You Are Not A Gadget

You Are Not A Gadget, by Jaron Lanier is a book I had briefly started reading when I was working on the Phonar module (Photography and Narrative) and it brought up some really interesting aspects about the self and the relationship between a person and digital technology which I thought would be good to include in my research surrounding my Final Major Project. The first chapter particularly outlines the what a person is and how they could be changed by their interaction with digital technology.

PART ONE – WHAT IS A PERSON?

Chapter One – Missing Persons

• Software expresses ideas, it is also prone to the “lock-in” of ideas
• World Wide Web 2.0 called “open culture”
• Process of fragmentation has demeaned interpersonal interaction
• Communication in digital age presents a reduced expectation/representation
• Technology changes people, an extension of the self
• Jeremy Bailenson – avatar in virtual reality transforms self esteem and self perception
• Identities can be shifted by the ‘quirks of gadgets’
• Hive mind is the audience, who is the presenter?
• Different media stimulates different potentials in human nature
• Shouldn’t make pack mentality more efficient, should explore/develop the individual mind
• Is virtual reality like a drug?
• What is the human relationship with technology?
• Tim Berners Lee invented design of current Web – was meant for a community of physicists
• Dave Smith made MIDI (music software)
• Design is key to software, design is key for any influential arrangement – the Tube was designed without ventilation and can’t be changed
• Computers are much more powerful – MIDI now exists in phones
• Lock-in removes design options based on convenience/efficiency
• Now MIDI is hard to change to culture changes to suit it
• Operating system UNIX – has some MIDI characteristics
• UNIX has been incorporated into society
• Files are now a part of life
• What do files mean for human expression?
• Is anonymity and pseudomyity a good thing?
• Rise of the Web exposed human potential
• Fad for anonymity has empowered sadists
• Google brought about tailoring through ads and searching
• Google discovered an influential part of the market
• Using the cloud for storage was developed/implemented
• Subculture “cyber totalist” or “digital Maoists”
• Criticism of digital culture is it tries to split the group into incredibly niche sections
• Marxism/Freud’s ideology about battling the subconscious
• There are significant challenges to the Internet now – UNIX inability to keep up with time and MIDI nuance challenged
• Emphasising the crowd means de-emphasising individual human beings
• Encouraging non-humanistic actions is encourage mob-like behaviour (trolling/catfishing)
• Deep meaning of human personhood has been reduced to an illusion of bits
• Online culture is a global issue however it is not the priority
• Be a person not fragments to be exploited, don’t be defined by software
• Active campaign in 1980s and 1990s to promote visual elegance in software
• Apple and Microsoft worked on different designs
• New York Times promotes ‘open digital politics’

 

Reflection:

Jaron Lanier makes some really interesting points in the emerging behaviour of people through using technology, focusing down on the concept of the ‘hive mind’: where everyone acts as a collective online, presumably because it is believed there is more strength in numbers. Despite a person being able to exist on their own, people are drawn together on the Internet and showcase ‘pack-like’ behaviour when their ideals and ideas are threatened, drawing in their connections to create the impression they are the stronger force. Lanier goes on to say that by emphasising crowd behaviour, we are in fact de-emphasising human beings, which in turn encourages mob-like behaviour such as trolling and catfishing. There is a similarity between this book and the research I have conducted in other fields such as the paper on the online disinhibition effect. Suler describes the individual as having a personality like a constellation, where different aspects align when entering an online space. Lanier also recognises this, but calls it fragmentation, and explains that a fragmented individual is easily exploited by software. As Lanier states, the Internet, digital technology and all the characteristics that come with it are a part of life now, almost everyone recognises what a file is and uses them on a daily basis. The idea of Freudian and Marxism ideas that everyone is battling their subconscious could also be a reason why some individuals act and present themselves differently online, because parts of their subconscious desires are filtering through into their online presence. Lanier states the online culture is a global priority, with darker corners of the Internet emerging as people put more of their inhibited thoughts online, and trolling occurring on an increasing level, however this issue has not even been considered to be a priority until this current age. Only in the past fews years has disruptive, destructive online behaviour been addressed, with a law being passed prohibiting the act of ‘revenge porn’, where individuals post explicit videos and pictures of their ex boyfriend/girlfriend online for everyone to see. Each and every individual toxic act like this needs to be addressed and mitigated, however in a democracy, sometimes the line between freedom of speech and toxic behaviour is difficult to draw. It has been incredibly beneficial to include Jaron Lanier’s ideas in my project and I will go on to read the rest of the title and build on his ideas in my future projects, I hope to include his ideas when I go on to do my Masters in Communication, Culture and Media.

 

Research – Exploring Identity

In the second tutorial with David Moore, I talked to him and showed him the photographic work I had been carrying out based on ideas and we had a big discussion about what my ideas were and what concepts they focused around. One key term that kept being repeated was the idea of identity and how this has been changed in the digital age with the emergence of social media profiles where the information on the page defines the person. David posed the idea that my project was shifting more to the idea of digital identity rather than specifically online communication, the ideas I had taken from communication can actually be applied to the concept of digital identity however it is very hard to investigate represent the act of communication itself photographically.

The slight transition from focusing on communication, to considering communication as part of digital identity gave new a new understanding and a new approach to my subject matter. I could encompass all the research on communication and the idea of an encounter and combine it with new research on how the act of self representation and identification has changed from the transition from the physical to digital. My ASL project could continue however instead of thinking about relating it specifically to an encounter, I could start introducing ideas surrounding identity and how the individual is presented through online communication. I was keen to avoid obvious portraiture, as in the digital world you rarely get to observe a person in their entirety as you would in face-to-face communication. Even when communicating through video chat, the individual still has the choice and control to frame themselves in the camera. So instead I tried to search for projects that had tackled identity which avoided photographing the person and explored alternative methods of representing identity.

