Neoteric Photography aims to explore photography in an age where the image is everywhere. The image has become prolific yet easily forgotten. Hoping to find something to hold onto, something that will survive longer that it takes for pixels to appear upon a screen.
Today we are just updating the website, I will add all my updates here. I will also be adding a new portfolio page for my project in Art Portfolio One.
I began by updating the copyright from 2024 to 2025. I did this by clicking on copyright text and just adjusting the number. I then saved and republished
I then checked all my social links were working and did not need updating - I need to remove X from my site which I will do.
I then checked my Home, Portfolio, About and Contact page. I was happy with these and they all work well and I have buttons to navigate back home and back to portfolio, I also checked these in the mobile view and everything is working including back to top button.
I the needed to add a new image to front portfolio page. To do this on Wix, I clicked on the add button in the tools menu. I then clicked on upload image. Once this was uploaded, I clicked on 'add to page' and then I positioned this carefully using gridlines and the tranform controls
I then added a new page for my project for this term. Therefore I clicked 'pages and menu' and then clciked on 'new page'. I then clciked into teh box and changed the name to my project title. I made sure the box was underneath the portfolio page. I then clicked on the three dots at the end of the box and clicked on 'subpage' in the dropdown box. Next I went back to my main portfolio page. I went to the 'add' button in the tools menu and then to 'button', I then customsed the button to match the others on the page and used the same font which was 'Playfair Display Bold' . Lastly, I clicked on button and using the link icon, a dialog box opens and I chose the page (my new page) that I wanted it to link to.
I then saved all my changed, I republished. Then I checked that the button worked live.
I then went to my blank page that I just created and I am going to add a title, introduction and back to portfolio button and I will add a box for film
I began by ading the title I did this by clicking on the 'add' button and the text and choosing 'Heading 1'. I then ensured the the text was in the same font 'Playfair display' I changed the size to fit the page appropriately to 64pts. I then aligned the text to the centre using the gridlines.
I then repeated this process abvove and just added a 'paragraph' to the page - this will be where I add the introduction to my project.
The last things I need to do were to add the 'gallery' and a 'back to portfolio' button. I clicked on the 'add' button tools menu and I chose 'Music and video' I then chose the youtube box which I dragged into my page. I then added my video from YouTube by using the embed/share link. I then added another button by clicking on 'Add' and then 'Button', I chned the text to 'Back to Portfolio' and I clicked n the link and in the dialog box chose the page I wanted it link to which was 'Portfolio'.
I then saved all my changes and republished. I then previewed andchecked everything work. I was happy with these changes - this is now ready for final work.
I was going to complete further research on Hermann Nitsch however I felt he was perhaps too controversial and some may have had issues with the blood and rituals. Therefore I thought about a work by Carolee Schneemann, I went to the exhibition at the Barbican that is discussed in the film below.
As with all performance art it is difficult to discuss as the live performance is now over and we just have the films of these performances, so the visceral quality, the response will be different when viewing on a screen.
Schneemann was feminist and worked as the film stated for 50 years exploring body politics, women's rights and sexual desire. One of her pieces was a record of sexual parameters from the viewpoint of a woman and this recorded - this record or survey as Schneemann wrote; 'This survey does not meet strict scientific standards, it is subjective and impressionistic information presents a range of sexual experience to establish a basis for exemplary erotic expression' (Schneemann, 2003) This is a free expression by women of their sexual experience and response to it, this work was made in 1971 where women still did not have equality and certainly not sexual equality. A woman's body is still today objectified however the strides made by feminism are being reversed as although now women talk very openly about women's issues and their bodies, the rise of technology once again, has made their bodies into a battleground as the selfie and perfect image of themselves has become, for some, an obsession to now quiet unattainable standards. Also, social media and campaigns like the #metoo campaign has turned many younger men off feminism, Ethic magazine online states; 'Many social scientists agree that an increasing number of young men are mired in discomfort, in a crisis that challenges their identity, self-esteem and the value of their interpersonal relationships.' (Perez, 2024) Some now believe that women's rights has gone too far and that now men are becoming victims or being actively discriminated against. All of this is a serious concern as in fact women are still losing rights and the reversal of Roe vs Wade (1973) was a great victory for women and rights over their bodies this has now been reversed.
