__am-n boxes

The disembodied foundlings are separated by the comparison between the glass plate negative sizes that McNeil used (foundling bodies) against the medium format sensor sizes of a digital camera (foundling heads). This highlights the compression of data that occurs in the translation process, and also provides a physical representation of the concerns revolving around the disembodying nature of working with the digital medium. Each box is presented with a ‘positive’ image on the outside (comprised of three prints on polycarbonate), whilst the ‘negative’ or code is on the inside of the box (comprised of three prints on polycarbonate). By tearing pieces off some of the box backs, it is aimed to reflect the search for the structure of an image, the apparatus poetics.

The black boxes reference the traditional camera that McNeil used, or even the cardboard boxes that where used to store the negatives after they where diverted from being discarded from the tip. The black boxes also resonate specifically with Vilém Flusser’s black box apparatus analysis (Flusser, 1983, Towards A Philosophy of Photography, pp12-13)…They could also thus be seen to reference the ‘black box’ of the digital printer/computer.

For there installation (please refer below or to the ‘traces’ installation), it is aimed to stack the body boxes so that they form pillar like structures, representing that the past is what supports the present. As ‘pillars’, they will also equate in height to the physical size of a viewer and even tower above them, thus emphasising the physicality of an object. The corresponding head boxes will mirror the pillared structure of the body boxes, where the viewer will thus either tower over them or (hopefully) kneel down to view them. In this way it may appear as though they are worshipping the ‘digital’ head boxes, which would thus represent the general unquestioning embracement and use of current digital technology.

$am-n_{body} boxes$

am-n_{body} boxes

$am-n_{body} boxes (detail)$

am-n_{body} boxes (detail)

$am-n_{head} boxes$

am-n_{head} boxes

$am-n_{head} boxes (detail)$

am-n_{head} boxes (detail)

$AM-N_241245 {body & head}$

AM-N_241245 {body & head}

$AM-N_241245 {body}_inside detail-hole$

AM-N_241245 {body}_inside detail-hole

$AM-N_241245 {body}_inside detail-tear$

AM-N_241245 {body}_inside detail-tear

$am-n_241245 {head}_inside detail-tear$

am-n_241245 {head}_inside detail-tear

_naming protocol

The ‘head’ boxes are labeled with the same ‘code’ reference name as the corresponding ‘body’ box, for example…

AM_N 191097

Referencing the story of Angus McNeil’s mysterious filing (coding) system…the ‘AM_N’ can represent ‘Angus McNeil_Negatives’, but also evokes the word ‘Amen’. The numbers represent a random number below 250, 000 (approx. size of his original archive), but also reference a random date within the years McNeil worked as a photographer 1897-1945 (ie day-month-year eg AM-N 241245). When ‘all’ the numbers added together it makes 9 (2+4+1+2+4+5 = 18; 1+8 = 9), which is also the number of boxes for each of the differing glass plate or digital sensor sizes. 9 was chosen for the fact that it continuously folds back to create itself again no matter what it is multiplied by (eg 9×28 = 252; 2+5+2 = 9)…thus (very subtly) this is seen to evoke the enduring nature and mysterious quality of the negatives.

_process