Translating a silent language : photographing social interaction : a thesis presented in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Fine Arts at Massey University, Wellington, New Zealand

Abstract

Working with photography to alter our perception of time, this project examines social interaction in a city environment. I have adopted the unobtrusive role of the flaneur and observed how social norms orchestrate social behaviour in public spaces. I chose to use constructed photography and I selected and recreated observed moments. I made images that I hope come alive within the expanded time of a still photograph. Through these reconstructions of observed behaviour I set out to question the capacity of photography to amplify reality and demonstrate how a fictional image might reach closer to a lived experience. I focussed on overlooked moments to produce an expansion of time that allows the viewer to question the ordinary values that shape social behaviours in the everyday, providing an opportunity to recognise the complexity of a lived experience as part of everyday actions.