The (im)possible image

© 2010 Gregory Jason PennThe paper questions the representation of truth and reality in an image. Firstly the paper looks at the rise of photography as a tool for verifiable and truthful purposes and how it is used to influence public opinion. This is followed by a survey of a number of artists whose work questions the appearance of reality and the construction of meaning in images. This leads to a discussion on my current work which questions news media imagery, and seeks to enable a viewer to question and negotiate the limits of an image. The screen has become a focal point in much of society with its ability to allow a viewer to replace their day to day reality with a world of fantasy. News media today entertains and dazzles and leaves little room for dialogue or critical debate. As John Berger states; "The screen replaces reality. And the replacement is a double one. For reality is born of the encounter of consciousness and events. To deny reality is not just to deny what is objective. It is to deny an essential part of the subjective." We have entered into an ever increasing world of screens and find ourselves gazing and grazing across an abundance of imagery, now available at a press of a button or click of a mouse. Take the Gulf War (1990) as an example. The audience viewed images that were similar in appearance to that of video games. A viewer saw night vision imagery and missiles directed with pinpoint accuracy. The images of war were a surreal visual spectacle; the viewer lost contact with the real and the fact that these weapons were aimed at real people. This research leads to my own studio practice of exploring video on the internet that presents independent eyewitness accounts of trauma and conflict. I compare these images with examples from the mass media in a bid to widen our scope and understanding of events taking place in the world