Memories and Nightmares

A photograph credibly records everything which is, in that given moment in front of it, while at the same time falsifies the same reality. A photographic image is an intersection of the real and a fictitious world and convinces us of fact and illusion at the same time. A photograph, according to Bazin, contains something surreal, as the distinction between that which is apparent and that which is real constantly evades. It is never complete reality, nor that which seems to be. “The charm and provocativeness of photographs is right there in the mercy of that, which is hypothetically comprehendible (Sontag, 27)”.

The work of English photographer, Lottie Davies, encompasses various genres from portraits, travel, news-based coverage, commercial to author-based photography in which she experiments with existent cycles of photography under the banner of 'Memories and Nightmares'. The author sees her artistic creativity as a continuation of news-based photography, with the difference that she doesn't tear out photography from the world, nor does she photograph given reality, but rather tells already “told” stories. In this genre, she deliberately toys with visual conventions and convictions, nostalgic performances and subconscious methods of looking at things. In the exhibited series of photographs, Lottie Davies, as the name of the exhibition meaningfully suggests, goes out in search of lost time, memories and dreams. She deals with life stories, personal history, memories and myths. Myths and memories are unique only to humans, as they help give meaning to life, they make sense of the past and they prepare us for the future. With this, when elements of the past contain some symbolic meaning and are included in new stories, they form a new past. The past lives in the present in the form of memories, history and images. The author's starting point are images, which at some time existed in an individual's life, in their dreams or from the things her friends say, and puts them together in new entireties and gives them new meaning. In the interpretation of these stories, she allows herself creative freedom and, with respect to this for her protagonists, uses actors, models, friends as well as people whom she bumps into on the street and invites them to participate, but not the story owners themselves. While technically remaining loyal to classical photography, she breaches upon it by using digital enhancing software for the purposes of post-production, only when she is of the opinion that, for whatever reason, this cannot be avoided.

Lottie Davies, with regard to the content of her exhibited work, distances herself from reality and depicts the experiences of dreams, nightmares and memories, with colour, light, form and composition expressing a rich, subconscious world. Her art is not just the telling of stories, but a whole lot more; in them hide a lost world, full of symbolism, as dreams are the path to the subconscious, paved by symbols. The photographs, as such, are silent witnesses to the battle between that which is real, and that which is not. In the exhibited photographs, the author explores the already blurred line between reality and dreams. She finds inspiration inside herself and inside others, her wish being not the subjectification of an objective world, but to objectivate the subjective, and via the use of images, bring them closer to the audience. The unawareness of content, as such, provides her with the means to create unique art. In determining which layer commands the most attention, the conscious or the subconscious, much depends on the audience, their behaviour and their convictions.

As the images are so iconically photographed, the depicted dreams and memories appear to us to be all the more accessible, as they quite literally come alive before our very eyes and encourage us to once again witness their revealment. Every one of the twelve photographs in the series, seven of which are exhibited, represent the world, a story in themselves, which also highlight their stylish diversity. Every story has its own aesthetic image; that, which existed already before the taking of the photographed image, and the thing which reciprocally connects them, it being the same idea. The thing that reveals, it being all about the reinterpretation of stories, as the author herself says, is that the protagonist of the story, in every one of the photographs, has red hair. This peculiar photographic pleasure shows us how the author toys with myths and iconological classic and modern art, as an attentive observer will be able to follow a number of more or less subtle and invented references in individual works. Referencing recognised artistic work gives the photographs authority, attractiveness and value. On the other hand, and at the same time, they rely on the observer's already acquired knowledge of depicted westernised art and with that, it becomes inaccessible to those, who do not know the allusions, upon which they are based. Our knowledge is not easy to separate from the “manner” of knowing, as we understand the world via a system of symbols. Knowing, seeing and watching are inseparably intertwined. Visual representations are otherwise a web of inseparably connected elements of the visual, verbal and the perception of meaning. The observer, so as to better understand the meaning of symbols, in addition to depicting art, has to know the broader visual and verbal Western culture of the imaginary, as the author also finds inspiration from films, the theatre and the world of literature. In truth, “We see nothing else but a photograph, however we have different visual media in front of us” (Belting, 235). Her photographs don't just remind us of films because of the visual similarities and the composition of them, but otherwise because the entire story and its dynamics are represented in every image. Photographs, in contrast with fast moving images, whereby every one supersedes the previous, halt the moment and are therefore deeper pressed into our memories, and so have an even greater impact. The inserted movement is more intensive, as it is captured in the space, between that, where it was, and that which follows. As such, the exhibited works demand active participation, our attention, the capability of envisaging and perception. The photographs are a lot more than simply captured individual visualizations, as they are the product of the author’s own experiences and feelings, just like stories from abroad or dreams, and as such are marked with certain connotations, to which the observer additionally adds their own meaning and understanding, connected to their own cultural-social environment.