 

I recently attended some of the 2015 Picbod lectures having taken an alternative module last year, one of the beginning sessions was exploring identity as a concept that is complex and constructed. Michael Spijker’s body of work ‘Nothing of me is original’ explores identity through personal possessions, using an assortment of them to produce an abstract self portrait. He continually took them as the years progressed and as a viewer we see the iconic signs of consumerism and capitalism which manifests itself as fashion and trends. There are some snapshot images included in the project which, in relation to my project, I find less effective but overall the aesthetic of the whole project is appealing and intriguing.

The idea that the changes in society are a factor in identity and representation is a concept that links to my project however instead of investigating personal possessions I could apply this to digital identity. The key analysation when considering these materialistic self portraits is the clean, organised and consistent layout. All of the background colours are the same and despite the layout of the images changing slightly, the size and the general aesthetic of them is kept the same. I believe that this has been implemented to allow the viewer to have the best chance of comparing the content and really looking at the images themselves rather than the page as a whole. Previously I researched The Visual Display of Quantitative Information by Edward R. Tufte on data visualisation and it maintained that when designing features that encourage comparison, the structure of the aesthetic should be kept very consistent to demonstrate that it is the data (in this case the visual data in the photographs) which is fluctuating and it is this that we should be examining. This design choice is definitely one I should be referring to when making decisions about my photographic work, if I am to encourage the viewer to examine the visual data between images I must keep the aesthetic, format and structure consistent.

In addition to the format of the images, I can take a lot of inspiration from the content in the images which attempt to show identity without depicting the actual form of the individual. This abstract, minimalist method of representation would compliment my idea for the ASL (Age Sex Location) image set because this explores the concept that an individual can be reduced into three forms of information. In order to effectively convey this concept through my images, I must pursue a form of representation that strays from conventional portraiture and approaches to representation. Where Spijker chose an assortment of products and personal belongings to represent the identity of the individual at different points in time, I must find a method of representation which reflects the transition of communication and identity from the physical world to digital communities.

 

When revisiting the Picbod content I came across a quote from David Bate  from ‘Photography: the Key Concepts’ 2008 which stated, ‘Portraits fix our identity in what is essentially the art of description’. This idea of the individual describing themselves through a visual representation is extremely interesting and it relates heavily to the digital act of representation that we see today in social media. The user carefully constructs their own personal profile, choosing which information to show, what pictures best represent their identity and even what personal interests they have. The culmination of this process is a personal profile which effectively describes the individual in a manner in which they would like to be represented. What really interested me about the quotation however was the use of the term ‘description’, in the physical world we would perhaps interpret the word description as a written or spoken extract, perhaps even a physical print. In the digital world however the ‘art of description’ could and perhaps should be interpreted as the process of writing and generating the code which is the basis for all content online. When the individual uses an interface to ‘describe’ their identity, the digital process behind it scribes this identity in the form of code.

This transition from physical to digital, from physical form to digital code has also been seen in the practice of photography. Where analogue photography is a highly physical, mechanical practice, the digital image is fluid and can take many forms from the visual manifestation, to binary code in which it can be transmitted and shared. A photographer who has focused on the concept of the code behind digital images is Andreas Mueller Pohle with his project Digital Scores. He took the oldest analogue photograph with an exposure time of eight hours and transformed it into coded entities using digital technology to explore the concept of visual representation, the different manifestations in the digital age and challenge the boundaries of what could be considered a visual representation.

The interesting thought is that despite the human viewer not being able to read this code and understand what the code has the capacity to visualise, a computer looking and reading this code would instantly be able to know and show what the code describes. The practice of transforming the photograph into the code which would support the digital image is extremely interesting and is definitely a concept that can be related to my ASL image set. I had identified previously that I was searching for an alternative representation of the digital image and by changing the manifestation of the digital image to code instead of what the code indicates would be really interesting for my project. It challenges the conventional notions of representation and identity whilst reflecting the change in the way an individual represents themselves in the digital world. It compliments the concept behind my ASL image set which indicates that for ease of communication, an individual is increasingly condensed into three defining pieces information. The idea that a visual representation being seen by viewing the supporting code compliments and strengthens my explorations. I definitely want to take this process forward and work with it in relation to my ASL image set, bringing the two ideas together.

 

Reflection:

Researching and exploring identity has been extremely beneficial to my project as it has encouraged me to approach my subject matter in a new manner with a new way of thinking. Instead of trying to visualise the communication itself, I have progressed to consider how the dynamics of online communication has changed the way an individual represents themselves and constructs an identity. Through my research in online anonymous chat rooms I have identified that the individual is increasingly becoming reduced down into three defining pieces of information: age, sex location (ASL).  I can couple this concept with my recent research, taking inspiration from Micahel Spijkers and Andreas Mueller Pohle and apply it to my own project. My new aim after this research is to take my imagery further by researching more methods of using into code. My images when completed will aim to challenge conventional notions of identity and representation whilst strengthening my explorations into the dynamics of digital culture.

Research – Street Photography

When I identified that street photography would be the best approach for the photography in my ASL project I wanted to research two defining examples of cultural street photography and portraiture: Robert Frank and Walker Evans. Their two pieces of photographic work examining the American culture and environment uses an approach I felt I would like to take when photographing my subjects. It references an encounter and the aim of the image is to provide a somewhat detached response providing an overview of that person and their place in their social environment. Although my project will be focusing more on the person than the landscape, I still need to consider the landscape and the background in the composition of my images as this will have an effect on the image and the interpretation taken.

