So. After school today I saw a message on my phone from Rodd Lucier (@thecleversheep) wondering if I might have a photo to enter into the TVO Photography Month contest.
The contest is working off of the Contact 2011 theme: Figure & Ground.
Focusing on our relationship to the environment, CONTACT 2011: Figure & Ground looks at how photographic images alter perception, inform knowledge, and uncover meaning. From classical portraits of the figure in the landscape to critical views of a ground transformed by human intervention, the works in this year’s festival explore the shifting tensions between humanity and nature.
You can read more on the actual theme by following the link above, and work to assemble meaning from a large block of uninterrupted text that contains words and phrases like Gestalt, confluence, totality, order from chaos, Marshall McLuhan, permeate, Edward Burtynsky, humanity, and — enjoy this nice string of consecutive words — “metaphor, allegory, theoretical platform, and compositional device.”
I trolled through my Flickr pics from the last couple of years, and have selected the following pics that either reflect (for me, at least) some aspects of the Figure & Ground theme, or (just, at the very least) show a figure and the ground.
NOTE: I’m not sure that I can submit any of these for the actual contest, as there seems to be a potential conflict with most of these and the contest Photographic Requirement #8:
8. Any Photograph containing any one who is under the age of nineteen (19) will be rejected and deemed an invalid entry. Any Photograph containing identifiable persons or identifiable locations will also be rejected and deemed a voided, invalid entry.
Requirement #8 aside for the time being, here are my 5 picked pics!
So, even if these pics don’t qualify due to requirement #8 (I guess Inukshuk Man might — if he qualifies as a figure …), my thanks go out to Rodd for the great suggestion! A little thinking (and reading) never harm the photographer’s developing eye.
If you’re interested in following the Scotiabank Contact 2011 contest, there’s also an app for that …
I went through my own images, and found a few landscapes, but most of my ‘figures’ wouldn’t qualify. Thanks for sharing these photos… I was secretly hoping to see your take on the theme.
“Ice Road” has always been one of my favourite photos, for oh-so-many reasons. It was one of my first posted photos, and immediately came to mind as a Figure + Ground (okay, well, ice) candidate. Lots there — nature and the elements and man out there struggling to get some food to survive; vehicles suggested (tracks), but not seen; fishies swimming around underfoot; the majesty of the ice-scape and sky-scape.
“Serendipity at the Shore” also captures a lot with the macro/micro components in the image (the lake and the clouds and the horizon; the flower and the (originally unseen) bug and web strands), and my son sandwiched in the middle of it all.
“Inukshuk Man” speaks to tiny humans set upon huge landscapes and timescapes. Such a strong “figure,” even if it’s not shown using an actual human — it represents one, as well as speaking for one.
“Parliament Hill by Cell Phone” captures an incredible amount of human manipulation of the environment (construction) to create a meeting “space” within a congested city — in this case, populated by a single figure who reaches out to communicate with someone somewhere else. Ironic.
“Voyageur on Portage” (okay, three Figures + Ground) speaks to me of the story of Man on the land — historic elements; storytelling; generations; respect; the journey. You kind of had to be there — though maybe not, either.
Thanks again, Rodd, for the invite!
Andrew, I very much agree with your interpretation of “”Ice Road”. It is a very complex photograph and is saturated in meaning and stimulates thought provoking inquiry for the viewer. It is truly an amazing shot. I really do hope that aside from (despite) requirement #8, your photography is a winner.
Untapped understanding: If only more teachers asked their students to think about imagery in the way you’ve modeled. Whether considering their own works, or the works of others, there is great value in considering the effectiveness of imagery in conveying messages. The photographic challenges I’ve seen (and experienced) are great reminders that I like to think like an artist (even if I’m not at representing the themes myself).
I wonder what other folks do to encourage their charges to bridge the chasm between their left and right brains?