introduction
I got the idea for this project when I was working on another portraiture project. While working on that project, I wanted to learn more about the people I was photographing, but I wondered just how much a person can learn about the subject simply through a photograph. Then I got the idea of letting the subject take a picture of an object and I wondered if I could learn more about a person through the object. While it started off as a simple project, I wanted to expand on it and while thinking about it a bit more, it raised questions that I wanted to address.
Project started in November 2008
statement
I wanted to explore different ways to view a person by showing different perspectives by having two pictures of the same person and an object. Sometimes I chose the location and sometimes I didn't, but I usually gave little direction on how the person should pose. Most of the time, I liked to capture them at random moments and sometimes asked if they had a specific picture in mind. After the shoot, I gave the subject the contact sheet and asked to choose a picture. When I asked the person why they chose a certain picture, reasons ranged from simply liking the composition, liking the way they looked in it, or saying that the certain picture, in their opinion, leads to people to wonder more about the them. I also chose a picture of the subject based on my personal relationship or experience with them. In addition to taking pictures of the person, I also let the person being photographed take a picture of an object. By doing this, I wanted to see if I could learn more about a person from the object or the actual pictures of the person.
While working on this project, I also wanted to question the status of an “artist” and what can be considered as “art”. In this situation, let’s say that I am the artist (Ha! Over my dead body), but I wonder what gives me the qualifications of being one. Is it because I take pictures frequently or because of my works and the meaning behind them? If it’s the works that I did that makes me an artist, I wanted to know what intrinsic quality made my works “art”. Would the people that I photographed be artists as well and their picture of objects be considered as art? I still haven’t been able to come up with a conclusion for this but by doing this project, it has made me think about what an “artist” and “art” is.
I am still unsure if the reasons why people chose the certain picture and object should be placed along with the pictures since I do want the viewer to think about the relationship rather than having it spoon-fed. But at the same time, the way the person wrote or spoke is another facet of the person. It made me think about the importance of words and if having the explanations will give the viewer a sense of resolution. This led to wondering if it is human nature to want information and a feeling of resolution, or is it because we live in an information-based society?
structure
Top left: Chosen by the subject / Top right: Chosen by me (photographer) / Bottom: Picture taken by the subject / The order is chronological.
final prints
test prints
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