Mediert Evidentia

The potential of the mediums of Photography and Film to create ¿evidence¿ has been deployed from the first years of photography¿s introduction. Often this "evidence" was and is still produced to maintain traditional power dynamics. The widespread availability of mobile phones and other user-friendly devices in the 21st century and the resulting mass production and circulation of still and moving images have opened up new possibilities and challenges in the construction of "truth". Although the manipulation of images and their dissemination were also long practiced and the questions about the truth-bearing capacity of the media were constant companion in the discourses, AI has brought once more to the fore the status of the referent and the relation of Photography to the notion of reality. Can documentary-based media studies/practices still be relevant in times of deep fakes when there is not even any original anymore for purposes of comparison? Can images still be used in protest?

In the theory parts of the course, we will look at selected examples of how artists in the past and presence have produced visual "evidence" or/and used third-party visual "evidence" in their practice.

Module responisble and teacher: Ina Steiner

During the practice part, we will embark on a field trip to the Bergen harbor. The harbor district will serve as a case study to examine various questions regarding how to approach a subject where, for example, access to ¿evidence¿ is restricted (photography and filming is not allowed) while plans for future developments of the harbor area are in negotiations? Sabine Popp, visual artist, and former PhD candidate at KMD, will join the field trip and take us to her studio, located inside the area, to introduce us to some of her methodologies with performative approaches and camera-based work.

We will also investigate how ¿evidence¿ is produced in other fields, such as science. Pedro A. Ribeiro, a biologist from the Centre for Deep Sea Research (UIB) will give a presentation.

Additionally, we will explore other Bergen-based maritime agencies such as the Institute of Marine Research and the Directorate of Fisheries.

Through the course of the four weeks, students will develop their own case study.

This is a project-based module with a focus on how various forms of evidence can be collected, investigated, unsettled, and meditated through artistic operations.

Students develop an individual or group project within the module and are introduced to relevant techniques and approaches through lectures, readings, presentations, tutorials, and/or workshops.

IMPORTANT: Semester-specific details can be found at the bottom of this page under `Other Information¿.

Kunnskap

• Få innsikt i aktuelle fagområde(r)

Ferdigheter

• Få erfaring med relevante formater og prosesser

Generell kompetanse

• Oversett egne ideer og arbeidsmetoder til formater som trekker på innholdet i modulen