What Schneemann fought for her whole life was for women to have rights over their bodies and as she stated when asked 'Do you feel women are under siege?' she answered 'Constantly endlessly. Our 'siege' is privileged: we are under siege but able to observe, comment, criticize.' (Schneemann, 2003:202) this means as Western women, now there are many places where women do not have this privilege.
I realise I have not spoken of individual works in detail, as I said this is quite difficult to do as it is complex and I don't think I would fully do Schneemann justice here, I do think speaking of her overriding message in her works is the most important. I will discuss Eye Body: 36 Transformative Actions for Camera, 1963. This was like a living painting, I like this work as embodies performance, painting and photography and the materiality of these images interest me. Schneemann stated she wanted to work with her own body and 'I wanted my actual body to be combined with the work as an integral material - a further dimension of construction' (Schneemann, 2003:55).
Schneemann created this work 'as if in a trance' she wanted to experience; 'the flesh as material I chose to work with' (Schneemann, 2003:55). She stated that the only other artist who was making body art like this at this time that she knew was Yoko Ono. This work was to take back control of her body, her work. She did not want to be like a man but as she states that she wrote; 'my creative female will' (Schneemann, 2003:55) needed expression and these are transformative actions that she wanted to create to show her female will, her force, her work.
Through Schneemann's work, I still feel the force of her creative will and it always inspires me to remember that inside me I have my creative will and it should be bold and forceful and whenever voices tell you that it goes too far perhaps it hasn't gone far enough, art, now more than ever, needs to be forceful and to respond and reflect the times we find ourselves in.
References
Barbican Centre (2024). Carolee Schneemann: An Introduction. [online] Youtu.be. Available at: https://youtu.be/DZKYHeJYD7I?si=VqBF6GqY3R-hbQTJ [Accessed 23 Feb. 2025].
Carolee Schneemann Foundation (n.d.). Carolee Schneemann Foundation. [online] www.schneemannfoundation.org. Available at: https://www.schneemannfoundation.org/ [Accessed 23 Feb. 2025].
Schneemann, C. (2003). Imaging Her Erotics : essays, interviews, Projects. First ed. Cambridge, Mass.: The Mit Press.
Perez, L. (2024). Why Antifeminism Is Spreading Among Gen Z - Ethic. [online] Ethic. Available at: https://ethic.es/english/why-antifeminism-is-spreading-among-gen-z/ [Accessed 23 Feb. 2025].
Today in this workshop I will be creating a concept board and front cover for my project this term, I will be doing this in Photoshop.
I have opened Photoshop, and I will start by making a canvas I did this by just clicking on 'File' in the top menu and 'New', I then clicked on Print in the top menu of the dialog box and then I chose A4/A3 in portrait orientation I checked it was 300 resolution and it had a white background. I then clicked 'create'
I then wanted to add an image as the background for my cover/concept board. I chose an image from imsplash, downloaded as teh largest size. I then went back to Photoshop and clicked on 'File' in the top menu and then 'Open' I then selected the image by clicking on 'Select' in the top menu and then 'Select All' I then clicked on 'Edit' in the top menu and 'Copy' and then I went back to my canvas and clicked 'Edit' and then 'Paste'. I then used transform controls to pull the image over my canvas and completed it by clicking on the move tool in the tools menu.
My next step was to add text so I clicked on the 'T' tool in the tools menu. I then clicked on the canvas and changed the font that suited my collection the case of the design board and a different font for the bookcover.
Design Board font was Georgia at 72pts for the title and 48pts for the subtitle.
The Book Cover was Bell MT 36pts for title and name
I used the move tool and gridlines to get these into the correct position.
I then added an image and began writing my concept for the collection using the same font and consistent text. I also could add a logo here.
Will add an image when back in the Digital Arts room!
