Artist Assignment: Part 1

1.) Hiroshi Sugimoto

2.) Hiroshi Sugimoto has a very straight forward formal process in his work. He shoots the same subject matter in the same way.

3.) These simple shots of known spaces help us give the illusion of being there. They're subtle differences and choice of using black and white, don't allow us to read too far into what is in the space we are in however just the feeling of being there.

4.)In this series the place is the theater and the subject is the theater, he lets the space glorify itself.

5.)In using deadpan photography as his aesthetic to photograph these theaters he allows us to not concentrate on the photos themselves but on the space and how it will make the viewer react.

6.)I went and looked at Hiroshi's actual site and found his statement for the series "theater." Apparently his original idea for the project was to capture an entire movie in one photograph. He set-up a large-format camera in the back of movie theater and captures the entire film in one single image. After reading his statement I believe that it fits very well with the series, however it does not really come close to what I got out of the series before I read it.

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1.) Phillip Toledano

2.) Phillip uses a tableaux aesthetic in his photographs. All the photos are carefully lit, staged, planned, and timed. He uses subjects of all different types, and the same goes for his sets. He also worked with color on this series.

3.)On the second photo of Phillip's series he talks about a woman who has a degree in Cultural Anthropology, in the photograph he uses some of the elements in the background to give the viewer that hint (books on the bookshelf next to her bed)

4.)Some of the things in each photograph are; a subject, a setting, props, expressions, and actions.

5.)Each of these elements help the viewer see more clearly into his concept which is to evaluate the different people that use these kinds of phone services, as well as examining what these people have been through. For example, the subject that was the witness to three total suicides during her phone calls, Phillip dressed her in all black.

6.)Phillip set forth on this series to explore the world of phone sex deeper, he wants to find out what it takes for the operator to satisfy the caller. However he also studied how the operator feels about the entire situation. I really thing that having the text guide you through the photos helped out the series immensely.