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A Study for a Series on Woman's Choice, "13 LA Women"

Asher Kelman

OPF Owner/Editor-in-Chief
Here's a series of images that lead to the making of one composite mural depicting women with different choices. It's set, (roughly after the last supper), as a scene in a sewing sweat shop at the beginning of the 20th century. Here, women came to do piecework for long hours. Eventually their daughters would work there too, long hours and for little pay. What makes folk so the jobs they do and what choices to we really have.

The examples below are each from a set of studies for one position in a scene all acted by the same person. In some way, known only to myself and the actor, the scene reflects her own life.






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Asher Kelman

OPF Owner/Editor-in-Chief
Here's the final sketch. Note that the actual representative images chosen are not necessarily the ones shared above.


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Asher Kelman: Sweatshop

Credit: Rebecca

From the Series 13 L.A. Women

All Images Taken in the Studio with a Canon 1DII

Do not copy, sample or edit


The woman on the far left is a supervisor. She has essentially "sold out" to the management and her loyalty is just to them. The first woman sewing is new to the production line and hopes that by listening to instructions and following them she'll be able to support herself in her first job. Perhaps her husband ran off and now she has to work. The next woman feels she owns the place that the boss will eat out of her hand. She fails to look behind her! At the right, the woman in black is at the junction between being committed to staying or quitting. If she leaves she will remain independent. If she stays, then she will lose her identity and become one of the lost souls behind her as if she had descended the steps of Dantés Inferno. She considers the supervisor a traitor, the new woman naive and the one in the center, delusional. She in fact, is the protagonist of the work, not the pretty woman in the center. She's the only person who's truly rational, not the pretty one in the center, but knows that ultimate, without this job, her children won't eat. So what choices are there?


Hope you might like this work.

Asher
 

Jarmo Juntunen

Well-known member
An interesting concept, Asher! Using final supper is not the freshest idea, but I'm sure you know that well enough without me telling it. And it certainly works for me. No way I feel competent to offer any critisism but hopefully you'll find my ideas and impressions acceptable. So here goes: it's an interesting compilation of women we have here. All with individual motifs and situations with life. The one on the left "sold out" for the same reason as the rest of them. To make ends meet, to make a living. They all have a story or two to tell but somehow they seem to become one. A fascinating work indeed, Asher.
 

Asher Kelman

OPF Owner/Editor-in-Chief
An interesting concept, Asher! Using final supper is not the freshest idea, but I'm sure you know that well enough without me telling it. And it certainly works for me. No way I feel competent to offer any critisism but hopefully you'll find my ideas and impressions acceptable. So here goes: it's an interesting compilation of women we have here. All with individual motifs and situations with life. The one on the left "sold out" for the same reason as the rest of them. To make ends meet, to make a living. They all have a story or two to tell but somehow they seem to become one. A fascinating work indeed, Asher.

Thanks for your visit! I hope to show more in this series!
 
Here's the final sketch. note that the actual representative images chosen are not necessarily the ones shared above.


ED3348CC49EA11DA.jpg


Asher Kelman: Sweatshop

Credit: Rebecca

From the Series 13 L.A. Women

All Images Taken in the Studio with a Canon 1DII

Do not copy, sample or edit


The woman on the far left is a supervisor. She has essentially "sold out" to the management and her loyalty is just to them. The first woman sewing is new to the production line and hopes that by listening to instructions and following them she'll be able to support herself in her first job. Perhaps her husband ran off and now she has to work. The next woman feels she owns the place that the boss will eat out of her hand. She fails to look behind her! At the right, the woman in black is at the junction between being committed to staying or quitting. If she leaves she will remain independent. If she stays, then she will lose her identity and become one of the lost souls behind her as if she had descended the steps of Dantés Inferno. She considers the supervisor a traitor, the new woman naive and the one in the center, delusional. She in fact, is the protagonist of the work, not the pretty woman in the center. She's the only person who's truly rational, not the pretty one in the center, but knows that ultimate, without this job, her children won't eat. So what choices are there?


Hope you might like this work.

Asher

Some photographers insist that images do not tell a story but an organized sequence can show a story in much the same way as a graphic novel. You depict the characters here and have a clear idea about their roles. What is missing are their interactions and a plot. What fun you would have developing this series into a photographic short story or longer novel.

By the way, is that an apple behind the bobbin to the right of the image? Is she Eve?

