glamour Magazine

"It's official: New York Fashion Week's fall 2017 collections had the most plus-size models on the runway ever. We counted appearances by supers such as Ashley Graham and Iskra Lawrence, up-and-comers like Georgia Pratt and Jocelyn Corona, and even Instagram star Minahil Mahmood (better known as @bae.doe). The total? A whopping 27. For comparison, The Fashion Spot's diversity report counted only 12 last season (excluding Addition Elle's plus-size-only show) and just four the season before. So here's to hoping that size inclusivity at Fashion Week keeps growing—but for now, let's celebrate all the models and designers that pushed for change this season."

my response

"Fashion Communication is an extremely fluid topic."

Seeing designers making such actions to support diversities is a really cool thing, and it also helped drag people's attention. I think peoples views in terms of body image are changing all the time and it is definitely a trend that the fashion industry will accept models of different sizes in the near future.

Christian Siriano

my response

Personally, I really don't see why the model in this photo is being called a "non-sample" size model. I am shocked by how the strict the fashion industry is for the "perfect" slim, long body type for models. 

BOF News Bites

The duo was also inspired for Autumn/Winter 2017 by artist Hans Bellmer's mutated doll forms, a direct rejection of the cult of the seemingly perfect body then prominent in Nazi Germany. "Aesthetically it's [also] influenced some of our fabrics and colours," said Teatum.

Teatum Jones' Autumn/Winter 2017 mood board

my response

It is overwhelming to watch a show with such positive concept. I love the message of destroying and reconstructing the idea of a "perfect human body form" and embracing the diversity of  body types. The soundtrack used for the show was really interesting too, shading on Trump's mocking a disabled journalist. It is really cool seeing so many topics combined together with fashion. I also like the fact that the brand posted their ideas development on social media like Instagram. I think this action not only enables the viewers to have a clear insight of the whole concept but also attracts potential customers.

Fashion designers Cat Teatum (L) and Rob Jones of Teatum Jones walk the runway after their show

Alexi Lubomirski

"I wanted to do a book where I had no boundaries and I could show magazines and clients that you can actually take high fashion pictures — inspirational, aspirational images — of a wide variety of beauties.”

He’s not just talking about skin colour, either. “Whether it is different complexions, freckles, big hair, different body shapes, different religions, all these things; you cannot to be scared of it,” he says. “As a father it struck something in me and I wanted to do this book to show magazines and clients that you could create these beautiful images with these different types of beauty, but also for young girls to be able to look at these images and go, ‘These are beautiful images and there’s somebody in there that looks just like me’ It’s a fantastic image and so I can relate!’”

 "In response, Alexi conceived Diverse Beauty, which celebrates many different types of female beauty through sophisticated and lively fashion photographs. Diverse Beauty embraces all beauty and aims to put every type of beauty on a pedestal, so that everyone who looks at it, no matter her race, size, color, age or sexual orientation, can identify and see herself as beautiful."

Hari Nef shot for Alexi Lubomirski's book "DIVERSE BEAUTY" in 2016

"A see-thru spirit a clear-cut voice, Mathias Van Hooff reinvents the concept of makeup, by replacing pretty with power. Through neoprene plastic we make our way in, as orange/yellow pieces are placed over the skin. Light blue straps wrap around Leila’s features, leaving her lips stuck shut with a taped mouth gag. As clear strips make their way down the body, lining up in perfect form. A Vaseline like sheen spreads over the face as artful application deigns to take place. Strings are usually seen as indiscriminate things, but here they dig-in in the most aggressive way. Coiling, curling and spinning about this is the way in and the only way out. A spiraling monkey will play on my back til’ what I am seeking is on the right track. Find me you will on a cumbersome trail, fighting the powers that will me to fail. Makeup is seen in only one image, as a diagonal line screams over the eye as black creates faux lashes below. Paola asks us to see this not as it is, but to imagine the boundaries reset."

Matthew Morrocco "Complicit"

"The images chronicle Morrocco’s time spent photographing himself with older, gay men in New York City from 2010 to 2015. Starting the project in his early 20s, it’s an amalgam that explores ageism within the already marginalised LGBTQ community. “It may have been photography that I meant to inspect but what I found was an essence of human connectivity that extends beyond just sex and lust,” he says. “I met men in their homes. We had tea, shed tears, shared orgasms, and intimate details.” Reflecting on the first intimate rendezvous for Complicit, he says, “The first photo I made was of a 60-year-old man named Danny when I was living in the East Village. We met online and I decided that my housemate’s room made the best setting. I don’t really remember how I felt, I just remember that I wanted to take a picture of an older man with his hands in my pants. I thought it would be interesting.” Through these sexual encounters, he was able to learn more about queer history while questioning society’s inability to see people above a certain age as sexual beings who desire touch, affection, and companionship."

