19th-century photography continued the development and commercialization of photography and experimentation with the artistic and scientific possibilities of the medium.

Wet plate collodion photography is a photographic process invented in the mid-19th century that allows you to create multiple copies of detailed photographs from a single negative. Making photography more accessible. The process of wet plate collodion consists of:

1. Preparation: The first step in the process was to prepare a glass plate with a light-sensitive coating. The coating was made by pouring a solution of collodion (a type of syrupy substance) onto the glass plate and then immersing it in a solution of silver nitrate to make it light-sensitive.
2. Exposure: Once the plate was prepared, it had to be exposed to light in a camera. The plate had to be exposed while it was still wet, so photographers had to work quickly to take the photograph before the collodion coating dried out. The exposure times varied depending on the available light and the sensitivity of the plate.
3. Development: After the exposure, the plate was removed from the camera and developed. The plate was first washed in a solution of developer (usually a mixture of iron sulfate and acetic acid) to bring out the image. Then it was fixed in a solution of sodium thiosulfate to make the image permanent.
4. Finishing: Once the plate was fixed, it was washed in water and then varnished to protect the image. The varnish was typically made from a mixture of sandarac resin and alcohol.

Because the collodion coating has to be prepared and exposed while wet, it’s possible to create more than one image from a single negative. This made photography more accessible in the 19th century to the general public and contributed to the growth of the photographic industry.

Still practised today by some photographers today, such as Dave Shrimpton who specializes in 18th-19th century photographic techniques. Winning the Portrait of Britain Award by the British Journal of Photography with his contemporary use of Wet plate photography.

Almudena Romero also used this technique in her exhibition Performing Identities. Creating portraits of arts-related people based in London, who could see themselves as immigrants. Addressing links between photography, identity and colonialism.

In the 18th century, photography was a rapidly evolving technology that revolutionized how people create imagery. Early photographic processes were developed in the 18th century but were largely experimental.

As photography became more commercial in the 18th century. This led to the development of new photographic processes, such as the ambrotype and the tintype, which were cheaper and quicker than the daguerreotype but this was one of the earliest photographic processes. Invented by French artist Louis Daguerre in 1839. The daguerreotype process consisted of these key steps:

1. Preparation: The first step in the process was to prepare a silver-plated copper plate. The plate was polished until it was mirror-smooth, and then it was sensitized by exposing it to iodine vapour. This created a light-sensitive surface on the plate.
2. Exposure: Once the plate was sensitized, it was loaded into a camera and exposed to light. The exposure times varied depending on the available light and the sensitivity of the plate but could range from several seconds to several minutes.
3. Development: After the exposure, the plate was developed by exposing it to mercury vapour. This caused the image to appear on the plate. The image was composed of tiny particles of metallic silver that had been formed by the reaction of light with the sensitized surface of the plate.
4. Finishing: Once the image was developed, the plate was fixed in a solution of sodium thiosulfate to make the image permanent. Then it was washed in water and sometimes toned with gold chloride to give it a warmer tone. Finally, it was sealed under glass and often placed in a protective case.

Daguerreotypes create highly detailed images with a unique look due to the way the process corresponds to UV light with a metallic quality. This process can be expensive and time-consuming. Used for mostly formal portraits. Artist Chuck Close became known for using this process in the 2000s. Creating portraits of Kate Moss and Brad Pitt amongst others, putting the process in a new contemporary light.

Newer photographic techniques, such as wet plate collodion surpassed the daguerreotype process. Even so, daguerreotypes remain an important part of the history of photography, and the uniquely beautiful results that can be achieved still hold up today. Even though this is a mostly obsolete process. I think this would be interesting to learn and help develop my photographic practice.

For the last year of Santas Ghetto in 2007, Banksy took the project to Bethlehem, with the aim of drawing attention to the situation in Palestine and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

The installation was controversially seen by some as exploiting the conflict in Palestine for artistic purposes, and because of its challenging imagery in a way that some found offensive because of the high religious and political tensions within the areas of where the work was exhibited. However, it also received praise for its creativity and its ability to draw attention to an important political issue. Santa’s Ghetto invited close to 20 artists to take part in the project.

