Translated from the German. Includes bibliographical references and index.
Contents:
History and "prehistory" -- Visibility by destruction/disturbance: incidents of photography -- Case study I: signs of life or "false flames" : Jules Luys and the controversy over "effluviography" -- Case study II: a self-portrait of Christ or the white noise of photography : Paul Vignon and the earliest photograph of the Shroud of Turin -- Visible/invisible : critique of a dichotomy -- The "optical unconscious" of photography.
Summary:
As an artistic medium, photography is uniquely subject to accidents, or disruptions, that can occur in the making of an artwork. Though rarely considered seriously, those accidents can offer fascinating insights about the nature of the medium and how it works. Peter Geimer explores all kinds of photographic irritation from throughout the history of the medium, as well as accidental images that occur through photo-like means, such as the image of Christ on the Shroud of Turin, brought into high resolution through photography. Geimer's investigations complement the history of photographic images by cataloging a corresponding history of their symptoms, their precarious visibility, and the disruptions threatened by image noise. Interwoven with the familiar history of photography is a secret history of photographic artifacts, spots, and hazes that historians have typically dismissed as 'spurious phenomena', 'parasites', or 'enemies of the photographer'. With such photographs, it is virtually impossible to tell where a 'picture' has been disrupted--where the representation ends and the image noise begins.
This resource is supported by the Institute of Museum and Library Services under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act as administered by State Library of Iowa.