<div dir="ltr"><div><div>Jonathan, ah convenience, the great seducer!<br><br></div>Ciao,<br></div>Murat<br></div><div class="gmail_extra"><br><div class="gmail_quote">On Wed, Dec 9, 2015 at 4:14 PM, Jonathan Schroeder <span dir="ltr"><<a href="mailto:jesgla@rit.edu" target="_blank">jesgla@rit.edu</a>></span> wrote:<br><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0 0 0 .8ex;border-left:1px #ccc solid;padding-left:1ex">----------empyre- soft-skinned space----------------------<br>
Thanks for this thoughtful post. I recall when got a new iPhone it 'automatically' created a seflie folder in my photos. At first, I found this profoundly disturbing, as it seemed to bring up so many negative aspects of digital technology, including facial recognition software, social media algorithms, and surveillance. But on one level, I now have a rather convenient record of my selfies - after all, I took them, and to a certain extent, I can delete at will, or remove the selfie folder. It is this aspect of the practice of selfies that Mehita Iqani are trying to write about. One aspect of the current interest in selfies is that as the term (if not the practice) is fairly recent, it feels like current research and writing on selfies has the potential to theorize this social and cultural phenomenon as it is unfolding.<br>
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From: <a href="mailto:empyre-bounces@lists.artdesign.unsw.edu.au">empyre-bounces@lists.artdesign.unsw.edu.au</a> <<a href="mailto:empyre-bounces@lists.artdesign.unsw.edu.au">empyre-bounces@lists.artdesign.unsw.edu.au</a>> on behalf of Derek Murray <<a href="mailto:derekconradmurray6719@gmail.com">derekconradmurray6719@gmail.com</a>><br>
Sent: Wednesday, December 9, 2015 12:18 PM<br>
<span class="im HOEnZb">To: soft_skinned_space<br>
Subject: Re: [-empyre-] empyre Digest, Vol 132, Issue 3<br>
<br>
</span><div class="HOEnZb"><div class="h5">----------empyre- soft-skinned space----------------------<br>
Greetings everyone! I’m going to jump in on this:<br>
<br>
The analog issue that has been mentioned is very interesting. I<br>
discussed it briefly in my writings on selfies. When I first became<br>
interested in the subject, it was through many of my students who were<br>
photography majors. The majority worked exclusively with film, and<br>
were strict adherents to the medium. When I queried them about this<br>
choice, I received a variety of responses, most of which expressed a<br>
preference for the formal qualities of film: grainy aesthetic,<br>
saturated colors, visual richness, etc. Others discussed the<br>
importance of process: the mechanical “slowing down” of the act, the<br>
inability to see the results immediately (which they romanticized).<br>
Many described film as having a preciousness and tactile quality in<br>
the medium that simply wasn’t present with digital. Others were more<br>
direct, and expressed quite frankly that their interest in the medium<br>
was driven by their photographic heroes such as: Nan Goldin, Anders<br>
Petersen, Larry Clark, Nobuyoshi Araki, and Dash Snow (who became<br>
famous for his gritty Polaroids).<br>
<br>
The aesthetics of these now-notorious photographers has become the<br>
standard for lifestyle photography and is quite popular in fashion as<br>
well for their romanticizing of drug use, adolescent sexuality, and<br>
the subcultural dimensions of urban street culture. It dominates<br>
hipster circles, because it conveys a kind of counter-culture<br>
rebellion, and a rejection of techo-capitalist value systems. In<br>
regard to selfies specifically, film offers the ability to capture a<br>
feeling of nostalgic intimacy, which for many provides a form of<br>
resistance from the more fast-paced, consumer-driven demands heaped<br>
upon them. But I would argue that the most salient dimension of this<br>
choice is the desire to replicate the gritty, saturated realism and<br>
intimacy of Araki, Goldin and Clark—who imaged the “outsider” with<br>
grace, but also captured the sexual radicalism of their time: all of<br>
which have been extremely influential on young women (and other<br>
marginalized groups) who are endeavoring to express their resistance<br>
through self-imaging. I am nevertheless skeptical of this trend;<br>
especially the fetishizing of retro aesthetics, and the apparent<br>
sentimentality and nostalgia that is voraciously performed. However, I<br>
do find it both fascinating and inspiring that young people are<br>
thinking visually, and that the relation between representation,<br>
aesthetics, identity, subjectivity, and political activism, are at the<br>
forefront of their self-imaging strategies.<br>
<br>
In discussions about selfies, I think it’s important not to forget<br>
that people take them, and that we should also not forget that many of<br>
them are profoundly alienated, or subjected daily to misogyny, racism,<br>
homophobia, transphobia—or simply harmed psychically by<br>
misrepresentation, erasure, and invisibility. Perhaps the persistence<br>
of these social/cultural/ideological degradations is the real terror.<br>
As a disturbing techo-capitalist phenomenon, the selfie—as troubling<br>
as it may be—is perhaps one of the only expressive means for the<br>
consumer to validate themselves and to say to the world: “I exist, and<br>
I have value!” This may sound like sentiment, but I think if we move<br>
beyond judgment and really “look” at selfies (rather than discuss them<br>
merely as a social and/or intellectual issue) we can see the very<br>
human dimension that subtends this gesture.<br>
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