Post-doc
Dr. Marty Miller
SCM City University of Hong Kong
Archiving Contested Authorship
Photographic interpretation has long been linked to assessing indexical or existential links between representational content and its production medium. However, as algorithmically determined images can now be easily created, few contemporary methods exist to signify this relationship visually through automated means. In response, this work explores virtual photography whereby the “virtual” becomes an object of attention when a photograph’s authorship is questioned. To do so, the screenshot will be used to discern if the picture was produced intentionally and how this was done. Screenshots signify both gestural and network interaction processes, allowing visual content to exist. However, the subtly of additional on-screen markings require a mixture of visual semiotic and syntactic readings to discern if the picture was created with a human’s design intent. Several examples will be provided for comparison and display and will be divided into three types roughly according to the transparency of authorship involved. Type 1 examples show a simple collage of photographs from a popular cloud storage provider, which reads photo metadata and then groups existing photographs together that were taken historically on the current day. Here, it is easy to see which pictures were taken by a human and algorithmic technology’s role in creating a new intentionally preserved collage. Type 2 shows human intent to take a screenshot when finding meaning unexpectedly in the confluence of onscreen content. In this case, the serendipity of street photography is preserved when existing visual content and unexpected text messages seem to refer to each other. Type 3 shows an automated or accidental production of screenshots. While text messages and pictorial content overlap as in Type 2, a viewer cannot infer their thematic relation. Therefore, Type 3 cases cannot quickly reveal a human intent behind the screenshot act. The work is flexible in its presentation. For example, a single instance of each type can be printed and placed in a gallery setting. Conversely, several examples of each can be printed at a smaller scale and mixed up, prompting a critical medium viewing by the gallery-goer. Furthermore, either of these presentation styles could occur with the pictures printed in book form. Overall, this work aims to induce a critical perception of the increased automation at the heart of image creation, categorization, and consumption. Yet its display can also afford the perception of typically unseen image archives (Type 1 and 3) and image archiving practices (Type 2). Specifically, Type 2 cases show a method to preserve a photographic eye for potential meaning when the right assortment of objects is within the frame. These screenshot examples show the work’s possible contribution to image ontology discourse. They suggest that traditional photographic skill sets can be applied to contemporary virtual or experimental photography practices, which signify explainable processes of image production that involve discerning authorship over what is produced.
ARTWORK [2]
Archiving Contested Authorship, Type 1-3
<< previous | next >>
Dr. Marty Miller
SCM City University of Hong Kong
Archiving Contested Authorship
Photographic interpretation has long been linked to assessing indexical or existential links between representational content and its production medium. However, as algorithmically determined images can now be easily created, few contemporary methods exist to signify this relationship visually through automated means. In response, this work explores virtual photography whereby the “virtual” becomes an object of attention when a photograph’s authorship is questioned. To do so, the screenshot will be used to discern if the picture was produced intentionally and how this was done. Screenshots signify both gestural and network interaction processes, allowing visual content to exist. However, the subtly of additional on-screen markings require a mixture of visual semiotic and syntactic readings to discern if the picture was created with a human’s design intent. Several examples will be provided for comparison and display and will be divided into three types roughly according to the transparency of authorship involved. Type 1 examples show a simple collage of photographs from a popular cloud storage provider, which reads photo metadata and then groups existing photographs together that were taken historically on the current day. Here, it is easy to see which pictures were taken by a human and algorithmic technology’s role in creating a new intentionally preserved collage. Type 2 shows human intent to take a screenshot when finding meaning unexpectedly in the confluence of onscreen content. In this case, the serendipity of street photography is preserved when existing visual content and unexpected text messages seem to refer to each other. Type 3 shows an automated or accidental production of screenshots. While text messages and pictorial content overlap as in Type 2, a viewer cannot infer their thematic relation. Therefore, Type 3 cases cannot quickly reveal a human intent behind the screenshot act. The work is flexible in its presentation. For example, a single instance of each type can be printed and placed in a gallery setting. Conversely, several examples of each can be printed at a smaller scale and mixed up, prompting a critical medium viewing by the gallery-goer. Furthermore, either of these presentation styles could occur with the pictures printed in book form. Overall, this work aims to induce a critical perception of the increased automation at the heart of image creation, categorization, and consumption. Yet its display can also afford the perception of typically unseen image archives (Type 1 and 3) and image archiving practices (Type 2). Specifically, Type 2 cases show a method to preserve a photographic eye for potential meaning when the right assortment of objects is within the frame. These screenshot examples show the work’s possible contribution to image ontology discourse. They suggest that traditional photographic skill sets can be applied to contemporary virtual or experimental photography practices, which signify explainable processes of image production that involve discerning authorship over what is produced.
ARTWORK [2]
Archiving Contested Authorship, Type 1-3
<< previous | next >>