Walker Evans

Walker Evans is considered to be an influential photographer in the area of documentary and cultural photography, renowned for his objective style approach. Evans was in the era heavily influenced by Cartier Bresson and his ideology surrounding the ‘decisive moment’ and being an observer of the environment. This detached style references Barthes’ dynamic of the operator, spectator and target as the viewer of the photograph becomes the observer over the subject and their relationship to their environment. I chose to look at Walker Evans’ book ‘American Photographs’ to examine the manner in which he explored the American culture through both portraits and landscapes.

• It is noticeable in this portrait that the subjects are aware they are being photographed however they don’t look comfortable being in the frame – there is a sense of annoyance and disturbance
• The photograph is taken slightly from above due to the subjects being seated in their vehicle, this creates a notion of power imbalance with the photographer holding the position of authority and control
• The crop is quite open so the viewer can see the background behind the subjects, they can see that they are in a car in a street with moving traffic around – the viewer can make their own assumptions and interpretations of the environment in which the subjects occupy

• This portrait is different to the last one as although the photographer still has control over the representation; the power dynamic appears to be slightly less imbalanced
• The subject appears comfortable in front of the camera and happy for the picture to be taken as opposed to the previous photograph
• The background being close to the subject prevents the viewer from attempting to consider their environment, it is clear that the purpose of this photograph is for the viewer to look solely at the subject
• Shooting in black and white, although the only choice in that time, brings out the texture of the wood background and the print of the clothing
• The contrast appears to be fairly high in this image which accentuates the shadows and the details brought out by the black and white tone

 

• It is unclear here whether the subject knows they are being photographed or whether they have chosen to look away from the frame – the close crop would suggest that Evans was close to her but as a viewer we can’t know this
• The crop is close as before but this time the subject does have some interaction with the environment so the viewer doesn’t just consider the subject on her own – there are some details about the environment which is interesting to look at which is perhaps why Evans shot in a different manner to the previous portrait

• There is a definite sense of power and respect in this portrait, the subject is shot from slightly below which indicates that they have a greater authority in the relationship between subject and photographer
• Being black and white, the details in the photograph are very apparent, the buttons and texture of the uniform and the emblem on the hat
• The eye contact means that the viewer engages with the subject and attempts to make an interpretation about their character

• This portrait, although similar to that of the previous close-crop portraits, appears to focus on a person of a lower socioeconomic background, this impression comes from his attire
• Despite the probably difference in status, the image doesn’t appear to be a domination of the subject, the photograph is taken at the same eye level as the subject, not looking down on him which gives the viewer the impression that both the subject and photographer are equals
• The subject is confronting the camera holding a gaze with the lens which suggests that this is a powerful, strong individual, there is no subordinate behaviour shown in his reaction to being photographed

 

Robert Frank

Robert Frank is perhaps well known most for his project, The Americans, which is what I am looking at in my analysis. As in immigrant to America from Switzerland, Frank is discussed for his ‘outsider’ position when photographing the subject in his project The Americans, as he was relatively unfamiliar to the culture and environment having grown up in another country. Frank was associated with Walter Evans however his style of photography appeared to offer a new perspective on the subject content. I have chosen to research Frank in relation to his approach to street photographer as proclaimed ‘outsider’ and how this may have had an impact his process of photographing. Choosing the American environment and culture as a subject pits Robert Frank up against the other great photographers of the time, like Walker Evans, which provides me with a good basis for comparison. Although Evans may not be completely classed as an ‘insider’ to the cultural and socioeconomic groups of subjects he photographed, it is thought that was closer to the American dynamic than Frank.

• Instantly I see a more abstract, creative approach to photographing the subject matter than Walker Evans did previously.
• The focus has shifted from trying to capture portraits, or urban landscapes and is more about capturing the aesthetic of the environment in front of him, observing interesting opportunities to frame content.
• He has captured the people, most likely without their permission however there is a aspect of privacy as it is hard to tell who the subjects are in the image, suggesting a consideration from Frank, accepting that this from of photography can be intrusive
• This image depicts what is perhaps considered the outsider stance, however it is made in an interesting way, this image doesn’t presume to represent anything about the subject other than their relationship within the environment he has captured, and the interesting composition – Frank hasn’t selected the people, he has framed the opportunity

 

 

• This image is slightly different to the first image I have analysed, it doesn’t particularly look like the conventional American environment, as it strays away from the urban street environment
• The image is so very well composed, it looks more like documentary photojournalism that it does a study of the environment
• There is a sense of lifestyle in this image which is perhaps established with the landscape orientation, the viewer doesn’t associate this as a portrait as starts to relate to it as an image of reality

• This image looks very much like a fashion portrait, similar to the work of that of Richard Avedon
• It appears to reference the timeless, elegant look we now call vintage, however at the same the look would have been in fashion with the upper class individuals
• Although this does look more like a portrait, there is still something different about it, the lack of eye contact creates the impression that subject is being observed, perhaps without their knowledge

 

• This image is very similar in aesthetic to that of Dorthea Lange and her portrait, Migrant Mother, there is a distinct similarity between the wooden background and the tone of the image.
• As with many of Franks other images there is a lack of eye contact with the subjects in the photograph, exaggerating Frank’s outsider status as he appears to be an observer
• The subjects appear to be very comfortable in front of the camera, regardless of whether they know they are being photograph or not, this technique of looking away from the camera could actually put the subject more at ease, creating the possibility that Frank isn’t predominately observing

• Robert Frank also documents the environment and the traces of human existence, capturing the lasting impact humans have had on the American landscape
• The subject matter being the road could perhaps reference the increasing levels of travel as infrastructure developed and so did the idea of the American, prompting many to move to the cities in order to try and make their success in an urban environment
• The idea of straying away from portraits is an effective and different approach to photographing the American environment, perhaps the portraits could be referred to as the landscapes of culture.

