Every photograph is this catastrophe

Photography is essentially almost all context. To take a snapshot is easy. To "make" them involves weaving in other historical elements, many of which accumulate over time--which is the case here, namely 9/11. But these are probably not people jumping to their deaths.

In front of the photograph of my mother as a child, I tell myself: she is going to die...over a catastrophe which has already occurred. Whether or not the subject is already dead, every photograph is this catastrophe.--Roland Barthes

Here there are "catastrophes" that are both apocryphal and real. They are especially interesting when viewed from both angles, regardless of intention.

As much as I like the work of the Pictures Generation, one has to wonder why the Art Institute (and perhaps Sarah Charlesworth) didn't simply say these were stunt artists (one of them Dar Robinson that interestingly died not from the stunt as performed, but in an unrelated accident!)

So are the photographs a kind of "stunt" as well?

Apparently these prints were previously on display at a venture capital firm in Chicago, and people were generally repulsed by them, perhaps even if they were aware of the underlying concepts.

It's also interesting that the audio from Bruce Nauman's sardonic Clown Torture video installation in an adjacent gallery bleeds into room, creating a disturbing juxtaposition with the photographs.

There's lots more than meets the eye when you look deeper.

Sarah Charlesworth: Stills