MOMI

For the past three years, I have studied the most classic and iconic films in school. My teacher, of course, hopes that they will influence our work or that we will somehow manage to recreate Citizen Kane (he made us watch it four consecutive times). However, entertainment is constantly changing: social media, digital media platforms, and the slow disappearance of cable, make production a new challenge: one that Citizen Kane cannot prepare us for. I was pleasantly surprised to see an exposition at the MOMI about YouTube channel genres, which can cater to such widely varying cultural niches. When media had to be broad because the technology to reach the audience was so expensive, it had to appeal to everyone. Today’s digital channels make content distribution cheap and accessible to anyone who is passionate about something, leading to greater diversification of popular culture: whatever you’re into, there’s a channel for it! The constant availability of video feeds our consumer needs and accounts thrive off of click bait, which is why I thought it was an interesting and bold statement to feature this exhibition; it is almost like admitting that our constant consumption of content is a problem.

I enjoyed looking at the portraits in the portrait hall, especially because many of them bore similar stylistic qualities. All where black and white, glamorous, and had dramatic lighting. The photographs themselves were not all striking, but the formula they followed seemed to appeal to the crowd at the time and satisfied their consumer needs. It’s interesting to compare the classic portraits taken during the early 20th century to the kinds of portraits people take now, which are far more intimate and genuine. However, our need to consume and need to be entertained is greater than ever, so why has our response changed to the formulaic portraits? I believe it’s because in the age of technology , editing apps are so readily available that anyone can look “glamorous” or “flawless;” this might make more genuine portraits more desirable because “natural beauty” by today’s standards is more difficult to obtain than the appearance of glamour.

So much of the time we just press record on our cameras and watch as cars or people speed through our lens, but we seldom take the time to study frame by frame. I know that when I press record, I never meticulously assess every movement. In combination with other images, this photograph made me think about and appreciate all that a camera can do. We have become so accustomed to video, but seeing it in Muybridge’s form, I realized how incredibly precise it can be.