Rationale
This body
of work is about the relationship between photography and the senses, when a
typical photo exhibition takes place in a gallery we as the viewer only use one
maybe two of our senses. Sight and sometimes touch is the only senses used when
we view a photograph we can’t smell the roses or hear the laughter or taste that ice
cream we see a 2D representation we can only see. Photographers haven’t been
able to push the boundaries when it comes to the senses. I never thought about
the relationship between photography and the senses until I research Chris
Holmes, Chris Holmes became blind almost overnight at
14, due to a genetic eye disorder. A photographer since childhood, Holmes also
happens to be one of Great Britain’s most successful Paralympic swimmers and a nine-time
gold medallist. Without sight, Holmes uses his awareness of light,
emotion and experience to take a shot. Before researching Chris Holmes I
didn’t really think that senses other than sight were that important but blind
photographers like Chris Holmes really got me interested in making a project
based around senses but taking away the sight element is the key part of my project.
So I created Sense, a sensory game that uses
all the other 4 senses to work out images that are blurred and distorted. The blurring
and distortion is a key part to the game as the sense of sight is not going to
be able to solely decipher the image. The four senses taste, smell, sound and
touch will be only the guide to decipher the image.
The sense game is based around the idea of a
day in my local park even though the objects photographed are personal to the
park I visit most of the objects are transferable to other parks so everyone
can relate. This is key as too personal location wouldn’t work as a game because
the objects may not be recognisable to others who don’t know you which is not
the point of the game the idea is to available to all from young to old to the visually impaired or the deaf .
I want this game to be shown on a monitor for the PowerPoint element where the
blurred images are displayed and the sound element for the images are on and
there will be three feely boxes for the touch element, 2 smell boxes and taste
box. I would want this to be displayed as an exhibition piece in a museum to
show how the senses work and if one of our senses was compromised how we could
work out what is being shown.
There are nine images all together that are
blurred out split up into three section, the three sections are three parts of
my local park .the first section is “in the woods” as you walk in to the park
you walk through the woods to get into the rest of park. The three senses used “in
the woods” section are sound, touch and smell the sense will make you feel like
you are there in the park which is what I want to create. The next section is “the
memorial” is quite significant to the park as Remembrance Sunday is held at the
cenotaph memorial every year so it is integral part of park. The three senses
are sound, taste and touch. The final section is “park life” this section
includes play equipment, Skate Park and ice cream. “Park life” is what most
parks have in them like a playground a skate park and normally ice cream van
for ice cream this section everyone should be able to relate to.
The touch element includes feely boxes that
have the object blurred out on the screen inside them unseen so only the sense
of touch can help you work out what it is. The sound element is sound bites
that relate to the images that is blurred out played through the PowerPoint.
The smell element is scratch and sniff stickers that represent the blurred
image scratching the sticker releases the scent. There is only one taste
element which is a muffin the part of the image is an ingredient in the muffin
the taste buds are really the only sense that can help.
