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| Framed View Reflecting Inner Self |
The ideas of surveillance and watching discussed by Philip Agre and Richard B. Woodward are direct issues in today's world. For instance, Woodward brings up how people have this innate desire to see the "forbidden". There is something disturbingly intriguing about peering at an image that's revolting or of something that people are confined by the unspoken laws of society not to do. Agre delves into the idea the book 1984 by George Orwell brings up-the Big Brother who is always watching.
Branching off these ideas, I decided to focus on how surveillance is intricately apart of today. Whether it be security cameras perched above your head in the grocery store or the tracking device in your cellphone cleverly recording your movements downtown, the concept of being solitary is absent with the rise in technological advances. People are unaware or else unconcerned with this lack of privacy, partly due to Woodward's idea that “we like to watch and, in turn, don’t mind being watched” (Exposed). Also, if you are born into a world where it’s normal to have someone always watching, why should it concern you?
For my project, I took pictures to capture and convey the central idea of surveillance. What fascinates me is how someone can be watching you and you have no idea because you are caught up in a 'moment'. As I went about this, my idea began to develop. I took photos with some sort of frame to create a hidden watcher feeling. This plays into the ultimate concept of people looking past the external into the internal. What is so unnerving about being watched unnoticeably is that the mask you wear to hide your true emotions and personality is briefly removed, reflecting your true, inner self. Therefore, my photos were aimed at capturing these moments that reveal each person. Interestingly, while I was taking photos, I actually would catch curious pedestrians who were absorbed in “watching”, yet didn’t realize they were in the photograph. I was trying to capture something specific (the obvious), yet in doing so I actually would capture something accidental that brought more depth to my original plan. The external or obvious self is only the first layer; only upon peeling that away does one discover the true inner self.
Click here to view rest of photos on Flickr!
I really liked how you mentioned people are unconcerned with the lack of privacy. You were able to capture them watching, in the "we like to watch and, in turn, don't mind being watched" and this portrayed that idea nicely. It really shows how unconcerned people can be about having stepped into the frame of a camera and how they don't mind being captured on film. Some of them even seem to enjoy it.
ReplyDeleteFrom a young age we know how to perform and pretend for the camera. Catching people unaware truly does portray their true emotion and mood
ReplyDeleteYour sense of the extraneous people appearing appearing in the backgrounds of your set-ups is right on. Of the solitary people, those furthest from the camera or where the person is deepest in the space seem to work best. Otherwise, the appear like just another moody flickr portrait. Perhaps you could come up with sub-themes within your set to create a rhythm for your book by shooting more people. Your text sometimes reads like a greeting card as it is a bit maudlin so either push that to the extreme or rethink.
ReplyDeleteI feel like you were really able to execute your concept. You have some really interesting images when you view them and consider your concept at the same time. I love how you recognized the accidental moments and how they add more to your original idea. It would be really interesting to see how much further you take this idea with more models, perhaps.
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