An investigation of the relationship between the material and illusionary aspects of the photograph

This project is an investigation of the relationship between the image of a photograph and the paper on which it is printed. It addresses transmission and reception caused by the interconnection of symbols (image) and object (paper substrata). It can be observed that the major exchange with a photograph is mostly a symbolic one. The power of the image engulfs us, overshadowing the material nature of the paper object, creating the perception that there is something non-material about the photograph. There has been a continual 'de-materialising' of the photograph over its history. This is due to many factors, including the evolution in the materials used as substrata, the effect of supports such as frames and albums, the half-tone process in print media, as well as different uses and viewing contexts including those of museums, collectors and conceptual artists. These factors have created an inconsistent and unstable relationship with the material of the photograph, resulting in a diminishing appreciation of its object qualities, particularly when reading the image. To explain this situation I reference writers including Roland Barthes and Geoffrey Batchen and artists of relevance including Jan Dibbets, Mel Bochner, Doug and Mike Starn, Joachim Schmid and Gottfried Jager. Sanding and ripping are used in this project to explore the association between image and the material of the photograph. Such processes alter the viewer's usual relationship with a photograph by highlighting the material. Sanding confuses the surface and requires close scrutiny to determine what is image and what is paper. Actual rips are combined with images of rips to create a similar flux between real and faux. The work incorporates the materiality of the photograph and the image so that the two are read in unison, making their separation difficult. This project sets out to highlight the problematic relationship between the image and material of a photograph. It does this by confounding the viewer's escape into imagery through self referencing the photograph and enhancing its material. These devices constantly remind us of the object qualities of the work. It produces a dialogue and contemplation around the relationship between material and image. It raises issues regarding the meaning engendered by the material of the photograph, as well as issues about originality, aura, reproduction and commodity. The paradoxes and ironies associated with the photograph are highlighted, adding to an ongoing dialogue about the role and importance of the photographic in our culture.