Using photography as a research method – Visual Anthropology

The book ‘Visual Anthropology – Photography as a Research Method’ immediately appealed to me, working as I am as a professional photographer while undertaking an MA in art and artistic design. Described by Choice magazine as highly recommended, it stated “after reading this book it is unlikely that  anyone would ever take a picture – or look at one – in the same way again.” This set the bar high, so I wanted to have a look at it and consider its principles, particularly as some of the research that I have done elsewhere in this blog is on or about photography or artwork.

What this book is about is observation, which is a vital tool for any artistic academic. Being able to observe and then interpret and use that observation is a large part of what being an artist is all about. As the authors state (Collier J and M., 1986, p. 5): “Photography is only a means to an end: holistic and accurate observation, for only human response can open the camera’s eye to meaningful use in research.”

Another element I found useful in my work was the way the authors describe how photography can help to find patterns in art, and how finding those patterns can then help influence one’s own work and guide one’s thinking (Collier J and M., 1986, p. 195): “Most photographic analysis is a search for patterns and the definition of their significance. What are patterns in anthropology? They appear to be the relationship among parts and the manner in which they are related to the whole structure… but in visual work these are not always clear… It is more productive to look first for patterns in the whole scope of the data and then seek detailed or statistical confirmation. The purpose of a good research design and of different procedures applied within it is to facilitate the discovery and definition of patterns.”

Although not directly related to photography, I found these principles really important as guidelines for the experimentation work that I did in relation to my Cloneography project. By looking for patterns in product formation, I could use the same or altered procedures to move forward in my artistic journey.

Within the authors’ conclusions in the book, I found a particularly interesting story, related to an archaeologist named Dr Junius Bird. He discovered some pointed stones within the Panama Canal, and was attempting to find other evidence of early settlement when he died. Despite not completing his work, his initial findings had sparked interest and, as the book states (Collier J and M., 1986, p. 205): “…his creative achievement stands; all it took was one fluted point, and scientific imagination could conceive the possibility of a whole world. Discovery is an act of creation. It is this opportunity for combination of creative and scientific approaches that is the particular promise of visual anthropology. From this… can come understanding and knowledge based on a more complete application of human intelligence and observation to the problems and promises of our time.”

There is, of course, much more to this book – it walks the readers through all elements of using photography as a research method (principles of visual research; impact of technology; practical analytical procedures; the difference between moving and still images) – but these are the most salient points in relation to my own sphere of work. I would recommend this book to anyone else who is a lover or student of the arts and particularly photography. By being more observant, one can only increase one’s ability to connect with art and by extension the world around us.

Collier, J. and Collier, M., (1986), Visual Anthropology: Photography as a Research Method, University of New Mexico Press

Generative Design – an introduction to Processing

Generative design is one of those terms which those who are not in the design industry probably don’t really quite understand. Even those who do work in the world of graphic design will often struggle to put into words what ‘generative design’ actually means.

Karin and Bertram Schmidt-Friderichs describe it as follows: “For the last several years generative design has created considerable excitement among insiders at media art festivals and conferences. Through the interplay of complex information with graphic design and programming, new and fascinating visual worlds are emerging where the coincidental is shaped to help correlations become visible.”

Now, some might say that this description in itself is pretty complex and confusing, but in easy to understand terms, generative design is about taking computer-generated patterns through algorithms and allowing them to self-perpetuate and grow. Essentially computer generated design, but with a human element. Some examples of these are Eno Henze’s ‘Red Ambush‘, which was programmed to look like human drawing but with a complexity that only a computer was capable of achieving, or Michael Schmitz’s ‘Evolving Logo‘, created for the Max Planck Institute. The logo changes on a daily basis, based on statistics and parameters fed into a Java programming platform (the logo ‘evolves’ based on the running success of the company – with figures on numbers of staff, funding and number of publications fed into the system on a daily basis).

During the week of 17 March, on the University of East London’s Masters of Arts programme, I began looking at how generative design could be used to create my own patterns. The results of specifically my experimentation were recorded and can be found at lecturer Lynsey Coke’s Instagram page here. A screenshot of this generative design can be seen below.

 

View video by clicking here.

 

This was created using an open source coding program called Processing (available free from http://www.processing.org). It was first launched back in 2001 but is now used by professionals and students the world over to promote the importance of visuality within technology and to ensure there is an element of computer and software literacy in the art and design industry. Simple coding is used to create patterns and 2D or 3D designs which, when it becomes more complex, can result in some incredible and detailed pieces of ‘generative design’. This is a slowly growing element of the visual arts but one which, given the influx of technology into every aspect of our lives, is only going to become bigger and more widely used in the future. For me, I can see it has some real advantages and possibilities to support the development of my project. Watch this space for more Processing over the next few months.

During this session we also thought more about generative design overall. Each member of the class had to bring in examples; some of mine are mentioned above. We thought through the process of generative design:

Rules (setting parameters, boundaries) ———-> Actions (code, algorithm, interaction) ————> Generative output

We also talked through how generative design can enable us to find new ways to see things and learn ways of visualising unseen data. Ever more innovative infographics being an example of this. Some more pictures from the class can be seen below:

Update on my project – the properties of straw…

I have had a really interesting few weeks, during which I have learnt lots more about nature and technology, biomimicry, design principles and generative design. I’ll cover all these topics in separate blog posts, but it has given me a new direction in which I want to take my creative design project.

I still want to consider cloning and what a fictional future would be like where we can create true clones of ourselves, but I have been so inspired by looking around at the nature we have around us that I want to look at how we can integrate nature and its best properties into how we will live and function in the future. Of particular interest to me is straw and how its qualities could be put to good use in the future, to make more durable and efficient clothing, hats and shoes.

What I want to look at is the way in which I can take a raw material, in this case, straw, and create a manufacturing process which will give me a clear output of a new way of using a commonly found material.

I started looking in March at what happens to straw when it is put under various different ‘stress tests’. I have tried burning it, washing it, mixing it with other materials and items; what makes it stronger, weaker, softer and harder. This experimentation is covered in another blog, along with documented pictures of the whole process, which can be found here.

This was a really helpful process as it helped me to work out what I should do if I wanted to make something that aesthetically and artistically could be considered new, interesting and a step forward in the use of nature to work within fashion and creative design.