Lucy Levene

My tutor suggested the work of Lucy Levene in reference to the "idea of subjects lost in the digital world". I have had a look at her work through her own website and have paid particular attention to the Nightclub Documentary and the Come & be my baby series, although one image, entitled Game Boy, Tara & Vito's Wedding, Bedford 2013, from the series The Spaghetti Tree (found here), also caught my eye.

The images here are very much from an observer point of view and not staged in any way. The photographs show people at a nightclub or event and photographed unawares by Levene. The photographs are unflattering to the subjects and capture people looking unglamorous and lost in the moment. Through both series, the subjects are seen to be 'real', not doctored in any way to appear like the subjects are having a good time or looking their best and I'm sure this is something that we can all relate to in some point in our lives.
I personally remember spending ages getting ready to go out and even mid night when I know I'm rather drunk and a sweaty mess, I would still smooth my hair and try to pose in a flattering angle whenever someone took a photo. However, I also remember getting home being sweaty and dishevelled and when I look at these photographs, I come to realise that this is probably how I looked all along.
HiscoxCollection.com says "Levene treats her subjects with an uncanny sense for realistic representation" and I think this is a true statement for both the Nightclub Documentary  series and the Come & be my baby series.

As well as the visual representation of the realism of the scene, Levene also draws attention to the idea that her subjects are lost in a moment. The facial expressions convey concentration yet not at anything specific. As though their awareness is elsewhere, in their own thoughts. The images are very thought provoking. Although relatable, the viewer can really analyse this work. Personally, when I think of a nightclub, I think of loud music, dancing, laughter and friends, so to me, these images portray the complete opposite of that.
In relation to the distraction of devices, the image  Game Boy (noted above) shows a little boy sat alone completely engrossed in his computer device. The fact that he is alone doesn't phase him, he appears to be unaware of his surroundings and lost in his own digital world. The same type of image appears in the Nightclub Documentary series. The untitled image, found here, shows the separation the mobile phone creates between two girls sat together. We assume the girls are friends, due to the closeness of how they are sitting. Yet their body language could say otherwise. Instead of the two girls conversing and enjoying their night out, the fact that one is on her phone changes the scene. The one is distracted and more concerned with the phone while the other looks bored and detached.

In finding some way on which I could be influenced by Levene's work, I think this work has taught me that the facial expression could also be a part of the final photograph. Maybe I can bring in some facial portraits, as when people use their devices, they are detached from their surroundings and their concentration is within their digital world as opposed to in reality. I think I can possibly look to capturing some of these facial expressions as opposed to focussing more on the devices themselves.

References:
Hiscoxcollection.com, (2016), Lucy Levene [Online], Available at: https://www.hiscoxcollection.com/searchResults.aspx?artistID=232, [Accessed 21st December 2016]

Bibliography:
Colberg, J.M., (2016), A conversation with Lucy Levene [Online], Available at: http://cphmag.com/conv-levene/, [Accessed 21st December 2016]
lucylevene.co.uk, (2016), Nightclub Documentary [Online], Available at: http://www.lucylevene.co.uk/nightclub_documentary.shtml, [Accessed 21st December 2016]
Photofushion.org, (2016), Lydia Goldblatt and Lucy Levene [Online], Available at: http://www.photofusion.org/exhibitions/lydia-goldblatt-lucy-levene/, [Accessed 21st December 2016]