John William Keedy is a Texan photographer and graphic designer, with a fine art and commercial background. The series that I will be looking at is categorised as fine art photography, and is called 'It's Hardly Noticeable'
The series "explores the world of a character who navigates living with an unspecified anxiety-based mental illness. He negotiates situations constructed to highlight the impacts and implications of his differences on his thoughts and behaviors, and by doing so raises question of normalcy. Through constructed tableaus and metaphorical still lifes, the series reveals the relationship between reality and perception, and highlights issues of pathology while questioning stereotypes of normalcy. In 2009 economist Bill Gross used the term New Normal to define the American economic landscape of the very recent past. In ensuing years, the term resonated with culture at large and became an umbrella term for changes in cultural and societal practices, identifying a shift in held notions of what is commonly viewed as acceptable.
These images question the legitimacy of applying the term normal in a societal context by prompting a reconsideration of what, if anything, is normal, or at least what is perceived and labeled as such. Is it possible for a society to have a commonly held idea of what is normal, when few individuals in that society actually meet the criteria for normalcy?" (http://www.johnwilliamkeedy.com)
Simply put, this work is about the artist's own anxiety personified and explored through photography, much like the aim of my own work. The work questions what 'normal' is, and is anybody really 'normal'?
While a lot of the images don't really connect with me and my own experiences because people feel anxiety in different ways and triggered by different things, this image really speaks to me. To me, it shows somebody who orders material things to make them feel better, perhaps things that promise a better life, a pill organiser, a really good face cleanser, and they trick themselves into thinking this is going to make them happier. But when the parcel comes, you can't be bothered to get them and open them. It's not even that it's difficult, but you just lose interest and perhaps you've realised that of course this thing won't change your life.
Yet your order another thing for the same reason. I have so much random stuff in my room because of this very reason. Personally, a lot of it is skincare. I seem to feel that if my skin is okay, i'm okay. And i'm now at the point that the skincare i've ordered won't even help, so I order more before even trying the product that's arrived, or try it for 2 days and then order something else because I don't look like a supermodel.
The image shows a progression of thought from the click of the order button to when it arrives.
In terms of visual appearance, it's really beautiful in my eyes. The colours are earthy and the packages stand out from the muted tones to create a balance for the eyes.
The textures in this image are also really well balanced; the glass, the wood, the metals and of course the paper packages. The glass in particular gives a more three dimensional look to the image due to the reflections and kind of completes it in my opinion.
The distance the image is shot at allows us to try and make guesses about the character he's reflecting upon, we know what kind of house he lives in - it doesn't look anything too fancy but not cheap either. It's in the middle - perhaps what you may call 'normal', which ties in with the meaning of the series.
This image has quite a sad feeling to it, yet relatable. It consists of dozens of post-it notes with the words 'BE BETTER' written upon them, stuck to a door and the walls surrounding it. They act as a reminder to be better when in public and no longer in the confinements of his home. Be better in terms of what though? Mentally? Physically? Morally? We're not sure but I don't believe we necessarily have to know, for the point of the image is that it underlines the shame and discomfort the character feels by being themselves - having a mental disorder. This seems to come from a place of anger and frustration, at not being 'normal'. The want to be 'better' to fit in, or so we assume from only being shown the post-it notes on the door, often comes from a negative space in your own head, when things get just that little bit too much and frustration takes over that you can't function properly. I've been there and I empathise greatly.
These images offer a physical side to a mental disorder and help visualise what some may go through. They're incredibly personal, just as the mind and one's experiences are, but by sharing these images it helps visualise an otherwise invisible illness. He uses photography to see the unseen.
And the images are really aesthetically beautiful yet troubling at the same time, which I personally see as how mental illness seems to be glorified in modern culture, particularly on social media.
This series, while rather different to how i'm portraying my own anxiety, really resonates with me. I find it interesting that he's gone such a different path to show the same thing, and I think that perhaps while still personal, his are also more universal than mine. This is because mine having a number of self-portraits reminds and audience that it's about me, whereas with these you can put yourself in his shoes. I wouldn't change my project to be more like this however, but I think this type of imagery is more like what i'm doing with my polaroids and notebook journal.
