Waste Land Photograph and Essay
To start, view the film Waste Land on Kanopy. (Your Kanopy login is the same as your Dallas College login.)
Next, further research the works of artist Vik Muniz.
This assignment has two parts. You must submit both parts for credit.
1) After viewing the film, you will create a new photographic image by collecting a material of your choice and recreating a previous work of art OR an image
of your creation by arranging your new materials and photographing the arrangement. (One way to do this is to print your starter image, lay a sheet of
plexiglass over it, then place your collected materials on top of that.) The material that you choose should have a conceptual connection to the image you
create. You should plan out all aspects of your photograph. Be sure to utilize the Elements and Principles of Design in a purposeful way! You will give your
photograph a title that reflects the meaning of the work as you define it. Use the title of your artwork as the title of your essay.
2) Next you will write an essay explaining the design decisions you made in the image (where, how and why you used the Elements and Principles of Design),
how the material you chose to work with connects to the meaning of your image, as well as directly connecting your photograph to ideas in the film. Your
response must be a minimum of 300 words. If you are not sure how to connect your essay with the film, some questions to possibly consider in your essay
include:
How did the trash picking job change the people in the documentary? How did taking part in the documentary change them?
Did you find this documentary to be positive or negative? Do you believe the artist exploited the workers? Explain your views.
What is the ethical responsibility of filmmakers who interfere with their subjects’ lives, focus attention on them for a brief time, document their lives in film,
and then leave?
In thinking about the work of art you created, what happens to the meaning of the material you work with when you take it from actually existing to existing in
a photograph?
Why does representation through photography seem to hold so much power?
Has photography played a role in telling / understanding your own story? How so?
How do you think your ideas on class, race, gender, age, or other social or cultural factors have been shaped by the photography and images you have been
exposed to?
You do not need to answer all of the above proposed questions, but should focus on one or two ideas in depth instead in order to explore them more fully.
It must be clear from your essay that you watched the film in order to receive full credit on the essay; be sure to make specific references.
Remember to submit both your photo and your essay!
Through a Lens Darkly photograph and Essay .
To start, view the film Through a Lens Darkly: Black Photographers and the Emergence of a People on Kanopy.
Notice: a portion of this film contains historical photographs portraying nudity and violence related to the history of slavery in America. If you find imagery in
this film difficult you may skip forward as you feel is appropriate, though I do encourage you to engage with the ideas being presented. My goal in assigning
this film is to challenge you to consider complex ideas of representation and power, not to overwhelm you. Please navigate the film as you feel is appropriate
to you while still engaging with it in a way that allows you to respond to the ideas in the assignment below.
This assignment has two parts. You must submit both parts for credit.
1) After viewing the film, you will first create a photographic self-portrait by taking a photograph of yourself that you believe represents your identity as YOU
define it. You should plan out all aspects of your photograph. Be sure to utilize the Elements and Principles of Design in a purposeful way in your self-portrait!
BE CREATIVE. You must also submit a photo taken at the same time and in the same clothing holding a piece of paper with your name on it to prove that you
have created an original image for the assignment. Be sure to attach both images along with your essay.
2) Next you will write an essay explaining the design decisions you made in your portrait (how you used ther Elements and Principles of Design), how you see
yourself and what you are trying to say with your portrait, as well as directly connecting your photograph to ideas in the film. Your response must be a
minimum of 300 words. If you are not sure how to connect your essay with the film, some questions to possibly consider in your essay include:
In the film the directors says, “Freedom is inextricably tied to the power to create one’s self image.” What do you think they meant by that? Do you agree or
disagree? How does this relate to your own image?
Why does representation through photography seem to hold so much power?
Has photography played a role in telling / understanding your own family’s story? How so?
How do you think your ideas on race, gender, age, or other social or cultural factors have been shaped by the photography and images you have been
exposed to?
Do you believe the history of photography has had an effect on how people relate to you or what they assume about you? Explain.
Do you believe people are being represented more truthfully in photography now than one hundred and fifty years ago? Why or why not?
You do not need to answer all of the above proposed questions, but should focus on one or two ideas in depth instead in order to explore them more fully.
It must be clear from your essay that you watched the film in order to receive full credit on the essay; be sure to make specific references.