Cheers
Mike
 

Asher Kelman

OPF Owner/Editor-in-Chief
Some photographers insist that images do not tell a story but an organized sequence can show a story in much the same way as a graphic novel. You depict the characters here and have a clear idea about their roles. What is missing are their interactions and a plot. What fun you would have developing this series into a photographic short story or longer novel.

By the way, is that an apple behind the bobbin to the right of the image? Is she Eve?

Cheers
Mike

Michael,

It's so great to have a comment from someone who's own photographic work is so exceptional. Your writing to is remarkable. The Other Migrant Mother, is one such example. Yes, these are stories to be told, frameworks for their voices and past present and future. As they now live for me, the spaces are being filled up in my subconcious and as I interview more young women about their choices. I ask who inspired them and who blocked them and put them down. Who were role models and who gave them or chance or just used them as they tried to define their own identity and self-worth.

Yes, the apple is a pin cushion that needleworkers use to put the cloth in position before sewing on the machine. The apple is, of course the first Faustian pact with the devil and the sewing machine is the second! It gives both emancipation from the father and husband but then becomes the exploiter par excellence.

Viewers are invited to bring their owen narrative to the scene.

Asher
 

Charlotte Thompson

Well-known member
Asher

From an artistic stand point "this really rocks" Your photography is beautiful color work- did you try it in black and white or even sepia for that antique look?

very creative way of showing the then "female plight" - in contrast wouldn't it be interesting to show "females of today"

Charlotte-
 

Asher Kelman

OPF Owner/Editor-in-Chief
Asher

From an artistic stand point "this really rocks" Your photography is beautiful color work- did you try it in black and white or even sepia for that antique look?

very creative way of showing the then "female plight" - in contrast wouldn't it be interesting to show "females of today"
Charlotte,

Thanks for your kind words. This series is large as it consists of all the component images and the final constructions. Each deals with aspects of the forces, internal and external which make up all our positions in life. Driving past Sunset boulevard in very early morning hours, we saw a girl, no doubt a "working girl" with her shiny tight skimpy dress, red shoes and head between her knees, giant red purse by her side. She was exhausted. I pointed her out, "Look at that poor woman". "She made her choices, here's were not so good, that's all." "Did she?" I replied and since then I have wondered about how people get where they are today. Hence this series.

Asher
 

Robert Watcher

Well-known member
Very nice work and a great project Asher. I like the tonality of the images as well as the concept of telling the story by combining all into one. I always like to keep insiring concepts like this, in the back of my mind so I can call on them when I am needing something fresh or when the right subject matter or story line comes along.


I was incredibly inspired by a play my wife and I went to see at Blyth Festival last night. This theater produces some incredible Canadian content productions - - - down to earth type stuff. It was called "Dear Johnny Deere". We were not disappointed as it explored relationships and subtlties and disappointments and changes in life that weren't expected. The observations you have just presented, are what the play was all about. It was funny, emotional and a musically rich play with great characters and performances by all - - - played out in an intimate theater setting with natural sound.

So I am heavily inspired today by these experiences - with the play last night and as well a closer observation of your work here today.
 

Asher Kelman

OPF Owner/Editor-in-Chief
Very nice work and a great project Asher. I like the tonality of the images as well as the concept of telling the story by combining all into one. I always like to keep insiring concepts like this, in the back of my mind so I can call on them when I am needing something fresh or when the right subject matter or story line comes along.


I was incredibly inspired by a play my wife and I went to see at Blyth Festival last night. This theater produces some incredible Canadian content productions - - - down to earth type stuff. It was called "Dear Johnny Deere". We were not disappointed as it explored relationships and subtlties and disappointments and changes in life that weren't expected. The observations you have just presented, are what the play was all about. It was funny, emotional and a musically rich play with great characters and performances by all - - - played out in an intimate theater setting with natural sound.

So I am heavily inspired today by these experiences - with the play last night and as well a closer observation of your work here today.


Robert,

Thanks for the kind words. I'd love to see this Canadian play. At the very least, I'm going to look it up and read the reviews.

I keep getting distracted by helping out in other projects, but now I'm trying to complete the series. One of the latest is with Yeney who's tableaux is aced on her mothers brave choice to bring her from Cuba. The picture for here shows Yeney as an infant being handed over to a woman already in the water, in post #18 here. A lot more to do with the composition, but this is the basic start. Each tableaux is inspired by one woman's life story but interpreted to cover a range of choice a person makes or is made for them.

Asher
 
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Whoa, I have a lot to say, so I hope you to like to read.

