‘Death is the Eidos of that photograph’ : a journey of discovery into the aesthetics of disappearance of the photograph

Abstract

The aim of this study was the raison d'être of photography, and its links with death, time, reality, and its aesthetics of disappearance. This was done through research into the fields of: the history of photography; Benjamin’s writings on the demise of the aura through mechanical reproduction; the early printing processes used in photography; the aesthesis of disappearance, and the elements of representation, time, and death within the photograph. Another aspect of research focused on memorial photographs within family albums. The study focused in bringing these areas together, to see if it possible to produce works which reflect memory, the passage of time and death, and simultaneously explore the possibility of using early photographic printing technology to restore authenticity to the photograph—in so doing creating works which, though themselves reproductions, are not reproducible.