Tactum

Tactum 1

Initiation

Tactum 1

Initiation CONTENTS

1 YOU DON’T TAKE A PHOTOGRAPH, YOU MAKE IT. — Introduction: TACTUM 1 2 A PHOTOGRAPH IS A SECRET ABOUT A SECRET. THE MORE IT TELLS YOU THE LESS YOU KNOW. — An Experiment With Touch 3 EVERY OTHER ARTIST BEGINS WITH A BLANK CANVAS. THE PHOTOGRAPHER BEGINS WITH THE FINISHED PRODUCT. — Breaking the Cycle of Flatness — The Graphics Interchange Device — Building The Device 4 A PICTURE IS NOT MADE IN THE CAMERA BUT ON EITHER SIDE OF IT. — The GIF as Photograph (Oz Barak) — Conversations With Photographers — Conversations With Curators 5 — Graphics Interchange Device Imprint Contact

1 YOU DON’T TAKE A PHOTOGRAPH, YOU MAKE IT. Ansel Adams

INTRODUCTION: TACTUM 1

Photographic prints are nearly always flat and quadrilateral, and nearly always untouchable. Why? Tactum provides a platform for possibilities within the context of the print, rather than focusing on a recurring argument between digital and analogue platforms. It celebrates curiosity and interaction by asking how photographic prints might generate interactive possibilities in a gallery setting.

It asks — what happens when we introduce new steps, ones that begin after the printing?

The question lies in the hands of those who have never experienced the development of a photograph in the darkroom. Digital means have eliminated that magical and subtle appearance of a photograph onto a blank sheet of paper. In the digital age most photos are displayed on screens and our generation of photographers may never have this experience.

Tactum is looking for a way to bring this magic back into the viewing and handling of photographic prints.

This document, TACTUM 1, describes the initiation of this programme.

A PHOTOGRAPH IS A SECRET ABOUT A SECRET. THE MORE IT TELLS YOU THE LESS YOU KNOW. Diane Arbus

PHOTOCOPIED HAND BY ASMAA: WWW.RANDOMLYPLACED.BLOGSPOT.CO.UK

2

AN EXPERIMENT WITH TOUCH

Why have prints become so rare and untouchable?

The first phase of developing Tactum was to experiment with touch. I invited students and teachers at Central Saint Martins to touch a print.

The bottom half of the print was coated in a layer of thermochromic ink. This heat-sensitive material appears black at room temperature and becomes transparent once its temperature exceeds 31째c.

The print was presented to the viewers on a table rather than a wall. They were asked to question its function at first sight. They were also asked to guess the content of the lower half of the photograph.

Naturally their expectation was of a frontal nude.

Guided towards the hair dryer they began to engage with the photograph on a different level. When the remaining half of the portrait started to appear the reactions were spontaneous and joyful.

INTERVIEW 1

In art galleries, generally you find artwork hanging on a wall. How do you feel about finding artwork on a table?

It feels as though it’s a completely different way of looking at it from that angle. For me it makes it feel a lot more accessible, it feels a lot less formal.

How do you feel you should interact with this photograph?

Well, I suppose that’s what this is supposed to make you do, you’re supposed to build the rest of the picture yourself and let your own imagination work with it.

What did you expect to find?

A naked man.

Now that you know what’s underneath how do you feel?

It’s cool, you would not assume that that’s what you would expect to find underneath there.

If it were a regular guy in the photo, do you think you still would have been surprised?

I don’t think so, I think you would have been, like, that’s kind of nice... (the effect of the thermochromic ink) but this is a lot more, erm… I think this tells a better story.

INTERVIEW 2

INTERVIEW 3

When it comes to photographs, when we were younger we used to go through photo albums, show them to friends. What do you do with photos now?

I just basically keep them on my computer. I don’t even… I mean, the last time I took photographs and printed them out was a few years ago. Actually my manual camera broke, and I came up with lots of excuses to not get a new camera.

I’m now using my iPhone which is not good, it doesn’t feel so… I wish I could take pictures of a lot of moments, but I don’t know why I’m not focused.

How do you feel you should interact with this photograph?

Well, I feel like it’s unfinished so therefore I could play with it, like it’s here for me to do something.

When you are given a photograph like this what are you expecting to see?

This opens up a lot of private… [laughs]. Obviously the most important part of the male anatomy, but it could be anything.

How do you feel you want to interact with this photograph?

I feel like I want to scratch it off! [layer of thermochromic ink) [I indicate towards the hair dryer...]

Oh. It’s not like a coin scratching thing (laughs). Its quite polite!

If it was a frontal nude would you have been surprised?

No. I would have thought, Oh yeah, that meets my expectations. Whereas this was not what I expected.

How would you feel if you came across this in a gallery?

