Wednesday 22 October 2008

A Statement


Someone once said: "One can choose to study fish or the environment they swim in". One should think at this point that this is precisely what social photography does. Capturing people and their behavior on a certain media, whether it's a digital sensor, a film negative or audio tape, tends to be just the tip of the iceberg, as far as human analysis and documentation is concerned.

In this twenty first century in which photography is available to absolutely anyone, the actions of taking pictures has become much better differentiated from the one of creating photographs. But how is it that one can take images that no one has taken yet, in this context where an images is merely a button away? I might say that observing the "water" in which humans "swim" becomes crucial to photographers and to me in particular. it is not my intention to criticize the action of man, but merely to observe it, and it's effects.

As mass manufacturing has grown to outstanding sizes, the casualness with which we discard of functioning objects for new, better or just different ones has been an constant fascination of mine. An explosion of consumption choices threatens, without a doubt current identity of the individual, forcing him to confine to a standard or perhaps an imaginary much desired social status.

The objects appearing in my still photographs are all, without exception, gathered from the street, undesired discarded items that may still serve their purpose for years to come. In a century of contrasts, where poverty so finely combines with opulence and luxury, the concept of recycling and reusing objects that still function has decreased dramatically to the level of a part-time subject of discussion. Constant fetishism surrounding products and trends offer an illusive sensation of well - being for the ones who can afford it, and nothing for the ones who struggle for a living. In my image i cannot but underline this action which, like in physics, will have an equal and opposite reaction.