User:Mathijs van Oosterhoudt/thesisoutline

Is it possible to subvert the design choices made by manufacturers of photo cameras?

Abstract

Photographs influence us, but the way the photograph is created is in turn influenced by the technology that does so; Cameras influence the possibilities of the result, and their result (Photographs) have in turn influenced us. Changes, additions and new inventions have changed the camera over time, thereby it's result, and therefor how it influences us. Those changes are made by people who have control over the development and production of cameras, influenced by various things and desires that might contribute to why such changes were made, whether this is in the interest of consumers or not. This means that, to some degree, changes in our perception are dependent on those that have this control, which we might not be pleased with. If changes in the technology alters our perception, does it logically follow that by removing such changes, or reverting them, we also get rid of it's influence, and is this a possible way of countering this? However, reverting such changes is dependent on the technology that created them, understanding that technology and finding alternatives, which becomes increasingly difficult as technology advances, becomes more complicated and near-impossible to reverse engineer. Is it possible to subvert the design choices made by manufacturers of photo cameras?

Bibliography

Walter Benjamin - Little History of Photography

Langdon Winner - Do Artifacts Have Politics?

Jonathan Crary - Techniques of the observer

Friedrich Kittler - Gramaphone, Film, Typewriter

Matthew Fuller, Andrew Goffey - Towards an Evil Media Studies

The history of choices, which choices and by whom?

In the first section I want to take a critical look at the history of the camera, it's players (inventors, manufacturers), how the technology has evolved over time and how these (and other) technologies have been applied to the photo camera. Through a few specific case studies I want to show some cameras or trends in the photo camera that influence us, how and why they came to be.

Why is it important to subvert such choices?

In the second section I want to talk about why one would want to subvert such choices. In the case of any technology, the people that control the means of production over the tools hold significant power over how we are able to apply technology, and said technology might be used to, for instance, keep dominant ideologies in place. By being able to subvert this power we gain control over how we apply technology and possibly therefor gain power from it.

How can technologies be subverted?

In the third chapter, I want to take a look at how the consumer influences both the shaping of the camera as it's adaptation, but also the way they can adapt them to their own needs through various ways of tinkering or creation from scratch. What are the possibilities, what are the obstacles? How has this worked in the past, and are the same methods still apply-able to modern day situations? There are endless way of subverting the photo camera, but in all cases, from firmware hacking, hardware hacking to creating your own entirely, it is the goal and intend to offer alternative applications or different technologies to the photo camera that would have otherwise not been there, thereby disrupting the manufacturer or influencing them.