I wouldn’t be initiated to touch it, because it’s in a ‘gallery’, but if it were in a public space, even if they said don’t touch it I still would.

What do you expect the other half of the photograph is?

Er… a willie [laughs]. He’s looking out into the horizon, it might suggest that… I don’t know.

[I indicate towards the hair dryer...]

Oh. That’s really cool! Really cool!

How did you find this experience?

Really fun. Anything interactive should be just really fun.

INTERVIEW 4

When you walk into a gallery and find an artwork presented to you on a table, how do you feel about it?

I would feel quite normal and I’d want to touch it.

What do you expect that the other half of the photograph is?

The other half of the guy’s body.

[I indicate towards the hair dryer...]

Oh. It changes... Wow! Oh, its backwards! [laughs].

How did you find this process?

You can review the parts depending on where you want to see. So yeah, it changes really fast, but the more you reveal the more you find that it’s actually a twisted part of the body, which is quite fun [laughs].

Would you have been disappointed if it was just a ‘regular’ picture?

No. I was kind of expecting it in a way. You’re immediately thinking whether it’s part of the other half of the guy or not and, erm… you’re thinking whether there would be something mysteriously-shaped underneath, so its actually funny when you view it. The process is really fun.

INTERVIEW 5

INTERVIEW 6

When you walk into a gallery and find an artwork presented to you on a table, how do you feel about it?

It might be an interactive work because interactive works are always shown on desks, because it’s easier to touch or to work with.

How do you feel you should interact with this photograph?

I want to touch it, the texture of this surface is very interesting. If you are saying that I am allowed to touch this, I will touch it.

How do you feel you should interact with this photograph?

I feel like someone has to remove the black part [indicates peeling it off with hand gesture.]

What do you expect that the other half of the photograph is?

A secret.

[I indicate towards the hair dryer...]

[Laughs] Is it the same person?

The body and the legs?

How did you find this process?

It’s out of my imagination. I didn’t suppose it could be the back part.

Would you have been disappointed if it was just the regular front of the picture? Would you have had the same reaction?

No, exactly not. If it was the front I would feel that, well, it’s a normal work. This [indicating image] will shock me and give me a surprise.

What do you expect to find underneath?

[Laughs] Erm... actually I don’t want to see Yan nude but... [laughs].

Maybe Yan wears simple underwear or he will have a usual appearance wearing pants.

[I indicate towards the hair dryer...]

Where did you take this photo, at school?

How did you find this experience?

Quite interesting, I didn’t expect that the bottom is the back side. It seems very… natural [looking closely at the photo]. Did you do this photo in Photoshop?

[I indicate that I did. He gives me a thumbs up.]

Definitely unexpected what happened with the bottom part being the backside.

3 EVERY OTHER ARTIST BEGINS WITH A BLANK CANVAS. THE PHOTOGRAPHER BEGINS WITH THE FINISHED PRODUCT. Edward Steichen

BREAKING THE CYCLE OF FLATNESS: THE GRAPHICS INTERCHANGE DEVICE

What makes a print?

The idea arose when I folded an image through a twenty-four piece origami globe representing twentyfour time zones. Having emerged into this finished structure it intrigued me how odd it was that I, and many other photographers, had never thought of folding photographs before.

To break the cycle of flatness, of limited interaction and of predictable outcomes, the challenge was to invent a structure that could narrate a story visually.

I set out to design an analogue GIF (Graphics Interchange File), but one that didn’t need a screen at all.

I needed to build a platform which challenged convention and opened the dialogue. I needed a GID — a Graphics Interchange Device.

BUILDING THE DEVICE Technical Drawing: Jonathan Blayney Construction: Tom Whiteway

EMAIL FROM TOM WHITEWAY, ABOUT THE DEVICE Dear Rima, I have a few questions about the design. Is the idea to focus solely on the outside of the box with all the inner workings hidden? Or would you like to make a feature out of them?

We could use plastic gears to save cost and maybe hide them in the bottom, or we could use brass or stainless gears and make a feature of them. Also, what kind of finish are you thinking of for the outside? Is plywood the preferred material? or acrylic? etc.

What is going to be on the faces of the rotating sections? Also in terms of the handle and mechanism, would you want to make it one rotation of the handle = one rotation of the triangle sections?

Tom

4 A PICTURE IS NOT MADE IN THE CAMERA BUT ON EITHER SIDE OF IT. Edward Steichen

THE GIF AS PHOTOGRAPH Oz Barak, Photographer

Oz agrees to contribute a set of three images for the Graphics Interchange Device.

So how did you feel when I first told you about my project, the GID? Fascinated! Animated files are really interesting and I love doing them all the time. When it will work I’ll do a GIF file in excitement!