The series "explores the world of a character who navigates living with an unspecified anxiety-based mental illness. He negotiates situations constructed to highlight the impacts and implications of his differences on his thoughts and behaviors, and by doing so raises question of normalcy. Through constructed tableaus and metaphorical still lifes, the series reveals the relationship between reality and perception, and highlights issues of pathology while questioning stereotypes of normalcy. In 2009 economist Bill Gross used the term New Normal to define the American economic landscape of the very recent past. In ensuing years, the term resonated with culture at large and became an umbrella term for changes in cultural and societal practices, identifying a shift in held notions of what is commonly viewed as acceptable.
These images question the legitimacy of applying the term normal in a societal context by prompting a reconsideration of what, if anything, is normal, or at least what is perceived and labeled as such. Is it possible for a society to have a commonly held idea of what is normal, when few individuals in that society actually meet the criteria for normalcy?" (http://www.johnwilliamkeedy.com)
Simply put, this work is about the artist's own anxiety personified and explored through photography, much like the aim of my own work. The work questions what 'normal' is, and is anybody really 'normal'?
While a lot of the images don't really connect with me and my own experiences because people feel anxiety in different ways and triggered by different things, this image really speaks to me. To me, it shows somebody who orders material things to make them feel better, perhaps things that promise a better life, a pill organiser, a really good face cleanser, and they trick themselves into thinking this is going to make them happier. But when the parcel comes, you can't be bothered to get them and open them. It's not even that it's difficult, but you just lose interest and perhaps you've realised that of course this thing won't change your life.
Yet your order another thing for the same reason. I have so much random stuff in my room because of this very reason. Personally, a lot of it is skincare. I seem to feel that if my skin is okay, i'm okay. And i'm now at the point that the skincare i've ordered won't even help, so I order more before even trying the product that's arrived, or try it for 2 days and then order something else because I don't look like a supermodel.
The image shows a progression of thought from the click of the order button to when it arrives.
In terms of visual appearance, it's really beautiful in my eyes. The colours are earthy and the packages stand out from the muted tones to create a balance for the eyes.
The textures in this image are also really well balanced; the glass, the wood, the metals and of course the paper packages. The glass in particular gives a more three dimensional look to the image due to the reflections and kind of completes it in my opinion.
The distance the image is shot at allows us to try and make guesses about the character he's reflecting upon, we know what kind of house he lives in - it doesn't look anything too fancy but not cheap either. It's in the middle - perhaps what you may call 'normal', which ties in with the meaning of the series.
This image has quite a sad feeling to it, yet relatable. It consists of dozens of post-it notes with the words 'BE BETTER' written upon them, stuck to a door and the walls surrounding it. They act as a reminder to be better when in public and no longer in the confinements of his home. Be better in terms of what though? Mentally? Physically? Morally? We're not sure but I don't believe we necessarily have to know, for the point of the image is that it underlines the shame and discomfort the character feels by being themselves - having a mental disorder. This seems to come from a place of anger and frustration, at not being 'normal'. The want to be 'better' to fit in, or so we assume from only being shown the post-it notes on the door, often comes from a negative space in your own head, when things get just that little bit too much and frustration takes over that you can't function properly. I've been there and I empathise greatly.
These images offer a physical side to a mental disorder and help visualise what some may go through. They're incredibly personal, just as the mind and one's experiences are, but by sharing these images it helps visualise an otherwise invisible illness. He uses photography to see the unseen.
And the images are really aesthetically beautiful yet troubling at the same time, which I personally see as how mental illness seems to be glorified in modern culture, particularly on social media.
This series, while rather different to how i'm portraying my own anxiety, really resonates with me. I find it interesting that he's gone such a different path to show the same thing, and I think that perhaps while still personal, his are also more universal than mine. This is because mine having a number of self-portraits reminds and audience that it's about me, whereas with these you can put yourself in his shoes. I wouldn't change my project to be more like this however, but I think this type of imagery is more like what i'm doing with my polaroids and notebook journal.
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