Fuzzy light

I am particularly interested in this photograph  I  had taken at speed, as it just bears an impression to what was actually there, and yet I find there to be so much feeling within it. The fuzzy lighting provides a dream like haze, to which I believe can be better then reality, as it speaks to the viewer in a way that allows you to decide how much you want to believe in its authenticity, It demands nothing of you, instead it waits in silence for your verdict. 

Mind Map

Mind Map of  Ideas 

Thinking about the value words have within language, and how much like a stream, they trickle down to the next, forming sentences as they travel. Once I wrote this list I discovered I suddenly felt a lot more connected to the things all around me, and in turn opened my eyes up to use materials in my geographical location to make art that would be true and authentic to the landscape. 

Witch Trial in Europe

Witch Trails in Europe 

The first witch trails took place in the 15th century, within France and Germany. England and Scotland quickly followed in the late 16th and early 17th Century, with the focus then shifted to Scandinavia, resulting in many more executions for the Sin and Crime of witchcraft. Within the late 17th Century Poland began prosecuting people more frequently, Just after Hungry began executing those found to be witches by the 18th Century, due to the imposed laws of  Austria, whilst it was declining in western Europe from the 17th century.

Many accused witches were physically tortured in a variety of dreadful ways,,,, iron maiden, the rack ect


The common belief was that there were many ways to identify a witch:

• The devils mark -  the mark is supposedly given to them by the devil and is in intaluable to pain
• Pricking test - to prick there body with a blade, if the accused did not flinch or scream it was sure sign that they were indeed a witch.
• Swimming test - the accused would be thrown into a body of water if they floated to the surface it was a sure sign that the water was rejecting them and they were guilty. if they were to sink to the bottom a drown they would be perceived as pure and all charges would be dropped.
• Praying test - it was said that a witch was unable to read holy text without making mistakes, the lords pray would often be used to test an accused witch.
• Touch test - based on the notion that practisers of sorcery would have a special touch and would therefore place a hand on another afflicted person and if they became still, and calm. it would be claimed as a sign of witchcraft 
• Incantation - also known as charging, made the accused order the devil to come out of there trance, 

sources: http://listverse.com/2012/07/27/10-tests-for-guilt-used-at-the-salem-witch-trials/

http://thetudorenthusiast.weebly.com/my-tudor-blog/witchcraft-in-16th-17th-century-england

http://www.witchcraftandwitches.com/trials.html

Petrol Tree

Petrol Tree

Often  I am more captivated by the accidental nature of chance images, then of images I have put a lot of time and effort into, what I love about this edited image of a oil leak on pavement, is that it just existed there for anyone to find wonder in, and that accessibility to the creative is all around us in both the natural and the man-made, it just takes a interest person to see its potential.

As I played around with the contrast settings, I discovered this galaxy like world that made me feel like I was being alerted to the beauty in everything. The flecks on the pavement suddenly looked like stars, the oil, a star condition of a tree, shining brightly like a symbol of life. I produced a series of images in order to highlight the magic of  the image, and illustrate the stages of photo editing, can bring a mostly grey image to life.

Forest Photographs

Poetical Photographs

Whilst thinking about  the many forms poetry can take, I took this series of images, then edited them to achieve a painterly effect. What first attracted me to this seen was the way the street lamps glowed amongst the branches, illuminating the foliage. The composition produces an air of mystery,  that guides your eye down the path and into the wooded darkness.

  

In my head, I started to recall the wood to the nursery rhythm, 'If you go down to the woods today'. However as I looked into trees, my mind conjured up a more sinister version...

" If you go down to the woods today, be sure of a big surprise.

If you go down to the wood today, you'd better believe you eyes,

For every psycho murdering thugs' not gathering round to give you a hug,

Today's the day the cannibals eat your entrails. "

This rendition started me thinking about the importance of song to relay important messages, For hundreds of years people have been using catchy tunes to house warnings of other important messages, in order to make them easier to remember ( particular for children. ) 

The misty shadows of the images, facilitates a dialogue between the layers of light and the playful gestural nature of the branches as the perform a ballet-like dance. A sense of movement is somewhat captured here,  through contrast and context, bringing a theatrical note that is essential to the undercurrent of  the image.

This last image is particularly charged with metaphorical significance, and conjures up images of jack and the bean stalk as we see this gigantic tree disappearing unto the heavens, the quality of the light adds a dream like state to the image, the branches appear like the steps of Jacobs ladder ( A Biblical story) Or the tower of babel - stating that the people of the earth decided that they would build a ladder up to the heavens, in order to be at one with god, several groups of people started building, and they were communicating so well that the ladders grow higher and higher, when they reached an inordinate height God looked down from the heavens and saw the people climbing  up the ladders, This angered God, and he tore the ladders down. As a punishment for not knowing there place, and challenging the authority of the Lord, He changed the languages of the people from one tongue to many, knowing that this would set there communication skills back for thousands of years to come, thus stopping them from being able to communicate effectively enough to build another gigantic ladder.