Photography Mood Board

some references I looked at for my photoshoot (photography work from Ren Hang, Peter De Potter and Stephane Gizard)

Peter De Potter

Peter De Potter

Peter De Potter

Stephane Gizard

"His work reveals their sensuality and brings out the expression of a truth; an intimate questioning. In parallel to working closely with the press and the advertising industry, Stéphane has spent ten years photographing across-section of 17-20 year olds; from his perspective the defining and decisive phase of one's life sitting at the end of adolsescence and at the beginning of adulthood. A period of self-reflection and fragility."

my response

I have noticed that Stéphane has a particular taste when casting his models. He always casts young, "good looking" male models whose body types are similar, lean but not skinny, thin but muscular. They perfectly match the perfect body type for men at the moment - "lean but muscular". 

I like how his work always look very minimal, clean but interesting and the fact that he showcases his work in a cohesive way. His work is very different from the previous research I did for he seems to never use flashlight and always shoot outdoor with natural light. I've also noticed that he half of the time he edits his photos to black and white. I wonder if there is a specific reason for that or is it just a random action to make the photo visually better.

Stephane Gizard

Stephane Gizard

Stephane Gizard

Stephane Gizard

Stephane Gizard

my response

Since my project is about heartbreaks, I did some research on scenes about altering emotions, ,memories and feelings from some TV shows and movies I've watched before. 

The one thing at these scenarios have in common is that the concept and process when being used are showcased very clearly and in details, making it easy for the audiences to understand what they are about. This is a really important element in not only the entertainment industry but in product design, reminding me that it is also what my product is lack of at the moment, as I have only come up with the purpose but haven't yet figured out how it is going to be used and the appearance. I also noticed that these abilities from tv shows and movies are mostly for bad uses like manipulating people's mind or erasing their memories but seldom for good use like what my product is for- removing the pain from heartbreaks but keeping the memories.

Teen Wolf - Talia's Claws

Used to manipulate the minds of others, contains stored memories.

Get Out - Hypnosis

There was a scene from the movie when the actor was hypnotized and forced to go back to his deepest/ darkest memory - once when he was little, watching TV at home alone, waiting for his mom to come home from work. But as it got late, his mom wasn't back. Since he was too afraid to ask for help, he just stayed home watching TV until the day after the police broke in and told him that his mom was found dead in a car accident that happened right in front of their house the same night. HIs soul was immediately stuck and trapped on a dark place of his mind as he recalled his darkest fear.

Graphic Communication Design - Fashion Communication & Photography & Web Design

photographer Jennifer Pattison

Jennifer Pattison is an award winning British photographer working in London. She uses analogue photography to delve into otherworldly stories and conjure magical characters.

my response

The quality of an artist's work is just as important as the way they present it, and finding a good way of showcasing and communicating to the audience is no less easy than creating the work itself, as there are so many elements and aspects to be considered. I found Jennifer's website intriguing. When entering first, her name "Jennifer Pattison" is the only thing that could be seen, using up a big proportion of the screen. Clicking anywhere on the screen, a full-screen photo pops up with a small "projects" in the bottom. Clicking on that, several titles of her projects come up in the upper with an "info". A different photo pops up when the cursor moves over each title. When that title is clicked, the viewer enters a series of photos but is only allowed to see one at a time and cannot go back to the previous ones before finishing the whole series. When all the photos in a series are shown, a few paragraphs of explanations written by the photographer are seen.

It feels like going on a adventurous journey entering Jennifer's website, for a lot of times you need to find your own clues to move on to the next step. You never know what would be the next thing you see or how you would see it, which makes everything mysterious and exciting. The way she showcases her work is subtle and clever. I have discovered that unlike a lot of photographers' websites that showcase multiple photos with fancy layouts or transitions animation effects, this website shows no more than one image in the screen at one time, which allows the viewers to only see one photo on the screen at one time is a way to make them focus on what was happening in the moment that picture was taken. It also responds to the fact that we, as humans are only able to live in one moment at a time. Photography is a time-based medium, and with every shutter being hit a moment is recorded. Although it is impossible for us to experience multiple moments at one time, what we can do is to explore the meaning of existences and tell stories by collecting different moments by our lens. I also like that she doesn't show her explanations of her concepts before showing her actual work, which encourages the viewers to make individual connections with the images without being limited in her mindsets.

