civilized ku # 3043 / squares² # 14 (civilized ku # 3044-47) ~ we're all investigators now
Monday, February 8, 2016 at 01:38PM 
lying in bed on Saturday AM ~ Au Sable Forks, NY - in the Adirondack PARK • click to embiggen
recently seen ~ here and there • click to embiggen
It has been stated that we are all photographers now. That notions derives from the fact that, everyday, a zillion (or some other really big number) pictures are made albeit most of them are made using a "device" that is not a dedicated camera. And, the overwhelming bulk of those pictures are made with intent of being nothing more than a simple snapshot.
That written, what has become very obvious to me is that, if one is making pictures and aspiring to create something other than simple snapshots, it is no longer fashionable to be a picture maker, aka: a photographer. No, one must be an artist who uses photography to investigate some idea or another. Or, alternately, one must explore a concept and navigate the boundaries between one thing and another.
Just consider the following phrases which were excerpted from various artist statements (names redacted to protect the innocent):
...she observes and investigates her environment
...through photography, _______ investigates the boundaries of art and science
...explores the interface between art and science
...I investigate a zone bordered by aesthetics and ethics
...the subjects negotiate the shifting boundaries between mother and child
...uses photography to explore themes of memory, relationship, and identity
..._______ creates images that explore the skin as a document of human experience
These artspeak excerpts are drawn from the artist statements of those who reside in the BFA/MFA milieu. And it seems quite obvious to me that these "artists" must have spent a lot of their time while in academia investigating the zone wherein the shifting boundaries of language and bullshit intersect.
Quite possibly that investigative time was accompanied by additional time duct taped in a chair, asked to talk about their art making and, every time they used the word "photographer" or the phrase "I make pictures", they received an electrical shock to some very sensitive part of their body where it would really hurt the most.
So just remember, the next time you might be talking about your pictures with your friends and neighbors, don't ever use the word "photographer" or "picture". Keep only a few key words in mind and you'll be able to impress and perhaps confuse whomever it is with whom you are conversing. And, it will be conversing, not communicating because they won't know what the bloody hell you're talking about.
Reader Comments (2)
Make love, not war.
Let's let the pictures do the talking.
And let them have their fun(?).
By the way, are you wearing lipstick now or just sharing your expensive whisky?
John - while the wife has her own favorite brand of Irish Whiskey, I do try to "educate" her, now and again, to the pleasures of a fine single malt scotch whiskey. In this case, she sampled my pour of a delightful 15 year old Glenfiddich - so delightful that I ran out the next day and purchased a bottle.