Psychogeography

Is it possible to produce an objective depiction of a place or will the outcome always be influenced by the artist. Does it even matter?

Creating certainty with regard to objectivity in photography is generally extremely hard to define . Unconscious bias, previous experiences and exposure to an array of visual medium over many years is always going to dilute level of objectivity. Psychogeography does lends itself to working with a broad mind and an air of freedom and you would suspect that if complete objectivity were possible, this style of photography would be well suited to provide it.

Having walked through areas unknown to me, anticipating new visual experiences to open up before my eyes is both exciting and engaging. It is not however, a process that is decision free. Unless you roll a dice at every turn, a decision is made on direction, whilst aesthetics and interpretation prior to taking a photograph require a preference. Being detached from reality to the point that you can absolve any influence

The subjective qualities held within photography are accepted as part of the reason we choose to view an individuals view an artists work. There is an acceptance upon viewing photography that requires a level of empathy to try and guage what the artist is showing you and to engage with the inner workings of the artists mind. To remove this would render the camera into a machine without foresight, past or present knowledge and dismisses the human thirst for intrigue away from the ‘why’ aspect of a photograph.