"Her Mother was inspired by Jennifer's best friends mum and features the Sussex sculptor Helen Stronge, styled by her daughter Laura Morgan. One of the portraits from this series was selected from over 13,000 portraits as one of the 100 winning images by The British Journal of Photography's Portrait of Britain; the winning images were displayed on JCDecaux screens across the country this September. The portrait also features in the first ever Portrait of Britain book, published by Hoxton Mini Press."

"A figure sits in the gloaming. Simon Costin as Pan is motionless, wearing his weighty tapestry coat adorned with shiny horn buttons. His shoe gapes across his shrunken left hoof, his horns have withered away. The air is warm and full of dust. Pan contemplates his youthful former self, remembering roaming barefoot in the hot wilderness, frightening sheep and spreading panic across the mountains. Thousands of years have passed as he waits patiently for his portrait to be taken.

This series of images is the result of a collaboration between Jennifer, Simon Costin, (Artistic Director and Director of The Museum of British Folklore), Christopher Kelly, Natalie Sharp. Simon Costin commissioned Christopher Kelly to design a costume, inspired by the god Pan from Greek Mythology for him to wear whilst taking part in the annual spring festival Jack in the Green, Hastings. 

Pan was re-imagined as an eternal recluse about to turn to stone. Photographed against the museum like interior of his home, a rare occasion for Simon Costin to feature as part of the creation rather than a force behind it. One of the portraits from this series was shortlisted for the Royal Photographic Society International Print Competition 157, received an honourable mention in the Lucie's, U.S.A and was published in Port Magazine"

Hide & Seek Video

Screenshot from Video

Screenshot from Video

Screenshot from Video

Screenshot from Video

LA BATIE TEASER

Jewellery pieces in Ewa Sliwinska's The Living Points Structure collection are made from elasticated PVC strips, which hold together rows of transparent plastic threads to look like curled porcupine-like spines.

The spines are decorated with small steel cylinders on the ends, which weight and balance the individual strands.

"By wearing the designed objects one does not simply decorate the body, but rather extend it both in the context of multidimensional shape and activity – the movement is given a new visual representation," said Sliwinska.

She then decided to challenge the way current adornments are designed for a small number of select body parts. "Instead of one dominative static shape, eg to wear on your finger, I made a point of reference in a flock of birds or a school of fish and started to study human body in the search of areas unused for wearing jewellery."

my response

This is my first time researching about jewellery design. Before this I didn't know jewellery could be worn on so many different parts of the human body and be showcased in such an artistic and conceptual way. There are many delicate details in this piece, and I think Ewa successfully emphasised that by putting it onto a moving human body to showcase the sensitive movements and the interesting relationship between the two -shown in the video. What I find Ewa's work fascinating is the effort she spent into creating her work - from having an idea to executing it into reality. I think the outcome is especially successful in terms of her intention to explore the possibilities of how jewellery could be worn on the human bodies, for it seems to fit many parts of the body very well in various ways.

Exhibition Entrace

Dark Content by Eva and Franco Mattes

#stopthealgorithm

my response

Before reading the explanations, I thought this was a playful and cute installation depicting the addiction to social media. It really caught my eyes because I felt like I could relate to it as this is what I'm doing everyday. The fan behind the device is interesting. It gave me a sense as if it was not only cooling down the overused device but also trying to blow away the addiction. However, after reading the explanations and knowing that it was actually addressing, I was shocked and felt a bit insecure by the fact that they have such a sensitive and delicate system calculating my moves.

#fightthefilterbubble

Fashion Communication - Self, Portrait and Body Politics

2017 NYFW Gets Real About Plus-Size

Michael Kors and Prabal Gurung's strides towards diverse body image

BOF News Bites

"New York Fashion Week finally seems to be opening its eyes to the plus-size market this season.

Ashley Graham walked the runway at Michael Kors on Wednesday and Candice Huffine modelled two looks at the Prabal Gurung show on Sunday.

While plus-size models have made appearances at New York Fashion Week in the past, their inclusion has often been little more than a publicity stunt and clothing designed specifically for the plus-size market is largely frumpy and figure-concealing.