 

Reflection:

There are both parallels and differences between the way Evans and Frank shoot and this is because of their different shooting styles, however the concept of the ‘outsider’ is also very relevant. With Walker Evans it appears predominately as though Evans aims to capture the individual and in doing so, considers their relationship to their surrounding environment, sometimes incorporating features in the photograph. There is a lot of eye contact in Evans images and he appears to treat the subject with respect, his framing giving them a power status, or at least the status of equals in his images, which encourages the viewer not to pity them. This stance is not taken however in the image of the two individuals in the car who appear to be frustrated at being photographed, focusing down on the main issue with street photography; whether to ask the subject if they will accept being photographed and when to ask this question. In the cases where it is obvious Evans has most likely entered into an agreement with the subject before hand, there is a specific type of image being taken, staged and controlled by both the subject and photographer. In the real candid photography, the subject does not primarily give the photographer permission to take the photograph and must instead express their emotions in the frame the photographer takes. Some individuals will reject this however others will continue their actions or not even notice the image is being taken. This approach would suggest to give a more accurate representation of the subject as if they not are aware of being photographed, they are less likely to change their behaviour and present themselves differently. Analysing Walker Evans images has introduced me to ways to frame my own street photography and thrown up cautions and challenges I may encounter when producing my images.

With Robert Frank’s images there is a distinctly different approach to the way he photographs his subjects, almost always appearing to be a detached observer. This stance of photographing and his immigrant status must have encouraged the discussions around his process being that of an ‘outsider’ as he is not inherently familiar to the culture he is photographing. Abigail Solomon Godeau addressed the outsider stance as being a negative position in the case of Diane Arbus photographing the outsiders in society. It is explained that the works of Nan Goldin and Larry Clark were a more positive form of photography because they are deeply involved in their subject matter. This would indicate that Robert Frank’s photography should be destructive to the subjects he is photographing because of his outsider status, however to me, this doesn’t appear to be the case. The important thing to consider when photographing people, is whether this is going to be a portrait, a representation of them, if that is the case then the insider approach would definitely be desired. However Frank appears to be photographing the environment, making the people part of his composition and therefore not trying to presume he knows anything about them. There isn’t really much to indicate that Frank is trying to represent anything other about them than their physical relationship with the environment he is photographing. One really interesting aspect about Frank’s photographs is that he appears to try and reference other images from other photographers in his own, I observed similarities between Frank’s images and that of Richard Avedon’s fashion portraits and Dorothea Lange’s renowned image of the Migrant Mother. This could be intentional or it could have been a subconscious decision made by Frank in his photographic process, but is something to consider when approaching my own street photography.

The most important thing for me to consider after researching these two photographers is my stance to the individuals I will be photographing and whether I want to try and assume an insider or outsider stance, and which one would be the most appropriate for my concept. As I am investigating the idea of the instantaneous encounter, I would think that an outsider approach is needed as I can’t assume to know anything about the subjects I am photographing apart from the information I can gather on sight. However I can’t take the same approach as Robert Frank and simply document them in relationship to their environment because it is the people I am interested in, as on the Internet you do not know where the person actually is when talking to them. Therefore I must try and disregard the environment when photographing these individuals and just photograph them as exactly the same place as they were when I first engaged conversation with them. This will mean my images stay true to the idea of the encounter and that I haven’t let my status as a creative interfere with the way the image is taken. What I really want to make sure however is that I am on a level with the person I am photographing, because on the Internet the power statuses that may be established in the physical encounter become void. My images should show that like entering an anonymous conversation, that the power levels are at an equal at the beginning of this encounter.

Choosing renowned street photographers like Walker Evans and Robert Frank have been really beneficial to me, however I am aware I could be criticised for not choosing a more recent example of street photography because my concept is so digital. The reason behind this was because I wanted to research and view the idea of the physical encounter at a time when developed digital technology didn’t exist, as the physical encounter would be the predominately way of meeting other people. I didn’t want to research photographs where the encounter could be corrupted by the subject’s knowledge and capacity of digital technology. Therefore I could apply the ideals behind photography of physical encounters and apply it to my own project to further exaggerate the difference between the online encounter and the physical one. The research into these photographers has given me a good direction to follow in approaching the subject matter of my own project and I feel confident in identifying the approach I want to take when making my own images.

 

Tutorial with David Rule

As with the other visiting practitioners, David Rule stayed in the university to give a series of group tutorials, I signed up for the first one and the rest of the class had discussions around the production of our degree show. Having conducted a few experiments with the anonymous online culture, researching various practices and in the middle of reading various books I was in a better position to talk to David about my project despite not having any photographic content to show. He agreed with many of the ideas from the previous tutors and gave some research avenues of his own:

• John Rafman ‘Second Life’ – investigating the dynamics of a stable online communities, which offers an environment where 3D Avatars move and communicate
• Moira Davey – makes films and is a writer, her mediated experience on topics, research her technique and how she approaches everything
• There is the idea of an encounter – instant, limited and never to repeat
• Idea of communities – transient yet intimate
• The motivation behind the need for conversation
• Considering an interview type approach – could replicate the 5000 feet is the best and withhold the questions from the viewer, only show the reactions (to the inappropriate questions)
• The area is very wide at the moment, decide where to focus down on whether it is the encounter, motivation, community, anonymity and textual communication

This was an extremely helpful tutorial as it helped me consider and identify how broad my subject area had become through my research, however as David said this is a natural part of the process all I needed to do was to focus down and decide which part I wanted to focus on specifically.

I was particularly taken by David’s use of text in his work and how text can challenge, provide context, compliment or even have the potential to replace the image. I was drawn to this idea of text and the process of typing in relating to the concept’s I’m typing, I had ideas around the transcripts from the online conversations I had been having such as is the content/style an indicator of culture, identity and environment (a personality can be fabricated in text as well as in an image, the experience of representation is mediated in online culture, especially typing) – is there a believability in text that the image has lost now?