A particular highlight of the photographs is the exceptionally created atmosphere, aided by strong contrasted colour and dramatic lighting, reminding us of the work of painters such as Caravaggio and Tiziano and with regard to composition, we are directed towards a delirium effect, that being what we feel. A rich pallet of complementary coloured hues, which the author includes in her photographs, takes us into a dreamy-like state, in which isolated memories transform into exquisite images. All details on the photograph are carefully positioned with much forethought. The richness of them leads to uncovering new details, and with them new meanings, every time we once again look at them. Did you notice the swan and its babies on the lake, the reflection of the man and his wife in the mirror, the reproduction of Velasquez, the red hair and so on, and so on? The presented photographs, therefore, are not just aesthetically completed visual images, but stories of life, never to fade into oblivion.

Bazin, André. 2009. What is cinema?. Montreal: Caboose.

Belting, Hans. 2004. Antropologija podobe: Osnutki znanosti o podobi. Ljubljana: Studia Humanitatis.
Jenks, Chris (ur). 2002. Visual Culture. London, New York: Routledge.
Sontag, Susan. 2001. O fotografiji. Ljubljana: Študentska založba

Translation by Kurt Wilkesmann

Spomini in nočne more

Fotografija verodostojno zapisuje vse tisto, kar je v danem trenutku pred njo, in obenem to isto stvarnost ponarejanja. Fotografska podoba je sečišče realnega in namišljenega sveta, nagovarja nas kot dejstvo in privid obenem. Sama fotografija že, po Bazinu, vsebuje nekaj nadrealnega, saj se distinkcija med navideznim in realnim neprestano izmika. Nikoli ni niti popolna realnost niti popolna navideznost. »Čar in izzivalnost fotografij je prav v nemilosti tistega, kar je na njih hipotetično doumljivo (Sontag, 27)«.

Delo angleške fotografinje Lottie Davies obsega različne žanre od portreta, popotniške, reportažne, komercialne do avtorske fotografije, v kateri se preizkusi s pričujočim ciklom fotografij z naslovom Spomini in nočne more. Avtorica svoje umetniško ustvarjanje vidi kot nadaljevanje reportažne fotografije, s to razliko, da fotografije ne iztrga iz sveta, ne fotografira dane realnosti, marveč pripoveduje že »napisane« zgodbe. V tem žanru se premišljeno poigrava z vizualnimi konvencijami in prepričanji, nostalgičnimi predstavami in nezavednimi načini gledanja. V razstavljeni seriji fotografij se Lottie Davies, kot že pomenljiv naslov pove, poda na pot iskanja izgubljenega časa, spominov in sanj. Ukvarja se z življenjskimi zgodbami, osebnimi zgodovinami, spomini in miti. Miti in spomini so svojstveni le človeškemu bitju, pomagajo mu osmišljevati življenje, naredijo preteklost smiselno in ga pripravljajo na prihodnost. S tem, ko se elementom preteklosti prepisuje simboličen pomen in se jih vključuje v nove zgodbe, se jih preoblikuje v novo preteklost. Preteklost pa živi v sedanjosti preko spominov, zgodovine in podob. Avtoričino izhodišče so podobe, ki so nekoč obstajale v posameznikovem življenju, njegovih sanjah, prevzema jih iz pričevanj svojih prijateljev, jih sestavlja v nove celote in jim daje nove pomene. Pri interpretaciji zgodb si dopušča ustvarjalno svobodo in v ta namen za njihove protagoniste uporablja igralce, modele, prijatelje, kot tudi ljudi, ki jih naključno sreča na ulici in jih povabi k sodelovanju, ne pa lastnikov zgodb. Medtem ko s tehnične plati ostaja zvesta klasični fotografiji, pa vanjo posega z digitalnimi programi za obdelavo fotografij le takrat kadar meni, da se temu iz različnih razlogov ne more izogniti.

Lottie Davies se po vsebini svojih razstavljenih del odmika od realnosti in upodablja izkušnje sanj, nočnih mor in spominov, z barvo, svetlobo, obliko in kompozicijo izrazi bogat podzavestni svet. V njeni umetnosti ne gre le za pripovedovanje zgodb, ampak veliko več, v njih se skriva izgubljeni svet, poln simbolike, kajti sanje so pot do podzavesti, ki je tlakovana s simboli. Fotografije so tako neme priče spopada med realnim in nerealnim. Avtorica v razstavljenih fotografijah raziskuje že tako zabrisano mejo med resničnostjo in sanjami. Svoj navdih najde znotraj sebe in drugih, njena želja ni subjektivizirati objektiven svet, marveč objektivizirati subjektivnega in ga s podobami približati gledalcu. Nezavedne vsebine postanejo s tem sredstvo za doseganje izvirne umetnosti. Od gledalca, od njegovega védenja in prepričanja pa je odvisno, na katero od plasti bo, zavestno ali podzavestno, postal najbolj pozoren.