Returning to Bethlehem in 2017 Banksy opened The Walled Off Hotel, continuing the controversial artwork from Santas Ghetto in 2007 project features a range of rooms and suites coved in the politically charged artwork Banksy had now become renowned for. The hotel is situated in close proximity to the Israeli West Bank barrier, and many of the rooms offer views of the wall. The wall itself remains illegal under international law and is a military structure over 700km long built by the Israeli government. It encloses occupied Palestine. Depending on who you talk to it’s either a vital security measure or an instrument of apartheid.

The Walled Off Hotel is intended to provide a unique and thought-provoking experience for guests, with the aim of drawing attention to the situation in Palestine and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The hotel’s website describes it as “the worst view in the world,” highlighting the bleakness of the situation faced by Palestinians living under occupation.

In addition to its accommodation and artistic offerings, the Walled Off Hotel also hosts events and talks related to the conflict and serves as a platform for local artists and activists to share their work and experiences. The hotel has been praised by some for its innovative approach to political activism, while others have criticized it as a form of “art washing” that uses political issues to promote tourism and sell merchandise. Becoming a part of the problem through trivialising very deep seeded poignant issues faced in Bethlehem for the Western world to consume on mass.

Although Banksy’s Hotel is a unique and controversial project that seeks to engage with important political issues in a creative and thought-provoking way. While its impact and effectiveness are open to debate, it remains an important example of how art can be used to engage with social and political issues and provoke discussion and debate thought-out the world to instigate change.

Santa’s Ghetto was characterised as a squat art concept shop set up around December each year from 2002-07 in different locations around London. The first one was at the Dragon bar in Shoreditch, characterised as a ‘boozer where degenerate creative types would go to get fucked up’ by Steve Lazarides Banksy’s Manger in the 2000’s. A regular hang-out spot for Banksy at the time.

These exhibitions featured a series of artworks and installations created by Banksy and other artists, all of which were designed to subvert traditional Christmas iconography and comment on political situations. Including Santa hanging from a noose outside the building, needless to say this gained a few complaints.

Santas Ghetto was a controversial set of exhibitions and was seen as offensive by some. Which sent ripples through the art world with its unorthodox approach to the gallery experience. This helped Banksy’s journey into the art world as an outsider through the early 2000’s. It also received praise for its creativity and its ability to draw attention to important political issues with satirical humour. Some of Banksy’s artwork for the shows would be created at the venues and as soon as the work was dry, it was out on the floor selling straight away for the cost of around £250 each. These pieces now are now valued at over £1 million each.

The exhibitions were built on themes commenting on issues of consumerism, commercialization, and inequality. One of the most famous pieces in the exhibition was a life-sized sculpture of a Guantanamo Bay detainee in a Santa Claus suit, which highlighted issues of human rights abuses and the War on Terror.

Other works in the exhibition included a giant mural of a child in a gas mask holding a doll, a series of stencilled images of Queen Elizabeth II with a barcode across her face, and a piece featuring a homeless man begging on a bench surrounded by Christmas decorations.

The London exhibitions were highly successful, drawing large crowds of vandals and art enthusiasts alike and also attracting significant media attention. However, some accuse Banksy of exploiting political issues for commercial gain. Despite the controversy, “Santa’s Ghetto” remains an important example of how street art can be used to engage with social and political issues. While challenging established ways of thinking and the environment around how art should be exhibited in a gallery setting.

 I’ve created a website using Wix to showcase, predominantly my photographic work. I’ve chosen to only include photographic work. As I see my artistic practice in a different context. I feel doing this assists me in getting more photographic commissions as my photographic work is more commercially viable than my artistic practice at the moment. Moving forward, taking what I’ve learnt from this experience of building my first website I want to build another website solely for the purpose to display my artistic practice. Making the mall, a subjective space for my artwork and how I want to present through that. Still having a professional appeal for being able to interject this with more personality from myself and seen within my art. 

When you first come to charliemooney.co.uk you were greeted by the overview of selected works I have curated to demonstrate a visual synopsis of the quality of my work the consistency of it, the themes running throughout, the range of style and versatility of my photographic skill. I felt an overview would be the best way to do this, especially when first entering the website as it creates a space which is easily digestible in a visual context. This is something I feel will assist me when either applying for jobs or if someone is looking to commission me to produce some photographic work. 