With all these ideas in mind I am setting myself the task of pushing forward to try and create some content, even if it is just a case of ruling out options that won’t be as effective.

Tutorial with Emma Critchley

TUTORIAL ONE

Following her talk on photography and underwater methodology, Emma Critchley stayed in the university to give a set of group tutorials, I signed up to be in the first group. As with David Moore in the previous session I discussed with her about the concept and a few of the research avenues I had discussed in previous meetings which she then added to:

• Drone video – 5000 feet is the best – what is their experience? In the film the information is withheld about what the actual content is about until the very end, you are just hearing a story/anecdote
• Do you investigate yourself or someone else?
• The information being presented is part of the anonymity
• Play with aural and sight in a video piece – it could be the sound is telling you one thing but the visuals are saying something different
• Maybe look into the fragmentation of communication and this control
• Identity is constructed
• Could you possibly take part personally? Create a fabricated profile or talk to someone anonymously?

Reflection:

After consideration it would appear the my piece might work best as a video piece? I have previously considered making an immersive experience as Alex Mason did last year with his video on free runners how mine might be a little different. Instead of making the viewer feel involved in a positive way I would perhaps attempt to inform them and try and provoke an emotional response in association with the feelings of guilt, compassion and responsibility I believe are lost in online culture.

The idea of identity being constructed was a concept discussed in the first week of the PicBod lectures so I will definitely revisit my notes on that session and see what artists and photographers use this concept in their work.

The idea of pseudonym activity has become more prominent after reading a specific research paper on anonymity online, there was actually more activity from those using a fabricated personality than those withholding all information. I had a discussion with an English student I know about the concept she is research for her dissertation: Freud’s dream theory and thought this could perhaps relate loosely to what the pseudonym convention offers. Are pseudonyms a liberation of the user’s unconscious desires? Or are they a carefully constructed idealist representation of themselves?

This tutorial was really good at getting me engaging with what form my piece might take and I will definitely venture forward with the idea of getting first hand research in the area of anonymous online culture.

 

TUTORIAL TWO

The second tutorial I had with Emma Critchely came towards the end of the creative process, I had already decided on the image content and the sizing and I had figuring out how to present my prints. I didn’t really have a clear idea on what I wanted from the tutorial from Emma however I went there with the question of whether she ever puts text with her work and how she does it. This turned out to be a question that she couldn’t answer as she doesn’t ever put text with her work, even captioning, the work generally speaks for itself. However we did talk about how to present my work on the wall, she gave me the following ideas to think about:

• Would I consider making the sizing of my images slightly bigger?
• People might engage with the idea of a portrait more if I made the images slightly bigger, because they are viewing them on a more 1 to 1 ratio.
• In addition to this – a different aspect ratio and shape of the image might better slightly more effective in indicating that these images are portrait
• If there was to be a frame, Emma agrees that a simple black aluminium frame would be the most appropriate
• However not framing it might be better, so I am not relying on references to portrait, I am referencing a world where people are judged based entirely on their information, so I should present my prints without any framing/additional material because the viewer might try and read into it
• The captions I have proposed to use and the artist statement would reference that the images are portraits enough
• Aluminium/dibond mounting would give the print a strong physical presence, wooden baton fixings on the back to give the impression the print is just floating on the wall
• Although mounting on aluminium wouldn’t give any protection like a frame would – a seal on the image could provide that bit of extra resilience to damage

 

Reflection:

This tutorial was extremely useful, I went into the session without any real questions but left it with an entirely new direction in relation to my presentation methodology. Instead of black aluminium frames I will be getting my prints mounted on aluminium with wooden baton fixings, this solved the dilemma I was having with getting my work framed as I didn’t want to have glass in the frames but then this would go against the conventional notion of a framed portrait. By having the image out of the frame, it means the viewer will only be presented with the visual content, which is exactly what I am referring to conceptually. I am making the statement that in the digital world the individual is being increasingly defined by information and code, we are moving towards a society where the information will be the only representation. Therefore my images will only be relying on the visual content to try and connect with the viewer, a frame will only make the viewer search for relevance in the frame in terms of the identity in the image. We agreed that the artist statement and the captions would be enough to indicate that the images were portraits and the viewer would have to rely on those to be able to make an interpretation from the visual content. This tutorial has taken my work into a different direction, one that I am much more confident in than I was previously. I believe that this alteration to my presentation strategy compliment my images and the concept behind them more than the original idea of the frames would do. Overall I am very pleased I did make this second tutorial with Emma Critchley, without it I wouldn’t have been able to make this progression in my creative process.

Tutorials with David Moore

TUTORIAL ONE

After giving a talk to the group, David Moore stayed in the university to give several group tutorials through the rest of the day, I signed down for a later one so I could prepare and continue my blogging process for the symposium module. When in the tutorial I explained my concept to him with the help of the description from my proposal and he gave me some feedback and areas to research.

• Partway through your photographic process start thinking about format, body, installation, material
• Look at the essay ‘War Porn’ which looks at the effects on the body of looking at terrible images, think about the access to these images
• Paul Virillio ‘Open Skies’ – French philosopher who talked about that the body is the last urban frontier, being ‘telepresent’
• Hito Steyerl – The Wretched Screen (about new technology)
• Consider performative aspects?
• Look at Moore’s own film ‘Monitor’ examines work culture, post industrial work, static nature to work flow
• Also consider David Chandler in relation to post industrial work
• Get rid of the ‘audience’ aspect in your own work, don’t produce work for the audience, make it an exploration

 

Reflection:

I was particularly interested in the ‘War Porn’ and the possible biological and psychological effects of anonymity and pseudonym activity on the user and whether a possible adrenaline rush or a deep need being fulfilled is the motivation behind this activity.

However considering a performative response is also interesting, as this is a concept Anthony also addressed, our online representation is a highly performative act so this would definitely be an avenue to consider.

