Wednesday, 11 March 2015

Possession of a Space and the Human-Stamp

“To photograph is to appropriate the thing photographed. It means putting oneself into a certain relation to the world that feels like knowledge - and, therefore, like power”1

Sontag, puts forward the idea that to photograph something is to place yourself in a position of power in relation to the photographed subject. Sontag also suggests that the act of taking a photograph and the photographs in themselves “help people to take possession of a space in which they are insecure”2.

The idea of taking possession of a space or environment through the art of capturing a photograph is one that resonates strongly with me. Much like capturing of a portrait or documenting an event to function as a memory device, our environments, whether natural or urban, represent a fragment of time. A space can tell us just as much about our history and culture through the evidence of human existence present.

My work aims to capture the in-between spaces and forgotten corners which keep hidden the clues into the insight of our culture and hold onto, if only for a 1/125th of a second, the traces of our history. It explores the idea of the human-stamp on our environment through urbanisation and development. 

As Sontag so nicely says it, “to collect photographs is to collect the world”3.

My work can be viewed at www.stephaniemorris.com.au


1. Sontag, S 1977, On Photography, 1st edn, Penguin Books, London. P2
2. Sontag, S 1977, On Photography, 1st edn, Penguin Books, London. P2
3. Sontag, S 1977, On Photography, 1st edn, Penguin Books, London. P1

Bibliography:

Sontag, S 1977, On Photography, 1st edn, Penguin Books, London.

2 comments:

  1. "photographs help people to take possession of a space in which they are insecure"...

    When unsure what to do - take photographs. Relieves of stress PLUS gives you something to exhibit later :) If only photographs very powerful enough to defuse nostalgia, instead of making it more acute.

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    1. Your comment about nostalgia is interesting. I believe a photograph could defuse nostalgia, by developing a reinterpretation of the event or scene, causing the associated memory to be distorted and potentially defused.

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