The second page, which I put together from my website was a collection of the photographic projects that I’ve done. This is a more subjective collection of work subsequently going into each project as these are projects, I’ve developed on my own and projects I’ve personally wanted to shoot. Sorting out each of these projects became quite time-consuming as I wanted them to be right. Have some sort of visual narrative and also make the editorial decision on which images to include and subsequently which images not to include. Going forward with each photographic project I do I’ll be sure to include it within the section of my website. Each project leads to an individual gallery page, showing all images in each project. 

Oh my about page, I included a short artist statement focused on the photographic work seen on the previous pages. This is to add context to myself and the work. I’ve chosen to exhibit via my website. Accompanied by a self-portrait shot in a photography studio.

I’m really happy overall with the website aiming for a clean cut and professional look which I feel I have achieved allowing the work to speak for itself. This gives me a great platform to build upon as I further my creative career. 

charliemooney.co.uk

I created an Instagram business account, focusing on publishing artwork and showing the process of the creation of artwork through video. I’ve done this to help me engage an audience and start to grow a following to assist my artistic practice. I feel having an online presence helps to grow notoriety for your work, as well as having a visual hub that is widely available for most people can engage with. With this accessibility, Instagram also helps with the connection through community and growing network. As well as helping me find other creative practices to be inspired by. 

Through Instagram’s use of an algorithm to share content and after research, I found that the best way to engage an audience through Instagram was via reels which are short-form videos easily consumable for a wider audience. I decided to implement this and create a first reel. Documenting the process of myself doing a freestyle graffiti piece as a part of a project at my local skatepark commissioned by my local council. I’ll make sure to edit and shoot the video in the most engaging way possible for a mass audience. implementing humour and text over the edited video paired with the catchy and classic hip-hop tune ‘Don’t sweat the technique’ by Eric B. & Rakim. This accumulated to over 16 thousand views and over 15 thousand different accounts reached through this video. Assisting my work to be viewed by a much larger audience than would get to see the work in person. 

https://www.instagram.com/p/Ch-bpnzAYTY/

Since then I have been documenting other aspects of my creative practices such as studio sessions when I have been experimenting with printmaking, showing off the process of screen printing, installations of work and processes of creating final artworks. I think it could be a key aspect to grow an audience on the Instagram platform. I’m using this opportunity with Instagram reels to not only experiment with my video production techniques to also experiment with what works best to create engagement through my work. This I found an experimental practice within itself as not all videos created and posted to Instagram will take off, but I feel this is a key part of any creative practice. 

I also created a separate Instagram page for my photographic practice, as I felt the content is separate from my artistic practice and could seem jumbled and unorganised which could miss direct my audience. I’ve also done this because I feel my photographic work has a more commercial viability as to where my creative practice is predominantly what I want to create unapologetically.

 As an entrepreneurial activity, I did paid work as a wedding photographer. utilising my photographic skills set for commercial perspective. This I thought was a good utilisation of my skill base as wedding photography can be a well-paid profession, which can mean running my own business evidently because of that being able to pick my own hours and being able to utilise my time to continue my creative practice amongst other creative and others. This is a very practical way for me to bring in an income after my study period is over. and I feel this is achievable through the fact I’ve now got my first wedding and have that baseline experience to build upon. There was quite a lot of apprehension on my behalf with conducting myself, calmly, and confidently but still getting my footing with the day’s timings. Once I realised I was just implementing my skill set, but with a different context a lot of my apprehension once away. 

I had a breakdown sheet of the timings for the day people to photograph, groups, the photograph, style of images etc. This was all to stay organised on time to leave very little uncertainty about the running of the day. what I found as the day went on is you mostly become the director of someone’s wedding day which is a lot of responsibility to hold but something I found well within my skills. 

I’m really pleased with the quality of the images I’ve produced I feel like my background in documentary photography has helped me not just photograph people but to capture moments in time on someone’s wedding day. Hopefully catching feelings on the day as I feel this is a key part of photographing any social events. 

