The purpose of the digital age is to grant us information as quickly and easily as possible.
It’s easy to forget how we received information before the digital age came about. However,
there seems to be this cycle of old ways creeping their way back every once in a while, records
being one of them within the past few years. We have the option of listening to music digitally,
or through vinyl. Why would we go back to vinyl when we have the option to listen to music at
the touch of a button, at the tips of our fingers, anywhere we go? Is it the difference in
tangibility? The act of playing music? The artwork? Collecting/archiving music? The overall
experience? The sound quality? Through my research, all of these factors play a part in the
resurgence of vinyl. I have constructed a photo essay in book form, exploring this difference
between digital and analog within music. This photo essay serves as a platform for my research.
Preference in music outlets varies depending on the individual’s perception of music, and
interpretation of each outlet. Music to some is simply a background noise where as to others,
they see it as an experience, meditative, cherished. I believe that true music appreciators are the
ones driving this resurgence of vinyl, and you get that sense when flipping through this photo
essay. The photo of the person holding the vinyl is physically connected more with the music
than the photo of the person with the phone in their hand. The photo essay includes no text,
forcing the viewer to interpret the images on their own and read into the comparisons. Having
no text forces the viewer to create their own compare and contrast, formulate their own opinions
and preferences. In a lot of my works I tend to leave the subject open to interpretation.
Perceptions and interpretations are extremely personal and are triggered immediately when
viewing an artwork. We all perceive differently, but once something is stated out-right for us, that
self interpretation and perception is blocked. I believe in pushing for multiple interpretations
within a single focus. This photo essay shows the view from analog and from digital, both
performing the same action or meaning the same thing, yet there are two different outlets.
