Alexander Rodchenko

I have looked extensively at the work of Alexander Rodchenko previously and absolutely love the images.

i think it is relevant to include them for this brief as he displays a unique way of presenting views of our urban environment. Frequently the images are taken at obscure angles, from high up looking down towards the ground. Alternatively from low down looking up, they make us feel like tiny insects with concrete constructions towering over us. 

I think the photography particularly appeal to me as i always try to imagine myself being really small when in the city, i think it interesting how it is actually potentially a very scary place, big, bold, bright and fast moving, the city is very impersonal - i think i noticed this most when i went to London for the first time, it is difficult for me to fully experience these sensations in Manchester as i cannot imagine not knowing my way around due to the fact that i am so familiar with the place. 

However when taken out of my comfort zone i saw a big city in a completely new light, the sounds, the hustle and bustle, the rush, it all seems more intense when you fully aware of what's going on around you, too often in Manchester I sub consciously turn off from these things, so constantly i stride to pay particular attention.

Rodchenko's clever use of perspective and viewpoints make the photographs especially interesting for me, i get a strange sense of excitement and nervousness when i look at them. like i mentioned before, they force me to look at the city in a new light. 

I suppose, in a way they make me feel uncomfortable. That strange sickening sensation you experience when you peer off the top of a balcony miles high, or the dizzy feeling generated by looking straight up at the sheer hight of a building when stood directly below it.

When researching - i came across some graphic style work by Rodchenko, i noticed a key simularity in the sense that the strong lines dominate the pictures.

They reminded me very much of a cover of a CD i have by Franz Ferdinand, I looked into it a bit (more out of curiosity than anything else) only to find that Rodchenko is actually listed as official inspiration for the art work.

Rodchenko design

Rodchenko design

Franz Ferdinand CD cover