Period 6 -- Critical Analysis #7

12/12/2019

Today you will be writing about this image by artist Sian Davey. The photograph is from her body of work titled Looking For Alice. We will look at some images from this series and discuss it in class before you write.

Your analysis must be 5 paragraphs, 5 sentences minimum per paragraph. Remember to post your analysis as a comment to the blog post that corresponds to your class. If you post your analysis to the wrong class's post, it will not be graded.

Your analysis is due by 4PM today, so use your class time wisely to complete your assignment!

Refer to your "How to See" handout for analyzing a photograph--

Describe specifics.
Describe form.
Describe the content.
Evaluate the image

Your analyses will be graded on:

meeting minimum length requirements
depth of organization
evaluation of the content
grammar/punctuation

isabella grossman

12/12/2019 12:32:36 pm

This image is taken of a three girs in a room. Two of these girls appear to be older and in their teenage years. The third little girl stands in the room watching as a bystander what the girls are doing. It appears that she looks up to them both physically and in an emotional sense. The two older girls are very beautiful and appear to be dressed up and taking a photo. The colors being used in this image are very natural and calming. The undertones are warm and produce a comforting feeling while studying it. There is natural light that appears to be coming from a natural source such as a window considering the girls are indoors. In the image there are personal objects strewn about which makes the environment the image was taken of very familiar as if it were taken in a home.

The imaged is composed so that the smaller girl who looks onto the scene is placed in the center of the image. This makes it pleasing to look at because you have to look past the blurred figures to find the character most in focus. This is a clear message by the artist that the main focus of the image is the little girl. The focal point is the little girl in the center of the image and the wooden floor boards lead the eyes from the foreground up to her. To me this image appears balanced because of the symmetry of the main focus. The subject does not fill the space and is not conventionally framed or captured. The fact that the girls who could be the main subjects are just negative space in the image referring to the main subject is very unconventional as they stand in the foreground and not the background.

The theme or idea that is most apparent in this image to me is being outcasted by a group or feeling as though you’re not enough only based on one’s differences. The little girl could in a way feel rejected or confused as to why she is different to the way that the two teenage girls look. The story that I have taken away from this image is that a little girl feels as though she is not able to join her older sister or sisters and friends because she is a little different from them in appearance. As she acts as a bystander in the scene she is in awe of the complexity and beauty and actions these girls are partaking in. This image makes me think of my own childhood, watching my brother and his guy friends play legos and power rangers and not letting me join in because I was a girl and therefor not the same. It also makes me think of being perceived as “bigger” than most girls and “heavier” which made me think that I should be punished because I didn’t look like everyone else. The image challenges society's beauty ideologies and conventional appearances and almost directly conveys the message that different is beautiful too, acceptance comes from within.

I love this image because despite the young age of the girl I am able to put myself in her situation and setting and the feeling of being pushed out of a group because of my appearance or because I wasn’t like everyone else. I think the intention of the artist was to make people realize that beauty doesn’t have to be conventional or follow the rules. It forces people to become the main subject and feel secluded or outcast and think back to a time when they were excluded from something. Although much has changed about beauty standards in the past hundreds of years, we still need to adjust more to accepting, loving and praising people for what them sets them apart and not for what makes the alike. I definitely feel that the image was successful in more than one sense and uplifts people and their differences.

I think that through art is is crucial that we as artsit’s spread messages through our work such as Sian did by capturing the growth and life of her child who is different, but very much still the same as everyone else. I believe that there is room for improvement in the world’s tolerance for acceptance and appreciation. The body of work that this artist has released in the world sets an important example for people around the world to be more caring and learn that through all of our genetic differences, tastes, emotional ups and downs, clothing style, personality traits and even appearances we all deserve the same amount of love and respect. This little girl in the image is meant to be an advocate for this as she is portrayed by her mother, the artist and highlighted for being just as good and just enough as everyone else.