By contrast, Graham and Huffine this week were styled no differently from the rest of the models in each show. One of the biggest limits to diverse body shapes on the runway is the fact that many designers only make very small samples, meaning that only sample-size models can wear them. Kors and Gurung's latest shows prove that they are making efforts to change this.

The fashion industry as a whole is certainly becoming more aware of the plus-size opportunity, particularly in the US, where sales of plus-size women’s apparel reached $20.4 billion in 2016, up from $17.4 billion in 2013. Earlier this month Graham became the first plus-size model to be photographed for the cover of American Vogue, alongside Gigi Hadid and Kendall Jenner. — Helena Pike"

Candice Huffine for Prabal Gurung (left and right) Ashley Graham for Michael Kors (centre)

my response

Apart from embracing diverse body types, it seems like NYFW was also breaking the age limit by using middle-aged models for the catwalk.

Michael Costello

Teatum Jones will open 2017 London Fashion Week on Friday with a show featuring two models with disabilities.

BOF News Bites

The Woolmark Prize-winning label, helmed by Catherine Teatum and Rob Jones, is using the platform to launch a multi-season focus on disability fashion.

"[Disabled people] are not any less into luxury fashion," Teatum told BoF. "The people that we've spoken to, they've obviously talked about the practical challenges, but before that even comes into conversation, they describe colours, they describe textiles."

A chance introduction to somebody at the Paralympics ignited the idea in Teatum and Jones' imaginations. "We started to talk to different people within the community and that's where it started," said Jones. "It became a bigger thing, it sparked something and got us excited."

The Telegraph

The show, entitled The Body, indicates a politically sensitive mood at the opening of the London collections  that follows on from political protest at last week’s New York Fashion Week. To a blasting original soundtrack that included the voice of the poet Kate Tempest and an extract from Meryl Streep’s speech at the Golden Globes where she denounced President Donald Trump for his alleged mocking of a disabled journalist, the designers sent out a collection that they said was inspired by “a love of human stories and and rejecting the idea of the perfect human form.”

Model Kelly Knox, who was born without a lower left arm, walks in the Teatum Jones fashion show

Image

BOF- A Royal Photographer’s Modern Gaze

In a world that’s tiring of fashion photography that prizes artifice, shuns diversity and exploits sexuality, Alexi Lubomirski, who famously shot Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's wedding pictures, is after something more authentic, ethical, thoughtful.

Fashion images don’t look like they used to. Some of the mystique is missing. The glossy veneer is less shiny. People called bullshit. Nowhere was this more obvious than when a parade of the industry’s top shooters — Mario TestinoPatrick DemarchelierBruce Weber — slunk off under a barrage of sexual misconduct accusations. But it wasn’t just #MeToo offenders who were called out. It was the imagery itself — too long celebrated — that prized artifice, shunned diversity and exploited sexuality. What emerged was a desire for something more authentic, ethical, thoughtful.

“Royal photography over the last century had this kind of symmetry to everything: the pillars are behind them over here, et cetera. And so we set it up and it was all looking great… and that silly little voice came into my head: why don’t you try shifting it, twisting it, by 45 degrees? And my team were like, ‘Really? We won’t have symmetry?’ And I was like, ‘Yeah, we will just have to try it and I don’t know why,’” he says. “We wanted it to look glamorous, but we wanted to break it.”

The break is also one with the past. Lubormiski’s lens reflects a present in which we’re re-evaluating what we want our fantasies to be. “It’s definitely more about empowerment rather than objectifying sexuality,” he says. “Mario was edgier,” notes Susan White, Vanity Fair’s photo director for 25 years.

Jillian Mercado shot for Alexi Lubomirski's book "DIVERSE BEAUTY" in 2016

“You always felt like the girls were being sexy, but for who? The woman that I know is a strong, confident, happy living person. She’s not a sexual object,” continues Lubomirski. He’s looking elsewhere for tension.

"It’s definitely more about empowerment rather than objectifying sexuality."

my response

I totally agree with the notion that there are so many kinds of beauties existing beyond the term of sex when it comes to fashion photography. However, at the moment we see so many sexualised contents on fashion magazines and social media, as if they wouldn't not be a real "fashion photography" if the models didn't look sexy or luring.

