by BBC South Yorkshire contributor Ali Davies, July 2004
Strike a Pose!
This following is from an anonymous letter Shizuka Yokomizo sent to various strangers, and you can see the subjects
who responded to this project at the Site Gallery until the end of August:
"I would like to take a photograph of you standing in your front room. A camera will be set up outside the window in the street. If you do not mind being photographed please stand in your room and look at the camera through the window for 10 minutes. I will take your picture then leave."
How would you react? Would you strike a pose, or would you draw the curtains?
Yokomizo was born in Tokyo and studied at Goldsmiths in London.
She essentially a photographer, but also works in video art and focuses on the gap between self and other, hence the title of the show 'Distance'.
Her work reflects the relationship between public and private and has a solitary feeling of isolation. We see images of people standing alone, playing the piano and names in lonely-hearts ads.
The 'Stranger' series shows people looking through windows.
These are somehow contrary to normal portraits, where the viewer stares at the subject, instead the subject seems to stare back at you.
It is unusual to make eye contact with a complete stranger; the experience is both original and unique. It is portraiture turned on its head, the viewer and the sitter almost swap places.
These are not portraits, however, as Yokomizo says, "I didn't try to create a personality, you don't know them, it is simply an encounter." The work sometimes seems voyeuristic.
In previous works Yokomizo took photographs of people sleeping, reiterating the theme of public and private. In a video piece 'A Boy with his father' we see a boy awkwardly posing.
Like photographer Gillian Wearing, Yokomizo is interested in people's reactions when setting up a photograph, people getting ready to pose before the eagerly anticipated shutter release.
There is also an element of the passing of time in Yokomizo's work, people waiting to be photographed.
In 'Forever (And Again)' women in the autumn of their years play Chopin on the piano, something that has taken these older ladies hours to learn.
The exhibition questions the distance we have between others and ourselves.
Although it gives you an insight into other people's worlds, it makes you think how little you actually know about the people you encounter everyday.
- Would you have responded to Yokomizo's letter? Would you have agreed to participate? How would you have presented yourself?
- We migh usually think of an artist as the person who should have complete control over what they are going to present in their work- but Yokomiso is choosing to control some elements of the photograph, but has no control over others. How does this affect her images?
14 comments:
I like the fact that Yokomizo doesn't have total control of her work; there's more of a realistic reaction from people. I think if I'd recieved one of her letters I would've agreed to do it. I'd be uncertain and a little nervous about how to pose, but that's the whole of point. It's interesting to see the different reactions of her subjects.
Although I find the photos really interesting; I probably would not have agreed to participate. I absolutely hate posing for pictures. It’s a very awkward feeling to stand there and wait for someone to take your picture. Waiting for the shutter release is annoying enough but to stand for ten minutes not knowing the end result would be hard for me. Yokomizo’s lack of complete control makes the photos more interesting and more real. You don’t know these people and yet you are getting quite an intimate view into their life. It’s not staged and meticulously posed; it’s authentic, spontaneous and honest. It shows normal people in their own homes where a person is usually most comfortable. I enjoy looking at the pictures because they are a lot like what we see in everyday life. We can see people through windows or in their cars and we can assume things about them but we never really know; we are always just onlookers and I think the way the pictures are framed through the windows and curtains maintain that sense of secrecy or privacy.
If I had received a letter from Yokomizo, I really don't know that I would have agreed to have participated in the photo. I think that the lack of control in these photographs gives them a completely different feeling than that of a deliberatly composed image. As a viewer of the images, I wonder exactly what are the subjects thinking about? What was going on during their day prior to the photograph being taken? The images are truly up to the interpretation of the viewer
I am not so sure the response of this letter would have the same results in, say america today. In fact, I have noticed that as I carry my camera around with me that it causes people to become uneasy. Why is that exactly? I think it is an interesting concept.
For Yokomizo, the work of art started way before the shutter ever opended. Her conceptual basis for this series began with that same curiousity. Why is it that the sight of a camera has the effect that it does? It effects people differently, as shown in her photos. I really like her work on this series, because of the pure awkwardness present in some of them, but also the questions it asks of our self state of awareness. Since she chose to take them at night, with the lights on in the house, then their reflections are primarily what they see, and their pose, facial expression, and thought come through on the photo. Just what those are though, are anyone's guess.
Question One: Would you have responded to Yokomizo's letter? Would you have agreed to participate? How would you have presented yourself?
I'm pretty sure that I would not have responded to Yokonizo'a letter. I would have been scared out of my mind thinking that someone was looking in my window. I think if someone I know was going to be taking the pictures and I just didn't know when, that would be ok only because I trust them. How do I know what some stranger is going to do with my picture? I would feel like I was being stalked.
Brandi Ashlock
I would have responded to Yokomizo's letter. I think it is an interesting idea, to make the subject of the artwork, the artist. It keeps the piece alive. There isn't an expected style. The subject owns its piece.
With that said I would not have just opened the curtains to my home in a spontaneous fashion. I would have probably staged the photograph. Perhaps put up a table that's level to the window cill and lay there in an elegant dress. Why? Because it doesn't really make sense. It's forced, but would have made an interesting shot in the group of others. It would be unexpected. I suppose. Would it have matched the intentions Yokomizo sought after? I don't know but she took a chance in choosing to release control of the photo onto the subject, and I would have exercised that right.