Chloe Clark

12/12/2019 12:33:10 pm

Sian Davey’s image is of a few young girls who are taking pictures. They seem to be getting ready for something because they are wearing dresses. They are in a messy room with pillows and clothes scattered across the floor. In the back stands Alice, Sian Davey’s daughter, watching these girls who are having so much fun. Alice looks upset, and the girls do not notice Alice there.

I think that this image is pleasing to look at because the phone is in the middle of the image and yet it is not the main thing in focus. Alice, who stands in the background of the image, is completely in focus and stands out. The girl’s arm leads your eye to look up through the image and to look at Alice as well. The subject does fill the frame because there is enough in the image for you to get a sense of what is going on.

I think this image shows the idea that Alice is being left out because she has Down’s syndrome. This image is saying that these young girls do not acknowledge her or hang out with her because she is different. But, really, Alice is just like everyone else. This image is interesting because it is questioning the idea of equality. Alice is getting left out of things just because she is a little different from the other girls.

Davey wanted her “Looking For Alice” series to symbolize how society treats people that are different in all kinds of ways. She uses her daughter to show this. Alice has Down’s syndrome, and that causes people to treat her differently. People usually think that if someone is different from them, then that person is not worth being around, when really, Alice is no different than any of us. She feels and needs the same things that we all do.

Overall, I think this image is successful because it does just what Davey wanted it to do. It shows how the girls, like society, leaves out Alice just because she is different from them. I like this image because I like the ideas that it brings up, and how society should treat everyone equally. Because no matter what, we are all human and we all go through relatively the same things. When you think about it, we really aren’t that different from each other and we just need to accept everyone for who they are.

Kellen Dukatnik

12/12/2019 12:40:53 pm

The image depicts two teenagers and a child altogether in a room, where one of the teens looks to be going to an event. The colors included are black, blue, brown, white, aqua, green, and red. The lightning is sunlight shining through what you can infer to be a window so it’s light in some areas while in other areas it’s kind of dark. Objects included in the image is a dree, a camera, a towel, and a house. In the image, it appears one of the teens is taking a photo of the other teens.
The image is pleasing to look at because it’s nice to see the emphasis on the child with down syndrome because it makes her appear more important than what the teenagers are doing. The rule of thirds appears to not be used in the image because the subject is in the very middle of the frame. The point of view is from the point of a mom taking a picture of her daughter. There is extra space around the subject. The depth of field is more shallow than deep because only the subject is clear. The edge of the image is right around the door, what is cropped off may be more to the room they’re in.
A theme of the image would be not to judge someone who’s different because you both need the same things. The story seems to be about how the child with down syndrome likes exactly what the teenagers like and just because she may look a little different, doesn’t mean she is complete. The artist made the image to show how people who are different need the same things. The image reminds me of when I was in elementary school and how my teachers would teach us about down syndrome.
I enjoy the image because it shows how much she cares about her daughter with down syndrome. The photograph is very successful because of the message it displays. I would want more people to experience this image because it may change their perception of people who are different from them. This image could be used to teach lessons about people who are different from you because of what the camera is focused on. The subjects in the image probably are all related or friends.
The photographer’s use of the camera’s focus allows her message to be portrayed in the image. Her daughter watching the teenager with the dress carefully indicates she may want something of that sort as well. The photographer adding the teenagers in the image allows the message to be displayed as well. Overall it is a very noteworthy image that I will ponder about next time I see something different.

Mateo

12/12/2019 12:41:14 pm

This image by artist Sian Davey is of her daughter, Alice, who has Down’s Syndrome. In this image she is with friends and family socializing and taking pictures of each other. There is black, white, green, blue and brown in the image. The colors compliment the image by being diverse and random and in the moment. The lighting is coming from sunlight through the windows and there are no lights turned on inside the room. There are 5 people in the room including the photographer and there are two girls posing for a picture and Alice is in the background observing them.

