By photographing toys under the shape of stuffed animals my aim was to create a portrait of a memory. Each of these items represent important people and events in my life. Whilst other people see nothing but the object in the photograph I see a part of my past and a constant reminder of the people I love. When printing the images in the darkroom after developing the film, I realized that materiality also plays a key role when it comes to photography. Due to the fact that the image from the negative was transfered to the paper and then the plushie emmerged on the surface, the print became more than a visual representation. It was transformed into a visual object which exists in time and space. The emotions triggered by the print were similar to the ones induced by the actual toy, even if it was a reproduction of it.
With regards to what the images reveal about myself as a person, this cannot be understood by viewing the photograph itself. It has to be accompanied by a description of each toy in order to provide the viewer with a broader perspective and enable him/her to understand the context of the object, why it is so important and what it represents. There are 10 prints in total, each of them depicting a plushie. The accompanning text reflects their name, age, nationality and story. By attributing them human characteristics, I wish to show that these object have become more than just toys. They are so important to me that I decided to take photos of them and place the images in an album in order to immortalise them forever.
Presenting the work
The images were shot using the medium format camera: Mamiya RB67. It is my camera of choice when shooting film because of its robustness. I mounted the camera on a tripod to get the focus as accurately as possible and then exposed the film by means of the cable release.
The photos were shot at f/8 to ensure clarity and sharpness and the time ranged from 1/8s to 1/4s at ISO 125.
Judging by the fact that the plushes depicted in the images trigger memories from my childhood I felt like it was only natural to display the 10 photographs (or portraits, if I may call them) in a photo album, similar to the ones I have back home. The photos included in those album have a vintage feel to them and depict myself and my family.
Taking into consideration that the plushes are like a family to me (they have names, personalities and everything) I decided to place their portraits in such an album. The images would be displayed on the righ hand side and the sheet of paper telling their story would be place on the left hand side.
That way, when the viewer flicks through the album he may stop and read the description of the portrait(s) which most appeals to him/her.
The reason why I decided to place the text along with each photograph was to allow the viewer to understand the importance of each plushie in my life. Without the text, the images would simply be photos of objects. The text transforms them by placing the objects into context and creates 'a portrait of a memory'. That's what I want these images to be: portraits of memories.
The photographs are displayed in the album in that particular order because I started with the youngest 'member' of the Fluffy Family which is Caine and went all the way back to the oldest one which is Teddy. The photo album aims to represent a journey in the past as opposed to a documentation of the toys. It begins with the last plushie I bought until now and ends with the teddy bear which was bought by my mom when I was only 7 years old. In between, there have been a lot of memories created which relate to the events which took place in my life.
The scanned images submitted for this assignment can be found on a CD which is located at the end of the photo album.
The photos were shot at f/8 to ensure clarity and sharpness and the time ranged from 1/8s to 1/4s at ISO 125.
Judging by the fact that the plushes depicted in the images trigger memories from my childhood I felt like it was only natural to display the 10 photographs (or portraits, if I may call them) in a photo album, similar to the ones I have back home. The photos included in those album have a vintage feel to them and depict myself and my family.
Taking into consideration that the plushes are like a family to me (they have names, personalities and everything) I decided to place their portraits in such an album. The images would be displayed on the righ hand side and the sheet of paper telling their story would be place on the left hand side.
That way, when the viewer flicks through the album he may stop and read the description of the portrait(s) which most appeals to him/her.
The reason why I decided to place the text along with each photograph was to allow the viewer to understand the importance of each plushie in my life. Without the text, the images would simply be photos of objects. The text transforms them by placing the objects into context and creates 'a portrait of a memory'. That's what I want these images to be: portraits of memories.
The photographs are displayed in the album in that particular order because I started with the youngest 'member' of the Fluffy Family which is Caine and went all the way back to the oldest one which is Teddy. The photo album aims to represent a journey in the past as opposed to a documentation of the toys. It begins with the last plushie I bought until now and ends with the teddy bear which was bought by my mom when I was only 7 years old. In between, there have been a lot of memories created which relate to the events which took place in my life.
The scanned images submitted for this assignment can be found on a CD which is located at the end of the photo album.
Anthropomorphism
Anthropomorphism, or personification, is attribution of human form or other characteristics to anything other than a human being. Examples include depicting deities with human form and ascribing human emotions or motives to forces of nature, such as hurricanes or earthquakes.
Anthropomorphism has ancient roots as a literary device in storytelling, and also in art. Most cultures have traditional fables with anthropomorphised animals, which can stand or talk like humans, as characters.
