Courtney Richmond - Written Content

Courtney's reasoning behind the use of content: 

Within the opening page of the book we felt it was appropriate to introduce my images with a poem which was written over a century ago. By having the text appeared as though it was it was in the style of an old English literature or story book introduced the notion of what the rest of the book would be like. I felt the surrealist nature to the nursey rhyme was well in fitting with the over all concept of the book. I also found the poem endearing and due to the slightly obscure and irrational logic to the poem It was a representation of the context within the book which I felt worked well as it has been noted that my images do not have much consistency as each shoot as been interpreted with a slightly new idea each time rather then producing a coherent body of work which would be suitable for an editorial. The over all presentation and nature of the poem I felt was well suited to introduce my book and the use of surrealist text taken by segments of nursery rhymes is something which will be consistent throughout my final product.

Poem - 

The feet of morning the feet of noon 

and the feet of evening walk ceaselessly round 

pickled buttocks on the other hand 

the feet of midnight remain motionless 

in their echo-woven baskets 

consequently the lion is a diamond

on the sofas made of bread

are seated the dressed and the undressed

the undressed hold leaden swallows between their toes

the dressed hold leaden nests between their fingers

at all hours the undressed get dressed again

and the dressed get undressed

and exchange the leaden swallows .for the leaden nests

consequently the tail is an umbrella

a mouth opens within another mouth

and within this mouth another mouth

and within this mouth another mouth

and so on without end

it is a sad perspective

which adds an I-don’t-know-what

to another I-don’t-know-what

consequently the grasshopper is a column

the pianos with heads and tails 

place pianos with heads and tails 

on their heads and their tails

consequently the tongue is a chair.

Jean Arp - 1938

Nursery Rhymes:

Hey, diddle, diddle,

The cat and the fiddle,

The cow jumped over the moon;

The little dog laughed

To see such sport,

And the dish ran away with the spoon.

If you go down in the woods today, you're sure of a big surprise

If you go down in the woods today, you'd better go in disguise

For every bear that ever there was will gather there for certain

Because today's the day the teddy bears have their picnic

What an incredibly large head you have, I would very much like to hat it. - The Mad Hatter

Mirror, mirror, on the wall, who's the fairest of them all. 

One, two, three, four, five,

Once I caught a fish alive,

Six, seven, eight, nine, ten,

Then I let it go again.

She went to the sempstress

To buy him some linen;

When she came back

The dog was spinning.

Up above the world so high.

Built it up with bricks and mortar, my fair lady.