HannerMose

These were taken in response to Salvador Dali’s...

Mon, 20 Dec 2010 13:46:00 +0000

These were taken in response to Salvador Dali’s ‘Lobster Telephone’. My favourite is the one which looks like it has been taken through a pin-hole camera. What I actually did was take it through one of the holes of a cassette tape to look like the camera was spying on the radio. I took the photos in my loft, because it created a dark atmosphere. The final photo was taken on a slow shutter speed, and I zoomed in and out as the shutter was open. The photo looks out of control and manic.

I decided to use a radio and tape because it’s another communication device. I wanted to respond to the sexual connotations of Dali’s work so I experimented by wrapping some tape around the radio.

Salvador Dali - Lobster Telephone I have admired this photograph...

Wed, 08 Dec 2010 15:05:18 +0000

Salvador Dali - Lobster Telephone

I have admired this photograph for ages, and have decided to use it as the starting point for my coursework project on sound. The ‘lobster telephone’ is from Salvador Dali’s collection of surrealist photos and stood out to me because of the bright orange colour and extreme randomness. What I find inspiring about it is the use of contrasting colour and vintage-looking objects.

Lobsters and telephones had strong sexual connotations for Dali, and he drew a close link between food and sex. He made Lobster Telephone for Edward James, an English collector who was the most active patron of Surrealist artists in the 1930s. When showing this photograph to some of my friends, they noticed the sexual promiscuity of the piece, making the photograph successfully communicative. The shot and story behind it conjures up an image of an aphrodisiac and the photo inspires me to carry on a ‘food and technology’ set of images.

The bright colour of the lobster is definitely eye catching but doesn’t distract us from the unexpected conjunction (of the lobster paired with the telephone) which Dali desired. We are immediately drawn to the lobster, but when analysing further, I am also drawn to the wire and shadow created by the still life.

In response to Dali’s Lobster Telephone, I will photograph other communication devices which make sound (such as radios, televisions, musical instruments etc.) surrounded by simple backgrounds of plain colours. Including food in my photographs will definitely give them another dimension, and will also respond more successfully to Dali’s work, but I need to give more thought to what food I would photograph, and how it would link to my communication devices.

My trip to New York City, 2010.

Wed, 08 Dec 2010 14:29:00 +0000

Taxi

Horse and cart

Empire State Building

View from Empire State

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Statue of Liberty

Times Square

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My trip to New York City, 2010.

Some of my inspirations as a photographer. The first, my...

Wed, 08 Dec 2010 14:12:00 +0000

Gabriel's Oboe by Ennio Morricone

Russian Ballet

Composers

New York

Some of my inspirations as a photographer. The first, my favourite piece of music, was played at both of my grandad’s funerals. I drew it above my bedroom door and it reminds me of them everyday. The second reminds me of Russia, and when I visited the country in 2006 I became obsessed with their culture. Tchaicovsky is the most famous writer of Russian Ballet music and is also my favourite composer. Thirdly, I found a poster when on holiday in Spain in 2010 and it related to my ambition to photograph sound and music. Finally, found before I went to New York, I added this photograph to my collection of inspirations relating to my theme of “sound”. I’ve always wanted to visit the city as it’s filled with the things I love: shopping and broadway.