On April 7, 2020, I was invited to speak at the seminar on the object, led by Mélanie Boucher in the Master’s program in Museology and Arts Practice at the University of Quebec in Outaouais. This presentation, titled “Object-Human, Human-Object: The Photographic Ambiguity,” aimed to explore how photography plays with the boundary between the body and the object, questioning our relationship with identity and materiality. Unfortunately, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, this event was canceled.
Article’s thumbnail: Photo by Aron van Remmerden on Unsplash
Presentation Reference:
Object-Human, Human-Object: The Photographic Ambiguity, public intervention as part of the seminar on the object by Mélanie Boucher (Master’s program in Museology and Arts Practice) at the University of Quebec in Outaouais. (Canceled – COVID-19)
Photography and the Hybridization of the Body and Object
In this intervention, I aimed to analyze how certain contemporary photographic practices blur the categories between the living and the inert, between the subject and the object. Photography, as a medium, has this capacity to transform bodies into sculptural surfaces and objects into almost living entities, thereby redefining our perception of reality.
The Influence of Artistic Practices on Our Perception of the Human
The intervention was meant to be based on works of artists who explore this ambiguity, staging the human body as an object, or conversely, giving a human presence to inanimate objects. This questioning also extends to the fields of museology and curatorial practice, where the exhibition of objects and images invites reflection on identity and representation.
A Moment of Exchange and Transmission
This presentation provided an opportunity for enriching dialogue with students, fostering a reflection on how academic research in art can contribute to the understanding and evolution of artistic and museological practices. By sharing my experience, I aimed to provide concrete benchmarks and encourage a critical and personal approach to research methodology.
A Reflection Still Ongoing
Although this intervention was canceled, the themes discussed remain at the heart of my research. The ambiguity between the human and the object, particularly in photographic contexts, continues to inform my work and influence my analyses of contemporary representations of the body and materiality.