Each of these photographers constructed the life of various characters, introducing lies into their work. Creating a narrative that wasn't natural or familiar to them, combining another's 'normal' with their unknown, on some occasions.
Amalia ulman...
-Argentinean photographer, 1989 Ulman created a fake Instagram account, illustrating the narrative of young woman moving to LA to chase her dreams. It included breaking up with her boyfriend and getting breast enlargements. She gained nearly 90,000 followers by the time she revealed the performance charade, she had established fans in just 5 months, a lot of whom were hurt by the revelation that it was all an act. She based her instagrams on popular images that certain girls (young, often white) often post of themselves online. She revealed how emotions and experiences can be staged on social media, people digging for attention to combat loneliness or as a scheme for popularity. When Ulman was asked how she wanted viewers of her work to feel she replied, "uneasy with the world as they know it, I think thats my favourite feeling", I think echoes that she intended to educate people on the cliche images that surface on Instagram, the way our youth work and how they are influenced by social media.
Trish Morrissey...
-Front (2005-2007) She dealt with the concept of metaphorical borders, engaging with families to create a series of images that would, at first glance, be seen as the classic family snapshot. However, she would approach families who had made a temporary set up on the beach and ask if she could join their family for some time, taking on the role of a female in that scenario (more often than not, a mother). Morrissey asked if she could take her place and switch clothes, The woman would then take the snapshot holiday photo on a 4x5 camera (set up by Morrissey). These photos have been shaped by chance encounters with strangers, breaking down the barriers that originally separated them, physical and metaphorical. To add to the peculiarity, she would title the images with the name of the woman she replaced. I think her work is captivating and stimulating, I love how she broke down the barriers of stranger and photographer, I would like to use confidence more to enable me to work with strangers to create fascinating or engaging images.