Truth Visions

just as the photograph altered the function and objectivity of painting one hundred years ago, the advent of cgi – especially ai-generated imagery – similarly altered our understanding of photography.

the implicit assumptions we make of photos and videos, such as the presence of a photographer, a camera, and subject, are destabilizing. the ability of photography to depict truth has been debated since its invention. but what does it mean when we can no longer distinguish a photograph from a completely artificial image? from which parts of our vision can we glean truth?

the installation as a whole is a truth-telling device. it relies on the veracity of live footage as well as plain reflections in order to distill "real images." it features a large television sinking into a mound of sand and displaying a cctv broadcast of the installation itself. off to the side are photographs of the installation printed onto clear film, revealing a mirror underlying the images. in all components of the installation, viewers will encounter a form of "real images."

—march 2019