What I've learned from this interview is that good work comes from real experiences.  Just because the project title is called "body politics" does nor mean it has to be about sex or nudity. As creatives we should always stay true to ourselves and never follow the trends blindly just to fit into a certain standard society forms.

Leila Goldkuhl in “Plasticity” by Paola Kudacki for Beauty Papers Magazine S/S 2016

"Leila Goldkuhl is bound by the beauty of truth in “Plasticity” shot by Paola Kudacki for Beauty PapersMagazine, S/S 2016. What am I covered in… what do I wear… who am being… am I aware. Skin is the house that I live in but empowerment is where I call home. The concept of cosmetic imagery sets forth a fusion of ideas, with pictures that question perfection. Asking us the most powerful inquiry of all – is the nature of beauty all in our heads? To understand this inquisition we have to get into the dark recesses of the mind. Where fear is merely a feeling, set to entice emotion equated to an expression. Lost in the labyrinth of lunacy there lives a kind of pseudo hope. A place where what we see doesn’t impose a line of thought rather it reflects the reality of being. Artfully portraying poetic intent, fashions aren’t meant to incite they inspire us to invite. Akari Endo-Gaut uses a series of nylon undergarments designed to evoke a sense of inclusion. If stories had sound this one would speak… responding to external stimulus we can feel the distribution of amplitudes among the interrelated cavities. Asking us to see the art in this moment, is begging us to bare witness to an extreme thing."

my response

These images to me are visually strong and convey the concept successfully. Although the concept of removing makeup is being talked very often, something that I conceive differently is that it includes materials that we don't necessarily link with removing makeup. Elements made of plastic remind me of restrictions, as if the model is stuck in some kinda force where she could see the outside but couldn't mange to get out. I think this action makes the topic broader.

my response

These images are really intimate and delicate. They make me ponder the desires, emotions, and intimacy among old people. I think these images are bold, shocking but soft at the same time. To be honest, they kinda make me feel uncomfortable to some extent because they are sort of challenging the morals we have always been educated in our society, but at the same time I find myself fascinated by the tenderness of these photos, as if I was in the rooms during these encounters. I find the fact that Morrocco joining in some of the photos particularly intriguing. Whether he is having an intimate physical contact with an old guy, appearing at the window behind a pair of old couple like a third wheel or showing a reflection of his face in the mirror, I did not recognise that it was the photographer himself before reading the texts. Before knowing that I would define this series as images exploring the body politics of older gay men, but after realising the fact that the artist was actually in the photos too they became more interesting as I wonder if they could be called self-portrait. Is he recording his encounters with strangers he met online only? Or is he also reflecting himself and actually directed these images (including the casting, poses, etc.)? If he did directed everything would it make these images less valuable due to the lack of authenticity

The subject itself has been rarely talked about, and I think the dreamy, beautiful colors and light of the photos really help drag people's attention. 

Overall, this series of photos did a really great job on provoking the viewers' thoughts regarding our desires by using contrasts. (the age disparity between old and young/ the topic vs the tenderness and colours + light of the photos) 

Ren Hang

Ren Hang's photos were minimal but thought provoking. He loved to play with human bodies in different poses with various objects to create interesting visual effects. I would like to create this kind of effect by using flashlight and photographing at simple locations/backgrounds.

Peter De Potter

"In VAPE SHOP OLYMPIA, as in much of his work, De Potter’s models are laid, quite literally, bare: they are pictured naked, posing, poking their stomachs, pointing at the sky and pulling at their skin with pliers. And yet the artist insists that these images aren’t erotic; that his models’ bodies aren’t sexualised. “For me nudity is someone without clothes. I remove the clothes to have less references,” he says, accepting that his words might come across as naive. “Clothes always reference something, whereas the body is actually quite referenceless. It’s actually a funny thing because it is the blankest canvas you can have, and at the same time is quite… loaded.”"

my response

What I like about Peter's work is that it’s instantly recognisable. He likes incorporating his own photography, graphic design work, texts, collaging and art direction. It commands your attention but invites a second look; is easy to penetrate but tricky to pinpoint; is graphic but emotive, and more than a little bit sensual. The subjects in his work are often naked male bodies, exploring the masculinity, insecurities and vulnerabilities of men. I think his work generally focuses less on the photography itself and more on the post production and graphic design like texts and collaging

Peter De Potter

Peter De Potter

Stephane Gizard

Stephane Gizard

Stephane Gizard

Stephane Gizard

Stephane Gizard