The turning point of this body of work came out of an early morning critique in the beginning of May. For a number of months, I had been attempting to meet and document the residents of my apartment building. I photographed my neighbors in their domestic spaces and asked them to fill out questionnaires afterward. In some ways, these portraits were little more than excuses for the personal interaction, the voyeuristic exploration, and the chance to learn from people different than I.
As I spread my photographs around the studio, my friend gravitated to one of them and stated simply: "Urban, Gay Male". He said this matter-of-factly as if to say "I've got it. I know this person. Beginning and end of story."
Though the subject of this photograph was urban, gay, and male, my friend did not know this person. At this time I was also beginning to acknowledge that I really didn't know my subjects either; I had only spent about two hours with them taking their photographs.
I had not wanted to create charicatures of my subjects, as is so often done in documentary portraits. Just the opposite, I had been trying to acknowledge our stereotypes and explore more deeply the extraordinary diversity of people in my building. These original portraits were not communicating the information that I wanted the viewer to see.
Shortly after this meeting, my subjects' written answers on the questionnaires and the photographic information of their surroundings started to emerge as more important than their traditional portraits. I embraced this information and took it to the next level. I began to invite my neighbors to my apartment to be documented. I asked them to bring with them their keys, their toothbrushes and their watches: evidence.
These items are at once ordinary and intimate, innocuous and personal, boring and indispensable. I placed their objects upon my computer scanner and recorded this evidence in the zeroes and ones of computer data. I had my subjects fill out a revised questionnaire and did away with the traditional photographic portrait almost entirely.
The goal of Stereotypical Evidence is to change the way in which we view others. Signifiers such as those of race and gender necessarily accompany traditional portraits. Often the viewer is not even conscious of them. These visual codes are unavoidable. They trigger embedded stereotypes and connotations. Much of this information is extraneous or false. Some of it may be true, but all of it is one-dimensional. People are not.
In Stereotypical Evidence, the viewer sees more objective documentary evidence, existential clues to the subject's humanity. As these everyday, personal objects become symbols of our common humanity, the viewer must look closer to assess the similarities and differences in both the ordinary objects and the extraordinary people documented by them.
Finally, I asked my subjects a question not on the form: How do you think others stereotype you? This answer forms the title for each portrait. This title contradicts, confirms, and reveals the person documented.
Jonathan Goldman
I am tremendously grateful to many people who have helped me throughout my graduate school experience. I offer them my thanks and appreciation:
- The Residents of 66 Westland Avenue for coming to my apartment and allowing me into their lives.
- The Faculty, Staff and Administrators of the Museum School/Tufts including Joe Ansell, Marilyn Arsem, Domingo Barres, Doug Bell, Gerry Bergstein, David Brown, Fritz Buehner, Bill Burke, Mark Cooper, Debby Dhluhy, Craig Dongoski, Bonnie Donohue, Jim Dow, Frank Gohlke, Jane Hudson, Louis Kaplan, Peter Madden, Linda Olstein, Sherry Richman, Eric Rosenberg, and Joanna Soltan. Especially:
-
- S.A. Bachman, a fabulous artist, activist, agitator and educator, for her strong challenges coupled with thoughtful,consistent support;
- Ron Rizzi for his caring, intellect, friendship and general mishigas;
- The Graduate Students and others at the Museum School especially
-
- David Ettinger for his friendship, critique and encouragement;
- Danny Hamilton for his friendship, enthusiasm and humor.
- My family for being my family.
- For Rachel Saifer-- For believing in me, for her love and support. For the future.
- In Memory of Barbara Singer, a teacher and friend.