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Title: 万象 The Randomness of Photography 

 

Date: July 2018

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It is a thought experiment about subjectivity and randomness in the process of image making. 

 

Sense perception is the essential way we observe and understand both the external world around us and the internal world of ourselves. It seems that photography as an extension of human vision has the closest relation to the truth by its nature comparing to other mediums. Photography serves as a link between the subjective observation and the objective truth.  So how authentic photographer could be in the process of making images from the reality? What if the photographer is not the only player and we set up some uncontrollable randomness?  

 

By rolling the glass ball on the map, new random and abstract images are created immediately without intervention from the photographer. The installation aims to step back and reflect the role of photographer and authority of image making. We devote our whole life to find the truth based on our sense perception, but the only thing we could have is the fractional illusion created by randomness. I believe artists should be aware of our bargaining power and freedom of expression and the subjectivity of perspective.

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​Presentation of book format

Introduction of the book

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Experiment Instruction

 

  1. take photos and quotations to make a map

  2. print out the map and put it in the experiment container—the big transparent hemisphere

  3. put the image hunter—the glass ball on the map

  4. shake the experiment container and let the hunter roll in it randomly 

  5. new random and abstract images are created immediately

  6. take photos of these images as the records of the experiment

  7. collect and reflect on the results of the experiment

Documentation of the experiment

Results of the experiment

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