These three by three typologies of architecture features of homes were shot within the city of Stirling, Scotland. One typology is of all doors and was shot at approximately seven feet away and straight on. The other typology is of chimney tops and was shot at about the same upwards angle and varying distances.
I decided to focus on the architecture of a city after being influenced by the work of Charles Marville. His photograph PortalPrincipal de la Cathedrale d’Amiens (1853), along with many of his other photographs of doors, is what motivated me to take photos of the doors within Stirling. Much of Marville’s work focused on areas of cities that were likely to be destroyed so that a newer city could develop in these districts (Getty). This is my reasoning for focusing on the chimney tops of the homes in the Stirling area. I am afraid that many homes no longer use their chimney if they have some other way of heating their home and these beautiful pieces of architecture will be someday be forgotten, reducing to rubble. This is why as the typology is read from left to right and top to bottom the viewer stops on the final bottom left photograph where there are no longer any chimney caps sitting on the chimney.
I chose to take the doors into a more humorous subject by not focusing on the soon to be destruction that Marville did, but instead focus on the wit of Keith Arnatt. The typology done by Arnatt is not what interested me about his work, it was his use of the written word within his photographs. Trouser-Word Piece (1972) is a prime example of the humor and written word photograph that Arnatt is famous for and I tried to parallel with my door typology (Photographers’ Gallery). My door typology is slightly humorous due to having the writing “This isn’t Home Depot,” instead of having just another photograph of a door in the final spot. This is exactly my reason for choosing to photograph these doors in the first place because none of these doors as is could ever be purchased straight from a Home Depot, at least at Home Depots in the United States of America. All of the doors seem to have something uncommon about them, whether it is the color, glasswork, or age.
The typologies done by Bernd and Hilla Becher are the ones that actually fascinated me into produce some typologies of my own. This husband and wife photographing team have produced many urban typologies usually shooting in black and white, and capturing the simplicity of their subjects (MoMA). Their typology that contains all of these elements is Winding Towers, Belgium, Germany (1971-91). The most intriguing part of this typology is the way in which each photograph could be set on top of each other and the top, flat portion and legs of the winding towers would line up almost perfectly. The slight differences in each photograph keep the viewer intrigued in what the series is about. I tried to do this exact same thing with the tops of the doors and chimney stacks in which caps sit on.
Understandably both of these typologies may be looked at and seen as just a repetitive series of similar images that mean nothing. When viewing the typology of doors one must realize the individuality that each door has compared not to just doors that are sold in mass production, but also the other doors within the typology. For people who still use their fireplace and chimney for producing their home with heat may not understand that due to technological advancements many fireplaces have just become decorations and their chimneys no longer puff smoke. This is why the chimney typology has to be viewed as a social statement to danger in which many functional architectural features face as technological advances are made.
Doors can be more than just a portal to a new place. They can be a beautiful piece of art or an individual standing up against monotony. Chimneys have been stopping their smoking habit, not by choice, but due to more practical and efficient forms of home heating systems being introduced into older homes. Both occurring simultaneous within the city of Stirling.
Bibliography
Arnatt, Keith. Trouser-World Piece. 1972. Photograph. Jan Estep. Web. 1 July 2010.
Becher, Bernd, and Hilla Becher. Winding Towers, Belgium, Germany. 1971–91. Photograph. Sonnabend Gallery, New York. MoMA: Bernd and Hilla Becher: Landscape/Typology. Museum of Modern Art. Web. 1 July 2010.
"Charles Marville (Getty Museum)." The Getty. The J. Paul Getty Trust. Web. 01 July 2010.
Marville, Charles. Portal Principal De La Cathedrale D'Amiens. 1853. Photograph. I Photo Central. Web. 1 July 2010.
"MoMA Bernd and Hilla Becher: Landscape/Typology." MoMA The Museum of Modern Art. Web. 01 July 2010.
"The Photographers' Gallery Keith Arnatt: I'm a Real Photographer." The Photographers' Gallery. Arts Council England. Web. 01 July 2010.
No comments:
Post a Comment