Zaradi ikoničnosti fotografske podobe se nam zdijo upodobljene sanje in spomini dostopnejši, saj dobesedno oživijo pred našimi očmi in nas spodbujajo k njihovemu ponovnemu odkrivanju. Vsaka izmed dvanajstih fotografij v seriji, od tega sedem razstavljenih na razstavi, predstavlja svet, zgodbo zase, kar poudari tudi njihova stilska raznolikost. Vsaka zgodba vsebuje svojo estetiko videza, tisto, ki obstaja že pred nastankom fotografske podobe, kar jih medsebojno povezuje, pa je ista ideja. Znak, ki priča o tem, da gre za reinterpretacije zgodb, kot pove avtorica sama, je ta, da ima v vsaki izmed fotografij protagonistka zgodbe rdeče lase. Svojevrsten fotografski užitek nam ponuja avtoričino poigravanje z miti in ikonologijo klasične in moderne umetnosti, saj bo pozoren gledalec lahko zasledil številne bolj ali manj subtilne in domiselne reference na posamezna dela. Sklicevanje na priznana umetniška dela daje fotografijam avtoriteto, privlačnost in vrednost. Po drugi strani in obenem pa se te zanašajo na gledalčevo predznanje zahodne upodabljajoče umetnosti in s tem postanejo nedostopne tistim, ki ne prepoznajo aluzij, na katere se nanašajo. Naše znanje ni lahko ločiti od »načinov« vedenja, kajti svet razumemo preko sistema simbolov. Vèdenje, videnje in gledanje pa se neločljivo prepletajo. Vizualne reprezentacije so namreč splet neločljivo povezanih prvin vizualnega, verbalnega in dojemanja pomenov. Poleg upodabljajoče umetnosti mora gledalec za boljše razumevanje pomenov simbolov poznati širši vizualni in verbalni zahodno kulturni imaginarij, saj avtorica črpa navdih tudi iz filma, gledališča in sveta literature. V resnici »ne gledamo nič drugega kot fotografijo, pa vendar imamo pred očmi različne vizualne medije« (Belting, 235). Njene fotografije ne spominjajo na filme zgolj zaradi vizualne podobnosti in kadriranja fotografij, marveč zato, ker je v vsaki podobi predstavljena celotna zgodba in njena dinamika. Fotografije v nasprotju s hitro gibajočim se slikami, ki vsaka naslednja izpodriva prejšnjo, zaustavijo trenutek in se globlje vtisnejo v naš spomin, zato imajo večjo moč. Vstavljeni gib je intenzivnejši, ker je ujet v medprostoru, med tem, kar je bilo, in tem, kar bo sledilo. Razstavljena dela tako zahtevajo aktivno participacijo, našo pozornost, zmožnost predvidenja in dojemanja. Fotografije so veliko več od tistega, kar je zajeto v posameznih upodobitvah, saj so produkt avtoričinih lastnih doživetij, občutij, kot tudi tujih zgodb ter sanj, in kot take so zaznamovane z določenimi konotacijami, katerim tudi opazovalec dodatno pridoda svoje pomene in razumevanja, ki so vezana na njegovo kulturno-družbeno okolje.

Poseben poudarek fotografij je izvrstno ustvarjena atmosfera, s pomočjo močnih barvnih kontrastov in dramatične osvetlitve, ki spominjajo na slikarska dela Caravaggia, Tiziana, ter z mizansceno, ki je usmerjena k deliriju afekta, tistemu, kar občutimo. Bogata paleta komplementarnih barvnih odtenkov, ki jih avtorica beleži na svojih fotografijah, nas popelje v sanjsko vzdušje, ki izolirane spomine spremeni v izvrstne podobe. Vsak detajl na fotografiji je skrbno in vnaprej premišljeno postavljen. Bogatost detajlov omogoči, da ob vsakokratnem ponovnem gledanjem odkrivamo nove detajle in s tem nove pomene. Ste opazili laboda in njegove mladiče ob jezeru, odsev moža in žene v ogledalu, reprodukcijo Velasqueza, rdeče lase in še bi lahko naštevali? Predstavljene fotografije tako niso zgolj estetsko dovršene vizualne podobe, temveč pripovedi življenj, ki ne bodo utonila v pozabo.