The choices
behind the work.
FAUXTOGRAPHY is an investigation of the decisions made in the image, music finding and online reactions. I was originally going to tie all the pieces to Final Fantasy XIV. Feedback sparked a rethinking of how was a shared topic supporting each form in connecting to its purpose. I gravitated to three distinct projects, with an interest in the directing of attention and interpretation in media.
I went for a warm paper background, forest green accents, coral accents, and darker gallery areas to accentuate the images. The spacing and placement of media were based on WordPress blocks and the theme structure. The fundamental design challenge was to maintain the readability of comparisons without having to crop all of the images to the same shape. I retained the ratio of photographs rather than make them equal rectangles. On smaller screens, the comparison grids turn into a series. That helps readability, but makes simultaneous comparison more difficult: responsive design alters the manner in which the project can be read.
With Signal Decay I had wanted the editing to be apparent through comparison. Reflected light is emphasized in the beach crop, with a concentration on the child, but not the surrounding people. It can suggest solitude, but it does not prove that the child was alone. Even the broader picture is a chosen depiction of a scene. Warm and cool hues and monochrome versions of the sea create different moods, but they do not establish the weather or time of day. The caption study keeps the leaves picture unchanged. We will see how words favour particular readings, as it was through Barthes' (1964) idea of anchorage that I understood this phenomenon. The progression from observation to comfort to suspense demonstrates how interpretation can go beyond the photographic evidence. Clearly identifying the invented caption is important because a convincing story does not prove that an event happened.
Prey's (2020) writing around curatorial power helped me to relate the everyday convenience to the interests of those curating music. I took listeners, musicians and platform into account, and I realised that recommendation doesn't take away listener choice. The two invented opening invitations made a familiar decision audible. By calling them illustrations, I distinguish my script from Spotify’s interface. The case study was based on Spotify's documentation, which is Spotify's version of events. It cannot represent every artist’s experience or reveal the platform’s complete recommendation system.
It was hard to join the recordings because pauses and changes in volume made the sections feel separate. I have reduced long pauses, leveled and used easy sound cues to signify shifts in the discussion, but maintained the speaking pace. Working with these joins made me realise that continuity is not something that's just captured and that it is made. The episode invites listeners' reflection on recommendation; I also guide listeners through timing and sound.
In From Fangirl to Creator, Warren-Crow (2016) made me think about how emotional vocal expression can be gendered and how seemingly spontaneous responses can conceal productive work. I investigated the cultural assumptions surrounding the ‘fangirl’ label. The addition of the creators' talks about 'self-love' helped to balance interpretation with enthusiasm. The first edit was too reliant on the static analytical cards. The issue was incorporating context, examples and analysis within a three-minute time limit, while not overwhelming the viewer. The visual argument was enhanced by the introduction of the music video (excerpt) before the reactions and by moving comparisons and smoother transitions. By keeping source voices separate from my narration, I was able to provide space for the examples to be heard. Subtitles also serve as an aid to reading and listening, but their accuracy has to be carefully checked. These two historical examples can't stand for all the reaction channels.
Project covers and page order privilege particular material, captions direct a photograph's reading. A more tidy layout also might help to make my interpretations sound more authoritative. Therefore, I kept notes regarding the process, explained text and source links near the media. But a problem with inviting viewers to read these is that someone viewing only the images might still not be able to grasp their context.
A brief excerpt of a reaction (or even an individual comparison) might wander beyond the site, but without the explanations that differentiate evidence from interpretation. If I shared the work more widely, I would retain the sources and contextual captions and encourage other readings of the photographs. I have not tested the site with a broader audience, so visual consistency is not proof of an effective experience. A next version would feature musicians' views in the podcast and audience feedback on mobile comparisons. These would help me think about whose experiences my selection of material brings forward.
References
Barthes, R. (1964). Rhétorique de l’image. Communications, 4, 40–51. https://doi.org/10.3406/comm.1964.1027
Prey, R. (2020). Locating power in platformization: Music streaming playlists and curatorial power. Social Media + Society, 6(2). https://doi.org/10.1177/2056305120933291
Warren-Crow, H. (2016). Screaming like a girl: Viral video and the work of reaction. Feminist Media Studies, 16(6), 1113–1117. https://doi.org/10.1080/14680777.2016.1234234