Art-science Photography: Photographer-centered Non-linear Temporal Networks As Expressed Through Street Portraits

Street Portraits - Images by Aaron Fahrmann

Defying Time and Space: Photographer-centered Non-Linear Temporal Networks

I have been interested in street photography since my initial introduction to Garry Winogrand’s photography, but only began my artistic practice of it in 2003. Street photography connects well with my interest in the effects of science on our everyday lives. I am interested in the serendipity of the moment, the camera’s as a tool of dimensional compression, and the synchronistic convergence of personal time-space bubbles.

Several years ago as part of a larger state fair street photography project, I began visually isolating individuals with the camera from the crowds at the state fair. This type of street portraiture acts to isolate the subject even further from the street by limiting ambiguous visual context. The subjects often aren’t aware that they are the subject of the street portrait. Their faces express their emotions of the moment. Other subjects are cognizant that they may be the subject of the portrait and either have a look of surprise, annoyance, or pleasure associated with their expression. In the grand scheme of events happening in the world, their presence converged with my creative intent to create this image.

My images are made in part to understand the nature of serendipity in the act of being photographed in a public setting. I use spatial compression and foreshortened optical depth to isolate the subject from the crowd and most of its context. The resulting images, however, allow the viewing audience to interpret a stranger without the interactive social filters we use in public interaction. The viewers advantage is that they are not restricted by norms of bi-directional social conduct which limit one’s stare to a brief glance. Some viewers may interact with the images much as they would within a crowd, others will create a story or judgment based on their own experiential context. These are public persona portraits of people—with few game changers other than the crowd itself.

To demonstrate the effects of implied spatially and temporally dynamic networks, synchrony, and serendipity in the installation, the images can be mounted to posts and displayed together, spread out, but as a representation of time compression and the serendipity of the moment in which my time converged with their time. The empty space in between them is a metaphorical connection made up of non-linear time, geographic convergence and spatial separation, but with the primary connection of me, the photographer, in this case acting as a hub of the nodal network. The people (nodes) are removed from their respective times in a specific space. They were photographed in different areas, times of day and possibly even different days. The people come from a wide ranging geographical areas and converged on this one event over a two week period. They coincidentally merged their time with mine in the vast number of possible choices they could have made. What set of circumstances brought these particular people to my lens? What serendipity placed them and me at the same place within a shared moment? Chaos? Emergence? Synchrony? Predetermination? Will? These are some of the questions I am posing with my photographs.

Blowing Bubbles: An Art-science Installation Re-imagining Time Interactions, Choice Behavior, and Human Convergence in Eleven Dimensions

Book: Blowing Bubbles: An Art-science Installation Re-imagining Time Interactions, Choice Behavior, and Human Convergence in Eleven Dimensions

Every wonder why time can feel like it drags on forever or passes quickly? Or why a series of coincidences can line up to make interesting changes in our lives? This book is an exploration of time in a slightly different manner than has ever been considered. It looks at how we experience time relative to ourselves based on many scientific theories and a theory of my own. We are the center of our own personal bubble universe. Time doesn't move as the clock would indicate in our personal bubbleverse. Our choices create our experience of time and the opportunities that surround us.

This book was written partially before the Art-science installation was exhibited, and partially after it was taken down. It was designed as a thesis/creative project, but was written for a broad audience of readers.

Enjoy it--if nothing else, I hope it proves a thought provoking read!

-Aaron Fahrmann