Yokomizo's lack of control over her subjects unlocks a certain capacity of truth in the photographs. She's captured not only the physical personality of these people but she also has a realistic representation of the environment that they've created for themselves. A person's living room is very telling of his personality. The cooler colors in the first two apartments compliment the more stoic expressions and poses of their inhabitants. Similarly, the warmer colors in the second two apartments are reflective of the more inviting personaes of the second two gentlemen. As such, her subjects are not really "strangers" to the extent the title suggests. We know more about how they see themselves and how they want to be presented than if they were shown in an artist controlled setting.
Surprisingly, I think I would have responded to Yokomizo's letter and have participated. But, as to how I would have presented myself, I have no clue. I could present myself in many ways, chosen or not, just depending on my mood perhaps. I'm sure each of her subjects who did choose to participate felt similarly: unsure of how they were going to pose or look, only knowing they were getting their photo taken. This is that uncontrollable factor Yokomiso faced on not expecting what her subjects might do. I love the effect this has on her images. This sort of awkward waiting for their photograph to be taken can lead different people to different poses/reactions/facial expressions/etc. In a way, it draws you into the photograph, wanting to know more about the person behind the window.
As others have mentioned, people get nervous about cameras, but you do notice some people who are curious of you and what you're doing when you have one of the little machines on a strap about your neck. I figure I'm in the second group.
As such, I'd probably end up being there and letting the person photograph me. What will it hurt and what do I have to lose? If someone really wanted to invade your privacy and photograph you in situ, they would.
The photgraphs themselves are deeply affected by the release of control Yokomizo has passed to her subjects. In a way, you see the people as they are yet being totally artificial. By how the person sets themselves up, you learn a bit about them, yet instead of seeing what exists deeper, you see how they wish themselves to be seen. I think its interesting what that says about people.
I have to disagree with some of the comments of a more realistic and/or honest reaction, because if you were asked to be photo'd or videoed for say, a tv show, you would not act like you usually do in your daily life, but on the other hand, say they wanted the shots for another reason(personal?), what is to stop you from reacting in a different way. To attain a 'realistic' or 'honest' reaction, the shots have to be more candid in my opinion, to grasp the true personality of the subject, rather than the self provoked personality of the subject. This style of photography brings up the many different facades of people and questions; Is this truly the personality of the subject in the image or not?
The artistic value of the photographs have a very intriguing effect. You have to think about all the possible factors that may occur with such a photo shoot, but even if you think you've thought of everything that could happen, someone will prove you otherwise in this style of photography. The subjects have control over how they are percieved in the shots, which leads the viewer to interpret it in the way the subject wants it portrayed, rather than how the artist would usually want it portrayed. Like what s.a.dooley said, 'you see how they wish themselves to be seen.' Yokomiso most likely wanted to push the level of artistic photography by doing this, and has somewhat achieved a very meaningful effect.
Hans Aren Jonasson
1. Would you have responded to Yokomizo's letter? Would you have agreed to participate? How would you have presented yourself?
I would have agreed to the letter out of curiosity. I also would have talked to her in the letter first to find out the purpose of the photographs but just standing a pose isnt anything complex or hard to do. I would have dressed up as I would everyday and casually posed or in this case, stood there, for the photo to be taken.
2. We migh usually think of an artist as the person who should have complete control over what they are going to present in their work- but Yokomiso is choosing to control some elements of the photograph, but has no control over others. How does this affect her images?
Each single photo would be completely unique with a mind of its own. Like I said in my previous comment, art does not necessarily need to be completely well planned out. There is a certain element of surprise in letting some aspects of the work control themselves, and thats what makes her work all the more interesting.
1. I would not have posed for the camera. I would have drawn the curtains. Anyone could be taking the picture, and I don't like that idea. I mean, I guess a picture is pretty harmless, but I have to think I would be a bit weirded out by receiving the request.
2. Not being able to control her subjects' actions does give her work a different feel. Although she isn't controling this aspect of the art, I still find it very interesting! In fact, I believe that is a large part of what makes it interesting. The work seems more involved that way.
1. Honestly I wouldn't really have a problem with striking a pose for the artist. It's all for art, why not? I think I would really like to see how I would react in a situation like this. This isn't something that I normally do so I would be a little weirded out, but because of that fact, how would I stand or how would I look?
2. I would probably have to agree with aileen. It's all about surprise and keeping you anxious to see what comes out. It's like looking at wedding photos. Sometimes photographers take shots without the person knowing it. I think the picture looking more natural is much better.
I love this project. I think it says something about human nature - that we're trusting in some way. It's a bit frightening, I'm sure, to stand in front of a window, knowing that someone is watching you, but you cannot see them. Maybe it says more about the people thesmelves, the subjects, who actually came to their windows - maybe all of these people have reached a certain stage in their life. Maybe it's loneliness that drew them to their windows, or maybe just curiosity. Or maybe some of them are usually reserved, and just this once decided to do something a little odd. It's very fun to think of why exactly these people came to their windows.
Post a Comment