With the book cover, I saved this as a PSD and jpeg file onto my desktop. I then opened Google Docs and opened a new file. I went to insert the image and uploaded it onto my first page. I then went to the second page, went to the bottom, and added the copyright. I added the copyright symbol by clicking on insert in the top menu and then special characters and then I searched for the copyright symbol.
I also added page numbers by going to format in the top menu and then in the box I unclicked show on the first page and chose the footer for the page numbers.
I then left a blank page and on the next page I added the text . On the last page, I added picture credits.
To finish I have completed a mock-up of my FlipBook
I have now completed all the pages of my website so I will be evaluating it here by checking through these questions to ensure that there are no issues or problems I need to fix prior to making my website live.
Planning stage:
What were your initial ideas for creating a website? style / name / template my initial idea was to create a website that would represent my artists work which should include photography, performance, writing and film. As an artist the site would be in my name and I choose a photography template as this was the closest to the kind of work I do and was very customiable.
Do you have a tagline on your website? No I do not have a tagline, I have a subheading with my area of study Photography and Performance.
Research:
Which designers / artists (relevant to your continuation route) websites did you look for inspiration?
I looked at the websites of Hermann Nitsch and Pippi Lotti Rist, Performance websites are often not that well made but Nitsch's website was encyclopeadic and Rists was the extreme opposite and very minimal. I am hoping that my website will be a balance between the two and I will be able to engage my audience with my design, easy to use navigation and my work.
How many pages did you want to make on your website and why? Did that change as you progressed onto the research / designing stage?
I have made four main pages that are on my main navigation menu, I also have started by adding one subpage for my first project. I like the simpicity of the four pages and subpages can be added whenever I want to add new work.
Content:
What is the purpose of your website? The purpose of my website is to attract an audience to my work, I can use this site as a showcase and I can promote on social media, at exhibitions or in galleries. I can also use this as a link to my audience as they can contact me and we can begin a conversation. I can and will later add another page about the latest news and what I am doing and where my work is showing.
Who are your potential website users?
My potential users I am hoping will be an audience to my work, I expect that my main audice maybe Generation X and possibly millenial. It will be people who ar interested in conceptual photography and film so quite niche.
Why do you think it is important to have a digital portfolio website? It is essential to have a website as an artist as this how the majority of users will access my work, most will probably do this from a mobile phone so it is absolutely essential that themobile view is very good and exceptionally user friendly so my work can be accessed anywhere. As stated previously users can view my work here, later on they will be able to view the latest news and also they can contact me.
Design:
Which design elements / tools did you use? (e.g.: infographics, fixed header, static background image, navigation menu design, text boxes, image galleries, social media feed) and why? My website design has a grey/white colour palette and ues a static header and footer so that these can be viewed on all pages. The backgrounds are all static and I have added a full background photograph to the homepage - I may add a silding gallery to the homepage later on but for now the one image filling the background does have impact. The image I chose I think is a very good representation of me, with a mixture of the domestic and the books that I love. The text throughout is Palantino Linotype which I chose as a sans serif font and discovered; 'Palatino was designed by German typeface designer Hermann Zapf, who also created Optima. It was initially released in 1948 by the Linotype foundry.' (Leurs, 1997) Interestingly Monotype produced a very similar font Book Antique, this is on microsoft Windows and Microsoft Office. I have included the social media bar in my static header as this means this will also appear on each page and is accessible at all times to the reader/audience and they can access more information about me and my work.
Which template did you use in Wix and why? As stated above I used a photography template as this suited the format and style of my work and was easily customisable to accomodate the work I will produce.
How many pages does your website have and why? Again this is stated above - Four pages and I will add subpages for work and I may add a Latest News page on the main navigation menu
Navigation:
Does your website have working social media icon links? Yes I have added a social bar in my static header, I have added Blogger which is the work I do teaching Digital Arts, I also have Linkedin which is my professional profile and CV. I have also added my YouTube Channel which includes performance and film work.
Are your pages connected / interlinked?
