I like to refer to the 21st century as “the age of technological representation” in the same way that Benjamin named the early 20th century “the age of mechanical reproduction”. Today we take photographs with the intention of sharing experiences. We make a conscious decision to represent ourselves, or objects in a certain way, depending on how we want to remember or share them.
One example is the monochrome prints seen on my instagram @jamie_edwards_photo. We do not see analogue prints – nor do we see a mechanical reproduction, printed in a newspaper at the turn of the 20th century – we see a technological representation of those prints. I made a conscious decision to represent them in a particular way, a way I believe accentuates their best qualities. Theoretically, this is exactly the same as a black and white selfie one might put on their social media if they’ve visited a scene that represents them in the right way. It is not a black and white photograph, it is a colour image represented in a way chosen by the editor, to say what they want.
I believe it is an incredibly exciting time to be part of the arts, as we see artists, in all mediums, begin too play with – and comment on – this contemporary nature, that has risen out of technological development.
We will discuss those artists in my longer article, which will be online soon. We will also wonder if it is possible to technologically represent without any bias, or if the simple act of representing an entity involved biased decisions. I’d love to open this discussion to others, don’t hesitate to comment!!!
Full article coming soon!!
Jamie Edwards 8/04/2020
Jamie Edwards 