Why the excitement?

Because the difference between still image and moving image is huge!

It has another aspect, more emotion and dimension. And if you can get all this out of the computer screen it’s incredible. Making the GIF files handy and visible is important. If those who use the computer are aware of the GIF files, the GID is another important format everybody should know of.

This project will reqire the printing of images. How often do you print your photos?

Only when I do an exhibition.

Why do you feel that you don’t print, and is it a good thing or a bad thing?

For me there’s no point printing just for fun because I won’t hang my own photos on my own walls. I would like to print more for more exhibitions. I do remember now that I printed a poster for my friends, to promote their concert. They’re musicians. The bottom line is that I wouldn’t print without a specific intention.

Do you feel that digital photography has something to do with this? I remember studying together in the darkroom and all we did was print at the time.

Of course it has! But nowadays almost everything starts and ends in the computer. I think it’s a bit of a shame but we are going with the flow. I really liked printing in the darkroom. It was wonderful to create everything by yourself, but now that I don’t have the darkroom equipment and all the money for it (of course)... it doesn’t have the same effect of printing it. But I see no point letting a machine print your photos and then forgetting them in the drawer.

Does this project open your eyes to new possibilities within your own work? And how did it feel taking shots for this specific context?

Making an exhibition of my GIF files without bringing 10 screens would be great. I’ve been doing GIF files for quite a while now, but creating a ‘real-life’ GIF file with only three photos really opened my mind. It was great!

Was it challenging? Difficult? Easy?

How did you respond to this specific brief and why did you chose to use these specific photographs?

Definitely difficult and challenging.

Usually my GIF files are made from at least six images, or even more.

But I was trying to bring something else to your unique project other than the usual.

CONVERSATIONS WITH PHOTOGRAPHERS Dujjan Suensilpong; Riccardo Cavallari; Rebecca Birge; Riad Hawa; Eva Vujacic; Ricardo Mendez; Petra Fantozzi; Mark Abouzeid; Martina Grifoni; Cinnamon Janzer

HOW OFTEN DO YOU PRINT YOUR PHOTOGRAPHS?

IF NOT OFTEN, WHY DO YOU FEEL THAT YOU DON’T?

DOES DIGITAL HAVE SOMETHING TO DO WITH THIS?

DS: Hardly ever.

DS: Just because it takes times for printing. It is good and important for photography, but to learn the whole process of it, I must sign up for a degree. That’s another story.

DS: Event for digital, printing is very important, but again the printing process is not easy because of equipment, paper, and machines which are unaffordable. But yes, I still agree that digital should include this process.

RC: Very rarely.

RB: Unfortunately I almost never print my photographs any longer. If I do it would be for a special occasion.

RH: About one every four months.

RC: Mostly I don’t print because my job is mainly commercial, so it needs no prints.

EV: For work (weddings) I try to print as much as possible. I do not print enough. I don’t like the small printer I have and I get frustrated when outside they want to charge me fifteen euros for a print that is not so great.

I am actually looking into getting a plotter now and printing myself.

RB: I guess that it is mainly because of the change from analogue to digital photography. If you are curious and like to see how your analogue pictures really turn out, it’s necessary to print them. But with digital you can discard right away in the camera.

RM: Not often — although I do have a printer.

RH: Because I have too many to choose from. But also mainly because it’s expensive and I have no idea what it’s going to look like.

PF: I don’t print any of my digital works.

MA: Whenever they are bought, on display or in an exhibit... these days about 20-40 prints per month.

MG: About 10% of the time, so really seldom.

CJ: Almost never, unless I have to — for an end of semester project I’m doing a photo so I’ll be printing then, but it’s cases like this that are the only times I print anymore.

RM: I probably wouldn’t know what to do with so many prints! Antiecological for one thing. Also from experience, prints ended up 90%plus of the time in drawers or boxes.

At least in a computer you bump into them even if just by accident now and then. However I love printed pictures, that is the best way of looking at them.

CJ: I would love to print more, in the sense of having prints all around me and being able to give them to people, etc. But it’s too expensive.

RB: It’s both good and bad. You don’t have piles of bad photos all over the place but at the same time you rarely print the photos that you would like to have in an album or to frame.

RH: No. RM: While you don’t have to print analog pictures, I know what you mean. Yeah, of course not printing has to do with the existence of digital. Firstly because everyone makes so many freaking pics. Secondly because its easy to handle them.

With digital you can carry a million pics in your laptop, anywhere for any moment. Not so with prints — not without a trailer.

CJ: Digital photography definitely has something to do with this, a lot actually. You can share photos quickly and easily in digital form. And that’s what it seems like it’s about now — quick sharing. I think the appreciation of the print as a craft is pretty much gone. I took black and white photography in college because I didn’t think I’d ever get another opportunity to be in a dark room, and so far that’s been true.