In addition, Moore recommending I forgot about creating a piece for the audience and concentrate on exploring a concept was really helpful. When writing the proposal there is a focus on the topic and also the audience it is intended for, the project is ultimately about examining a specific topic photographically.

I’m continuing to be extremely positive about my project however I’m really not sure on what form the project will take, at the moment I am more focused on the reading and researching around the topic.

 

TUTORIAL TWO

After weeks into the module David Moore revisited the class to provide additional tutorials, at this point I had shot my street photography photographs and put the ‘ASL’ text over the top of them. It was these images that I brought to the tutorial to get feedback on from David Moore. We discussed where my ideas had progressed and I introduced him to the idea of ASL and the strange dynamics of an online encounter. I explained that my intention behind the images was to take the representation of a physical encounter and introduce the digital element in order to reflect the distortion of communication in an online space. Moore looked at my images and was concerned about combining the physical encounter with the digital, he explained that by putting the two together in an image I wasn’t contrasting them as I had hoped but rather merging the boundaries between them. The images weren’t exactly doing what I intended them to so he suggested I continue experimenting and ‘making’.

David Moore left me with some more research avenues to pursue to try and find a way of realising my concept:

• Delueze & Guattari
• Desiring Machines (essay)
• Giorgio Aggmben – Homosacer
• Hito Steyerl

David also left me with some ideas to think about and research which would compliment my project:

• Think about determinism
• The notion of an individual in society
• Freedom is advertised but essentially we are still using brands
• Neoliberalist capitalist society
• Concept of escapism
• We are profiled, constructed
• Identity is becoming constructed

 

Reflection:

Moore’s use of the word ‘making’ I interpreted to mean I should try to use the images in a different way. Perhaps seeking to change an original image into a different form would better reflect my concept. I was reminded of the State of Photography Symposium which I attended where Broomberg and Chanarin spoke about their project War Primer and the book New Fotoscapes which discussed Mishka Henner and his alternative approach to art and image-making. Both examples involved a process of image-making using appropriated or found photography, a practice which I believe could take my project in a new direction. It also links back to my Phonar work where I attempted to reverse-engineer a portrait using the ‘metadata’ of the individual, their personal data which is scattered across the Internet, free for anyone to harvest. Using found photography definitely appears to be an appropriate decision for my project as it builds on the concepts I have been previously exploring in my practice.

In the discussion with David Moore, he really asked me to consider whether I was more interested in the communication itself, or the presentation of the individual and their identity. I came to the conclusion that identity was a really interesting concept which is explored through the process of communication. Moore suggested that the idea of identity through communication was perhaps a better concept to explore rather than the act of communication itself. Identity is easier to represent visually than communication, because interaction can’t actually be seen unless I actually just put the words that people typed to each other down and used them. Communication is a connection an inward process, identity is also a concept formed on the inside, however it is represented externally in the decisions we make about how we are perceived by others.

I came away from this tutorial filled with lots of ideas which would push my project further and make my work more effective. David Moore gave me several new research avenues and different ideas to think about including using the idea of identity presented through communication rather than the act of communication itself. In reflection I have been able to make some good links back to my previous piece of work for Phonar which I can draw on in order to make my practice informed and continuous. I definitely would appear I have found the area in which I want to specialise in and I should definitely consider pursuing this idea further if I do start my Masters course.

 

Tutorials with Anthony Luvera

TUTORIAL ONE

In the first lecture of the 352mc module, we were set the task of writing a proposal to be looked at the following Wednesday. I had several topics that I was interested in, particularly the digital age and the effect on photography and culture; I connected with the Phonar module extremely well. I managed to narrow down my interests into two quite similar areas however I became aware through consideration that I couldn’t combine them both together. The first interest was artificial intelligence and its prominence in society, the other was anonymity and the effect on emotion and culture. I decided to choose anonymity and I wrote a proposal on this concept, this proposal can be seen in a separate blog post. In preparation for presenting the proposal I booked an apt with Anthony Luvera to discuss the validity of my concept.

I gave Anthony the description part of the proposal to read and sought his opinion on the topic, the feedback was good and he gave me some research ideas:

• Photography and Science – book from Reacktion Press by Kelly Wilder
• Look into photography and technology in a broader sense
• You could view each emotion: responsibility, guilt, compassion as different avenues or research projects
• Karent Brett – Conversations with myself, is a video examined the individual obsessive habits from OCD sufferers
• Patricia Paccini considers science, technology and the body
• Examine media discussions and academic publications, new ways of tech allowing people to connect
• Consider trolling
• Performed Photography is a concept – look for Dr Paul Geoff
• Look at Susan Bright, Auto Focus: Self Portraiture
• Paul Geoff – photography, performance, participation, photograph as evidence of process? Consider methodology
• Phil Collins (artist) The World Won’t Listen
• Consider staged photography – The Hustlers, Geoff Wall and Gregory Crewdson
• The piece could be video/online/gif?
• Katrina Sluice is a curator of digital pieces
• You could use the Internet to source people, John Stezeka – appropriation
• Leigh Deale – work around Mother
• Gillian Wearing

I was really pleased and motivated by the response to the description of my idea, Anthony suggested that I should go away and complete my proposal as accurately as I could before the following 352mc session. I completed this task straight away and began to research the ideas Anthony had given me.

