Final Images & Map Grids

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These 6 pairs of images are what I have chosen for my finals for this book project, along with the images are the map grids of the locations i took the images on the walk plus thier grid references. I am pleased with the results of these images, however I can't help but shake the feeling that among the other pictures I took on the photoshoot there could be a better pair of images or perhaps 1 or 2 more pairs i could add to the book.

Final Crit

On the final crit of this project i presented my contact sheets to my lecturer and to my peers and as best as i could attempted to explain the whole concept of my work. My classmates seemed to enjoy the images i had taken but couldn't quite understand the reason why i had paired the images i chosen up to represent the idea of macrocosom. After they had given me thier thoughts and ideas on my work it got me thinking that maybe the images i chose weren't quite right.

However my lecturer then pointed out that I had accidently come across a hidden meaning within my images, he explained that all my images seemed to have a hidden concept of incaraceration and being trapped. The images i had taken seemed to show a mixture of controlled and enclosed envionments, such as the paths that i photographed representing the controlled and the images of animals trapped behind bared wire fencing, enclosed. This concept really interested me and gave me a much better idea of how i could go about bringing my book together, a final comment that was mentioned was that the macro shots i took are more interesting than the landscape shots, it gave the impression of letting the viewer decide what the image is of rather that being too literal with it and just telling the viewer what their looking at.

So with this helpful advise from my peers and lecturer i feel alot more at ease about the production of my book and have a much stronger ideas on how i might go about making it.

Contact Sheets

Here are the contact sheets of my photoshoot along the River Chess. Some of the subjects that i photographed may not be as strong as others but i feel that i have enough material here to work with in producing my book.
After closer inspection of my images i think its safe to say i have 6-7 pairs of images that would work for my book.

The Walk & Map

When I started a search for a map of the River Chess walk route it became alot harder than I first thought. Searching for a map online may seem like an easy task, but to find a map on the net with co -ordnates is tricky. All the main options such as Google maps, Google latitude and so forth aren't the best choices to go for in my opinion. Luckily being that my dad is a very keen walker and map reader/collecter he showed me his Ordnance Survey map collection and I discovered the Explorer 172 map which covers the High Wycombe, Maidenhead and Richmansworth, East Chiltern Hills areas.



After carefully looking through the map we were able to find The River Chess walking route, so I scanned the section of the map into my computer and cropped it down to make it more easily acessable to follow when on the walk itself.



We started the walk from Mill Farm in Chenies Bottom and made our way through the fields and cut down to the left to gain better access to the river's edge. Once we reached Latimer Road we took the right hand road towards the church, then progressed into the town of Latimer and joined the rest of the path back through the fields we already came across and to the start again at Mill Farm.

Altogether I think the walk was a pretty good success. At first it was worringly difficult to try and piece together pairs of images that would express the meaning of macrocosom. To my luck there turned out to be more promising subject matters that I first antisipated. I feel that the final images I have chosen from this photoshoot have brought out the concept of macrocosom and microcosm, maybe not as strong as I hoped they could of been but im pleased with them none the less.

Chris Drury - Heart Of Reeds

The creation of a reed bed in the heart of Lewes, East Sussex, designed by international land artist Chris Drurey. (Apologies for the size of the images)

The design itself is a complex pattern, a double vortex, taken from a cross section through a human heart, reflecting the interconnections between man and enviornment. The relationship between science, nature and art is a preoccupation for Chris Drury, who has a reputation for site specific work created within the natural landscape. The design of the reed bed is based on the double vortex shape of a cross section through the human heart and similar visual patterns found in nature. Much of Drury's current work refers to the idea of macrocosom and microcosm and the rythems of the universal movement.

So rather than travelling and photographing animals and plant life that connects with the macro/microcosm he has gone one step further and created his own enviornment.

The reed bed will be constructed from Northfolk Reed within the flood plain south of the town. By increasing the borderlands between water and land it is hoped the work will provide a richer habitat and therefore a larger diversity of species in an area aleady rich in wetland wildlife and to extend the possibilities of this local nature reserve as a unique resource for study and education.

Marcosocom Photography - Steven Myers

Artist Statement

"My belief is that art, is any form, is an expression of an individuals thoughts or perceptions : a unique way of looking at the world. People create art for an infinate number of reasons...relaxation, refuge, inspirations, social responsibility...I keep it simple : I shoot what I like".

Steven Myers mixtures of wildlife, plantlife and landscape photography has captured the nature and meaning of the word macrocosom. At first you may not realise it but after viewing the image and reading the caption that accompanies it, you then understand the full significance of the picture.

Macrocosom & Microcosm

Macrocosom & Microcosm was a theory first concieved by an ancient greek philosopher named Democritus in the 5th Century.

Wikipedia - "Macrocosom & Microcosm is an ancient Greek schema of seeing the same patterns reproduced in all levels of the cosmos, from the largest scale (macrocosom or universe level) all the way down to the smallest scale (microcosm or sub-sub-atomic or even metaphysical level).

Basically what this means (i think) is there is a world within a world.

For example if you were walking past a local pond and observed a pair of ducks and thier ducklings, that is considered a family on a naturalist level with a human family. It triggers memories and thoughts of man-made entites.
Another example would be if you photographed two animals having intimate relations, such as rubbing one another, following in either's footsteps or trails or as simple as making eye contact.

A New Direction, Macrocosom & Microchosom

On the last tutorial with my leacturer, new ideas were discussed about what I could do with my concept for this assignment. These new ideas included the Macrocosom & Microchosom theory, and to put this theory into practice along the River Chess in Chenies Bottom, Chesham. My leacturer thought it was quite ironic that the start of the walk begins at Chenies Bottom which is the same as my last name Chaney, it could make quite a nice title for my project.