Taryn Simon Photos of Secret Sites and Innocent Men

gr82bart · Oct 11, 2009

http://www.ted.com/talks/view/id/643

Watching this video led me through a range of emotion from bewilderment to fascination to outrage during the second half of her presentation.

Here's her website: http://www.tarynsimon.com/

I didn't post this in the "Photographer's" forum; I think the "Ethics and Philosophy" forum is more appropo due to her subject matter - how photography is 'feared', used to reveal, used to deceive, and used to associate. Anyway, this isn't anything new to us, but her presentation does make one ponder regardless.

Regards, Art.

Q.G. · Oct 11, 2009

I think that the "Photographers" forum would have been perfectly good too.
She does what photographers do: use a medium (two, in her case) to tell a story, say something.

Nice pictures. Coherent body of work. Good!

Anscojohn · Oct 11, 2009

My prejudice against post-modernist sloganeering was completely overcome by her succinct and cogent statements--spoken, and visual.

Jeff Kubach · Oct 11, 2009

I sure did learn a lot from watching that video of Taryn Simon. Enjoyed it!

Jeff

DanielStone · Oct 11, 2009

she seems very dry, no, extremely dry in her mannerism and character.

but maybe its because she's a better photographer than orator.

very interesting collection of work though, the Braille edition of Playboy was hilarious !

i will however agree wholeheartedly with her last statement that "our eyes are easily deceived"

-Dan

DanielStone · Oct 11, 2009

anyone have an idea of her equipment, on the TED site, it mentions large format, I'm guessing 4x5 or 8x10. anyone have any idea?

Anscojohn · Oct 11, 2009

DanielStone said:
anyone have an idea of her equipment, on the TED site, it mentions large format, I'm guessing 4x5 or 8x10. anyone have any idea?

********
Nothing much very outstanding about the actual picture taking--largely just "F11 and being there." It's the being there and the concept that are intriguing. All the jargon about space, and boundaries, etc. is right out of the post-modernist historian's lexicon, as far as I can recollect from attending conferences.

lns · Oct 12, 2009

DanielStone said:
anyone have an idea of her equipment, on the TED site, it mentions large format, I'm guessing 4x5 or 8x10. anyone have any idea?

She definitely uses large format, but I don't remember the details. I would expect 8x10, from looking at the photos.

I saw a Charlie Rose interview of her a year or so ago, which I bet you could find on You Tube or the like.

-Laura

MattKing · Oct 13, 2009

lns said:
She definitely uses large format, but I don't remember the details. I would expect 8x10, from looking at the photos.

I saw a Charlie Rose interview of her a year or so ago, which I bet you could find on You Tube or the like.

-Laura

Thanks Laura - here is a link on Charlie Rose's site to that interview:

http://www.charlierose.com/view/interview/8366

Matt

resummerfield · Oct 13, 2009

gr82bart said:
http://www.ted.com/talks/view/id/643......

An excellent presentation. Thanks for posting the link!

Dave Pritchard · Nov 15, 2009

Very engaging. I enjoyed her presentation.

lxdude · Nov 15, 2009

On Charlie Rose, she said she uses 4X5.

DanielStone · Nov 17, 2009

ya, saw that . very interesting tale she tells through her work

Domenico Foschi · Nov 19, 2009

What's wrong with blind people being able to read something sexually arousing? I find it to be a great idea.
I think that the observation that she seems a bit dry is probably true.
The work is interesting but most of all it's relevance resides on the social power it has.

df cardwell · Nov 20, 2009

As counterpoint, the use of stock footage presented as immediate news by Fox News
to provide a visual basis for the spoken text of a broadcast. There, the image is used as
justification for whatever editorial position the Corporation wishes to take.

Viewers unwilling, or unable, to see green grass and summer clothes at a political rally, for instance, taking place in cold weather, accept the commentary of a large crowd supporting a speaker, who in fact was speaking to a small group.

Seems like Goebbels won, Gene Smith lost, and Ms. Simon is doing us all a bit of good.

AshenLight · Nov 20, 2009

Excellent presentation. Very admirable work...

Kristen Ashburn's series on AIDS in Africa is also worth a look. Its also on TED.

Ash

Videbaek · Nov 23, 2009

Great presentation, thanks for the link. She speaks very well. The "wrongfully convicted" photos are powerful -- doubly so when she explains how their convictions were secured on the basis of sometimes manipulated photographic evidence.

Taryn Simon Photos of Secret Sites and Innocent Men

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