Montauk

https://vimeo.com/71444895

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Home sick? Sick of home?

My month in New York is officially over. Cue the tears. It was essentially the best month of my entire life, and I am most definitely going to move there as soon as I am finished studying. Instead of focusing on the sadness that fills my heart, being away from Parsons, my friends, and my favourite city in the world, I must look forward to going to my new school in September and creating and learning new things there.

For the last weekend in New York my parents and I stayed at Ruschmeyer's in Montauk, just a few hours away from Manhattan, and it was bliss. Of course, it was just what I needed after living amongst the chaos of New York City for the month, and my trip ended on a peaceful note. After a horse ride at a local ranch, and a bit of window shopping, we made our way back, and I am currently cosy in bed (not even 5pm, don't judge me) about to work on a film of my footage from Montauk. Super exciting. When I have finished everything it will most definitely be posted on here so check for updates!

e x

THIS is the end

Yesterday was the final day of my month long Photography course at Parsons. It has been 4 weeks, living with teenagers, meeting new people and learning life lessons, as well as the occasional photography ones (oh Kevin, you were a wonderful teacher). Alas, all great things must come to an end. I checked out of my dorm, and into the beautiful Wythe Hotel in Williamsburg, insert flashback from last summer...

My entire month in New York has been one of the most vital in my development as some one in the real world, and coming from a 16 year old girl, that probably sounds super over dramatic, but it really is the truth. Handling my own money, (attempting the whole) budgeting (thang), living with different people, taking out the trash, cleaning, all pretty basic things that have really shown me how sheltered I probably am. There were disputes, there were laughs, there was drama, but honestly, I think there were more hysterical laughing fits in this past month than any other month in my (almost) 17 years of living. Forever grateful for the opportunities I was given these past weeks and it is confirmed that my heaart is set on finishing my last 2 years of school in London, then coming to New York and living it up big time. Parsons is most definitely the school for me, and I will work as hard as I can to achieve this dream.

Now all of my theatrical hoping and dreaming is over, let me give you a low down on my plan for my last days in the States. Tonight, I am seeing 2 of my best friends from the course, and they are coming to stay with me at the Wythe, and 1 of them is in fact my room mate. Living with her for just the month was not enough, and we have already planned our wedding and honeymoon. (Fuji, Honolulu, Berlin. No joking around here, son) Sunday will take my parents and me on a road trip to Montauk for an evening and a day. We have never been before, and of course I have to go if Rufus Wainwright wrote a song with 'Montauk' as the title. It's just a rule. (Room service? Cigarettes and chocolate milk. Thanks.)

Rufus, you absolute gem.

As I mentioned in my previous posts, I have really taken an interest in the movie making side of digital photography, and I am psyched to pursue this, starting with a video I will work on of my trip to Montauk. Tuesday is my day of returning home to London. It will be insanely upsetting, but I will be back soon, NYC. Soon.

Before I go, I want to post a few of the videos from my classmates. There were more that I was obsessed with, but these are just some of their videos (with a few photographs). I hope you enjoy them just as much as I do!

Nina's Video

Martina's video

Photographs above by Martina

Mallory's video

Audrey's video

Mary Michael's video

Photographs above also by Mary Michael

Sara's video

Diane's video

Margaux's video

 Photographs above by Margaux

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An Open Letter To NYC - for shits and giggs

At the beginning of this month long course at Parsons, I had absolutely no clue about how to make films, and frankly, I had no interest in it at all. It was intimidating to me, as I am a film fanatic, yet I never considered creating artistic films myself. Then, I came to realise that I actually really enjoy the entire process. Filming, editing, adding music. Before discovering my love for making films, if I saw something visually appealing my first instinct was to just snap a picture. Now, I want to film it. The way the light reflects off of a building, the way someone's hair moves with the breeze, my feet walking down the street. This course has opened my eyes to a whole new world of film editing, and praise be to Jesus because it's one of my favourite things to do now.

Here is my film which essentially sums up my evening yesterday.

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Jammy Dodger ft. Williamsburg

Yesterday, this happened. It's a tattoo of my lil' Whippet (Milo)'s favourite cookie. It's a Jammy Dodger. Appreciate. 

