Project Plan - Revision 6
Amendment as per 09/12/2022
Following a skiing accident I will be forced not to do drift number 5 (winter drift). It will be replaced by a digital drift, with Google Streetview, inspired by the visual artist Jon Rafman.
What are you going to do for your practical or creative project(s)?
Check that these fit within your assessment outcomes in the unit introduction.
Describe the project’s aims and outcomes.
In view of the progression meeting with Ariadne Xenou, I identified the themes that are connected to the so-called “drift theory” and collected documentation on psychogeography, situationism, flaneurism.
The creative project that I intend to develop starts from these themes and authors who have theorized and addressed them.
The outcome takes the form of a photographic book that I plan to carry out in several drifts on the Giudecca island, which faces the city of Venice.
This island is of such size that it can be explored on foot and allows you to pass between very different areas, from a social, urban and contextual point of view. It is not too big to be distracting and difficult to map and the fact that there are no cars allows the development of social life literally "in the middle of the road" (like the Paris of Doisneau) or in the navigable canals.
Unlike Venice, the island is not very popular with tourists: therefore the majority of the population is local. They consider the space outside the home as a psycho/physical extension of their property. It is easy to see clothes hanging in the middle of the street, chairs, or tables. Family life unfolds seamlessly inside and outside the home.
After the research I did so far, I decided to change the title of my self-directed-project and call it:
"Resonances - The Giudecca’s Drifts Project”.
This decision is detailed in the page:
Self-directed project diary
From the western tip (Sacca Fisola) to the eastern tip (Fondamenta di San Giovanni), I will walk the whole island through an alternation of different places and social situations.
I would like to take both color and black and white photos.
Are you doing a Critical Review or Dissertation?
Check that these fit within your assessment outcomes in the unit introduction. Write a few words about your thinking behind this choice.
The final decision is to write a Critical Review and, as agreed with my Tutor, it will be about the research for commonalities in the different interpretations of the figure of Flaneur in the various authors and historical periods.
In Video Tutorial and Written Feedback 4, I wrote:
".....Returning to the research and study of the various authors, when we arrived at the theme of the Flaneur, we agreed on the possibility that the theme of the Critical Review that I am about to start writing could be the different interpretations given to the figure of the Flaneur in historical periods and by some authors.
My Tutor agreed and warned me not to make a simple inventory of the various authors. At the same time, I could choose three case studies to deepen, even in a visual sense, and, instead of bringing out the different interpretations (again an inventory), find the common elements on which to reflect and arrive at the true shared essence of this controversial figure......"
After video tutorial 6 and after another meeting with Ariadne Xenou, I changed the structure and content of the Critical Review. Now the critical is focused on the critical review "Paris and bothanizing the asphalt" by Rebecca Solnit. I have questioned, through some case studies, the thesis according to which the flaneur is essentially a male figure, a dandy, who carries out his flaneurism in the city of Paris and on foot.
What does your research explore, and what is your topic or outline research question?
My aim is to produce a group of outcomes, including:
• a Mind Map
• a blog/learning log where to publish the research results, notes and reflections on readings;
• a critical review
In my research, I intend to deepen the themes underlying the practice of "drifting" and the figure of Flaneur.
It involved philosophers, sociologists, but also interdisciplinary authors such as poets, writers, painters, videographers and photographers. I will focus on photographical practitioners who have moved within or even on the fringes of these currents of thought.
Venice had, for many years and still now, a particular relationship with these themes. This unique location attracted artists from all over the world.
On the web, there is a Venetian virtual museum, called “Museo del Camminare” (trad. “Museum of walking", which mentions artists such as Ralph Rumney (one of the founders of the Situationist International) and Sophie Calle: her photobook "Suite Venitienne" is practically about Venetian “drifting”, and also a modern version of the flaneur primarily created by Edgar Allan Poe in his "The Man of the Crowd".
It could be said that Venice (or its islands) is the ideal place for the practice of flaneur and drifting. I, therefore, research this topic and, having the good fortune of living near the Venice lagoon, practice immersing myself personally in the same context that witnessed these events.
Why have you chosen these practice and research projects?
Think about the connections between your practice and research
In previous Levels, I was fascinated by Guy Debord's so-called “drift theory”. I am also passionate about street photography. Starting from these experiences, I reflected on which path of artistic development inspires me and which I would like to follow in the future.
As I said, I am lucky enough to be able to reach the Venice lagoon with ease. I thought that this conjunction between the themes I want to explore, the amount of literature available, my personal interest and the opportunity to immerse myself in a context that has contributed to the creation of a lot of textual and visual narratives, is a unique opportunity to make Practice And Research.