 

TUTORIAL TWO

Following my second tutorial with David Moore, I changed the concept and practice behind my images. I pursued the ASL idea further and produced the set of images of my friend’s profile pictures using binary code, inputting the textual Age, Sex, Location’ information. It was these images that I brought to the session with Anthony to see what his thoughts were on my new direction. I was quite apprehensive about this apt because although the research behind my idea is strong, I didn’t quite feel like the visual appearance was complicated enough to constitute a good response for my Final Major Project. But I presented these images to Anthony, explained the process behind them and heard his feedback on them, the notes can be seen below:

• The ASL part in the actual images is quite visually distracting, the images might work better if it was just figures and the ASL information was either the title, or the caption
• What is the relevance of the people in the images? It might be better if the subjects were more appropriate to the concept, for example Edward Snowden
• The terms and conditions of social media is interesting, perhaps there is a way of integrating that
• If these images are to act as portraits, the appearance and presentation method should reference portraiture
• Research portraiture, both historic and contemporary, to analyse the decisions made and why, apply these processes for your own project
• Go to galleries, think about presentation strategies, if you can’t go to galleries then seek installation shots
• Look at ABC books, Andreas Smit, Constant Dullaart – in relation to technology, visual culture and digital culture
• Research the Carroll Fletcher Gallery and the artists featured there like Thomson and Craighead
• The ideas are interesting, the project just needs more experimentation and refinement

 

Reflection:

It was brilliant to know that the appearance of my images wasn’t too simple, that actually making them cleaner would be more effective. His comment on my use of subjects was completely justified, without realising it I had just chosen subjects by convenience rather than really focusing down on what it meant to use them. Although it is true that everyday people use technology regularly to represent their identity using communication, it would be way more appropriate and accessible for the viewer to use notable subjects. In order to make a real statement and encourage the viewers to relate to the images I will need to use subjects that they know of and therefore will try and seek some familiarity with. In addition to this, I needed to become a lot more self conscious about my decision-making process in order to make sure that I am choosing the most appropriate choices for my project. The research into portraiture and other artists who have tackled similar content and their approach to the installation of pieces will enable me to then start analysing my own project and what would be the most effective method for it.

 

TUTORIAL THREE 

Following the second formative feedback review I made another tutorial with Anthony to discuss the changes and decisions I had made to the project. I came to him with a Photoshop mock-up of what a sample image might look like on the wall of the exhibition, the image with a black aluminium frame on the white wall with a caption below stating the name of the subject. I talked to him more about how the idea has progressed and how I had changed the subjects in my images to politicians. I also brought along my critical rationale for feedback as well because I feel it is necessary to be with my work in order to provide the audience with a bit of textual support. The notes from the feedback session can be seen below:

• In relation to the text, read the book Art and Text to see how different artists have incorporated text in their work
• You could consider instead of having captions on the wall, actually including the text in the image and printing it with a white border
• When thinking of how to present with text, you need to consider whether the text is really part of the work or whether it is just a caption

He then gave me a few corrections to for my artist statement, which I made and it got rewritten a few more times before it was right as it was a little bit gimicky.

 

Reflection:

I had not even considered putting the text as part of the image so that is an aspect I need to consider and evaluate in my research and decision making process for the presentation methods. Once I have researched the book Art and Text I will be able to make a more informed decision on whether to consider the text as part of the work or whether it should be just a caption. Another thing I learned later was that each artist in the exhibition is only having their name, title and medium of the work. To have any captions or the artist statement on the wall would require additional work from me and I would need to make sure that I display this in a method that is suitable for my own work. This tutorial was very useful to further define my decision-making process and prepare me for the exhibition as I had a better idea of what I am required to produce in relation to textual support.

Tutorials with Caroline Malloy

TUTORIAL ONE

Having not had any contact time with Caroline in the first module of third year, this initial tutorial was a good chance to reconnect. We started by discussing what my plans might be after university, talking about theory based MA courses as this nature of course would probably suit me better. I enjoy reading, researching and writing and this is a process I could extend with a theory-based MA. Universities that offer this type of course are Leicester and De Montford and Southbank University offer a digital photography course.

In relation to my Final Major Project I gave Caroline my proposal and she gave me the following avenues to consider:

•  The Disruptive Media Learning Lab – Jonathan Worth
• Janaka – did a symposium
• Photographer’s gallery talk – about the Digital Wall run by Katrina Sluice
• Jonathan Shaw’s book New Fotoscapes contains a chapter from Katrina Slucie
• In terms of considering web design, the IMES are the support for overseas students, MA Computer Science student could be a collaborative partner (contact Chris Knight)
• Gary Hall, has associations with the DMLL
• Open Education: Critical Condition
• Goldsmiths University – there is a department of Digital Media that looks at the Future of Digital Photography – looking at facial recognition software and photos that indicate personality or appearance
• Research Sarah Kember, Professor of New Tech and Communications, read her publications (Life After New Media)
• TASK – explore and research, email Jonathan Shaw and Chris Knight

In response to this tutorial I created draft emails to both Jonathan Shaw and the relevant department for the IMES so that I could email them when I was ready. I took Jonathan Shaw’s book ‘New Fotoscapes’ out of the library to read his section before contacting him for a meeting and for further research in relation to Katrina Sluice.

I felt extremely positive after this tutorial about proceeding with research as I feel like this tutorial and my previous tutorial with Anthony has confirmed the validity of my concept. I am going to go away and research the MA courses specified as I am very interested in an MA as a possible next step after university, a research avenue that relates to the upcoming module 354mc – Professional Practice Portfolio.

