Contact's 2007 Theme - The Constructed Image
"future images will probably still be photographic — although only on the surface" LEV MANOVICH

Photography’s relationship to reality has been irrevocably transformed by the numerous ways in which images are now constructed. Long revered for the ability to preserve memory – and actually heralded as a triumph over death itself – photography, in the traditional sense that we have known it, is now confronted with its own demise.

Hybridity is now a fundamental feature of photography: a composite of multiple scenes or a combination of numerous disciplines, materials and influences, which are often combined through the use of technology. Photographers are incorporating painting, drawing and sculpture into their images. They are utilizing techniques developed for filmmaking and performance. Images are digitally altered, theatrically arranged, artificially staged and fabricated. Fashion, advertising and marketing strategies, many of which, ironically, were often originally influenced by photography, are now frequently reinterpreted by photo-based artists as a means of expression. This directorial nature of working has moved photography away from the objective documentation of the world, and aligned it more closely with the freedom and infinite possibilities that theatre, film, painting and sculpture have always provided. These constructed modes of working with photography, and their constantly increasing popularity, are fundamental for artists today who seek to articulate concerns relating to contemporary global events and experiences as they evolve in the world around us, rather then simply capture the memory of them.

The Constructed Image will explore this fusion of practices that has transformed the nature of photography into a new hybrid genre.