I have many expectations about the outcomes of this project because I would like these themes to become the artistic thread I will follow in the future.
How will you schedule your project within the unit structure?
Set out the start and end dates of your projects. Identify whether you are doing more than one practical project. Add suggested submission dates.
Project 1 – Project Planning, mind mapping, structuring of the blog layout, collect resources, start readings, submit to Tutor (June 2022). Completed
Project 3 – Rework, reflections and blog entries on readings; second summer drift, submit to Tutor (1st half August 2022). Completed
Project 6 – Rework, draft of Critical Review, reflections and blog entries on readings, submit to Tutor, (November 2022)
Project 8 – Rework, digital drift, photo blog publishing, reflections and blog entries on readings, Critical Review revision, submit to Tutor (January 2023)
Project 9 – Rework, Photo Book, submit to Tutor (February 2023)
Project 10 – rework and finalize.
(Within March 2023)
Who else will be involved in your project?
List any collaborators, audiences, clients, or others you will be working with?
If you are working with others, how can the project be accessible to others?
The patience and understanding of my wife.
Is the project safe and ethical?
Please few the appropriate OCA policies.
Are there any health and safety risks to you or others? How will you mitigate against these issues?
The Giudecca island is a contradiction, a contrast between rich and prestigious areas and poor and socially problematic areas. In particular, the area of Sacca Fisola, in the western part of the island, is inhabited by workers from the factories in the industrial area of Marghera, which have been in crisis for years.
Every day it's easy to meet young and old who just got bad news from work and might get nervous seeing a photographer.
I will have to try to be discreet and empathetic at the same time, and I will have to speak the dialect to make it clear that I am not a tourist looking for social emotions.
After the drift of 29 July 2022: as I described in the drift page, I experienced the first negative reaction to my presence as a photographer.
After all, one of the aims of this project is to bring out the contrast between the city beyond the canal, dedicated to tourists, and the one on the other side, where people struggle to make it to the end of the month, or where the houses are empty.
The island itself is a chessboard of contradictions and juxtapositions between the homes of the rich and famous (eg. Elton John) and the poor.
As for research and reading activities, I have collected books and documents that are freely available on the internet or for purchase (amazon, kindle) or for consultation and/or saving (www.scribd.com).
Are there any ethical issues you need to take into consideration? How will you mitigate against these issues.
For the reasons I highlighted earlier, I will have to respect everyone's reality and have the sensitivity to insert myself in various situations without being intrusive.
As for the citations of other practitioners’ works, I will always enclose the references and the notation will be according to academic standards, in order to avoid the risk of plagiarism.
All hardware and software tools used are my property, subscribed, or freely available for personal use.
I have carried out appropriate Health and Safety checks and have a copy of the relevant documentation. (please tick)
YES
I have the necessary insurance to carry out my project. (please tick)
YES
I have familiarised myself with the OCA safeguarding policy and checked my project meets the criteria. (please tick)
YES
Resources and budget
What do you need to make the project a success?
I thought that the best photographic equipment for my missions (drifts) consists of a medium format digital camera (6x7) and a tripod, which allows me to work better on urban composition and dynamic rendering (there are several stops between dark and light that undermine digital sensors).
I will use focal lengths from 24 to 160mm (FF eq). Some of these medium format lenses come from a 6x7 analog gear (Pentax 67) that I inherited from my uncle. It was a pleasure to adapt them to the digital camera and verify that, although they were not designed for digital, they have excellent performances on large-sized medium format pixels.
I will bring a bridge camera too, with a one-inch sensor and lenses ranging from 24 to 600 mm (FF eq) to isolate particular points of view, have fast autofocus, and capture “decisive moments". This long-range equipment will allow me to avoid invading the subjects' personal space.
After the drift of 29 July 2022: as I described on the page dedicated to drift, I had confirmation that the medium format is ideal for this type of photographic mission. However, for weight reasons, and considering that I would have walked about 15km, I chose to bring only two zooms and no prime lenses. I decided that next time I would not take the tripod with me and instead I would bring the bridge camera, which was very useful for not being too intrusive towards the locals.
All the equipment is my property: I gradually acquired it on the professional 2nd hand market for less than 50% of the price or have exchanged my old camera and lenses for other equipment.
UCA library, www.scribd.com, amazon books, kindle and internet search are my main resources.
For mind mapping I have a SAAS subscription to gitmind.com, for image editing and archiving I have a SAAS subscription with the Adobe Creator on the Apple suite. Of this suite, I preferably use Lightroom, which is more than enough for minimal post-editing interventions.
There will be approximately four trips to the Giudecca island, with expenses for the car, parking, the boat called "vaporetto" and the mid-day meal.