Birdwatching
Alexander Steen
6/23/2022
This project is about bird watching.
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My dad is an avid birdwatcher so the content of the images was inspired by the time he spends looking through a pair of binoculars. Conceptually, I wanted these pictures to ask questions about authenticity.
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The initial inspiration for these photos, aside from my dad's hobbies, was an oddly realistic bird figurine that I've had in my house for longer than I can remember. Despite the figurine's relative naturalism, it still isn't a real bird. Despite the fact that it's technically fake, there's something about placing it in compositions reminiscent of wildlife photos that feels authentic, or questions authenticity.
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The drawings that are in the remaining photographs are ‘as not real as’ the figurine but, interestingly, they feel more fake when they're placed in similar situations. What does that say about the two dimensional, three dimensional, and the nature of photographs?
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This series is unfinished. As with many photography projects, I still feel like I haven't reached a critical mass of pictures that would really get my point across. I haven't given up though, and in the future I think this is a project or idea I might come back to.
~ ~ ~
Alexander Steen is a current high school student and multidisciplinary artist from the New York City area. He works mostly in painting and photography while experimenting with sculpture, video art and installation. He cites contemporary photographers like Ian Howorth and Lucas Blalock as influences and is interested in continuing to explore relationships between the visual and conceptual.
︎ @a.h.steen
Alexander Steen
6/23/2022
This project is about bird watching.
My dad is an avid birdwatcher so the content of the images was inspired by the time he spends looking through a pair of binoculars. Conceptually, I wanted these pictures to ask questions about authenticity.
The initial inspiration for these photos, aside from my dad's hobbies, was an oddly realistic bird figurine that I've had in my house for longer than I can remember. Despite the figurine's relative naturalism, it still isn't a real bird. Despite the fact that it's technically fake, there's something about placing it in compositions reminiscent of wildlife photos that feels authentic, or questions authenticity.
The drawings that are in the remaining photographs are ‘as not real as’ the figurine but, interestingly, they feel more fake when they're placed in similar situations. What does that say about the two dimensional, three dimensional, and the nature of photographs?
This series is unfinished. As with many photography projects, I still feel like I haven't reached a critical mass of pictures that would really get my point across. I haven't given up though, and in the future I think this is a project or idea I might come back to.
~ ~ ~
Alexander Steen is a current high school student and multidisciplinary artist from the New York City area. He works mostly in painting and photography while experimenting with sculpture, video art and installation. He cites contemporary photographers like Ian Howorth and Lucas Blalock as influences and is interested in continuing to explore relationships between the visual and conceptual.
︎ @a.h.steen