Narrative Interventions in Photography

[Art by Simryn Gill, Photograph by Jonathan Teghtmeyer]

[Art by Carrie Mae Weems, Photograph by Jonathan Teghtmeyer]

I had the opportunity the week before last to visit the Getty Center in Los Angeles, where I happened across across an exhibit entitled, Narrative Interventions in Photography, that seemed to be right up the alley for our conversations around transliteracy. Works by three artists, Eileen Cowin, Carrie Mae Weems and Simryn Gill, are unified by the theme of telling a narrative through photography with critical reflection on the use of text.

Cowin's series, I See What You're Saying, uses books as a medium to create a subject for photography where the books are personified and tell a narrative through how they are positioned as opposed to what the words say. Gill uses paper with typed text as a medium to take the place of natural artifacts. For example, in one piece she cuts the paper into the shape of leaves, attaches them to a living plant and photographs it in a natural setting. Finally, Carrie Mae Weems, has etched text (and in one piece sheet music) onto glass that is placed over photos from the American slave trade in her exhibit, From Here I Saw What Happened and I Cried. 


In terms of transliteracy, the pieces provide a great commentary on the role of narrative in a way that is not reliant on text. Yet at the same time, they use text as a key subject for their art which is principally done using the medium of photography. Not only are these artists effective at using multiple media, but they use them together in the same piece in a way that provides commentary on the different forms. While they are not forms of new media, they definitely qualify as pieces related to transliteracy.

HiBrow: Art for the Masses

I thought this would be of interest to you in light of our recent conversations and discussions on curated content and "classical" narrative structure:

HiBrow Launches its curated video platform, giving users a “backstage pass to the arts”

27TH JANUARY 2012 by PAUL SAWERS

A new platform called HiBrow has launched this week, tapping digital technology and the expertise of professional film producers and directors to bring HD video arts programming to the masses.

Curated by some well-known names from the UK creative industries, such as Gary Kemp, Ruby Wax, Sir Richard Eyre, Franc Roddam, Dave Calhoun and Simon Callow, HiBrow promises to give viewers a ‘back stage pass’ to the arts.

HiBrow kicked-off proceedings with 10 hours of original programming, streaming new plays, concerts, exhibitions, dance, literary events and festivals. A further 10 hours of new material will be available on the site from February 1.

Every month, at least 7 hours of fresh content will be added to the site, ranging from interviews with authors, actors, directors, artists, conductors and musicians, to films of rehearsals and behind the scenes documentaries which will complement the professionally produced primary content.

Founded by UK-based film-maker Don Boyd, and curated by a team of high-profile professionals from the creative Industries, HiBrow offers users a direct link to professional productions from across the arts world. Moreover, to extend its service beyond professionally curated work, HiBrow has also linked up with NODA (National Operatic and Dramatic Association) – Britain’s institution representing over 2,500 amateur companies.

“For many years I have been aware of a gap in the broadcasting environment for exceptional arts programming,” said Boyd. “The advent of the Internet and broadband provides the means by which this gap can be filled. Over the past three years I have worked single-mindedly, but not without help from a diverse and predominantly youthful group of talented experts in the fields of the arts and digital technology, to create Hibrow.tv, a comprehensive international platform giving audiences an intimate insight into the creative process they would never have seen anywhere else.”

HiBrow is like a YouTube for the arts, and given that it’s free to use and curated for quality, it could prove to be a hit amongst culture vultures. Amongst other features, the website will also offer an arts-focused social network – through which a community of so-called ‘HiBrowsers’ can talk about a performance they have seen, or discuss their favourite art form from a range of subjects.

➤ HiBrow

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Paul Sawers is UK & Media Editor at The Next Web. Follow Paul on Twitter: @TGW_Paul, or email him at paul(at)thenextweb.com.

New Media: art for the digital age

For centuries, art has been used to inspire, challenge our current perspectives and to present an alternate reality. New media joins the art world with digital technology and opens up a new area of possibilities by asking the audience to join in.

Art and new media are illusive concepts. What makes a picture art? What makes a video on a website new media? Their definitions are subjective. But both concepts span multiple disciplines to create something new. Art draws upon history, politics, philosophy, and other areas for inspiration. New media spans across the same disciplines but adds modern-day skills to the mix, including photography, web design and filmmaking.

Innovative technology and software are being developed that will allow us to communicate with our viewers and listeners in a way that traditional art could have only dreamed of. New media will not replace art; it simply transforms it into its next form on the evolutionary scale.

Still developing

One of the most intriguing aspects of new media is the sense that this new medium is still developing. We can participate in this digital revolution. The boundaries are still being drawn and there is still time to sneak in.

As the entrance fee into the art world lowers, and the cost of production crashes, art once again belongs to the masses. The abundance of cheap, portable and easy-to-use technology and software has opened the doors to millions of people to allow them to become creators of new media and not just consumers.

Not everyone would agree. But just like art, the world of new media is subjective.