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GiveThemtheMeaningTheydRatherNotHave

Wearepoorpassingfacts,

warnedbythattogive

eachfigureinthephotograph

hislivingname. fromEpilogue,RobertLowell

Today,itfeelsasifwehaverunoutofobjectstoconsume,orifnot,thenthe

moneywithwhichtoconsumethem.Mediafillsthatvoid,wideningiteven.Beitpopularmedia,theso-calledMSM(ormainstreammedia),tabloidrags,your

Facebooknewsfeed,thelatestTumblrgonewild,Twitter;thereisalways

somethingthereforustolookat,toread,topassonandpassover.Ournotoriously

shortenedcollectiveattentionspandemandsnewthingsconstantly:newmeanings,

newwords,newimages.Elementaryschoolteachersmaylamentthatnooneeverreadsenoughbooks,butonecouldarguethatwereadmorethanevernowjust

notbooks.1 Muchofwhatweread,bothwordsandimages,ismeaninglessinthefaceof

communicationthatissocietallydeemedasimportantordirectPlaceholdersand

content-fillers.Wecontinuallygeneratenewsignsandnewimagesandimbueeach

imagewithmeaningandsignificance.Andquicklynewimagesandsignificances

arise,leavingtheoldonesempty,orassignposts.Ourvocabularygrows.Certain

imagesandactionsrepeatthemselves.Certainactions,longingrainedinourculture

andhabits,becomecodifiedintoourvisuallanguagethroughphotographsand

video.Actionssobanalthattheyspeakjustenoughtomakeconsumablenoisewhen

theauthorwishestosayverylittle.

Womandispensingbeerdirectlyfromkegintomouthofmanlyingonground

1Teenagersmaynotbereadingasmanynovelsastheirteachersmaylike,butthey

areconstantlyreading.Textmessagesmostly,andFacebook,gchatandothermessagingservices,internetforums.Ofcourse,theproblemwiththeseformsofreadingistheatrociousspellingandgrammar.Butconsiderthatuntilthe

widespreaduseoftheprintingpress,therewasnosuchthingasstandardized

spelling,andlanguageschangedfluidly.Therearentanycopyeditorslookingover

yourshoulderatyourgchats,andasaresult,writtenandspokenlanguagehasseen

dramaticchanges.Notonlyhavenewwordsandslangbeenintroduced,but

misspellingsandmisusesofgrammarhavecometobeacceptedmore.

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Maturemaneatingfood

Longbeforethestructureofthestockphotographhadbeendetermined,RolandBartheswrote,ifonlyPhotographycouldgivemeaneutral,anatomicbody,

abodywhichsignifiesnothing!AlthoughBartheswasspeakingofhisownbody,

andnotthebodyingeneral,hewouldfinditapropostodaythatstockphotographyhasneutralizedthebodyintonothingmorethanavacantsign,aletter.Itis

undoubtedlyadifficultthingforonesownbodysignifynothingtooneself,butinstockphotographybodiesandsubjectscomeveryclosetosignifyingnothing.

Instead,thereisavocabularyofsigns,keywordsfromthephotographeronwhat

theythinktheclientslookfor:

Romanticcoupleinthekitchen:Happy woman mixing vegetable salad while manembracing her from behind

Seniors browsing their smart phones

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Smiling multi ethnic business team: Portrait of multi ethnic business executives smiling

at you while working at office

Stockphotographyisfoundeverywhere,andisoftenignoredforitsvacancy.

Or,mockedforitsfalseness,itsidealizationofitssubjects,anditsimpossible

inclusiveness.Itisusuallymostinterestingwhenonerecognizesthattheimage

representsamyth.Forexample,apictureofahealthyyoungwomanlitingolden

tones,smilingassheeatsasalad,headlininganarticleondietingtipswhosereaders

aremainlyoverweight,middle-agedwomenmorelikelytosmileataplateofpasta

carbonara.Anothercommonexampleisthelaughing,highlydiversebusinessteam.Corporatestockphotographywouldhaveusbelievethatmiddlemanagementistotallydiverseandgender-equal,andtheresalwayssomeoneinawheelchair

smiling.Everyonegetsmassagesattheoffice,andnotjusttheoldrichwhiteguy.

