Friday, July 06, 2012

This image wants to be your friend

Photography sure has undergone dramatic changes over the last couple of decades and even its traditional role of recording memories is buckling under the onslaught of imagery. When a bunch of school kids came into Yan Lei’s Limited art project at Documenta they quickly demonstrated the point. 

As soon as they were in the room they began running round the collection of 337 paintings looking at the works, photographing their favourites, then showing the pics to their friends who in turn rushed over to get their own snap. 

The photographic image is moving into the Facebook phase. Drifting away from its role as a personal record, it is being transformed into the LIKE.