From Neolothic to Neoliberal

The essay is a reflection on aspects of my own practice in relation to the conference themes of creative practice in the neoliberal era, and considers how the different qualities of still photography and moving image impact on how they represent these ideas. Looking at Christian Metz’s writings on the nature of photography in his essay Photography and Fetish, I discuss photographic based works by Erik Kessel, Michael Wolf and Boris Mikhailov. I go on to discuss why I chose to use moving image as a medium, though often incorporating stills. I talk about my short video The Plate Spinner as a neoliberal nightmare that draws on influences by Eisenstein and Russian formalists. I then discuss my piece Stone Ghosts, a contemplation on the deep time presence of rocks and semi mythic journeys by neolithic humans, contrasted against the increasingly obsessive acquisition and rapid disposal of digital technology that help drive the neoliberal world