Not all (yet!) I have made sure the portfolio has back butons and links to all pages. I will add a back to home button on my about page and possibly on my contact page too so that there really is easy clicks back to where ythe user wants to be throughout.
Is it easy to navigate? Yes as above many buttons and teh navigation menu appears at the top of all pages as it is placed in my static header.
Does the “Contact” page / email link work?
Yes in preview and pre-live tests this works but will need to be UX tested once the website is live.
References
Leurs, L. (1997). The Palatino font | 30 typefaces - their look, history & usage. [online] Prepressure. Available at: https://www.prepressure.com/fonts/interesting/palatino [Accessed 20 Feb. 2025].
Today I am setting my portfolio/gallery page, ready to add my project work for this term for assessment.
I have opened Wix and the I am going to click on Pages and Menu and the 'Portfolio'
Next I added a new page by clicking on 'pages and Menu and then 'Add menu item' and then 'New Page' I then changed the name of this page to the name of my project. I then made this into subpage by clicking on the three dots at the end and choosing 'subpage'
I then change the colour of my main portfolio page to match the rest of my website. I did this by just right clicking on the background and then clicked 'change background' in the dropdown box. I chose the shade of grey that is the same as the rest of the site.
I then added a title to the page and description. I did this by clicking on the 'Add' button in the left-hand tools menu and choose 'Heading' 1 for the title and a 'small paragraph' for the description. I then clicked on 'Edit Text' and changed the font to Palatino Linotype, the font of my website for the title was 70pts. I then changed the paragraph to 33pts. I then used the 'Add' button and clicked Add Image and I uploaded a still from my film. I slightly cropped this in the image editor in Wix. I then lined up and centred the text and image using the gridlines on Wix.
I repeated actions above on my project page, except on my project page I added my project which was a film. I did this by clicked on 'Add' and chose 'Videos and Music' I chose the Youtube film box and then went to my Youtube channels and copied the link to add to the URL needed to display the fim.
My next step was to add a button to my Portfolio front page, I did this by clicking on 'Add' and then 'Button' . I then clicked on 'Edit Button' and Changed the text to the title of my project and added the link to the page that I wanted it to go to. I then went back and clicked on the paintbrush to design the button and I changed the font to Palatino Linotype and the size and colour if the text.
I then I repeated the action above to create a 'back to portfolio' button on my project page.
I then checked my mobile view I needed to make my buttons and text smaller as can be seen below
Here is the changed size of the button here on my portfolio page - this now works correctly
I have continued to update my page and I have written an introduction to my project used the same text palatino linotype at 20pts. I realigned everything on the page using gridlines.
I then checked and redid my image on the portfolio page as I knew I could do this better! I clicked on the image went 'change image' then uploaded the new screenshot from the film and realigned with gridlines
I saved and previewed all this work to check it was all working well then I checked my mobile view again as I had made changes
I centred 'portfolio' and checked the text and image on and the front portfolio page this was all looking good
On the page with my project I made all text smaller and the back to portfolio smaller and I think this will be better for the mobile. The film appears at the end of the page however this can appear full screen and can be watched in full screen mode with just rotation of the mobile.
I think I am happy about the site for the moment however I will update and make changes if I feel anything does not work as well as it should after UX testing
I wanted to try out a digital flipbook programme FlipHTML5. I began by opening a Google Doc and then inserting the front cover that I created on Photoshop.
On the first inner page I added copyright to the bottom as per book conventions
On the second page I added the book title 'The Pelican Case' and my name. I centred this using the formatting tools in the top menu and I chose Playfair Dispaly at 25pt for the title.
I then added page numbers by clicking on 'Format' then page numbers. I chose to add these in the footer and I clicked on on do not show first page. Then on the fifth page I added my contents
I then added an illustration on the next page just by inserting an image. I then copied and pasted all the text from each chapter. the title of each chapter was in bold 14pts, main text at 12pts. All the text was in Playfair display font.
I also added Picture on the last page. I then downloaded the whole document as a PDF file.
I then went FlipHTML5 and uploaded my book - this was then converted to a flipbook which worked well and I could see teh latyout and format in this version.
