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Copyright ©2013 Kayleigh Forger. All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America. No part of the book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping, or by any information storage retrieval system, without the permission in writing from the publisher. First Edition
Designed by Kayleigh Forger Images by Kayleigh Forger
An undergraduate portfolio based around electronic imaging as a creative medium. State University of New York at Fredonia ARTS 355: Section 01—Digital Imaging January 2013—May 2013 Liz Lee
K AY L E I G H F O R G E R
D I G I T A L I M A G I N G PORTFOLIO
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T C
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able
Of
ontents
Introduction....................................
6
Digital
7
Nature..................................
Found Image Collage..........................
10
The Indecisive Moment.......................
11
Self-Portrait....................................
13
Final Portfolio Series........................ Public Education.........................
15
War on Drugs..............................
18
Deterioration of Culture................
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National Debt.............................
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Power of Corporations..................
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A f gh a n i s t a n / I r a q Wa r. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
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n t r o d u c t i o n This course was a theoretical and practical introduction to electronic imaging as a creative medium. Using the computer as a creative tool was the main focus of this course as it gave me the opportunity to explore topics of photographic manipulation, collage, fabrication, and experimental media as forms of visual expression. Throughout the course of the semester, I have expanded my technical abilities and aesthetic awareness within the medium of digital imaging and developed a use for the personal computer as a means for art production as well as a medium for enhancing communication and understanding between a variety of art disciplines.
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Di g i t a l
N
ature
This physically creative imaging project forced me to break “the wall of the computer” while keeping me consciously thinking about color, form, texture, and composition. By placing objects on the scanner to create an image of found, natural objects, I created this “scanogram”. My final solution was achieved by utilizing nature, not as “subject matter”, but as source material. Unlike the lensbased photographer, I was not limited to only the opaque relationship of black and white objects and their shadows produced in a positive-negative image. The scanner works in a photographic process in the fact that it casts light upon and object or image that is reflected back to receptors that translate the image into binary code, which the computer displays.
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Kayleigh Forger. Sugar and Plastic, mixed media 19” x 13”. February 2013.
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Kayleigh Forger. Human Complexity, mixed media 11” x 17”. March 2013.
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Found
This “fair-use” project required me to consider positive and negative relations, composition, proximity, and pictorial space. Instead of using actual objects, like I did in the digital nature project, I was forced to use a collection of found images to create a collage. My goal was to create a single, unified piece out of other people’s parts. Within my final creation there is a collection of images that convey the complexities of human anatomy.
Collage
Image
I M
ndecisive
T
he
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oment
A photograph comes as close as we can get to witnessing a genuine moment with our own eyes while not actually being present. But, are photographs an instrument of ‘truth’? Often times, people associate photography with truth; photographs are seen as evidence. Many people assume that photographs only show things that exist and therefore, the precise moment in time portrayed in a photograph must have actually taken place. However, it is important to understand that with today’s advances in technology, it is becoming easier and easier for photographers to manipulate or fabricate images to fool the observer into thinking something fictional is real. Now a days, the process of digital manipulation is commonly used to create
photographs that have never actually occurred, but would easily be mistaken for ones that had. This project gave me the opportunity to investigate the role of photography and the concept of the ‘photograph as evidence’. This image is meant to be an illusion, or a fabrication, made to fool the observer into thinking something actually happened. I relied on my audience’s presumption that photographs only show things that exist and the assumption that what was recorded must have taken place. The satirical concept of my final image is meant to mock Germany’s 2008 Olympic weightlifting gold medalist, Matthias Steiner.
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O L Y M P I C EDITION
THE UNFOLDING OF GOLDEN OLYMPIC MOMENTS
2008
The Stunning Gold-Medal Weightlifting Performance of
Germany’s
Matthias
Steiner By Ian Thomsen P.28
German Bolt
Four Years Later, Golden Again By Peter McNairmount P.89
Farewell, Phelps Hello, Cazeneuve Germany Dominates The Pool
By Brian Anderson P.56
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orw C l 0 0 k g ld e a n Re L i co f t rd
Se
t
By
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th
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s S t
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Kayleigh Forger. The Zero Kilogram Struggle, mixed media 11” x 8.5”. April 2013.
