PHOTOGRAPHIC TALES OF LIGHT
Text by Iga Koncka
A dialogue with artist Amy Friend
In his book “Words of Light: Theses on the Photography of History” (1992), Eduardo Cadava explores the quality of light as the fundamental element of photography. He argues that to think philosophically about the photograph, we must consider it in relation to light. The light then “becomes a figure of knowledge, as well as of nature”. Light through photography gives the mind and senses the opportunity to see the invisible. Both philosophy and photography reflect upon light and correspond with it (Cadava, 1992, p. 87).
Amy Friend, We are little mysteries, from the series Dare alla Luce, 2016.
Canadian artist Amy Friend explores the nature of light in photography. Her series “Dare alla Luce” literally translates as “giving to the light” in Italian. This project exists as a photobook, “Stardust” (2017), and as an independent series. In the book, the images have tiny holes punched into the pages, and those details imbue Friend’s work with light. In an almost alchemic process, Friend reinterprets the photographs by adding a poetic dimension to them. This series includes found images dating back to the 1920s, illustrating pre-and post-war reality. Those images might have functioned as messages to loved ones, souvenirs or promises of long-awaited reunions. War in this work symbolises distance (Serani, 2017).
Amy Friend, My Father, from the series Dare alla Luce, 2016.
In this photographic series, Friend explores what it means to oscillate between presence and absence. She crafts the images by hand, gives the found images a new life, and opens them up for different meanings. By physically layering the light through the paper cuts, she invites the viewer to think about the fragility of our existence. The light shines through the holes, and we can physically feel it under our fingers when flicking through the book. The experience of looking at the images through brittle paper is unique. Images almost whisper to the viewer.
Amy Friend, John Copeland Louise Dorthy May 16 1945, from the series Dare alla Luce, 2016.
The artist’s ongoing project “Multi-Verse”, similarly to the “Dare alla Luce”, is made of a blend of vernacular and personal photographs. In this project Friend continues with hand-applied manipulations of images. In both series, she invites her viewer to interact with the photographs. She also encourages the audience to feel the surface and experiment with light. This series is inspired by the scientific theory that parallel and alternative universes exist. In this case, photographic tales of light in Friend’s work are open to other opportunities and multiple universes.
Amy Friend, What is that light?, from the series Multi-Verse, ongoing.
On the one hand, imagery in “Multi-Verse” is poetic and based on philosophical thinking. Her work can also be read as an attempt to draw the viewer’s attention to the political state of the world. Here she presents a different approach to the photographed military. The message is clear: war is present. The light in photographs is aggressive and unsettling. In the picture entitled “The tanks eternal return”, the paper cuts are deep, and the light is striking. In another image called “What is that light?” the light seems to emulate a missile or a bomb trail. Friend guides the viewer through titles linking them to the current problems, but at the same time, she allows the photographs to be still open to many readings. As a Polish citizen, I cannot help but think about the current war in Ukraine when looking at those images. The neighbouring country is being bombed day and night, and I cannot help but ask a somewhat philosophical question: Do we have to live in a world where the threat of war is permanent?
Amy Friend, The tankns eternal return, from the series Multi-Verse, ongoing.
ON THE ARCHIVE...
My relationship with the archive fluctuates between both a practical and conceptual approach. Archives offer a vantage point from several perspectives. I aim to use these perspectives to connect with the concepts running through the work. I tend to pace between how I use archives in my practice. Sometimes they come first they are the lead and the work would not be what it is without the use of the archive. However, there are bodies of work where the archive comes in later. It is as if a guest has joined a conversation, offering surprises and insight I would not have found on my own. One of my interests in archives is to understand and explore how they influence meaning simply because they exist.
ON THE LAST 10 YEARS...
In the last 10 years, I think about how photography’s language has evolved in complexity. We have AI, deep fakes and other advances, but we also continue to take photos of a child’s first birthday or a selfie to show that we are here engaging with this world. We are seen and continue to record our existence, knowing our archives will fade somewhere along the line. This is not a ground-breaking observation, but it is incredible to consider the direct embeddedness photos have in our lives; they are continuously circulating. My own work continues to play and interrogate what it means to work with and make photographs…and to disrupt what we think we see, what we think we know.
ON ARCHIVE FEVER...
I am not sure my practice relates specifically to Archive Fever. But, I also think we are constantly looking into finding, searching, and reconsidering. This is what interests me about the archive.
ON DISCOVERIES IN THE ARCHIVE...
After collecting images for several years for my Dare alla Luce series, I noticed sub-categories and specific online language that was used to sell these images. E-bay sellers began to define genres (I used that term lightly) to attract buyers to particular photos. Within these “genres” were sellers who added a brief story to an image – usually fictitious. Sometimes they were crass, occasionally comical, sometimes offensive…. I began to screenshot these description tags. These image descriptions represent a dialogue with photography for a specific purpose. But within the circle of selling images, these tags speak to something about our relationship with images and to who is searching for what and why.
About Amy Friend
REFERENCES
Cadava, E. (1992) “Words of Light: Theses on the Photography of History.” JSTOR. Diacritics, 22(3/4), pp. 85–114. Available at: https://doi.org/10.2307/465268. Accessed (12 Jun. 2022).
Serani, L. (2017) Stardust. Bologna: L’ARTIERE.
