Task: We have been asked to consider: In the photograph, the power of authentication exceeds the power of representation (Barthes, 1980:89). Do you agree. Reflect on any ways in which you feel your work might ‘authenticate’ and / or ‘represent. Identify any approaches / practices / practitioners that specifically resonated with you. Outline / summarise your independent research (eg interviews or reviews of relevant practice / reading). Evaluate the development of your own photographic practice to date. Reflect on the peer / tutor feedback received on your current / future practice. Moving forwards: What are your action points? Where are you going next?
In considering this question, at first, I find myself confused. I am confused because the appearance of generative AI has turned this question on its head. Let me explain. Stuart Hall points out in his various writings on reception theory relating to for example TV (Hall 2007). He states that as creators of content in this case visual imagery, we are not in control of the way it is received. Encoding relies on a set of shared cultural values and learned semiotics. When decoded, different cultural values may be applied, and varying learned semiotic vocabulary employed. The intention of representational targets within photography are most often fanciful.
Meanwhile, the context in which a photograph is seen, also influences the way it is understood. Seeing an image in a gallery for example immediately confers a sense of stature and importance. Taken together an image is no more likely to be seen as a singular form of representation than say a fine art painting. Meanwhile, authentication (prior to the appearance of AI), has historically been considered a unique characteristic of photography. The imprint or trace of an event at a particular point in time, even in the absence of photographic apparatus endows an image with the indexicality of the thing itself (Barthes 1981). I would argue in this case that authentication is more permanent than any sense of representational veracity.
However, can we still claim sufficient evidence for the argumentation supporting the dominance of authentication over-representation, when images can be generated out of code, elicited by prompts that do not in any way reflect a trace, reality, or a newly generated idea or conceptual thought. I would argue not. We are entering a new era where we are synthesising, homogenising and plagiarising existing ideas and concepts at an alarming rate.
With regards to my own practice, I would argue that the balance of representation and authentication tends to be influenced by the genre I find myself working in. Within my fine art landscape practice, authentication dominates. I am replaying for the most part, the landscapes I see in front of me. The land is shown as it was in that moment and from that perspective. Conversely, my representation can simultaneously be highly skewed. Fine art demands pre-visualisation. In fine art photography, the photographer’s own vision dominates the image with little regard for its faithful representation of the scene. Furthermore, the interpretive space for the viewer is enhanced by purposefully unanswered questions, often introduced to encourage the viewer to create their own narrative.
With regards my current research project, narrating the experiences of a dysfunctional childhood upbringing, I am exploring the works of Todd Hido through his various lectures and books on his approach to creating mood and narrative, for example in reading the book published by Aperture where he describes in detail his own practice (Hido 2019). I am also broadening my research to include the fine art painters such as John Register and Edward Hopper, who similarly employ liminal cues to elicit a sense of uneasiness and draw viewers to explore their own narratives. Regarding my work in progress, I am currently in Dorset looking to explore and shoot a number of elements of the project including ‘distorted trees’ and isolation within the home. The isolation element is proving challenging in the countryside as there are no streetlights which I now recognise is a critical shot requirement. Finally, I realise that I have focused initially on creating work. Whilst this is a positive, I recogise that I will soon need to start my desk research on bipolar disorder and its effect on siblings to validate and support the creative work and help guide the narrative of the project.
With regards my first tutor 1:1 and peer-to-peer webinar moderated by my tutor Paul – both of these were positive experiences. Overall, I have received some highly insightful guidance which have broadened my perspective on how creative work and research might be constructed. I will need soon to begin fleshing out the narrative, but at this stage, as recommended by Paul, I am allowing myself to freely associate with ideas as described by Alex Soth, in his early stages of Sleeping by the Mississippi (Photo 2020). I am hoping that I will know when the time is right to begin making more concrete my ideas and final creative output.
REFERENCES
Barthes, R., 1981. Camera lucida: Reflections on photography. Macmillan.
Hall, S., 2007. Encoding and decoding in the television discourse. In CCCS selected working papers (pp. 402-414). Routledge.
Hido, T. and Halpern, G., 2014. Todd Hido on landscapes, interiors, and the nude.
PHOTO, Paris. 2020. ‘ALEC SOTH – Interview 2017’. YouTube. Available at:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ERaDemxRGMw [accessed 5 Feb 2024].
The Photography of David Rosen 