I'm looking through this tableau and I'm impressed with how you depicted this woman to make her all of them. The first woman, seems so conservative and when you say she has sold out, she really has as there seems to be no thread of her inner self left. She's the color beige; essentially not very interesting and does not seem to have even kept a tiny part of her that gives us any clue to her personality.

The second woman, chin down, looks so meek and quite small. You've put her in a pose that makes her mouse-like. She's dressed like the middle woman, so still may have some potential. Her legs seem close together and makes her look all bundled up in her little life and problems.

The third girl, who is in the middle has tons of attitude. Yes, she may be delusional. She seems to feel like she's the queen bee here, in this tiny world of a few people, but really? Queen bee of what? Her body language is very powerful and sexy with the bare feet yet her hands betray her confidence. They don't look powerful or sexy. They make me think of a woman who is all dressed to the nines, perfect hair, perfect body, but that keeps pulling on her dress or checking out her bossom to make sure everything is placed where it should be. To me, that is not really powerful or sexy. Sexy is when you don't give a damn. I don't know if your intention was to show this duality that is going on, but if yes, it is quite brilliant and would explain why someone with that attitude is still working at the sweatshop.

The 4th woman, is almost emo-like in her attitude and her clothing. She seems lost in thoughts of the reality of her life. The open scissors seem to feel like she'd just like to cut away from this situation but her rationale tells her that there is no easy way out.

There are two woman in the back. One is pregnant. To me this speaks of many a woman who for a lack of education, but also because of a lack of self-esteem, only want to have someone to say they love them, get into situations of having sex without contraception and end up getting pregnant and end up changing their lives for a bad choice.

Both women in the back are both dressed in blue jeans and carrying huge bolts of heavy denim which denotes their blue collar jobs and the burden these people have to bear.

What is also interesting is I would definitely gather that these women were not fortunate enough to have been born in a social class that would have most probably re-directed their lives. Yes, the mom works here and the family have a hard time to make ends meet and once her daughter is old enough, she will work here too, she may even be the pregnant girl behind. And on goes the vicious cycle.

I'm not saying that growing up in a well-educated, higher income situation ensures you a happy and prosperous life. I'm sure we all know that is not true. What is different though, is that there is an expectation that you will be educated, that you will get a good paying job etc., You are brought up with that and already have a sense of entitlement that these women do not have.

Can they leave? yes, will they? probably not. Brought up in a situation where education and self-confidence comes second to putting food on the table and a roof over your, what do you believe comes first? And let's face it, these woman are not working as seamstresses making a one-of-a-kind Dior, they are in a sweatshop. They'll work on the same line of dress/shirt whatever for the next week or more on a type of production line, where all you do is collars and that's all you'll ever do. How can you go home with any sense of pride or sense that you did something creative and wonderful. You go home and feed your babies and you're back tomorrow to sew more collars.

It is so easy to think people made their choices and have to live with those choices. What we fail to realize is that for some there is not choice as the choice has been made and although, yes, it is possible to get out of this situation, they are pre-programmed to believe otherwise.

Your piece talks of how easy it is to be judgmental when we don't have to put ourselves in their shoes and their situation.

I also want to say ( yes, I know, I've written so much already, lol) that I am really also interested that you used the same woman to depict them all. It really brought home to me that the way you feel about yourself and how you portray yourself really changes the perception people have of us. This is all the same woman, and she can be beautiful or just plain bland and boring.

Maggie
p.s. I find it hilarious that the next thing to click on is POST QUICK REPLY :-D
 

Asher Kelman

OPF Owner/Editor-in-Chief
Maggie,

My quick reply is thank you for the time and thought generously assigned to my picture. I owe you a lot. This is so helpful to me to read your honest reaction and especially that you yourself are a woman too. Working on behalf of something that I'm not is a paradox and a bit of a challenge. It's helpful to have a woman's honest and open feedback to let me know how well I'm on track. I'll be reading and rereading your comments and I appreciate every word.

Asher
 

fahim mohammed

Well-known member
Asher, I like what you are going and how you went/want to go about this series. Adressing
a very important subject. The photography is very well done; individually and as a composite of them all.

A subject that should continue to be in the fore. Although your essay is set in the 20th century where you live; in many many parts of the world such is the norm and prevalent today. There the women do not have a choice.

It addresses important social issues of the past, present and future. I, for one, shall wait for
the final result.

Kudos for tackling an issue that is relevant, in various ways, for a significant portion of the human race. And you re handling it in a sensitive way.

Best.
 
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