P
Se l f
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ortrait
In this project I used a ‘digital photograph’ of myself to create a self-portrait. What is a self-portrait? But what does a self-portrait convey as opposed to a portrait of someone else? I thought about this portrait as an abstract concept; I didn’t take it literal. My portrait contains an actual picture representation of myself as a way to provide visual clues to imply that it is in fact a self-portrait, rather than just a portrait. All of the images included within my self-portrait relate to my ideas about myself. I have always had severe ADHD and, as a result, it is hard for me to focus and pay attention. There is a constant sense of chaos inside of my head and often times it is impossible for
me to keep up with my racing thoughts. I incorporated semiotic content in this image such as the power symbol alluding to the idea that my mind is always on as well as the fast forward symbol signifying that my mind is constantly racing and moving at a fast pace. The chaotic composition of my self-portrait is intentional and meant to convey a feeling of pandemonium to the viewers. I also thought it was important to include a reference to my home and the place that made me who I am today which is why there is a picture of home. My final solution is one that conveys a sense of who I am beyond the information that would be contained in a traditional photographic image.
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Kayleigh Forger. Constant Pandemonium, mixed media 13” x 19”. April 2013.
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F i nal
Por tfoli o
The adoption of digital-imaging technology and tools has changed the way we view and create artwork. In today’s roaring digital era the computer has taken on a whole new role. As a designer, the use of the computer as an image-making tool is an essential element in my art making process. Propaganda, as defined by the MerriamWebster dictionary, is “a form of communication that is aimed towards influencing the attitude of a community toward some cause or position by presenting only one side of an argument�. Through the creation of a series of six propaganda posters, the aim is to selectively present governmental outlooks on real life issues in
a way that sparks an emotional response from the viewer rather than a rational one. I chose to create propaganda posters because I want to explore how these reactions can be provoked. The overall style of this series is based off of Russian propaganda posters around World War II; they are simple, engaging, and communicate content quickly and effectively. Each poster focuses on exposing a separate issue, problem, or failure of the United States government by modifying and exaggerating the truth to help citizens develop a certain emotional perspective. My intention in producing these posters is to poke fun at the U.S. government and stir up emotion to sway the views of the audience. These posters portray a somewhat nega-
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tive image of our government and thus, create a feeling of distrust, skepticism, and disbelieve among U.S. citizens. The goal is to provide visual information of a misleading nature to publicize particular current issues, problems, and failures of the US government. In a way these posters will be mocking and poking fun at our government. In this series, I used the computer as a tool to integrate text with images in a way that communicates a message to my viewers. The computer gave me the ability to not only take found images and appropriate/manipulate them in a way that makes them unique or ‘my own’, but it also gave me the ability to manipulate im-
ages in order to achieve a common style and color scheme that remains consistent throughout each poster allowing for an unification among them. I was able to use the computer as a way to achieve my desired historical reference by manipulating images to make them appear as if they were photographed in the time period of World War II as well as using typefaces common in that period. Human desire to create continues to flourish with time and the endless improvements/enhances being made in digital-imaging technology will continue to be a prominent tool in the world or photography and design.
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P
ublic
E d u cati on
Kayleigh Forger. Educate the Youth, mixed media 17” x 11”. May 2013.
A
fg ha n ista n / I ra q
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War
Kayleigh Forger. We Want Peace, mixed media 17” x 11”. May 2013.
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D
eteri orati on of
C ul ture
Kayleigh Forger. Hold on to Your Morals, mixed media 17� x 11�. May 2013.
N
a ti ona l
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D ebt
Kayleigh Forger. Money Doesn’t Grow on Trees, mixed media 17” x 11”. May 2013.
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P
ower of
C orpora ti ons
Kayleigh Forger. Listen to the People, mixed media 17” x 11”. May 2013.
W
a r on
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D r u gs
Kayleigh Forger. Marijuana Does No Harm, mixed media 17” x 11”. May 2013.
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