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My Final Video Project

   Destruction is defined as the action or process of causing so much damage to something that it no longer exists or cannot be repaired. It could be the demolition of a building, or perhaps it can be interpreted in an alternative way, which was what I decided to base my video project on. Rather than focusing on the negativity that is associated with this word 'destruction', I wanted to portray the sense of improvement and creativity that can emanate. When I began to consider the various ideas for my video, I realised that the world revolves around development and enhancement through means of demolishing the old.

   There is a myriad of forms of destruction that can be for expression and creativity, one of the main focal points in my video showing this being tattooing. Religions, for example Christianity, state strong beliefs against the art form of tattooing, shown in Leviticus 19:28, "Do not cut your bodies for the dead, and do not mark your skin with tattoos. I am the Lord." It was seen as a form of witchcraft, and some are still strongly against the destruction of ‘virgin skin’. Of course, having a tattoo myself, I disagree, so long as the tattoo has significance. As my brothers, father and I all have tattoos, I felt that including this aspect of destruction was crucial.

   The introduction to my video, a quote from Ecclesiastes 9:10, spoke to me as I reflected on the message I was trying to evoke. Although it may not be in the way the Bible intended, I feel that all messages should be interpreted how the reader feels relates to themselves, which is why I incorporated this specific quotation, as it has a darker underlying message, with speak of Sheol, the Hebrew name for the abode of the dead. What I took from this is that whatever we may choose to do with ourselves in out lives, we must do to the fullest, with all our might, conjuring imagery of extremities, reminding me of tattooing, smoking, and more sensitive subjects, such as self-harm.

   My choice of music, a song by one of my favourite bands, Joy Division, felt like the most suitable. Ever since I was young, I have listened to them, as my parents raised me with the music from their hometown, Manchester, which resulted in my strong interest in Joy Division’s lead singer, Ian Curtis, and his tragic premature death. Disorder, the song used for my film, was my only option, as the first lines of the song seemed to communicate a message that was ideal for the story of my video. “I've been waiting for a guide to come and take me by the hand, Could these sensations make me feel the pleasures of a normal man?”. All humans look for something that makes them different, or something that makes them fit in with everyone else. Either way, we are all looking for some form of happiness and contentment with our lives, and I saw that destruction was one of the ways we go about finding this serenity within ourselves, and the world.

   Despite dealing with the consequences of clichéd videos and photographs of people smoking, I felt this was another significant destructive ritual. We are constantly exposed to advertisements and warnings about the dangers and effects of smoking, however it has been shown that almost $23 million was spent every single day on cigarettes in 2011. The cost and hazards are side tracked every day because it gives the smoker a form of pleasure and relief. Therefore, as I contemplated whether or not to include this glamourized habit, I felt that I should include footage, as I personally understand the perilous effects it has, yet I still appreciate the beauty of smoking.

   Building sites are around every block in New York City, which is one of the most obvious examples of destruction for creation, making some improvement by abolishing the old. Union Square was holding a boxing match between a fiery red headed woman and a stern-faced man. They both knew that damage could be done, yet the adrenaline and rush of pure euphoria a fighter feels when in action overcomes this fear of disaster. Lastly, I wanted to include a more personal and sensitive subject, which is self-harm. Unfortunately, it has become more and more common for teenagers over the past decade, and I have supported many people very close to me who have felt this was their last resort when filled with self-loathing and sadness. Using footage of some one covering old scars reversed felt more revealing, as it uncovers something that not everyone notices on a person.

   To conclude, my video demonstrated aspects of the modern world that I feel all portray a certain ethos of the human race; destruction is essential for creation, and sometimes for pleasure. Again, it may be slightly controversial, including aspects of Christianity, Bible quotations, and tender subjects like self-harming, but if my art doesn’t pose any questions or debates, then what would be the point?

some disposables from my month in NYC

e x

SKIN

http://erin-nyc.tumblr.com/post/56075439381

A massive thank you to Thomas Hooper and Scott Campbell for letting me film at Saved Tattoo Salon in Williamsburg. Hope you guys like the film.

Song: 

Skin - Grimes

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GOLF WANG

Some of the latest photographs from class, not in love with all of them but honestly, I am really proud of the boxing photographs. As you can see, we went to Coney Island. It was pretty horrific, and obviously I didn't participate in the rollercoaster action, but the freak show was pretty... interesting...

Also, check out this Vine I found on tumblr - 

http://www.thepulpzine.com/summer-dreaming/

Last but not least, I may or may not be going to an Odd Future concert in Williamsburg tomorrow night. UHSKDFSKEJDHGFKJDHKJXKXDH.

e x