The word anthropomorphism was first used in the mid-1700s.[1][2] The word derives from the Greek ἄνθρωπος (ánthrōpos), "human", and μορφή (morphē), "shape" or "form".
- source: Wikipedia.com
I realized that I have been doing this ever since I began collecting these stuffed animals.
In the UK I only have 10 plushes but back home, there are aproximately 40 more in the collection.
By the looks of it, the collection won't end very soon.
I have personificated them by attributing them names, age and even nationality.
Anthropomorphism has ancient roots as a literary device in storytelling, and also in art. Most cultures have traditional fables with anthropomorphised animals, which can stand or talk like humans, as characters.
The word anthropomorphism was first used in the mid-1700s.[1][2] The word derives from the Greek ἄνθρωπος (ánthrōpos), "human", and μορφή (morphē), "shape" or "form".
- source: Wikipedia.com
I realized that I have been doing this ever since I began collecting these stuffed animals.
In the UK I only have 10 plushes but back home, there are aproximately 40 more in the collection.
By the looks of it, the collection won't end very soon.
I have personificated them by attributing them names, age and even nationality.
The Psychology of collecting
The psychology of collecting seeks to understand the motivating
factors for persons who, throughout the ages, have devoted great amounts
of time, money, and energy making and maintaining collections.
Introduction to collecting
When people think of collecting, they may put in mind expensive works of art or historical artifacts that are later sold to a museum or listed on ebay. But the truth is, for many people who amass collections, the value of their collection is not monetary, but emotionally valuable—and often not for sale. Collections allow people to relive their childhood, connect themselves to a period in history or time they feel strongly about, to ease insecurity and anxiety about losing a part of themselves, and to keep the past present [1] Some collect for the thrill of the hunt. Collecting is much like a quest, a lifelong pursuit which can never be complete.[2] Collecting may provide psychological security by filling a part of the self one feels is missing or void of meaning.[3] When one collects, they experiment with arranging, organizing, and presenting a part of the world which may serve to provide a safety zone, a place of refuge where fears are calmed and insecurity is managed.[4] Motives are not mutually exclusive, different motives combine in each collector for a multitude of reasons.
Psychologists perspectives
Psychologists have often taken a Freudian perspective when describing why people collect.[7] They highlight the controlling and impulsive dark side to collecting, the need for people to have "an object of desire." This desire, and hence the innate propensity to collect, begins at birth. The infant first desires the emotional and physical comfort of the nourishing breast, then the familiar baby blanket the child clings to for comfort and security.
Stuffed animals, favorite toys are taken to bed and provide the emotional security needed to fall asleep. A sense of ownership and control is facilitated through possession of these items for the vulnerable child.[8] Freud himself took a more extreme position on the origins of collecting. Not surprisingly, he postulated that all collecting stems from unresolved toilet training conflict. Freud took the stance that the loss of bowel control was a traumatic experience, and the product from the bowels was disgusting and frightening to the child.
Therefore the collector is trying to gain back control of their bowels as well as their "possessions" which were long flushed down the toilet.[9] Where Freud linked object fixation to the anal-retentive stage in childhood, Muensterberger, in his perspective paper "Unruly Passion" believes collecting to be a "need-driven compensatory behavior where every new object effectively gives the notion of fantasized omnipotence." Jung had his own theories about why people become collectors. He touted the influence of archetypes on behavior. These universal symbols are embedded in what he termed our collective unconscious. Using this logic, collecting and completing sets have as their archetypal antecedents the collecting of "nuts and berries" once needed for survival by our early ancestors.
source: Wikipedia.com
Introduction to collecting
When people think of collecting, they may put in mind expensive works of art or historical artifacts that are later sold to a museum or listed on ebay. But the truth is, for many people who amass collections, the value of their collection is not monetary, but emotionally valuable—and often not for sale. Collections allow people to relive their childhood, connect themselves to a period in history or time they feel strongly about, to ease insecurity and anxiety about losing a part of themselves, and to keep the past present [1] Some collect for the thrill of the hunt. Collecting is much like a quest, a lifelong pursuit which can never be complete.[2] Collecting may provide psychological security by filling a part of the self one feels is missing or void of meaning.[3] When one collects, they experiment with arranging, organizing, and presenting a part of the world which may serve to provide a safety zone, a place of refuge where fears are calmed and insecurity is managed.[4] Motives are not mutually exclusive, different motives combine in each collector for a multitude of reasons.