Stockphotographypresentstheidealscenario,whereconflictdoesntexist,orifitdoes,ouremotionalreactiontoispredictable.Stockphotographyisalsomutable.Go

toacollegecampushealthclinicandyoumightseethesameunhappygirlinapamphletforsafesexpracticesandresponsibledrinking.Orthatworriedwoman

lookingatapregnancytestmightbeusedbybothafertilityclinicandPlanned

Parenthood.

Caucasian teenager looking at pregnancy test results while sitting on toilet seat

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ImagesRenderedBare.Vacant.Recognizable.addressesthepossibilitiesstock

photographypresents,itspotentialfornon-linguisticlanguage,anditslack.Rachel

Reupkes10SecondsorGreatertacklesthestockphotographylexiconstraighton.

Young,healthyadultsjustattractiveenoughengageinbland,healthy,social

lifestyleactivities.Theirexistenceisuncomplicated,ideal,marketable.Anicenew

condo,probablyinthesuburbsofasecondarycity,IKEAfurniture,minimalexpressionindcor.Onecanimaginetheyworkinthosehappybastionsof

corporatediversity.Theycutfreshvegetables,comebackfromaruninpastelpolo

shirts,chatcasuallyaboutthisandthatdrinkingwineorbeer.Whilefilmedin

Britain,presumablywithBritishactors,itiseasyenoughtoplacethescenariowithinanyWesternsociety.Lackingsomanyculturalsignifiers,theviewersproject

theirownculturalidentityontothesceneanditssubjects.

Thefilmrunsthroughachecklistofscenariosadirectorwouldwanttomake

asifshewerecreatingdozensofbriefclipstosell.Longpanningshotsshowthe

momentsinbetween,thecamerastillrunningwhiletheactorsarenot.Twowomensitatatablewithhalf-drunkglassesofbeer,staringatthemasifinsullen

disagreement.Thenanoff-screencueandbothtakeasipandstarttotalkhappily.Weareshownthatthosealwayshalf-emptyglasseswereonlyeverhalfwayfilled.

Thetropesofstockphotographyareripetopickfrom.Yetforallthevastness

ofimageryyoucanfindonGettyImagesoriStockphoto.com,itsvocabularydoesnt

encompasstheentirerangeofhumanexperience,onlythatwhichisinsomeway

saleable.WithFriezeStockFootageOliverLaricinsertshisownimagesintothe

lexiconoffreeusevideo.FilmedattheFriezeArtFairusingadvanced,expensive

digitalcameras,thesubjectsofmostclipsarenotexplicitlysaleable,butrather,

seemaccidentalinmanycases.Withextremelyhighframeratesandtightclose-ups,

thevideosarebriefglimpses,sloweddownanddivorcedfromcontext.Thetitles

givetexturalclues,likeurinalandneonstuccopan,butthevideosremainlargely

withoutmeaningoutsideofthecontextthatisnotgiven,makingitdifficulttoplacethemwithinapre-writtennarrative.

Ontheinternet,imagespileupontopofeachother,juxtaposedinmyriad

fashions,entangled,creatingthestrangestconnectionsseeminglyatrandom,asifanymeaningthereisrandom.HolensFingerinEye,HandleThroughBrainpiles

stockimagesinmuchthesameway,filteringthemthroughsearchparameters,givingathematicwashovereverything,almostquiteliterally.Holenusesstock

imagestorepresentdichotomies,splittings,andcontainments.Withbike

handlebarscomingoutofimagesofskulls,thepieceovertlyreferencesPhineasGage,therailwayworkerwhosurvivedatampingrodshotstraightthroughhis

skull,andwhosepersonalitywasexceptionallyalteredasaresultofit.Thereisa

logictotheimagesincludedelectrickettles,officewatercoolers,seaturtles,brainsbutwhattheycollectivelycommunicatetousishardertopindown.Theflowof

waterweseeismuchliketheflowofimagerythatinundatesusdailyatour

computerscreens.