The point of view is from someone involved in the action and someone who is also socializing with the others. The artist took the photo as someone involved in the event being photographed. There is a shallow depth of field being used for this image to capture the subjects in the back instead of in the front. This image is balanced because there is no extra or empty space to fill and there is something to look at everywhere in the image. The image cuts of the rest of the room and we have no sense of where they are.

The story being told in this image is that Alice, who has Down’s Syndrome, lives a normal life and also has a social life with her friends and family and she is just like every other human in the world. The artist made this image to show that her daughter is like everyone else in this world. This image reminds me of my childhood and when I was younger because me and my siblings would always mess around and have fun like shown in the image. This image is beautiful in its own way because of the memories it brings me.

I like the image because of the message behind it and the smile it puts on my face. This image makes me happy because of the memory it gave me of my childhood and of my old past times. This image was successful because of the story being told behind it. The series that this image comes from is also successful because of the entire purpose of it existing is to tell a beautiful story.

Sian Davey took these photos and made this series to show the life of her daughter Alice and that her disabilities do not change the fact that she is human and that she feels the same things as everyone else. Sian wants us to have empathy when she paints this picture and she wants the viewer to see that her daughter is the same as every other human and we should not judge her off of her differences but by our similarities.

The point of view is from someone involved in the action and someone who is also socializing with the others. The artist took the photo as someone involved in the event being photographed. There is a shallow depth of field being used for this image to capture the subjects in the back instead of in the front. This image is balanced because there is no extra or empty space to fill and there is something to look at everywhere in the image. The image cuts of the rest of the room and we have no sense of where they are.

The story being told in this image is that Alice, who has Down’s Syndrome, lives a normal life and also has a social life with her friends and family and she is just like every other human in the world. The artist made this image to show that her daughter is like everyone else in this world. This image reminds me of my childhood and when I was younger because me and my siblings would always mess around and have fun like shown in the image. This image is beautiful in its own way because of the memories it brings me.

I like the image because of the message behind it and the smile it puts on my face. This image makes me happy because of the memory it gave me of my childhood and of my old past times. This image was successful because of the story being told behind it. The series that this image comes from is also successful because of the entire purpose of it existing is to tell a beautiful story.

Sian Davey took these photos and made this series to show the life of her daughter Alice and that her disabilities do not change the fact that she is human and that she feels the same things as everyone else. Sian wants us to have empathy when she paints this picture and she wants the viewer to see that her daughter is the same as every other human and we should not judge her off of her differences but by our similarities.

Flint Rose

12/12/2019 12:59:24 pm

This piece shows the photographer's daughter and what could be her friends playing around. Alice is in the back watching with a baffled look on her face. One of the friends is recording what is happening with an iPhone. The room there is a mess with items all over the place. One of the girls is spraying what I think is the photographer's daughter with what looks like perfume.
Alice is in focus clearly making her the subject of the piece. There is no use of the rule of thirds, as Alice is in the middle. The frame cuts off the second friend, all we can see is her arm and her phone. Alice being the positive space is very small, this makes the viewer feel the same small feeling that Alice probably has. Having the girls and the phone cover-up Alice also makes the viewer have that same feeling when you’re ignored by an older sibling and their friends, just like how Alice is covered up.
This piece reminds me of all the times when I was younger and I wanted to hang out with my brother and his friends and they would ignore me. Also the times I was the one who ignored the younger kid. There is also a general feeling of confusion from Alice as she watches the girls play. Based on the door being open it looks like Alice just walked in and the girls have not noticed her yet. If my memories of being that young are true the girls will also most likely kick Alice out.
I like the piece, just a little less than some of the other pieces she has made. I think the piece is very busy, and I am not a big fan of that. Some of the other pieces from Looking For Alice are calm and serene, and I like that more. I think the point the piece is getting across is good, and it couldn't be done with a less busy piece, but I prefer other pieces of work from her. It is still a well shot and interesting piece.
Sian Davy is trying to tell us how Alice will grow up and be the same as the other girls. Even though she has down syndrome she is the same as anyone else. Her artistic career has been a great outlet for Sian Davy to spread these important messages that need to be spread about down syndrome. With 92% of down syndrome kids being terminated before birth in the UK, it is important for people to know that down syndrome kid is not inferior to traditional kids. I think her work is really helping people realise that.