 

TUTORIAL TWO

My last tutorial at university was with Caroline and I wanted to make sure that my project proposal was reading well and that my presentation strategy for the work was appropriate and still acceptable for the gallery space. I didn’t think I needed much from Caroline but I entered into a discussion with her about my captions for the degree show and whether or not I should put my artist statement up on the wall as well. In the tutorial time I also showed Caroline my proposal to see whether I was writing it in the right tone and how the quality of my writing was. She gave me a few points to reconsider when making another draft which I took on board to be able to progress. Whilst reading through my tutorial she also gave me some additional research avenues which would supplement and strengthen the work I had already done, for example she suggested I looked at some artist who predated the ones I had picked out. The notes can be seen below:

• Doug Rickard, working with appropriated material (predates Mishka Henner)
• Nancy Berson, challenging notions of a portrait, her project ‘Mankind’
• Reflective essay: think about where your project should be displayed next, for mine it would be the Photographer’s gallery on the Digital Wall curated by Katrina Sluis
• Alfredo Jaar – appropriation of Time Magazine Covers
• Proposal: work strengthening the proposal, where the are mostly strong reasoning there are a few weaker statements that could be interpreted as hearsay

 

Reflection:

It had been mentioned previously in a degree meeting that the artist statements were generally not recommended as it would be slightly too didactic and it would be good for the viewer to question what they were viewing, the catalogue we are producing would also feature the artist statement so people could read about the work there if they wanted to know more. In addition to this my artist statement can also be read on the website, I will be writing a blog post detailing the process behind my work and creating a piece on my website which will also feature the work and the concept which inspired it. Following this discussion I attempted and succeeded in making a new order for the full captions, however it did come at an extra cost. I also followed up the additional research ideas which really benefitted the conceptual reasoning behind my project and gave me ideas to consider in the future.

 

Research – Conversations with Myself

In my first apt with Anthony he recommended I research the film ‘Conversations with Myself’ by Karen Brett which explores the obsessive behaviour from those suffering with OCD, which manifests as specific habits such as checking.

https://vimeo.com/49385353

To visit Karen’s website click here

• The shot is very static, the subject is the only thing that really moves in the frame
• The colours are quite muted and the filming is very soft, this is meant to be a comfortable environment because this is her home
• The open doorways being so static give the impression that actually this house is her prison
• The subject moving so regularly in and out of the doorways to check everything is really quite a frustrating viewing experience for the viewer who just wants the film to move on
• The filming isn’t focusing on the subject, it is presenting a view on the way the subject interacts with the environment around her
• There is no additional footage other than the subject and her home, to really focus down on the important issue, which is the checking behaviour
• The filming composition is very architectural, quite clean, the environment itself is not complicated which encourages the viewer to consider the subject more
• The heavy breathing and the whispering makes the film so much more intimate, as if we are in the head of the subject, creating a very intense and uncomfortable feeling
• The content of the audio is really quite distressing because of the way phrases are repeated ‘the door is shut so everything is safe’ and ‘please just let me go’
• Usually heavy breathing and whispering would indicate a process of meditation however this idea is warped, just as the subject’s way of thinking is compromised by her obsessive compulsive disorder
• The lengthen of the film, although shorter in this clip makes it easier to view, when viewing the longer version the feeling of unease and frustration would continue and build in the viewer, so they have an idea of what it feels like to go through this sensation

 

Reflection:

This film is incredibly effective at what it is meant to achieve, this feeling of unease and uncomfortableness which accompanies the need to check everything for this sufferer of OCD. The feeling of intimacy and intensity created through the audio makes you as the viewer feel like you are in her head and sharing the experience which amplifies the uncomfortable viewing experience. There is a real sense of frustration created when watching the subject interact with her environment, the constant moving backwards and forwards to check the different parts of the house prevent any sort of momentum in the film, which really suits the concept. It is a frustrating experience to watch the same thing over and over again and this reflects the inner feelings of frustration and despair the sufferers of OCD must feel, as they are trapped in their own obsessive compulsive behaviour. The static framing also creates the impression that this is a normal, fixed situation that the subject continuously goes through, the fact there is no change in the framing and composition, no cutting in this piece suggests that she goes through the same process day after day. It is almost as if we are seeing her condition as a fly on the wall, as part of the house she lives in, but we are experiencing it with her through sound. A fixed frame could easily have suggested that this is a fairly normal sensation to be feeling, and it does suggest that this is typical behaviour from the subject, but the idea of normal is destructed by the intense audio which replaces the idea of normal with feelings of unease and frustration. I will definitely be using this piece as inspiration when approaching my own moving image piece, because I feel that a conceptual angle could work for it. I could try and create the feelings of elation, anxiety and anger that are exaggerated in online spaces, which is abnormal behaviour in real life.

 

Tutorial with Jonathan Shaw

Caroline Malloy identified in our initial tutorial that Jonathan Shaw would be the perfect person to meet and get support from in relation to my Final Major Project because of his work with the Disruptive Media Learning Lab and the publishing of his book New Fotoscapes. I arranged a meeting with him over email and took with me the proposal I had written previously, my meeting with him was before Emma Critchely and David Rule’s tutorials so I was still quite basic in my ideas and research. He gave me a wealth of avenues to research:

• Research Heather Corcoran from Rhizone
• The BOM Lab have several open days coming up – make sure you attend them
• Research Fact in Liverpool and their activity
• The Pervasive Media Lab in Bristol
• Eyebeam – research this for artists that combine photography and technology
• Festivals like Ars electronica
• V2 lab in Amsterdam, research and development in media technology, an institute for unstable media
• For biology and technology research Jonnna Zylinska (Goldsmiths University)
• Also consider Sarah Kember
• Lev Manovich – New Media Tech, The Practice of Everyday Media Life, talks about technology and digital photography
• Research Katrina Sluice
• Look at the Liquid books (which are wikis) and the living books which are essentially wikis but more customized
• Digitize Me by Gary Hall – and his book Digitize This Book!

In terms of my project, most of these research topics were related to the production and curation of the final piece with some examples of what I could create. Sarah Kember is a recurring name so I was very glad I had taken out a book by her and Joanna Zylinska as it confirmed that I was researching in the right area. I am particularly interested in the BOM Lab in Birmingham having heard information about what they do in the GRAIN State of Photography Symposium. I will definitely be attending one of their open days and possibly talking to those involved to see if I can get my project involved in their activities.