SAM TAYLOR WOOD'S PHOTOGRAPHY

1. Sam Taylor Wood's film and photography have similar relationships with each other, even though they are different medias. The first key relationship was how both works were portraits of Sam Taylor Wood herself. They reflected how the artist see's herself and what other people may think of her. One of her photographic pieces called 'Slut (B.1967)' is a simple close-up of her face, highlighted against the black background. On her neck is love bites, indicating she has been sexually intimate with another person, but because she is smiling it tells the audience it was an enjoyable, sinful pleasure. The film 'Still Life' may not be a physical portrait of herself, but more of a metaphorical portrait. In more detail, the decaying fruit may represent how she felt at times in life; still and breaking down due to problems and incidents over time. Both her Photography and film work shared a negative vibe in most of her collections. Sam Wood is telling the audience that a lot of events in her life have been negative and effect how she feels, by portraying it in her work.

Slut (B.1967)

Still Life

2. Another photographer who uses film as an integral part of their work is Sophie Calle and John Smith, both who worked together on a lot of film installations. Sophie Calle produced a real-life narrative film called 'Double-Blind', that showed her journey and relationship with Gregory Shepherd. But they both record it separately and they are both strikingly different. Although they talk about human relations, desires and sexuality, the way they use cam-recorders changes the narrative and challenges the viewer. John Smith makes many films and Biographies. 'The girl chewing gum' (1976)', is a narration describing what is going on over the busy streets of London. the descriptions sound like instructions and become more absurd and fantasized as it goes on.

Double-Blind

The girl chewing gum

3. The use of multi-screen installation in her work reflects narrative by showing different events that are going on in her collection. Using multi-screen helps to give different points of perspective at the same time, sewing points up together to make a narrative. Her multi-screen piece 'Sigh' is about the absence of instruments and a focus on what musicians do, by using motion  and their breath. All 8 screens help you to become drawn in.

Sigh