Page for project proposal and thesis

Project proposal

Project proposal, LB 2019-2020 Felix Obermaier

(What) As a graduation project, I am proposing to make an immersive photographic installation. It will consist of a group of photographic work and its publication in form of a photobook or an exhibition. The group of work will make the public as a canvas for a commercialised image-surround a subject. The outcome shall present a new way of photographic image making and reflect on the images we are surrounded with.

The photographs will to some extent make use of contemporary aesthetics and image making practices from the image-surround, that is established through modern image-capturing and image distribution technology. These practices and aesthetics are specifically made for the screens that images are consumed with, whereas in my work, I aim at transferring these practices and aesthetics to different, more traditional displaying techniques. (How) Most important, I am intending to further develop my stereo-photographic practice, that I started during the last year. Part of this practice is to capture occurrences of consumerism in the public space and create a stereo pair from it. To create the stereo pair, I am using a digital range-finder camera and a custom built tripod-mount. The tripod-mount allows me to align the camera on one line parallel to the subject, and variably define the distance between the two stereo shots. This makes it possible to accurately create a stereo pair for motifs of variable sized and distances. After digitally developing and editing the shots I am using a proprietary software “Stereo Photo Maker” by Masuji Suto and David Sykes (2002-2017) to align the stereo pair and create an anaglyph stereo image that can be looked at with using anaglyph stereo glasses. I am currently developing exhibition methods of these photographs focusing on a large-scale reproduction of the images. With that I aim at creating a new perception of a space by defining it through these large-scale reproductions. To develop the display for the photographs is part of my practice. By curating the images that I made and use them in an exhibition or page layout, I can draw a wider representation of my research. I will work with test prints in original size, as well as scale-models and computer generated visualisations to define hanging, material, size and arrangement of images.

(Context) The resulting 3D images share their three-dimensional effect with imagery increasingly implemented in viewing habits of people by consumer technology applications. Fostering are recent advances in mobile camera technology, displaying technology and transmission technology. Mobile camera technology makes multi-lens camera arrays and matching image processing hard- and software accessible to the masses. Displaying devices, that act as personal displays, have the greatest impact in how the majority of images are consumed nowadays. They are equipped with multiple sensors, that allow for new displaying techniques. A not unimportant, but in case of this examination of less interest, are the advances in transmission of images, that is becoming more convenient, sophisticated and mobile. These altogether, implemented in smartphones, as currently most important devices for image-based communication, that act as the capturing, transmission and receiving device in one, allow for the implementation of 3D effects on photographic images. This is for example realised by Facebook in their social network. With the increasing accessibility, user-friendliness and rising amount of use-cases of head mounted displays, specific Stereo, 180°, 360° VR cameras and the processing technology, there are even more developments and impacts from these technologies to be expected in the near future. Particularly, in an image surround, that is spreading more and more, getting commercialised more and more and is screaming for attention more and more, visual effects that attract the eye by being different or new, are essential to create images that can compete.

Since the Internet opened up distribution channels for broad masses and melted the private and the public, the personal, the commercial and the political, the amateur and the professional, these consumer technologies have a larger impact on visual reality than compared to the visual reality, where these entities where more separated and the professional image-making technology and capacity was more influential. This does not mean, that there is not an authority in defining the visual reality anymore, that rather means, that the authority shifted from traditional branches like camera and photographic supplies manufacturers, photo- and videographers, artists, printing technology, to the Silicon sector.

(Motivation) My interest lies in exactly this development, the shift in authority in creating the visual culture, and the way technology is impacting the visual reality that we encounter. Furthermore, the increasing commercialisation of images and the public space are my interest, that I am visually exploring by developing my photographic practice.

The images I am taking use a fundamentally different method and technique to appropriate the effects that are created through the modern technologies. An important aspect is, that both approaches use technology of a more sophisticated or more primitive manner, to create visual effects. I want to work with these effects and see how to use them

(How/Timetable/Help) For progressing with my project, I specifically want to work on subjects/scenes and framing of the photographs, ways of exhibiting to mediate a observation of reality and visual reality, and I want to explore the technological aspects of new ways of image making as well as the adaption on my practice.

For the first, I will be looking at how different scales of a scene work as a reproduction. For example, I captured spatial stereo photographs, but also objects in detail. These work differently in their 3-dimensional effects, depending on the way of recording and the way of displaying them. I want to test out the over-size reproduction of both, whole spaces, as well as single objects. For that I am aiming at creating medium-format stereographs, which I already tested, and proved working. But for further working on this, I need to contact private sponsors, since the right camera equipment is not available to me for a longer period. Another interest on the side of capturing is to capture moving objects, especially people. With the technique I am using this is not possible, because it requires two cameras to be used at the same time. I will try out this with accessible cameras to be able to assess the appeal of these images.

For the second, I aim at testing large-scale reproductions or projections to see if and how space-defining installations are possible and if they are interesting to me. Also, I want to work with different ways of displaying stereo photographs. Besides the affordable and easy to produce anaglyph method, I am using currently, I furthermore want to work with 3D digital displays and more advanced anaglyph projections, that use polarisation filters instead of colour filters.

The testing of various displaying methods is also part of my third action. As explained, the displaying technology of three-dimensional photographic effects is fundamentally different in modern, consumer-oriented applications. I want to figure out how I can make use of them for my own practice. Learn from them and understand them, or even appropriate them to create new images. Exemplarily, I will be looking at manipulating depth-maps to create false three-dimensional appeal. And I want to work with 3D displays that are developed by Philips, amongst others, for the commercial market, to see how they will be impacting our visual reality.

(Previous work) The proposed project is building on my previous projects. The beginning of the stereo works is in last year, when I first made a series of food counters. This series arose from my earlier projects and interests, that aimed at capturing fragments of reality, that show notions of gimmickry in the public.

(Context) describe relation/context as an artwork

Thesis outline

Thesis outline:

My thesis shall explore to what extent medial image culture is impacted by the authority of commercial sector and PR and show that it is impacting the way society perceives the world. The way we see, make and distribute images is defined by the mechanisms of PR since Bernays formulated the engineering of consent. The PR industry got equipped with technology like the internet (internet=PR machine), that enabled them to be more precise in their practice as described by Bernays. With the further advancement of the technology the Internet spread from its own universe to the physical public world and is extending the practices regarding PR. My hypothesis is, to describe the internet as an apparatus (Flusser). In this apparatus money and technological power define what people see in their media surround (Turner).

Part of the internet apparatus is the participation culture. The technology enables everyone to publish and broadcast. But the apparatus also gives clear structures for this, including image aesthetics, that are defined by how PR works (because Internet is a PR machine). Images are abstracted (Baudrillard, Eco, Barthes). But also technology increases the hyper reality of images (Facebook 360, Depth Photogarphy, Virtual Relity applications, references). The evolving image surround is implemented in visual reality.

I propose to say that this obfuscates truth and facts in the visual culture we are surrounded with. This can be seen in the amount of advertisements we are surrounded with, showing desirable images, image trends, like selfies and the presentation/enacting of people (Ahmet Ogut) and the implementation of aesthetics also in the design language of the amateur photographer/ private photographer/ private spaces (instead of public spaces). This obfuscation is a danger for the social system and society (as described also by Bernays).

Mediation of the public

1. Bernays

2. Surround

The unreal about reality

1. Baudrillard Simulacrum

2. Eco Hyperreality

Realisation in Internet 1. Turner 2. Curtis

Photography

1. Barthes: Photographic Message

2. Instant 3d Photography, Facebook

3. Depth Photography

Annotated bibliography