Going forward with wedding photography and have to consider the investments I’ll have to make to build myself up as a business. Considering investing in more equipment for a more diverse range of images and video, high quality. Meaning I’ll be able to charge more for my services, also a website, social media and portfolio also bring in the consistency of clientele and work. I need to make myself a living from this endeavour. Building a portfolio would mean shooting more weddings at a lower rate just to get the volume of work needed to show consistency throughout my work. Networking with others within the industry, not just within photography, but with other aspects of the wedding industry such as venues, caterers and Florists to create a strong network I can utilise when necessary. 

Beyond the Streets is an exhibition that showcases the work of street artists from around the world in a Contemporary setting. The exhibition features a diverse range of art forms, from large-scale murals to graffiti, installations, and sculptures. The exhibition began in Los Angeles in 2018 and has since travelled to other cities, including New York and from February 2023 to May 2023 housed at Saatchi Gallery in London. Being the most comprehensive graffiti & street art exhibition to open in the UK. Curated by graffiti historian Roger Gastman this landmark exhibition marks the cultural significance of the contemporary art world giving street art and graffiti the registration it deserves as an art movement. Created to celebrate the growth of this art form featuring artists :

10FOOT, AIKO, Alicia McCarthy, André Saraiva, BÄST, Beastie Boys, Beezer, Bert Krak, BLADE, BLONDIE, Bob Gruen, Brassaï, Broken Fingaz, C. R. Stecyk III, CES, Charlie Ahearn, Chaz Bojórquez, Chris FREEDOM Pape, Christopher Stead, Conor Harrington, CORNBREAD, Craig Costello, CRASH, DABSMYLA, Dash Snow, DAZE, DELTA, DONDI, Duncan Weston, Dr. REVOLT, Eric HAZE, Escif, Estevan Oriol, Fab 5 Freddy, FAILE, Felipe Pantone, FUME, FUTURA2000, Glen E. Friedman, GOLDIE, Gordon Matta-Clark, Gregory Rick, Guerrilla Girls, Gus Coral, Henry Chalfant, HuskMitNavn, IMON BOY, Jaimie D’Cruz, Jamie Reid, Janette Beckman, Jason REVOK, Jenny Holzer, Joe Conzo, John Ahearn & Rigoberto Torres, José Parlá, KATSU, KAWS, KC ORTIZ, Keith Haring, Kenny Scharf, KING MOB, LADY PINK, Lawrence Watson, Lisa Kahane, Malcolm McLaren, Maripol, Martin Jones, Martha Cooper, Maya Hayuk, Michael Holman, Michael Lawrence, Mister CARTOON, MODE 2, Ozzie Juarez, Pablo Allison, Pat Phillips, Paul Insect, POSE, PRIDE, PRIEST, Richard Colman, RISK, Robert 3D Del Naja, Roger Perry, Shepard Fairey, SHOE, Sophie Bramly, STASH, Stephen ESPO Powers, Stickymonger, SWOON, TAKI 183, Toby Mott, TOX, Tim Conlon, Timothy Curtis, Tish Murtha, Todd James, VHILS , ZEPHYR

All names which had significant roles to play in the growth of street art. Growing organically from the youth of New York ghettos painting graffiti on subway cars in the 1970s in New York to social activism and the global domination of the art market. Through these artists street art has become of the largest global movements in visual arts in the past century. One which now the contemporary art world has had to catch up to. Beyond the Streets pays homage to the monumental moments from the world of graffiti and street art, as well as the artists who immortalised them.

With Saatchi Gallery making this exhibition possible it only opens the door up to more exhibitions of the same nature in the future. Which I find exciting as this culture is only going to grow and shows no signs of stopping linked with the growth of street art Festivals not just in the Uk but globally it becomes more of a practical reality to be a practising street artist on the streets and also co-exist within a contemporary art setting with acceptance to this art forms becoming more common.

The importance of an exhibition to be hosted in Saatchi Gallery is not to be dismissed as Graffiti writers such as 10FOOT who is significant in London graffiti culture. Convicted for committing over £100,000 worth of criminal damage would never be given the opportunity to exhibit in such a prestigious contemporary setting without exhibitions like this. Conveying there is more to graffiti than just vandalism and criminal damage.

It’s important that an exhibition like this celebrates the creativity and diversity of the street art movement to help it move away from the conservative judgement of mindless vandalism. It provides a platform for artists to gain acknowledgement outside of the culture it comes from, to broaden and engage audiences in a dialogue about the role of street art in contemporary culture.