The seduction of darkness, adaptation 2

The seduction of darkness, adaptation 2 highlights the performative nature of photography. It is the third iteration of a work standing 5 meters tall and 3 meters wide, adaptation 2 takes on the same performative roles as its original, yet developed within certain size constraints and limitations. Adaptation 2 has undergone a completely separate process than the original, due to unforeseen circumstances that have obstructed the hand printing process. Still, this iteration looks to capture some of the invasive scale of the original, which pushes the boundaries of the physicality of traditional photography, with a similar method of installation of the work seeking to allow the image to once again become soft, delicate and fluid, rather than stagnant and rigid. This adaptation has been reworked especially for this prize. 

Oscillating between analogue and digital processes, the photographic installation questions how we see images, how images are made and what seduces us to re-see images of the past. As Sontag put it, 'to photograph is to appropriate the thing being photographed. It means putting oneself into a certain relation to the world that feels like knowledge -- and, therefore, like power.' Re-photographing fragments of archival images, the cut of the camera slices the body with its strict frame and sharp edges. These gestures offer power to the artist and the viewer. The crop of the reproduction draws attention to and celebrates the talismanic aspect of photography.