Taryn Simon
Taryn Simon studies and works in one of the most human fields of research; semiotics. She ascribes meaning to things. She is interested in the space between words and pictures. In her own words, “the image is transformed by the text and the text anchors the image“.
From May 2nd 2014 to June 5th 2014 we engaged in a critical study of Simon’s series Contraband in preparation for this piece. Our process is to first begin with a theme, in this case Temptation, and find photographers who have done work that tantalizes us. A month isn’t long enough time to digest Simon’s entire oeuvre and, as Simon’s section is part of a larger whole magazine, the subject had to have a relationship to the other pieces. Contraband addresses all aspects of temptation, from religion and drugs to sex and food.
Simon put vast amount of research into Contraband, specifically at JFK airport. As an international hub, JFK and New York are central to the second creation myth of the the united states: the immigration wave. People come into the US with trappings of their old life, only to have them confiscated.
The result is a 6 X 4 grid with self-contained sentences designed to make sense only in relation to Simon’s Contrabandseries. In this way the images are anchoring the text, inverting, but adding to, Simon’s process.
| Semiotics; ascribing meaning to things. This is the essence of everything Simon does. | First, as a polyphony. Aesthetics of syncopation and harmony. | As an essay. Research methodology must be explained and held in account. | Pulchritude. |
Cow Dung Toothpaste.We are taught that art fits into a place and time and can only be understood in relation to other art.To hide the khat the smuggler used a giant cigarette box. The irony is, a giant box of cigarettes is also illegal.The objects are suspended in sterile non movement like the back room for immigrants. Same white walls, same gloved hands.20 GALLONS OF A DATE RAPE DRUG.The research has to draw on a common but unthought reality that, once seen, is unsettling.It is prohibited to bring in fat, but how can you be sure there will be decent sala where I’m going?This is two days contraband at JFK.
Then there is Canal Street.The white is clinical.Renaissance still life. While there is a lack of a lobster, the lobster is implied. A decaying head. A hand resting on stainless steel.With art references like the still life, Simon expects a certain syntax. At other times she steers us towards the connection she wants us to make.Contraband as a series highlights our cultural differences and our global similarities.The best picture in Contraband: Unidentified Mammal (Indonesia). Western Tarsir. It looks like an infant because of the large eyes. Largest eyes of any mammal (relative to it’s size) New York has romantic connotations as a historic port of entry. Immigration is the second founding myth of the USA.Large format highlights the exact details of the objects and removes them from context. This is exactly what they are; items removed from their home and their culture.When you immigrate you still mean to go back. You are pulled back and forth and your children are spinning. We can’t escape our history any more than you can escape your shadowText anchors and gives a place, but sometimes a description is not enough.Don’t tell the audience how to interact. Allow the audience to explore on their own.Taxes, Tariffs, Federalism. The Small Stick?A terrifying K-hole with dead birds, heroin, and Lost season four playing constantly.
John Hutt 