Initial Idea

After brainstorming and looking at certain things that my current and previous work has focussed on, I narrowed down to two possible sets of images/ pieces of work that would be suitable for this assignment.
After presenting my two proposals to a small peer group and Les Monaghan (our tutor), I decided that with the help of Les to focus on the strongest proposal, the metalwork idea. To put the idea into more detail, please read the proposal further down the page. I have basically been granted access into one of the few still remaining and running metalwork forges. The area that I am particularly focussing on within this business is the techniques that they unitise to create the one off metal items, as well as the history behind these techniques and how the majority of the metal work industry has left most of these techniques behind. In a word, I am praising the talented metal workers for still utilising the techniques that seem to be almost forgotten about, but which used to be the building blocks of this industrial country. 

Although I will almost defiantly carry on with both of the below proposals at some point in the near future, I decided that the metalwork idea was closer to my heart and more suitable. The Barcelona set of photographs, looking into the connection between the mother and their children will carry on to be an ongoing piece of personal work. Similar work can be found on my website at  www.ben-stokes.co.uk. I have decided to blog both of my initial proposals below.

I wrote proposals for each of these possible pieces of work and described a little bit about each of them, see below.



Barcelona 

Ben Stokes

Proposal 1

Point of View

I intend to produce a 30-180 seconds moving time-based piece with a narrative that explores the connection between parents and their children.

A trip to Barcelona two years ago sparked a set of images, which documented this connection. I will combine the images that I took in Barcelona with some photographs that I took in Croatia this year which are based on the same idea. I will also produce some original visual work which document the same idea in various cities and towns in the North West, to help show how the connection between adults and their children in a range of different communities/ areas. I will then create the moving time based piece using the still, video footage and audio. ­

Below are some examples of my previous work which look into the same idea and context. 

Metalwork

Ben Stokes

Proposal 2

Point of View

I intend to produce a 30-180 seconds moving time-based piece with a narrative that looks into how industry has changed dramatically since the industrial revolution and how there are still some companies utilising the original techniques from many years ago.

I intend to produce a set of images documenting a small business that utilises some of the techniques that I talk about. The images will then be combined with video footage and audio clips to show the creation of a product and the processes that the material goes through. I want to highlight these unique processes and to inform people about the decline of the handful of metal work forges that still exist.

Some of the main things that were affected during the industrial revolution from 1760 to some time between 1820-1840’s are as follows: textiles, coal mining, ironwork, transportation and metalwork techniques.

I have decided to choose one of the affected areas, the metal working industry.

My target audience for this piece of moving imagery will be galleries and exhibitions around the UK especially those town and communities hit hardest by the decline in industry. This work, like most of my photography, will be of a documentary style.

 Below are some examples of my previous work which are took at the same metal work company/ forge for a different set of work.