11.03.2011

There Is No Spoon

Let's chat about the truth. Reality is quite a tricky thing. Personally, I turn to the The Matrix for some answers (just the first movie, forget about the ten thousand sequels), because Neo really did a lot of the searching for me. And I'm happy to take advantage of other people's hard work. After all, "it is not the spoon that bends, it is only yourself."

Taryn Simon, on the other hand, finds reality in photography. She's a young, but well established photographer who tries to question the idea of photography as reality, or as a single reality. Simon has taken photos the CIA's private art collection in Langley, Virginia, and a deer penis confiscated by U.S. Customs at JFK airport, amongst other things. Her goal is often to show people things that they could never see otherwise, and to "confront the divide between public and privileged access and knowledge." Simon has gotten a ton of press in the past ten or so years, and she talks endlessly about the idea of the truth, of one reality. She argues that there is no single truth. Simon's all about truth in context. Her photos are all accompanied by text, sometimes large amounts of text, and she wants the viewer to see only the truth that she has molded. The text gives her photos an explanation and context so that they represent the truth. Her truth.

Transatlantic Sub-Marine Cables Reaching Land
VSNL International
Avon, New Jersey
What I'm wondering, is why I want Simon's "truth"? I've taken enough anthropology to get on board with the idea that there are multiple truths or realities. But why do I care about Simon's? Her photos are beautiful, I get that. But why take a photo of transatlantic fiber optic cables that stretch from the UK to New Jersey, write 100 words to accompany the image, and not mention that the cables are owned by an Indian conglomerate with no shortage of controversies? It would have made it, well, interesting. I'm clearly no expert, as the critics love her, and some of her photos are both interesting and gorgeous, but it seems to me that she might be taking herself a little too seriously. And by a little, I mean way too seriously.

These days there are so many artists searching for the truth or trying to display it. Ai Weiwei tweets about China while Ryan Trecartin and Kalup Linzy comment on contemporary society. Why is Taryn Simon's truth truer?
Posted by at

4 comments:

  1. GenevaNovember 3, 2011 at 4:49 PM

    I love your comments about some truths being "truer." It reinforces my opinion that truth is individual and subjective.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Sara Sheldon-RossonNovember 4, 2011 at 12:47 AM

    I think it's interesting how Taryn Simon always uses text to accompany her images to help enforce her truth. Do you think that is specifically because she wants the viewers to accept what she believes is truer? After your presentation, I can definitely see how she could take herself too seriously.

    ReplyDelete
  3. AnonymousNovember 4, 2011 at 12:00 PM

    Taryn Simon has the ultimate truth. I consider her work as hyper realist (based on the presentation that you gave) and the concept of hyper realism is that the subject is rendered faithfully and accurately down to the last detail. Photography has the added advantage that in all actuality, the picture is the same as the image that has been shot. However, the artist realizes that there are complications to perceived truths and actual truths and this makes her work all the more interesting in my opinion.

    ReplyDelete
  4. johnieNovember 6, 2011 at 7:07 PM

    By pointing at something, Simon conveys importance and forces us to wonder, wonder.

    ReplyDelete

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)