My Practice and research
I have two approaches to the way that I make collages. The first approach is the traditional way: I hand cut the part of an image I would like to use and stick them in position onto a piece of paper.
The second approach is by using Photoshop. The process is similar, but I use a computer to do my cutting and pasting. The results, however, are different. Working with Photoshop does feel a bit like cheating and my collages feel too polished. There is a DIY charm to handmade collages.
Sometimes I combined the 2 approaches. I hand cut my images and then I scan the images into Photoshop. I then manipulate the images. I like this approach because it allows me to maintain my DIY look.
John Heartfield is one of the leading artists in collage making. I need to clarify what I mean by 'collage'. It is important to acknowledge that John Heartfield called this type of art 'Photo-montage'. The difference between collage and photo-montage is explained in the following quote by John Berger in his essay 'The Political Uses of Photo-Montage'-
Both disciplines involve cutting paper and creating an image, however collage makers will use anything and photo-montage artists will use photographs. John Heartfield used photo-montage to politically commentate and fight against the rise of the far right in Germany, between 1916 and 1937. However, he is famous for the work he made from 1927 to 1937. For purists, the process of making photo-montage from John Heartfield's time has been maintained to the present day. The following quote from one of Heartfield's photographers called W.Reissman in a book called 'Photomontage' by Dawn Ades gives you an insight into his process -
