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There's a Time in There, and a Place as Well

There are people with names, and stories to tell...

Alexandra Thompson
Write About Art 5
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Memories of my life finger painting and watching Playschool are mostly restricted to photo albums. Now, school photo day has come and gone and, once again, I’m left wondering what purpose these collections of stiff smiles and straight backs serve. There is no individual identity captured in the pairs of eyes trying not to blink at the flash. Commercial portraiture, in its pursuit of visual appeal and stylised perfection, leaves no room for the individuality of the subject. The primary technique of a commercial photographer is to take something that is, in nature, heterogeneous, and force it into conformity. Ideally, the school would let us take our own class photos, in our own world. Since we are denied the right to such explorations, we instead find ourselves grasping for other forums that will capture what we have to say. 

The popularity and accessibility of user-friendly camera applications means that anyone can be a photographer. Snapchat is an application that offers users the opportunity to take a ‘snap’ and send it to friends, and even other random users around the globe. These images are fleeting, present on a small screen for no more than ten seconds, then they’re gone forever. Their ephemeral nature does not, however, reduce their merit in terms of contemporary portraiture: art is art, no matter how transient. 

The sheer number of images being collected and sent through the app is constantly contributing to an ever-changing cloud that encompasses the individual ideologies of every user globally. Snapchat’s creators say the philosophy of the app is to enable ‘sharing authentic moments with friends’, but the authenticity of such photographs is actually quite hazy. When the subject is given control... The rest of this article is available to subscribers of Eyeline

Nan Goldin, Nan and Brian in Bed, NYC, 1983. Silver dye bleach print, 50.8 x 61cm. © Nan Goldin. Courtesy Matthew Marks Gallery, New York. 

Nan Goldin, Nan and Brian in Bed, NYC, 1983. Silver dye bleach print, 50.8 x 61cm. © Nan Goldin. Courtesy Matthew Marks Gallery, New York. 

Christian Thompson, Bidjara/Kunja people, Black Gum 3 (from ‘Australian Graffiti’ series), 2008. Type C photograph, 100 x 100cm. Purchased 2008. The Queensland Art Gallery Foundation Grant. Collection: Queensland Art Gallery.

Christian Thompson, Bidjara/Kunja people, Black Gum 3 (from ‘Australian Graffiti’ series), 2008. Type C photograph, 100 x 100cm. Purchased 2008. The Queensland Art Gallery Foundation Grant. Collection: Queensland Art Gallery.