Background of the Background, work in progress with Jana Müller
Background of the Background is a collaboration between Matthew Cowan and Jana Müller. The starting point of the artistic research is painted backgrounds that were in use in photographic studios in the 19th century. These staged backgrounds are documents of their time and contain important metadata on how images were created and which interpretations are thus inscribed. What do these backdrops mean from today‘s cultural perspective with a renewed understanding of how we present ourselves on Zoom, Instagram and other forms of image-based social media? The question of identity and its staging in reality or virtually is an everpresent question, especially in times of the pandemic and beyond, the background comes to the fore in digital meetings.
From an artistic perspective, the project seeks to uncover narratives that emerge from these archive materials. In addition to dealing with these materials as photographic artefacts, a new series of works using analogue and digital photographic material is being constructed.
With thanks to the following institutions who have assisted us with our research: Isel Park Research Facility, Nelson Provincial Museum Pupuri Taonga o Te Tai Ao, Aotearoa, New Zealand; Te Papa Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa, Aotearoa, New Zealand; Willow Bank Heritage Village, Wakefield, Aotearoa, New Zealand; LWL Freilichtmuseum, Detmold, Germany.