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FriedrichHlderlinwrote,Weareasignthatisnotread/Wefeelnopain,

wealmosthave/Lostourtongueinforeignlands.2Although,whenspeakingof

stockphotographywemayfeelalongwaysawayfromGermanRomanticism,Sean

Raspetsworklendsitselfeasilytothesentiment.LikeHolenswork,Raspetspieces

layimagesontopofeachother,onlymoreso3,makingthemunrecognizable.Cutup,

re-imaged,theylosetheirsubjectsandmeanings.Untitled(PoliceIncident(2))3,((2007)2012)isaninstallationofcoffeemugsorderedthroughCafePressset

atoptheboxestheycamein.Printedonthemugsaredifferentsectionsand

variationsofoneoriginalimage,layeredandpiecemeal.Furthermore,manyimages

comefromphotographsofasimilarinstallation,usingthesameoriginalphotograph(inthiscase,ofpolicearrestingamanoutsideofaBurgerKing).Photographsofthis

installationwillbeusedthesamewayinfutureinstallations.Arrangement63

(OBSCENITYTRIAL(2)),((2007)2012)usesthissamelogic,whichRaspetcallsa

self-cannibalizingarchive.Theimagesintheseworksaresignsthatarenotread,

cannotberead.Thechoppingandlayeringgivethesmallestbitsofreferentstograbonto,butultimatelyeverythingfeelsforeign,unfamiliar.Allsmisalliance.4

Raspetisntusingstockphotography,orevenborrowingfromitstropes,butisinacertainwaycreatinghisownstockphotographywithitsownvocabularyand

grammar.Themultiplicitiesofcontentthatareconstantlygenerated,tobeeither

consumedorignored,demarcatethetermsofourinteractions.Thevagariesofthe

internet,withisfree-for-allabandon,havedictatedthatadvertising,particularly

cheapand/orinexpensive(evenexpensiveadvertisingcanbecheap),andallits

images,followuseverywherewelook.

2Mnemosyne(draft)TheoriginalGermanisEin Zeichen sind wir, deutungslos,and a more literal translation is We are a sign, interpretationless, which perhaps speaksmore to the point, placing the fault of ambiguity on the sign rather than the reader.3http://public.wsu.edu/~brians/errors/moreso.html4FromEpilogue,thelastpoeminRobertLowellslastpublishedbook.The

followinglinesare,Yetwhynotsaywhathappened?/Prayforthegraceof

accuracy.Itiscertainlyaquestionwecouldaskhere.

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There is a sense of anarchy in the air, empowered by social networks, a tribe of youngpeople are rejecting compromise and insisting on bold transformation, standing up for

what they believe is important, from rising tuition fees to democracy. This rebellious

spirit is causing change.

HeideggerquotesthoselinesfromHlderlininhisfinallecture,WhatIs

CalledThinking?Hesaysthatwearenotyetthinkingbecausewhatmustbethoughtturnsawayfromus,withdraws.

Whenmanisdrawnintowhatwithdraws,hepointsintowhat

withdraws.Aswearedrawingthatwayweareasign,apointer.Butwearepointingthenatsomethingwhichhasnot,notyet,been

transposedintothelanguageofourspeech.Weareasignthatisnot

read.5

StockphotographydoesnotcomeclosetowhatHeideggercallsthinking,butstock

photographywithdraws.Itwithdrawsitsmeaningsandcontextsandspecificities,

andindoingsopointstowardalanguagethathasbeeninsufficientlytransposed

intothelanguageofourspeech.Thisiswhyitissorichaveintominefromand

distillandcreatenewlanguage.

5MartinHeidegger,WhatIsCalledThinking?trans.J.GlennGray,(NewYork:

Perennial,2004),18.