Psychologists perspectives
Psychologists have often taken a Freudian perspective when describing why people collect.[7] They highlight the controlling and impulsive dark side to collecting, the need for people to have "an object of desire." This desire, and hence the innate propensity to collect, begins at birth. The infant first desires the emotional and physical comfort of the nourishing breast, then the familiar baby blanket the child clings to for comfort and security.
Stuffed animals, favorite toys are taken to bed and provide the emotional security needed to fall asleep. A sense of ownership and control is facilitated through possession of these items for the vulnerable child.[8] Freud himself took a more extreme position on the origins of collecting. Not surprisingly, he postulated that all collecting stems from unresolved toilet training conflict. Freud took the stance that the loss of bowel control was a traumatic experience, and the product from the bowels was disgusting and frightening to the child.
Therefore the collector is trying to gain back control of their bowels as well as their "possessions" which were long flushed down the toilet.[9] Where Freud linked object fixation to the anal-retentive stage in childhood, Muensterberger, in his perspective paper "Unruly Passion" believes collecting to be a "need-driven compensatory behavior where every new object effectively gives the notion of fantasized omnipotence." Jung had his own theories about why people become collectors. He touted the influence of archetypes on behavior. These universal symbols are embedded in what he termed our collective unconscious. Using this logic, collecting and completing sets have as their archetypal antecedents the collecting of "nuts and berries" once needed for survival by our early ancestors.
source: Wikipedia.com
Being an only child
Pros and Cons of Being the Only Child
The Advantages:
Being an only child can be either good or bad, depending on how you perceive it and how you are brought up by your parents. The advantages could be that you get the undivided love and attention of your parents. They would dote on you more and provide for you more - in terms of getting you stuff, toys, etc. Obviously, being an only child means that your parents have only you to spend the money on and not have to share it among other siblings. So, you'd get more toys than normal, more money to spend than normal, more inheritance than normal, and of course more love from your parents than normal.
As an only child, you may also be spared the complications arising out of having an overbearing, unhelpful, competitive sibling. It is no fun having a sibling like this, who hoards the attention of your parents, who in the eyes of your parents can do no wrong and is doted upon to no end, often at your expense. They may well walk off with much of the inheritance by virtue of being the doted one in the family. As an only child, you would be free of any of these complications.
As an only child, you may grow up to be more independent and able to fend for yourself better, if your parents haven't spoiled you by tending to your each and every need. Not having an older sibling to help you every step of the way may in that sense be beneficial and make you capable of looking after yourself earlier in life. Therefore, being an only child can certainly have its advantages.
The Disadvantages:
As far as disadvantages go, the "Little Emperor Syndrome" comes to mind. For those unfamiliar with the term, "Little Emperor Syndrome" refers to the Chinese situation involving parents and their single child. Of course, all of you would be aware of China's one-child policy. Little Emperor Syndrome is an unintended consequence of that policy. This is a situation in which the parents lavish their love, attention, resources on this one child of theirs, and as a result, the child becomes spoilt and, well, behaves like a "Little Emperor." This sort of excessive attention and care can prove detrimental in the long term for the child. The child gets used to having everything done, managed, taken care of - by their parents. When they have to live in the real world and face real problems, they might not be able to cope with it. They may lack self-confidence to go out in the world and get things done for themselves. They might feel lost outside of the cocoon that their parents created for them. This of course need not always be the case and can be overcome by good parenting.
Perhaps the most apparent disadvantage of being an only child is the feeling of loneliness - not having a sibling to play with regularly and to be able to share your thoughts and memories with. When you parents are no longer around, not having a sibling to talk about things with or look up to for any kind of help or support can be quite a disadvantage. Also, when you parents get older, being an only child, you would have to shoulder the responsibility of taking care of your parents on your own, which might be overwhelming.
As an only child, you may also face an immense pressure put on you by your parents; for example, to keep the family name going or to do well in your academics. As an only child, you would also be watched with an eagle eye by your parents and this may be quite suffocating and stressful for you. If you had siblings, the pressure wouldn't be as much and you may perhaps be able to lead a more stress-free life. This again would be a highly subjective experience. There may be many who may feel no stress at all and are able to take this pressure, real or perceived, within their stride.
- source: http://shil1978.hubpages.com/hub/Advantages-and-disadvantages-of-being-an-only-child_
This relates to my project because of the questions it has raised: Does being an only child have any relation to the fact that I collect plushes? Yes it does. Was this action trigerred by the fact that I do not have any brothers or sisters to keep me company when my parents are not around? The answer is positive yet again. When I was a kid I used to play with these plushes all day long, talk to them and treat them as if they were human.
