Typology is the study or analysis using a classification according to a general type (Oxford English Dictionary).
Photographic typology has it’s origins in the work of Anna Atkins. Her book, Photographs of British Algae: Cyanotype Impressions, published in 1843, was the first book to be photographically printed and illustrated. Atkins , a scientific illustrator made plates by placing wet algae directly on light-sensitized paper and exposing the paper to sunlight. Artistic expression was not her primary goal, She was sensitive to the visual appeal of these “flowers of the sea” and arranged her specimens on the page in imaginative and elegant compositions, uniting rational science with art (The Metropolitan Museum of Art).
The photographic typology of people has been said to begin with August Sander (at least, that is to say a comprehensive typology of people), who between the two world wars set out to recorded a cross section of social classes and types in Germany. The term ‘Typology’ however, was first used to describe a style of photography when Bernd and Hilla Becher began documenting dilapidated German industrial architecture in 1959. Their photographs was taken from the same angle, at approximately the same distance from the buildings, essentially recording a landscape they saw changing and disappearing before their eyes. Their influence as lecturers at the Dusseldorf School of Photography passed Typologies onto the next generation of photographers (Beth 2012).
Taking typology further, Diane Arbus photographed people on the fringes of society turning ‘normalcy on it’s head, making the ordinary bizarre and naturalizing the unusual’ (Warner Marien 2010, p.352). Arbus’ privileged upbringing had her believe she “never felt adversity” and photography became a “means of escape” (Arbus). Sontag described Arbus’ fascination with freaks as venting “her frustrations at being safe” (Sontag 1977, p.44). While John Szarkowski believed her images revealed “no less than the unique private lives of those she photographed” (Howarth 2005, p.72). In photographing peoples’ flaws, Arbus was essentially capturing “the gap between intention and effect”, or the “point between what you want people to know about you and what you can’t help people knowing about you” (Arbus).
Gillian Wearing uses both photography and video to explore issues of identity and human relationships. In the series, Signs that say what you want them to say and not Signs that say what someone else wants you to say (1992-93), Wearing collaborates with members of the public as she stopped passers-by, asking them to write down, what was on their mind. She then photographed them holding their written statement. It’s interesting to note how Wearing was able to gain people’s trust to the extent that they were willing to offer a complete stranger honest and often very intimate thought.
Wearing has occasionally tried to break down stereotypes of people on the fringes of society. In Take Your Top Off (1993), she explores the vulnerability of transsexuals through a typological series. She sits in bed beside people at various stages of transsexual transformation, both with their breasts exposed. ‘A great deal of my work is about questioning handed-down truths… I’m always trying to find ways of discovering new things about people, and so in the process discover more about myself’ (Wearing).
Nikki S. Lee is best known for several series of photographs entitled, Projects (1997–2001), in which she appears as a stereotypical member of various American subcultures. Lee adopts the behaviour, mannerisms and customs akin to the various group and cultural roles she assumes. She has changed her hair, clothing, skin colour and weight to become a drag queen, punk, senior citizen, Latino barrio girl, hip-hop musician, skateboarder and lesbian, to mention but a few. She gained weight for her Hispanic series, while losing it to become an exotic dancer. The preparation for each series takes up to three months, followed by a month of shooting while immersed within her assumed persona. Incognito, Lee approaches the various groups, introducing herself as an artist working on an art project, then commences the process of gaining their trust in order to make the photographs for the project.
By using a simple point-and-shoot camera, Lee created snapshots that appear spontaneous and realistic, helping to provide very believable portrayals. Her photographs are haphazardly taken by a friend, a member of her new group, or passers-by. Lee feels that ‘the process of making the art doesn’t matter as much as who conceptualizes it. I think the important thing is to discuss the story within the art’.
Using snapshot style images, Lee exploits the viewer’s acceptance of the snapshot as a means of recording actual events. Gilbert Vicario, curator at the Institute of Contemporary Art in Boston says, ‘What she really does effectively is to show how a photograph can persuade you into believing something that may or may not be true’. Lee exhibits her various series mixed together so that the only constant is her own familiar face among the continually changing typology of different ethnic and social groups. Essentially, Lee uses her ever changing position within a form of typology to raises questions regarding the reliability of photography as a means of recording true and actual events.
Photographic typology began as a means to record what exists in our world, but over time it’s use has evolved. More and more artist are using our over-familiarity with stereotypes to open a dialogue on issues of race, sexuality and other social issues.
Reference
Arirang (2013) ‘Who Am I ? The artist drawing attention in NY – Nikki S. Lee’, The Innerview , available: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YMychWgKedA [accessed 7 Nov 2017].
Badger, G. (2007) The Genius of Photography: How photography has changed our lives, London: Quadrille.
Beth (2012) ‘Photographic Typologies: The Study of Types’, Redbubble Blog [online], 26 Apr, available: https://blog.redbubble.com/2012/04/photographic-typologies-the-study-of-types/ [accessed 7 Nov 2017].
Bright, S. (2010) Auto Focus: the Self Portrait in Contemporary Photography, London: Thames and Hudson.
Cotton, C. (2009) the photograph as contemporary art, new ed. London: Thames & Hudson.
Jobey, L. (2005) ‘Diane Arbus: A young Brooklyn family going for a Sunday outing, N.Y.C. 1966’, in Howarth, S., ed., Singular Images: Essays on Remarkable Photographs, London: Tate Publishing, 67-76.
Sontag, S. (1977) On Photography, London: Penguin.
Sooke, A. (2012) ‘Gillian Wearing: Everyone’s got a secret’, The Telegraph, 28 Mar, available: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/art/art-features/9149522/Gillian-Wearing-Everyones-got-a-secret.html [accessed 7 Nov 2017].
Tate (2015) Gillian Wearing [online], available: http://www.tate.org.uk/art/search?q=gillian+wearing [accessed 7 Nov 2017].
The Metropolitan Museum of Art (2017), Photographs of British Algae: Cyanotype Impressions [online],available: https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/286656 [accessed 7 Nov 2017].
Warner Marien, M. (2010) Photography: A Cultural History, 3rd ed., London: Laurence King.
Identity Place Photos 