Ben Barlow fl

12/12/2019 07:57:30 pm

Looking For Alice by Sian Davey is a series of photographs of her daughter, Alice, who was born with down’s syndrome. This collection of pictures was done to illustrate how Alice is no different from any other person. In the United Kingdom, 92% of babies found to have down’s syndrome are terminated by their own parents. In this particular image, titled Before the Ball, pictures Alice staring blankly at her mother as she is getting ready. Sian Davey appears to be surrounded by friends, having a good time before she leaves.

Before the ball takes place in a bedroom, with ample natural light from the windows. The room is a mess with random things scattered across the ground. I do not think the image is pleasing to look at, simply because of the fact that Alice’s confused face is quite unsettling. The depth of field is very short and it only allows for Alice to be in focus. Because of this, the audience is immediately directed to her upon first glance. However, she does not come close to filling up the frame and there is plenty of left over space that helps describe the setting.

I think that the main theme being told by this picture is the difference that Alice experiences around people that cannot understand her condition. It seems that Alice is given little attention while Sian’s friends are getting ready to leave. Even at only a couple years old, surely Alice understands this separateness she endures from everyone else. For most people observing, they will never truly comprehend what it means to be different from everyone else. Her condition is something that will burden her for the rest of her life.

Overall, I appreciate this photograph for the purpose it was created for. Down’s syndrome is a genetic disorder that slows growth, both physically and intellectually. In this day and age, many people are unwilling to care for a kid with mental disabilities. I hope work done by people such as Sian can help inspire others to undertake raising a child born with health disorders. From this aspect, I think the image was very successful because of the powerful message it carries.

From this picture, looking into the eyes of Alice, we are able to better comprehend an unfamiliar perspective. For some without any interaction with people suffering from down’s syndrome, they reason that those affected are somehow less of a person than we are. Through Sian’s work however, I hope we are all able to realize that those with down’s syndrome have the same integrity of any other human being. Although I can understand to some degree that it can be hard to raise a kid who is disabled, there is absolutely no reason a parent should kill their own child. Sian Davey is brave to confront an issue that no one wants to talk about, and I sincerely hope she continues to change the world for the better.

Isaiah Rettig link

12/12/2019 08:59:36 pm

The photo consists of the photographer's daughter and friends getting ready for the ball dance with Alice in the back looking at them. The photographer uses like from outside. The two faces that can be made out the easiest are Alice’s and girl in the black dress. A bag and a pair of shoes can be seen behind the girl in black. A jacket is to the far right of the room. While Alice watches the girl in black sprays her friend with perfume while the one out of frame checks herself out with her camera.
Even though Alice is in the background she is still centered in the photo. The rule of thirds is being used. The girl in black has the left side, Alice in the middle, and the last girl on the right but since she isn’t too important to the photo so an arm blurs her side. Other than the shoes, bag and jacket, everything else in the room is cut off. The image is not balanced in anyway.
Alice look of confusion reveals that she doesn’t understand why the girls want to dress up so nicely for the dance. Alice is shown to be dressed very differently from the girls as she’s more casually dressed and probably haven't thought of fashion to much. Alice is dressed in a green jacket, light blue skirt and red socks. The image is interesting as it’s fun to look at.
I like the image. It’s simplistic story and themes are charming. It reminds me of how I looked up to people when I was young. If the image goal of the image was to show how Alice’s down syndrome separates her from her sisters, then it fails. There isn’t even much of an indication that she is separated from them as the sister and friends don’t seem to mind her. If the goal was to show the curiosity of a small child then it succeeds.

