Ninth International Conference on The Image

Abstract

Photographic images have often formed an assumed bedrock of indexical and documentary truth of the world, yet in our recently adopted digitality – the truthful assumption of the photographic medium is questioned, stretched, and often purposely manipulated. From edited photographs in beauty magazines and social media, to doctored photographs of politicians on newspaper covers, to fantastical, whimsical artistic photo editing renditions - the photographic image is arguably becoming more nuanced and coded in contemporary digital settings. My current artistic project as a photomedia artist and PhD researcher is exploring tangible and visual representations of “ambivalent entanglement:” the methodological entanglements of contemporary photomedia arts practice and the multitude of equipment used in image making, both analogue and digital. Through utilising analogue techniques in and around digital platforms like editing software and social media, and physical digital technologies such as computers and smartphones, this work exemplifies the ability to invent historical narratives through the employment of visual communication theory. Utilising coded signifiers and cultural currencies, these works appear ambivalent and surreal – the images represent ambiguous settings in time, such as public squares and museums. The representation of these places is then misconstrued further through the juxtaposition of subject matter and medium: portraits or social documentary images of people using digital technologies, yet seen through the inherently documentary-ascribed lens of black and white film photography. Commenting on the ability of mixed photographic mediums to create personal and societal narratives, this work prompts considered visual reading, and a reflection of our assumed visual literacy.