Controlling you, Controlling me
I have received a new project from University; the brief can be found here and below is my proposal outlining my approach.
Title: Entfremdung
The key question that I will be looking at is: does a notion of society imply or even require that there be a relationship of control and/or power between persons, between citizens and a government, between subjects and a law?
The angle at which I’m going to be approaching this question is one that attempts to study the increasing alienation of man in society and the diminution of human interaction. In addition, I will illustrate the increasingly disconnected manner in which we appear to be ‘controlled’ by third parties completely devoid of empathy. Although currently specific to technology and mechanization, I wish to make my use of the term third parties broad, perhaps including other elements that demonstrate my approach. The use of the word control will not always be linked to that of a government, but also to the way in which we have come to lead our lives.
My hope for the outcome of this project is to explore the parallels in the way in which we control nature and our micromanagement of society. Through this I will attempt to make the familiar, strange and unfamiliar. To quote Viktor Shklovsky who developed the concept of defamiliarization in literature:
“The purpose of art is to impart the sensation of things as they are perceived and not as they are known. The technique of art is to make objects ‘unfamiliar’, to make forms difficult, to increase the difficulty and length of perception because the process of perception is an aesthetic end in itself and must be prolonged. Art is a way of experiencing the artfulness of an object; the object is not important.”
I am employing two references to illustrate particular goals of my project. The first – from which I primarily draw visual influences – is the work of J Bennett Fitts, in particular his Industrial Landscaping series. Here is a selection of his photographs that interest me:
[My interpretation] In the above photographs, Fitts visually demonstrates his ability to evoke an awareness of our control of nature by isolating its’ elements against a backdrop of rigidly smooth industrial architecture and design. For me, the juxtaposition of the two provides an insightful glimpse into the relationship between man and nature, and the absence of any human presence within the images highlights the disconnected manner in which many of us have come to structure and lead our lives. A description of an exhibition of this work by the Kopeikin gallery, describes the trees as “afterthoughts, isolated representations of nature thrown in for good measure.” What strikes me the most is the simplicity of the work; the style relates to the content and works beautifully. For my project I want to adopt certain aspects of this style – particularly the focus on the odd placement of trees – and apply it to my attempt to visually isolate examples of objects that represent the apparent mechanization of society and diminishing social interaction. By placing them in the context of being the odd one out, my goal therein is to make technology – on which these examples are based – seem foreign.
My second reference, photographer Tyran Simon, is in relation to content. Her most recent work, An American Index of the Hidden and Unfamiliar, goes hand in hand with the above when thinking about my approach to Entfremdung. Here are a few examples:
Avian Quarantine Facility
Cryopreservation Unit, Cryonics Institute, Clinton Township, Michigan
U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Contraband Room
With this highly ambitious and successfully executed project, Simon brings to the forefront of our attention that which is not known or rarely seen, creating – as the body is aptly named – an “..index of the hidden and unfamiliar.” The examples of the illusive and the unknown depicted within this piece – gaining access to which took up 90% of the time spent working on this project – are perfect in the context of the work. I take strength from this project in the sense that I also seek to find as strong examples for mine as she has done for hers. However, my content will consist not of what is hidden and unfamiliar, but that which is familiar and integral (if you will) to the functioning of society as we know it today. As mentioned, I will then attempt to make these objects unfamiliar. My only limitation is the time frame within which I have been given to work (Deadline, December 2nd), which might inhibit me from having enough time to gain permission to photograph some of the more extreme examples I have come across (1). I am however very excited about the possibilities that this brief presents.
Feedback is welcomed and appreciated.
All sounds interesting Constantin, just to be clear, the focus is mechanisms and machinery that’s used to control/monitor us in our day to day lives? And visually you plan to isolate and ‘make strange’ these mechanisms in a similar way to Fitts’ with his trees?
If you’re just going off my proposal (which will be tweaked in the appraisal to shift focus from a “robots are taking over” stance that some people have pointed out it can come across as) then yes. My project isn’t necessarily focused on the evils of technology as some critics proclaim exist (which, to some extent, I agree with), but rather their placement within society and our interaction with them. Whether or not they come across positively, negatively, or as fantastic leaps in human evolutionary progress is up to the viewer’s perception. My goal however, is to isolate these objects for this process to take place. Some examples include servers at a data-centre (which I have already photographed but am looking to gain access to others that might better suit the style I’m going for), self-checkout counters at supermarkets, information points found around town [1] that include area information, travel data and the weather (etc). These examples (this was a great one but it went out of business), although useful and convenient, eliminate the need for any face to face interaction with others, which is another aspect of the project. However, due to a very busy schedule, progress made in travelling to places to find solid examples is proving to be slower than I had hoped, and gaining access to some of the areas that hold some of the objects I want to photograph is also proving difficult.
Any examples that you’ve come across that you think may be relevant would be great.
Great – Very important to leave it open I think, although I didn’t think your proposal came across as a closed down “robots are taking over” type statement anyway. So it sounds like you’ve got two problems: 1. Finding interesting examples. 2. finding a way to isolate them that sufficiently narrows the focus and provides some consistency for your series. I guess you can’t do a straight up “typology”, because the apparatus/mechanisms will all be so different, but have you considered something like this: http://www.yossimilo.com/artists/myou_ho_lee/?show=0&img_num=5#title ?
Yeah time is a real constraint with these projects innit, its like you just start to formalise your idea and feel like you can start going somewhere with it and its suddenly time to pin it up on a wall
My thoughts exactly, which is why I can’t just shoot any data-centre, self-checkout or information point as most of them have far too much noise in the background. I’ve found some possibilities, but still want to look further, and yes, consistency is essential as this would be presented as a series. I’m feeling optimistic about it though as I’m really quite interested in where this project will take me, no matter the time frame. I’ve already accepted that it won’t truly be finished by the 2nd (probably nowhere near), but I do plan to keep working on it as an ongoing project. Tube barriers is a good one, but again it’s about finding the right ones.
Funny that you mention Ho Lee’s work. It’s fantastic! I have considered doing something like this if all else fails, but that would of course involve the presence of a white background which has been a reoccurring theme (to some extent) in my last years projects and I wanted to try and stray away from this. Conceptually, I’m not sure if it would work with the project as I would be adding foreign elements to the photographs instead of isolating the examples within their already existing environments. What do you think? I won’t completely rule it out though, as I’m open to experimentation. Thanks for the great reference though, I shall defiantly be including it in my research!
Hah. Goodbye student loan!
You know actually, I’m really starting to like the white background idea. Hmm.
Yeah – I’m sure there’s a way you could do it without cranes n shit! You would just need some sort of portable studio backdrop
will try and think about examples too. Barriers on the tube?
Firstly, love the website, great work, well done!
Secondly, i know a few spots you may be interested in, such as the route planner machine in notting hill that can plan your route and even print out a map… relevant?! if it is let me know and i will think of some more.
best of luck!
Hey! Thanks, am happy I’ve finally got it up and running!
The route planner is totally relevant, and was one of the things that spawned the project after I cycled past it. I made a reference to it in my last reply to Emile’s comment. Ended up phoning the company who makes them to ask for some more of their locations after I got frustrated with how many distracting elements were in the background of the one in Notting Hill, no matter the angle. So yes, that kinda stuff is perfect! : ) If you have any more you could think of please share! Really appreciate it.
bus ticket machines along oxford st. oyster top up machines. holes in the wall (atm)
along the right line?
Yup! Pretty much : )
[...] Posted in Unit 4, University by Constantin on November 20, 2009 I have made some progress with my work. Much of my time has been spent finding and gaining access to places in order to photograph the [...]