<Time x Age> - Sep2012 - May2013

Self-directed Study as a graphic design student in UWE, Bristol

 

This is a final-year project as a graphic design student in UWE, Bristol. The aim of my project is to encourage people to treasure their time by studying the relationship between time and age. People always say older
people may experience more in their life and have a stronger feeling of time, such as the changes of city,
culture and lifestyle in the process of aging. Therefore, I want to focus on documenting the experiences and
stories of older people and find out how people of different ages think of time and age. In response to
ageing, I aim to collect people’s feeling of time and age, and use “photos” as a medium to relate the
changes of time. It helps to remind people that time is invisible and allows them to reflect on their own life by
understanding more about old people’s feelings and stories.
 

 

Product:

Laser-cut Box-set with following works

Posters of etching works on eye

Publication of etching works on eyes telling time and age

Publication of Story of older people <Your Story>

Publication of Process of etching <Process of etching>

 

Video of process of etching

Video of street interview in Bath

Video of street interview in different cities, London, Brighton, Bristol and Bath

Video of formal interview with older people in St Monica's House

 

Followings are the product by photography

 

 

 

 

Why photography?
After doing a lot of primary research on older people by doing interviews
and getting along with them, I will keep on recording the progress by taking
photos, sound recordings, and trying to collect things they love. I want
to do something with greater impact instead of just a booklet recording
stories of older people. Looking back to the day of my first tutorial, I recalled
a series of photographic works called “Family Affair” done by an Austria
photographer, Pilo Pichler. His works achieve physical, emotional, spiritual
and energetic levels that inspire me a lot. Therefore, I choose to make use
of photography hoping to respond to what I have experienced instead of just
taking photos during the interviews.
What I want to do is to ask people to pick an old photo of themselves that
they really like, then share the story of the photo, and finally take a photo of
them with the picture.

How will I present the idea?
I will present my works with the use of different
media, for the interviews with older people in St.
Monica Trust. I will do documentary photography.
When preparing for photography work of older
people, in October, I asked for advice from
the instructor in the Photography department ,
Frank, and told him about my ambition of doing
photography. Since I wanted to set up an indoor
studio, he suggested I attend the workshop, location
photography, held for photography students.
The materials for photography, including lighting,
backdrop, tripods and the camera itself, are very
heavy so I could not take them alone. Without a car
to transport the materials, I have to ask for help to
take the material to St. Monica’s Will House, which
is around twenty minutes from Coronation Road.