ARE YOU A FAN OF GIF FILES, AND DO YOU MAKE THEM?

SO I’M WORKING ON MAKING AN ANALOGUE GIF...

RC: Never in my life.

RC: I like the box, I could do something with it...

RB: I have never made a GIF file but I did enjoy yours. I would definitely consider trying it.

RH: No. RM: I am not a ‘fan’ of GIFs, but not an enemy either. I am just not even sure what they are. I guess I see them often while not knowing it — are they a sort of stop-motion picture sequence for displaying motion on the web? Like old cartoons drawn in the upper corner of a book where you pass the pages quickly to see motion? Sequences of stills on the same subject from the same viewpoint to that play in sequence?

PF: I’ve never made a GIF file before, I think some of them are funny but it’s not my style.

MG: I like GIF files. I’m going to learn how to do them in the next few days.

CJ: I like some GIF files and hate others. The well-done ones consider why motion is important, like something would be lost otherwise.

But again, I feel like sometimes it becomes a digital thing to do with photos because people like the way it looks. I mean, it should be like taking a photograph versus making a series in print. There should be a consideration to it.

RM: I like your box, it is cool. It is too sudden for me to think if I could use it and how. I guess I could but I cannot think of a specific application right now. I guess for now I am too embedded into ‘traditional’ pointshoot-see still photographs.

EV: I would love to participate in this project. Give me the measurements and I will shoot something or send you something I already have.

MG: I can’t really understand how your box works. It’s nice, but I think that it couldn’t be a new language. In my vision art is to find a new visual language to communicate the issues of the historical period you live in.

Even if I love analogue photography, I think it’s not the right medium for art in this period. I’m sure that it will survive for few collectors, but I don’t see the need to do analogue GIFs. CJ: This definitely makes me think differently about how I would shoot for this context. It brings back the deliberate-ness / skill in shooting that, as I said earlier, I think gets lost in the digital. I’m a huge fan of this and it totally proposes a different way for me to work. The only thing is, I think it might be hard for it to catch on with people who don’t have an appreciation of what photography really is. Like, I don’t think the public would catch onto this the way that they have with Instagram.

CONVERSATIONS WITH CURATORS Alex Newson, Design Museum London; Lucy Lopez, La Scatola Gallery

HOW IMPORTANT ARE INTERACTIVE POSSIBILITIES WITHIN A GALLERY?

DOES A CURATOR LOOK FOR WORKS THAT HAVE THESE POSSIBILITIES?

WHAT IS THE IMPORTANCE OF DESIGN IN PHOTOGRAPHY?

AN: When it comes to interaction in a gallery it depends on the content.

Engaging with the user is important but it depends on what ‘interaction’ means. High-tech is costly and most devices quickly become obsolete.

Most of the visitors have more technology in their pockets than they will find in most galleries.

AN: One example of engaging but low-tech form of interaction was the ‘Designed to Win’ exhibition where a nine-meter jump was measured out and visitors tried to jump and see how far they were able to go. This was so they could better understand visually how far nine meters actually is, different to their experience with a television.

AN: We spoke about designers and how they perceive themselves.

Although many of them work within multiple disciplines, not many of them consider themselves designers and they are comfortable with adapting their products for mass manufacturing. At the end of the day they work through a brief and the brief comes with restrictions and limitations and that sets a framework for them.

LL: If you have to go and interact with something, if it needs your attention it’s more likely to be something you really take notice of. The minute you have to do something you become a part of it, it becomes an action and you remember it.

AN: When it comes to interaction, things shouldn’t be put into cases.

It’s easier with design than it is with fine art as they’re not single pieces which are so precious.

LL: People should be able to walk into it straight away.

People should be presented with specific handling areas where there are objects that indicate they can be touched. Most visitors will assume that because you’ve allowed them to touch an object, they can test it to destruction. That has happened at the Design Museum before.

LL: With your object you need to have the final idea of this of how it’s ‘supposed’ to be. I just think it should be huge. If you want to present it as photography, it needs to have a presence and on a large scale so people can relate to it. The physicality of the object is really important. Perhaps you might develop it into a structure that takes photos and makes it move — it becomes more personal when visitors see their own pictures.

5 GRAPHICS INTERCHANGE DEVICE

IMPRINT

CONTACT

Privately published in 2012

by Rima Musa Š Rima Musa 2012

Rima Musa

The moral rights of the author have been asserted. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electrical, mechanical or otherwise, without first seeking the written permission of the copyright owners and the publisher.

A catalogue record for this book is available from the Central St. Martins library.

Design: Nicholas of Hitchin www.nicholasofhitchin.com

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