Nathan Harrison

12/12/2019 09:29:26 pm

This image is of the photographer’s daughters. The eldest daughter is wearing a black dress while spraying one of the other daughters with perfume. The third and youngest is looking at the eldest most likely in confusion as to what her sisters are doing. The picture seems to use more cool colors than warm colors. The lighting is mainly focused in the center of the picture while the corners are a little darker.

The image follows the rule of thirds as most of the attention of the audience will be drawn to the daughters who stand on the points of the grid for the picture that applies to the rule of thirds. The point of view is from the photographer, who is the mother of the girls in the photo. The depth of field is shallow as the photo is taken indoor. The focal point of the picture will be the daughters of Sian. The image is asymmetrical as there is more positive space from the eldest daughter on the left side of the image. I feel that the image is filled appropriately by positive space and the dispersion of negative space creates a subtle look of the photo.

The theme of the image is the framing of Sian’s daughters, possibly her youngest daughter that suffers from down syndrome, but possibly to show some interaction by her daughters in their home. Sian just probably wants to document the life of her family as she most likely enjoys it. It may have been started when her youngest was born with down syndrome.

I do not like or dislike the image. It is a normal image to me. It does however successfully draw my attention to Sian’s daughters as I’m assuming the image is supposed to do. When you examine the image and you see the youngest daughter looking at her siblings do something that she has yet to do herself and I wonder if I ever looked like that and ever did that.

The world usually treats people with down syndrome as if they are different than other people as if they were not normal, even though they aren’t physically normal. To be honest, they are just like any other human, they just have some more differences and Sian is trying to tell people that through her photos. Her daughter acts just the same as any other toddler does. Taking pictures of her daughter is a nice way of trying to say that is really isn’t anything wrong with her daughter.

Abby Muir

12/13/2019 11:58:45 am

The image appears to be of three girls getting ready to go somewhere, with a toddler in the background watching. The three older girls in the front are a bit out of focus, and the focus is on the toddler in the background. The color palette is not heavily saturated, but it’s not faded either. It’s good natural balance, maybe a bit on the cooler toned side. The photo also has some vignette, which creates some shadowing around the edges and draws the viewer’s eye to the main subject, the toddler. The room is also a bit cluttered, which helps the background not look so stark and boring. There is definitely a lot going on in this image.
I love the point of view in this photograph. It almost looks like you’re one of the girls, and not from the perspective of the wall. The depth of field is great, it’s very deep and provides an interesting point of view. I would say the rule of thirds is being used, because she set the image up to almost frame her daughter in the back. Since the subject is the daughter, I would say she definitely doesn’t fill the frame but that’s not necessarily a bad thing, as she used the extra space to her advantage. The girls also help direct your eye, because you look at the girl with the blue leggings first (or at least I did) because of the bright blue. I then looked at the toddler’s red tights, which then drew my eye to her face, which is the subject.
The edge of the image is in focus, and it’s mostly clutter, a door, and a neutrally colored wall. The girl that is also mostly out of frame and holding the phone is interesting as well. You look at the toddler, and then you notice the phone, which draws your eyes back to the girls. The photographer does a great job of drawing the viewers eyes around the photograph. It’s really powerful, and there’s definitely a story behind it.
This image reminds me of when I was a child. I would watch my two older cousins getting ready to go somewhere or do something, and I remember thinking how much I wanted to be like them. I think anyone could find a memory they remember in this photo. Almost anyone has had a memory like this, either from the perspective of the toddler, the older girls, or even the photographer’s perspective. I love how it makes you think, and wonder what the story is behind it.
I really love the story behind this series by Sian Davey. She was previously a psychotherapist, which I think gave her an advantage on finding Alice’s perspective. She talks about how her anxiety about her having Down Syndrome affected their relationship, and how she struggled to love her daughter. Once she realized that Alice was feeling her rejection, that made her more upset, and she knew things needed to change. She realized that Alice was just like any other human being, with needs, fears, and feelings just like everyone else.

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Period 6 -- Critical Analysis #7

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