Photography has become so fundamental to the way we see that 'photography' and 'seeing' are becoming more and more synonymous. The ubiquity of photography is, perhaps ironically, a challenge to curators, practitioners, and critics.
Interpretation
Photography influences our perception of the world, making it an integral part of how we observe reality.
This quote by Trevor Paglen highlights the profound impact of photography on our understanding and interpretation of the world around us. As photography becomes increasingly prevalent in society, it challenges those involved in the art and critique of photography to navigate its pervasive influence on human perception. The irony lies in the fact that while photography enriches our visual experiences, it also complicates the ways in which we curate and assess artistic expressions.
In practice
In a gallery discussion about the influence of digital media on art, this quote can emphasize the relationship between photography and perception.
The Internet was supposed to be the greatest tool of global communications and means of sharing knowledge in human history. And it is. But it has also become the most effective instrument of mass surveillance and potentially one of the greatest instruments of totalitarianism in the history of the world.
What would the infrastructure of the Internet look like if mass surveillance wasn't its business model?
People like to say that my work is about making the invisible visible, but that's a misunderstanding. It's about showing what invisibility looks like.
Perhaps 'photography' has become so all-pervasive that it no longer makes sense to think about it as a discreet practice or field of inquiry. In other words, perhaps 'photography,' as a meaningful cultural trope, is over.
I'll keep on acting 'til they wipe the drool. I like the business. I like to do different parts and diverse characters. I haven't lost my enthusiasm yet!
The radio is playing jazz, and I listen to the sound of the trumpet playing a solo until I become that sound.
What a beautiful testament to the creative spirit and its true motives, to creative contribution coming from a place of purpose rather than a hunger for profit.
You hear it said time and time again by successful directors: You have to make a movie for yourself. Don't make it for anyone else.
I draw because words are too unpredictable. I draw because words are too limited. If you speak and write in English, or Spanish, or Chinese, or any other language, then only a certain percentage of human beings will get your meaning. But when you draw a picture everybody can understand it. If I draw a cartoon of a flower, then every man, woman, and child in the world can look at it and say, "That's a flower.
Movie directing is a perfect refuge for the mediocre.
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