#026 Editing and Installing Photos into the Frames

After settling the arrangement of the photos, I have to decide on the photos that I want to display. Thank God that my mum used to enjoy keeping albums and albums of photos filled with memories that we had, so I have the resources that I needed.

Subsequently, the task is to select the old photos sensitively that would portray a reflection of the times my family and I have spent together, focusing on pictures that tell the story of the relationship between my dad and I from age of 0 to 4 half years old (the period from 1988-1993). The images are arranged so that years increases from the images on the left (1988) to the right (1993).

1988-1989

(Events & Places: Chinese New Year, Genting (Malaysia), Bird Park, Botanical Gardens) 

1990-1991

(Sentosa, Cameron Highlands, Tioman)

  1992-1993

(Singapore Zoo, Tioman, Christmas at Orchard Road, Chinese New Year at Chinatown) 

There were also other things I had to take into consideration, such as deciding on which images will be displayed in the larger frames and which images in the smaller frames. I also had to scan the old photos, edit the colour slightly and remove cuts and scratches, crop the images so that it will fit the frame. I want to retain the original look of the image but sometimes the colour that appears on screen after it is scanned and printed will turn darker or more yellowish so I have to edit accordingly.

An example of the difference between the colours of the original image and printed version. Hence I needed to correct the colour of the printed version by decreasing the yellow level and increasing blue and magenta levels in photoshop:

Original Image

Printed Image 

Another example of removing stain and cropping the image to fit into the smaller frame:

Original Image

Edited Image

Thereafter I would need to manually cut-out the images from the scenery for the eighteen photos I have selected. Also I have to be conscientious not to omit the small cutouts of small areas between the legs or arms of the figures that do not connect with the main image but is separated. So when I am fitting the image into the frame, I would first fit in the bigger image, I would then add in the smaller pieces.

These are the figures that are cut out from the images.  

Although the outcome looks like its quite an easy task just fitting images into the frame, it is not as it appears to be. I used to think that works that are framed up are easily done, like John Clang's works that are frames and presented in a time-line layout. And also because the cut-out area of my work is white, I must also look out for dust particles so that I remove them before fitting the image onto the glass plane. I never thought that so much consideration must be made, such that the image and the frame compliment each other instead of clashing. The images that are next to each other must also compliment the entire unit of work. Hence I learnt that the artist or the curator must have thought about all these details when arranging a collection of works.

#025 Visualizing Initial Layout on Wall

After deciding on Layout 6 and arrangement of frames no. 5, I needed to visualize it how it will look like on the wall. 

So I cleared a corner in my room to try it out. I stuck a piece of majong paper with the arrangement of frame drawn onto it on the right wall, together with the real-virtual photos on the left to consider the layout.

The old photos with my mini torch projection will displayed on the left wall while the real-virtual photos and the projection of how the process of creating the real-virtual photos will be presented on the right wall.  And the cut-out text can be stuck in the middle.

I was thinking of displaying the texts (30cm by 60cm) as mentioned in the previous post in the middle to compare the similarities and differences with regards to how I had perceived my family and I when I was young and how I perceive my family and I now. Some things have not change such as my Dad's absence from home due to work. Other things have changed, my mum stopped cooking, I have also grown up. And over the years, as my Dad shifted to China to work the distance between us both physical and emotional have escalated. Nevertheless we 'learnt = have to' to adapt to the change. When I read the paragraph that was written when I was younger, I'm actually quite surprised at my 'optimistic' sentence that "But most thing I love is my whole family" despite my dad's absence or what I think of myself. In response, I asked myself how do I feel now over the years, I think one thing that have remained unchanged, my family is still the thing I value most.

Text written when I was in Primary 4, 1996 

Text re-written currently, 2011

#024 Layouts - I choose you, 6!

I've drawn some exploration of the layout. I would take heed to Paul's suggestion that the arrangement should create focal points instead of a myriad that might look too disparate. So I will be moving away from (2) to (6). There's is a projection in (6) on the right wall which will focus on showing a virtual family photo-shoot and the fades into showing it getting done. It will be surrounded by the other virtual photos that have been taken earlier in frames. This is to compliment the old photos presented in in frames on the right wall.

Tryin out the layout of the frames on the left wall:

One

Two

Three

Four

Five

I've decided on number five, because it shows a focal point

The works displayed on the right and left will be joined by text in the middle. I found a suitable text I could use from a printed ppt slide I did when I was primary 4 title 'Our feelings about our family':

"There are three people in my family. They are my parents and me. My father is a businesssman. He always come home at four or five in the morning. My mother is a housewife. She wakes up and prepares breakfast for us. She seldom goes shopping beacuse she do not have the time. I am a pupil in Punggol Primary. I am lazy and tired sometimes and a naughty girl. But most thing I love is my whole family."


In comparsion, I've written a paragraph of my feelings about my family now:
"There are three people in my family, Dad, Mum and me. My Dad is a businessman stationed in China. It has been five months since we last saw him. It must be very hard on him all these years as the sole bread winner. My Mum is a lovable housemaker. She does not cook anymore so we usually have our meals together at the hawker centre just below our house. I am a student in National Institute of Education. I am graduating and I will be a teacher. The one thing I value most is my family."

#024 Layout of my work

I'm moving towards a 'mind-map' or 'timeline' kind of display. Why? Because I want to depict how the images are inter-connected through time. Visually, I also liked the how the mind-map I've created on the theme of 'shadow' is presented. So I'm looking at how such amalgation is presented...

Everytime I look at the images from the book 'Vitamin D', I would get some inspiration. Here is an example of how I've got inspired in creating the content page and layout theme of my works for my graduation book in NAFA.

This is one of my favourite books on drawings

Content page from one of my 3 my graduation seminar books done in 2008

An example page from one of my 3 my graduation seminar books done in 2008

Here's a series of pictures taken from John Clang's exhibtion, the way he presented his works resonates with me. I am inspired by how he'd arranged his works using a single bold black line representing in a timeline that is drawn across entire gallery space. And there secondary lines in red that branches out out the timeline displaying an array of the works done.

  

I am especially drawn to the arrangement of his works displayed in a corner (image above). I like the idea of displaying my images in the corner of a space. And it links to my concept of how time has made my dad and I really distance especially during the years 1998-2008. It was quite a tough period between us. One reason is because he's always busy and travelling around and another is that those are my teenage years and I was rather rebellious towards him. I just remembered the other day when I was in primary 6, some boy in class was making fun of me saying, "Didn't your Father teach you?" Then I replied, "I don't have a Father". What  an awful remark, our relationship was really tense then...

So by using a corner, the first half could display the collection of silhouttes or images taken when I was young. The ends of the second half could display the current phoot-shoots that I've taken with my dad. I could also have the cut-out messages of my dad's silhoutte displayed accordingly. Then my toy-torchlight could be placed on a shelf for audience to use.