Being an only child can be either good or bad, depending on how you perceive it and how you are brought up by your parents. The advantages could be that you get the undivided love and attention of your parents. They would dote on you more and provide for you more - in terms of getting you stuff, toys, etc. Obviously, being an only child means that your parents have only you to spend the money on and not have to share it among other siblings. So, you'd get more toys than normal, more money to spend than normal, more inheritance than normal, and of course more love from your parents than normal.
As an only child, you may also be spared the complications arising out of having an overbearing, unhelpful, competitive sibling. It is no fun having a sibling like this, who hoards the attention of your parents, who in the eyes of your parents can do no wrong and is doted upon to no end, often at your expense. They may well walk off with much of the inheritance by virtue of being the doted one in the family. As an only child, you would be free of any of these complications.
As an only child, you may grow up to be more independent and able to fend for yourself better, if your parents haven't spoiled you by tending to your each and every need. Not having an older sibling to help you every step of the way may in that sense be beneficial and make you capable of looking after yourself earlier in life. Therefore, being an only child can certainly have its advantages.
The Disadvantages:
As far as disadvantages go, the "Little Emperor Syndrome" comes to mind. For those unfamiliar with the term, "Little Emperor Syndrome" refers to the Chinese situation involving parents and their single child. Of course, all of you would be aware of China's one-child policy. Little Emperor Syndrome is an unintended consequence of that policy. This is a situation in which the parents lavish their love, attention, resources on this one child of theirs, and as a result, the child becomes spoilt and, well, behaves like a "Little Emperor." This sort of excessive attention and care can prove detrimental in the long term for the child. The child gets used to having everything done, managed, taken care of - by their parents. When they have to live in the real world and face real problems, they might not be able to cope with it. They may lack self-confidence to go out in the world and get things done for themselves. They might feel lost outside of the cocoon that their parents created for them. This of course need not always be the case and can be overcome by good parenting.
Perhaps the most apparent disadvantage of being an only child is the feeling of loneliness - not having a sibling to play with regularly and to be able to share your thoughts and memories with. When you parents are no longer around, not having a sibling to talk about things with or look up to for any kind of help or support can be quite a disadvantage. Also, when you parents get older, being an only child, you would have to shoulder the responsibility of taking care of your parents on your own, which might be overwhelming.
As an only child, you may also face an immense pressure put on you by your parents; for example, to keep the family name going or to do well in your academics. As an only child, you would also be watched with an eagle eye by your parents and this may be quite suffocating and stressful for you. If you had siblings, the pressure wouldn't be as much and you may perhaps be able to lead a more stress-free life. This again would be a highly subjective experience. There may be many who may feel no stress at all and are able to take this pressure, real or perceived, within their stride.
- source: http://shil1978.hubpages.com/hub/Advantages-and-disadvantages-of-being-an-only-child_
This relates to my project because of the questions it has raised: Does being an only child have any relation to the fact that I collect plushes? Yes it does. Was this action trigerred by the fact that I do not have any brothers or sisters to keep me company when my parents are not around? The answer is positive yet again. When I was a kid I used to play with these plushes all day long, talk to them and treat them as if they were human.
Teddy
Name: Teddy
Age: 15 years old
Nationality: Romanian
Believe it or not, this toy is 15 years old! Yes, that's right, 15! My mother bought it for me when we were at the seaside in Constanta, Romania. I remember the moment like it was yesterday, even if much more time has passes since then. After having dinner, we decided to go for a walk on the sea front. There were a lot of stalls in that area which had a wide variety of toys, beach accessories, anything one can think of really! It was our last evening at the seaside before returning home so my mom asked me what I wanted as a suvenir. Teddy was the answer to my question. The name reflects my childhood memories of going to the seaside and the simplicity of my thinking process back then. It's a bear so I'll just name it Teddy.
Remmy
Name: Remmy
Age: 5 months old
Nationality: British
This adorable deer joined the family in December 2012 and lived in Tesco beforehand. It was a present from one of the people who occupy a very special place in my heart. It is the reminder of something which was beautiful but has come to an end. The name is a combination of two words: reindeer (because the toy is a deer, but I recieved it close to Christmas time so he's a reindeer) and Lemmy (who is the founder of one of my all-time favorite bands: Motorhead). Combining the first letter of reindeer and the last three letters of Lemmy resulted in the name Remmy which by the way, suits it perfectly.
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