Sustainable prospects Coursework week 2
In June 2019 I started my MA with Falmouth university as part of an accredited education programme.
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Week 2 reflection 5th October { Other careers in photography }
This week we looked at careers in photography, outside of being an actual photographer, as well as copyright law. We discussed the case of French photographer Patrick Cariou’s and his claim against Richard Prince for copyright infringement. We were asked to simply write about whether we agreed or disagreed with the courts ruling on the case (the final court ruling was in favour of prince in all but 5 of the images and that was still open).
This was my reply…
Wow! So much in the detailed report that I literally had no idea about with regards to the law, and answers so many questions I have always had about Warhol, and how fan fiction like fifty shades can exist !
XXXXX reply is much more in depth and sophisticated than mine is going to be, but this is how I see it , could he do this by law? Yes. That has been proven. Should he of been allowed to do it, under law , yes ! But, ask me do I think that this ….
“The invitation list for a dinner that Gagosian hosted in conjunction with the opening of the Canal Zone show included a number of the wealthy and famous such as the musicians Jay-Z and Beyonce Knowles, artists Damien Hirst and Jeff Koons, professional football player Tom Brady, model Gisele Bundchen, Vanity Fair editor Graydon Carter, Vogue editor Anna Wintour, authors Jonathan Franzen and Candace Bushnell, and actors Robert DeNiro, Angelina Jolie, and Brad Pitt. Prince sold eight artworks for a total of $10,480,000 ”
Should make an impact (and not the way it did!), or at least be discussed, most definitely. Someone ‘borrows’ your images, and makes an extra ten and a half million pounds off of the back of them than you did …. I genuinely believe that Cariou should of been financially compensated for his part in the ‘collaboration’ as without him these pieces of art couldn’t of existed .
Which makes my final thought on the whole thing …. maybe this is actually a case of just don’t be a greedy person. We aren’t talking about a dead persons images. We aren’t talking about mass produced & recognisable images like the cambells soup cans , we are talking about one persons individual art, that he hadn’t made a bucket load of cash off. If the law is subjective in it’s interpretation then so should be the penalty.
At the end of the court documents it states Cariou didn’t want the pieces Prince produced destroyed. That, and the insane amount of money being passed between artist and collector (and not Cariou) says a lot about the quality of the two gentleman in my eyes.
Like most disputes in life, a little moral fibre and backbone would go a long way in resolving the issues before they get out of hand.
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This was actually probably the most commented on thread I have seen since starting the MA. There was definitely a big divide in people that thought it was acceptable, and that the ability to make art using others work as a starting point should be protected, and people who didn’t think it was acceptable under any circumstances. Where we were in the world did seem to make a difference int he strength of someones convictions, as copyright law is different depending on which country you are in, and obviously we are all influenced by those laws, for better or worse.
The overall general feeling did seem to range from feeling sorry for Cariou to absolutely disposing what Prince did. Interestingly a source was found that touched on when artists within the general art world were asked , they seemed to believe it was ok, whereas artists within the photography world were asked what they thought of it, there was a general feeling of it not being right that Prince was allowed to produce this work by law.
Personally, I don’t think he shouldn’t of been allowed to do it by law, we need to have the right to create art, and answer art be protected, but had it been me that judged the case, I would of put a financial clause in there that meant Cariou benefited financial from Prince’s art, as quite simply, without Cariou’s time, effort, money, expertise, and artistic judgement, Prince’s art would not have been possible.
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OTHER CAREERS IN PHOTOGRAPHY
The next thing we covered was other careers in photography, where we learnt about a range of different jobs in the industry outside of being a photographer. Personally, I had never even considered working in photography outside of the actual taking of the photographs. However, after having gone to the Tim walker exhibition Wonderful things at the V&A on Monday https://www.vam.ac.uk/exhibitions/tim-walker I certainly wouldn’t say no to falling to somewhere in-between a curator and set designer, what a fantastically beautiful life to lead. But then I suppose like most things you over romanticise it , I imagine walking around an Alice in wonderland themed world everyday , whereas like most jobs there is probably just as much emailing, phoning, invoicing, organising, and general admin , with a birth of wonderland thrown in on the best days.
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BUSINESS BASICS
This week we also went over business basics to do with equipment, accounts, legal requirements etc. Obviously, I already knew all of this, but it’s always good to go over everything, just to make sure there isn’t any holes or gaps that you have missed, or neglected over the years.
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WEBINAR
At my webinar this week I showed Laura and the other student present my mini project I had done on the journey of having my insulin pump fitted.
http://www.bambino-art.co.uk/sustainable-prospects-project-development-week-2/
Mostly, I just wanted to get some other opinions on my project, and to hear what Laura thought of it, and how it wove into, or informed my practice, being in no obvious way linked to home education at all. We had an interesting conversation about how it links into my project, and how I feel that all these little aspects of a self that make up a person, can’t help but inform your work, and your life, and when the life you are leading IS the basis of your work, the two are quite clearly intrinsically linked and inseparable. It’s like how in the first module, one week I produced some images based around my OCD tendencies and anxieties, all of these things make up a person and it’s hard to separate one from the other, and I’m not entirely sure I would or should even want too. Laura gave some really interesting perspectives on how this could link into my work if it was part of the almost inner circle of my spheres that I am working with in the project ( the spares being ; home education within our family, home educating families in Cornwall, alternative schools & groups across the UK, and worldschoolers around the globe) so that is something I will continue looking at going forward. I am wary of trying to make the project all things, but at the same time I want it to be a true and real narrative of what home education is for us, and part of that is my medical ‘things’ just like part of it is my husband working so much, or me doing the MA, they are all connected to build up this big interconnected cobweb design of a life.
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REFLECTION
- Where in the photography industry do you see yourself? In the commercial sector? The fine art sector? Do you want to work as a documentary photographer? I see myself a sitting somewhere between all three of these. My commercial work of pregnancy, birth & families that is very heavily influenced by documentary, as well as my more art based work.
- How do you collaborate with other professionals in the industry? Why is this important to your work? Before the MA my collaborations had all been entirely ‘blind’ or behind a computer screen. When I thought about it , it became obvious , I collaborate with print studios every time I have images printed or framed, and with printers and designers when I have my images printed in book formats for clients. These are obviously very important as there would be no work without them. But also with web designers & logo designers for example, creatives of all kinds go into making a photography business run. They may ‘just’ be making your ideas a reality, but it is still a collaboration.
- What has surprised you this week? Just how much I loved the Tim Walker exhibition, and how when I look back on my years of going to galleries , certain exhibitions really stand out for me. The Alexander McQueen savage beauty at the v&a definitely being top of the list. That exhibition was transformative for me, in my appreciation of the intricacies and grandeur of exhibitions, set design, and curatorship , and how much I appreciated those things. I have been so privileged in my life to of seen the most amazing art all over the globe, but without the theatrics, it will always ‘just’ be fantastic art, what I truly love is that interactive immersive experience, where you are in a dream world for the time you are in that gallery/museum/exhibition space.
- What has challenged you this week? Our group for live brief had their first meeting, and we found the time differences hard to navigate but after going away for a few days and creating some images we are due to meet again tomorrow. So it will be great to be moving forward with that. I also found keeping up with the CRJ really hard this week, and have done it all over yesterday and today, which has made me panic slightly, about how easy it would be to get behind if I am not careful.