The Art of Feeling

‘The Art of Feeling’ is an exploration of how art influences people’s feelings and how art can interact with someone’s personal psychology via silence. These pictures and their accompanying photobook and essays look at how to best appreciate art, through silent reflection and contemplation. Take a look through the pages of the accompanying book and look within yourself to learn more about your psychology and your reaction to various types of visual stimuli. More than 100 pages of photographs within the book follow a series of articles on art appreciation and silence. Each photograph is presented in full colour and many of them are extremely vivid and ‘in your face’. This is to give the viewer of the book as authentic an experience as possible; as close to the experience you would have had if you had been with me when I took the photographs. I want viewers to examine their own personal response to these photographs. Within the book, on each image I have also recorded, in writing, my immediate first impressions to each of those photographs. While these may influence your own feelings, try to have an individual response to it that is your own personal reflection taking into account your own knowledge, your background and your environment. Discover with me the art of feeling. You can preview and buy the book here. To read a detailed blog looking at the same topics, which should be read alongside the book, click here.

The Quotes of William Shakespeare

This is a book and exhibition dedicated to expanding our literacy knowledge through the medium of artistic interpretation of some of the most famous quotes of the playwright William Shakespeare. It is intended to question and prompt the viewer to discuss the deepest meanings of the English language and think about how words written around 400 years ago can still have a relevance and meaning to the lives of people living in the 21st century. A bringing together of modern-day imagery with these quotes provides a stunning juxtaposition for the viewer who is left questioning the method and style of artistic interpretation, and asking themselves ‘is this how I would have interpreted this quote?’ William Shakespeare is, without doubt, one of, if not the, greatest writers who ever lived on this earth. So much can be gained even from single lines of his text that it seems wrong not to give it the deepest artistic appreciation possible. Let us explore together a little of what Shakespeare still means to all of us today.

Buy the book here. Click on each picture to read more about the artistic connection between quote and image.

Zonia…More than a Fairytale

Zonia… More than a Fairytale is a series of images based around my book of the same title, published earlier in 2013 as part of a series of fairytales which began last year.

The story is an exciting fictional fairytale story set in a mystical world a long way from Earth. A story full of gods who are half-human, half-creature, trees that walk, animals that talk and everything in between.

But while the planet of Zonia may be far, far away, the feelings of its people and the challenges they are put through will be very familiar to many viewers. Pay a visit to the world of Zonia by viewing these images and taking the time to read the book (available here and at www.blurb.co.uk) and jump back in time to a new and creative fairytale world, full of everything you would expect from a fairytale and more.

Meet the gods who oversee the running of the world of Zonia – King Eng, King Braz, Queen Zil and Queen Rica – and find out how the actions of a few of the beings from Zonia soon set in train a series of events from which the only outcome appears to be total and utter disaster.

Immerse yourself in the world of Zonia with these images and discover how the people of Zonia need your help.

“If any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her.”

This series communicates the message of how important it is to allow freedom of expression and freedom of speech in a civilized society.

I wanted the images as a collection to tell a narrative about the difficulties some people face in expressing themselves if they don’t fall into the sometimes restrictive ‘norms’ of our society. Why should it matter if a man wants to wear a pink dress? Why shouldn’t he wear a blonde ladies’ wig?

As the series continues and concludes, particularly with the last picture of the model with his back to the camera and riding the bike, it shows that he doesn’t care what the world says or thinks about him behind his back. While it is a fairly raw reaction, it also communicates the frustration that some people have when they feel ‘the system’ is against them.

What was also important here was the use of colour. The bright pinks of the flower and the dress draw the attention of the viewer while creating a contrast with the later pictures of the model on the bike.

These pictures were taken with a digital SLR Nikon camera.

By Antonisia Schroder 2012

Scientific Experimentations

You and I

Fairy tales

REMEMBRANCE DAY – currently on display

This is a collection of photographs taken in Barnet during Remembrance Day in 2011. Always a very poignant day, I believe it is vital that these events are captured photographically. Year by year, fewer veterans of the Second World War are present at commemorations and I think it is so important that their sacrifice and that of their fallen comrades is never forgotten.

The sacrifice of those that fought and died to protect British shores from Nazi rule and to free Europe from its shackles changed the course of history and enabled many millions of people to live their lives in freedom. Going further back, to World War I, we find the poppy, the symbol of remembrance (in the UK, Canada, Australia, South Africa and New Zealand) and a regular theme in this series.

Those that lived through the trench warfare of 1914 to 1918 were scarred by it for life and many would never speak of it again after returning to Britain.

The battlefields of the Somme and other key conflict points were transformed from muddy and blood-sodden visions of hell to field upon field of red poppies after the war finally came to an end.

The contrast between that place of nightmares and the delicate red flower that came to represent that time is particularly poignant and is something we should remember when we buy a poppy and pin it to our jackets each November.

Of course, Remembrance Day now is also about remembering the lives of those who have died in more recent conflicts, such as the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. Despite what some may say about these wars and whether we should be there, the soldiers who have given their lives are simply doing their job and should be praised for doing what it takes to keep their country safe from terror and further conflict.

I hope viewers can, through this series, remember our heroes of days gone by and never, ever forget.

This series can currently be seen, running from Monday 20 August to Saturday 1 September, at Chipping Barnet Library in Stapylton Road, Chipping Barnet.

 

BARNET THROUGH A LENS – currently on display

These montages aim to show the borough of Barnet in all its glory. As a former Barnet resident, the place is still close to my heart and has so many wonderful places and people which mean a lot to me and, I’m sure, also to those viewers who live or work in Barnet.

I have created these images in black and white because I wanted to give it a ‘classic’ feel and make the places in the pictures feel more like landmarks.

Although Barnet is short of landmarks known outside the borough, there are lots of places that are locally well known and loved, and I have tried to capture some of that feeling within these montages. Are they the same places that you know and love?

This series can currently be seen, running from Monday 20 August to Saturday 1 September, at Chipping Barnet Library in Stapylton Road, Chipping Barnet.

 

Maria Bonita