Month: April 2019

#7 Networked Photography


© @kimkardashian

Who is the practitioner and when were they practicing?
The practitioner is Kim Kardashian and her Instagram account is @kimkardashian. Kardashian is an American reality star, socialite and beauty company owner who is one of the most popular people on Instagram where she has 134 million followers. She has been using the platform since February 2012.

With the photo or video, you are examining when was it produced?
The photo was highly likely taken in Kardashians home around the time of the publishment. This is not something that can be known with 100 per cent certainty.

How was the photo authored and published?
The photo was taken with an iPhone X Max (which you can see in the photo). We do not know a lot about the editing process, so it is possible that is had been edited in apps or in a photo editing programme on a computer. The authoring of the photo is affected by the fact that it is an ad for Flat Tummy Tea. This means that there are certain protocols that Kardashian has to follow e.g. that she has to clearly show the products as well as her “flat tummy”. The photo was published on her Instagram @kimkardashian most likely from the same phone that she took it from. The entry barriers are very low when taking and publishing the photo from the same phone using an app like Instagram.

How was the photo distributed?
The photo was distributed through Instagram where @flattummyco reposted the photo on their account on January 4th. I have not been able to locate the photo in other places.

 

References

@kimkardashian, Flat tummy tea ad (January 2. 2019) [Instagram post], visited on 17/4 2019 on https://www.instagram.com/p/BsJsNcOnFDP/

Shaw, G. (August 2. 2018). Take a look at the very first Instagram 34 of your favorite celebrities posted [online article], visited on 17/4 2019 on https://www.thisisinsider.com/celebrities-first-instagram-posts-2018-7

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#6 Analogue Video

The practitioner
Nam June Paik (1932–2006) was a Korean-American artist, who is considered to be the founder of video art. Paik startet practicing in approximately the start 60’s. His work was very innovative and attracted a lot of attention. He often uses tv-screens in his artwork.

The artwork is called Golden Buddha.

 

Production
This specific artwork was first exhibited in 2005, so I can imagine it was made in the within a year before that time. Paik has earlier made a similar artwork in 1992 called “TV Buddha”.

The authoring
The artwork is a physical instalment that consists of an installation with a 27-inch monitor, a video camera and a bronze Buddha painted by the artist with permanent oil marker. The dimensions are 118.1 x 269.2 x 80.6 cm.

The publishing and distribution
The instalment was published and distributed in a Hong Kong museum as a part of the Gagosian programme. That means that viewer physically has to visit the museum to see the artwork in real life. Admirers of Nam June Paik can find pictures and information about Golden Buddha on the internet.

References

https://gagosian.com/artists/nam-june-paik/

https://www.nytimes.com/2014/09/05/arts/design/nam-june-paiks-work-at-asia-society.html

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nam_June_Paik

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#5 Analogue Photography

The practitioner
This week’s practitioner is the photographer Henri Cartier-Bresson, who was a French humanist photographer and painter. He started taking photos in 1929 and became famous for his street photography that he practiced all over the world.

About the photo
The title of the photograph is Prostituées. It is a one of Henri Cartier-Bresson’s pictures taken on Calle Cuauhtemoctzin in Mexico City in 1934. © Henri Cartier-Bresson/Magnum

The authoring of the photo
The photo was taken in Mexico City on a street known for its many brothels. It looks like it is taken pretty spontaneously (because he also has another similar photo from the same street also of a prostitute). He thinks a lot about the composition of the photo. The two windows show his eye for architecture and shapes and the photo is taking from above as if he is looking down at the women. The women do not seem to mind him and they look quite comfortable.

Publishing
The photo was printed in 1946 (23.4 x 34.6 cm gelatin silver print). I find this a bit strange since it was shot in 1934. I guess it tells a lot about the time; that is was not very usual to take many photos and you rarely got them printet.

Distribution
The photo has been showcased in several museums over the last 30 years, among these are Museum of Modern Art, New York and The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Thereby the photo has been available for public acces. I don’t know where it has been for the first 45 years.

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