Exploitation, Appropriation and Self-Objectification (of the male figure) on the Internet
#AllPhotosUsedWithoutPermission
Images from the internet, displayed on my iPhone and iPad then re-photographed on 4x5 and 8x10 film.
An Ongoing Cyanotype Project.
Objectified
Exploitation, Appropriation and Self - Objectification
(Of the male form) On the Internet
#AllPhotosUsedWithoutPermission
An Ongoing Cyanotype Project
There is talk of talk of exploitation and objectification in the air.
I am interested in how people present themselves in photographs. I’ve noticed how many images of men, posted on social media, objectify the subject. A good number of these images are selfies or clearly directed, then posted, by the subject. They are not the product of formal photo sessions. I take screenshots of these images and save them in my phone.
I then re-photograph the images I’ve collected. I acknowledge the digital nature of the appropriated material by inserting my tablet or phone into a still life setting, then shooting the scenes on 4x5 or 8x10 film and printing with cyanotype. Using these analogue techniques places images from the digital world firmly in the physical one.
I have begun to wonder if the new rules regarding exploitation and objectification extended to selfies. If I appropriate a selfie that objectifies the subject, who is the objectifier, who the exploiter? The person who creates the image, the one who appropriates it, or both?
To celebrate appropriation and the exploitative nature of these images, they are used without permission.
This is an ongoing project which will result in a hand-made, limited edition, photographic artist book and prints, all printed with cyanotype (no ink involved).
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All images and text © 2020-2023 by David Sokosh.