* Drop Dead! (NOT a bmth reference)

http://danielaedburg.com

Hey! This photographer is awesome. I am ALL about the whole fairytale-esque shoots, they are the best, &she pulls it off so well, with such a clever concept. 

 I thought I'd better post the rest of the series, as I posted the "Death by Cake" in my 'f*ck you' post a few days ago, &write a little something about them. 

 The series really appeals to me, as I am forever stuffing my tummy with sweets, chocolate etc! &absolutely loving every minute of it.....until that horrible feeling of fullness kicks in, &then I want to actually die.  So, for me, the title is really clever aswell&I completely understand where she is coming from with  "Drop Dead Gorgeous". 

"that which gives me pleasure one minute, causes guilt the next. I am surprised 

at how much i like the products I consume, but, if you stop for one second to 

think about it, it's absurd. Yet, you can't stop."

- Daniela Edburg

I particularly enjoy the bright colours in every single shot, but then there is that one shot at the beginning of the series "Death by Oreos" that is very dark, it actually reminds you of death, but is still humorous&fun (especially with the reference to the famous painting of Whistler's mother). 

Another thing that is absolutely charming about Edburg, is that she never uses professional models in any of her works, she only uses her friends.

* Hell To Sell

Vivienne Westwood is my favourite everything. That does make sense,&has a few meanings, but I guess that's only if you read it correctly. 

I'm so glad that Pamela Anderson is modelling the new collection, both are brilliant.

 The girl has still got it....I've always wanted 'it', but still am no further to discovering what 'it' actually is?! 

"the qualities that give pleasure to the senses"

- define:beauty (google)

 I think the photographs work extremely well, I've read about a lot of people saying how 'ugly' Pamela Anderson is, &what a 'freak' Vivienne Westwood is. I find these people, &their statements, absolutely hilarious. 

 For me, they have shown a different side to Vivienne Westwood, &I don't know about you, but I would never of thought to team Pammy and Viv together (by this I mean Pamela Anderson&Vivienne Westwood clothing, but I also mean actual Pamela&actual Vivienne, as people).

 The contrast between Anderson&Westwood is so good; hair colour, age, even style, &I love the simplicity&the 'normal day life' feel the photographs have to them, but at the same time you can't help but have that feeling of slight craziness? Like something just doesn't add up quite right, but that's what I love about these photographs. They puzzle me. I've found that Vivienne has that effect on me, also.

 In my head they shouldn't work, probably because I don't, well I didn't think Pamela Anderson would actually wear Vivienne Westwood outside of the photo shoot, or maybe she would? 

 I quite clearly need to research the Anderson, and her 'style', before I can really comment on what she would or wouldn't wear, but until that day comes, all I'm saying is that they are an unusual, but amazing, pair and opposites quite clearly attract!

 &I don't even need to comment on Juergen Teller. Although, I'm sure my tutor will have something to say about that decision, soooo, just for you Julie, 'always brilliant'. 

Perfect x

* f*ck you

Look inside, look inside your tiny mind. Then look a bit harder. 'Cause we're so uninspired, so sick&tired of all the hatred you harbor.

So you say its not okay to be gay, well I think you're just evil.

You're just some racist who can't tie my laces, your point of view is medevil.

Daniella Edburg. I love this image, I love the colour used, the contrast of the pink and the yellow makes me think of sickly things and, without being disgusting, vomit. She just looks exhausted, maybe form eating too much cake or, by the looks of her dress and appearance, exhausted from trying to be the 'perfect housewife'. Poor girl, I think she's tried to bake one too many cakes at one time!

The way the table cloth is hanging of the table, and the tea towel clinging for life onto the oven door, both can be seen to represent the way she is draped over the oven. I like the way they flow together across the photograph, from table cloth-to her-to tea towel and back again.

I like the way she is so oddly positioned. How did she ever get underneath a table and then pass out onto an open over door? And surely the oven door is hot? These are the types of things that remind you that it isn't real life, everything you see has been purposely set up and the model has been posed. She is not a documentary photographer where nothing is staged, like Nan Goldin or Richard Billingham. Edburg makes strange decisions sometimes that make you really think about why she made that decision. I love photographers/artists that have that talent.

* Reinventing the Wheel to Run Myself Over (aka Gallery visit)

So today I got the dreaded DLR to Canning Town, &from there, made my way to Oxford Circus via the Jubilee&Central lines.

My final destination being the new location of The Photographers Gallery.
Our class were to view the 'Deutsche Borse Photography Prize 2009' Exhibition; works from Paul Graham, Tod Papageorge, Taryn Simon, and Emily Jacir.

Paul Graham (1956, UK - nominated for 'a shimmer of possibility') was the first exhibition to greet us. His work is a collection of photographs he has taken from travelling across the United States of America, between 2004&2006. He shot 'every day activities' such as basketball or waiting for a bus.

"nothing much happens but everything shimmers in the flow of life"

- Paul Graham.

The first set of photographs to immediately catch my eye, were of a homeless-looking man clutching some flowers. They were ridiculously powerful. There was no information about this man, you had to make up your own opinion of him by the way he looked in the photograph. This intrigued me further.

I instantly felt sympathy for him, and wanted to give him a big hug. Which is strange because I'm pretty sure if I saw him in the street, face-to-face, &he tried to give me a big hug I would, in return, try to give him a big slap around the face.

Just everything about the series was, to me, dripped in sympathy&wonder. Although, saying that, he didn't look upset or depressed, his facial expressions had so much hope, and even a touch of happiness, or maybe comfort? Like he had accepted his life as it is.

I don't know if the feminism of the pink flowers brought this out of him, but I think they definitely helped. The contrasts between his appearance&the flowers' are so strong; his scruffy, rough, dirty, dark, but harmless exterior, mixed with the flowers' delicate, pretty, girly coloured exterior brings so much feeling to the series. I really enjoy any type of contrast in a photograph, I think it makes the shot so much stronger.

It seems that the flowers were important to him, which i thought was so lovely! Which girl isn't a complete sucker for a guy that loves flowers....&pink flowers at that!

The shots are truly brilliant, I still want to find out the real story behind that gentleman....but knowing me, he'll turn out to be a multi-murderer or something equally as foul.