Friday, October 12, 2012

Photo Essay Michelle Cefai & Lisa Formby

'Glass'

Michelle Cefai (42797837) & Lisa Formby (42884489)

 




The everyday image according to Murray are types of images “that we can create or engage with on a regular basis that evoke or reference the more ordinary or frequent moments of our lives” (Murray 2008, p.151). For the purpose of this visual essay the ‘everyday object’ documented is glass; typically an object looked through it is being looked at. This as an everyday object is being challenged aesthetically both through photographic conventions and through the compilation of the images.

The increasing interest in the subject of the aesthetic of the everyday as discussed by Murray in her article challenges photographic conventions. The subject of a photo according to Murray “can be mundane or typically domestic” (Murray 2008, p.159). Murray suggests a new aesthetic and function within photography “one dedicated to the exploration of the urban eye and its relation to decay, alienation and kitsch, and its ability to locate beauty in the mundane” (Murray 2008, p.155). Photographing glass a typically overlooked object highlights its practicality, a material used in countless everyday objects, when damaged its usefulness is made clear. The photos are snapshots of some objects of glass and then looking at glass as a whole subject matter, reflecting the beauty in the ordinary or mundane nature of the everyday.

The compilation of the images again challenge photography in what Murray regards as photos needing to capture moments, in doing so a narrative is created. Murray recognises that there is now an “accepted temporariness” (Murray 2008, p.156) to the everyday image. This notion compliments the visual essay that there is no particular narrative to the series of photos, that through sound and vision a comment is made on the aesthetic of the everyday its temporary presence and beauty being “valued by the community” (Murray 2008, p.159).


Reference:
Murray, S (2008) Digital Images, Photo-Sharing, and Our Shifting Notions of Everyday Aesthetics. Journal of Visual Culture August 2008 vol. 7(2). 147-163.
 

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