University of Edinburgh Final Project December 2013.
This photo-montage, to fulfill the requirements of the above-mentioned course, is meant to convey a sense, not necessarily of dystopia, but of disappointment, following technological advances. A sense of let-down after great promise. A sense of dreams-deferred. Elements of posthumanism are also meant to be present, as seen in the mannequins and the image of a distorted Michael Jackson on an old TV. The century-old pick-axe, the bedouin on his cell phone in the Sahara, the idyllic old tractor in the country, and the present-day image of 400 year old books behind their protective metal enclosure, are meant to convey at once the pervasiveness of new technology and the distancing, romanticizing and protecting of the oldest technologies still with us. The blurry highway and the "detour" sign are meant to convey a sense of frustration in finding out that whatever we thought a new technology would bring us closer to, turned out to only show us how much farther it is away from us. The three pieces of text, fragments of dialogue, each starting with an apology, is also meant to evoke that sense of disconnect, of failure to close the gap between ourselves and what we seek, of "getting somewhere", whether that means connection with others or the fulfillment of a dream. Double-click on the image to enlarge. (As I am a photographer, I decided it would be more challenging and more fun to use for the images photographs that I have taken myself.)
