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neXos. New Perspectives in European Documentary Photography

Does He Hold Me by the Hand?

By Rebecca Sanderson

Davide Meneghello’s photographic series entitled Again He Holds Me by the Hand presents photographs from archives that could be interpreted as homoerotic imagery. In doing so, the series reflects on the potential presence, or perhaps absence, of homosocial intimacy as an involuntary record of non-normative expression of emotions and desires during a prohibitionist past. In this essay I aim to research what these photographs represent. Are they indexical and factual observations of the past? By stripping them from their pre-existing context, how has the time of the photograph been affected? Is the past relevant at all? Has the message, the object within the picture due to time and spatial passing, changed the message or intent of said photograph?

Again He Holds Me by the Hand consists of three photographic collections as well as the poem ‘Whoever You Are Holding Me Now in Hand’ by Walt Whitman, presented in a book. The collections of photographs, all of which focus on the importance of the hands toughing, feature three different approaches and presentations. The first is a collection of what could be most simply described as ‘couples’ pictures, which seem to be private snapshots. The second cluster of photographs features a group of pictures that appear to be one image, cropped into 3 segments of the same size. This collection features men in what appears to be a range of different uniforms,. The last collection consists of close-ups of men grappling in what seems to be a wrestling match or practice. The importance of the poem ‘Whoever You Are Holding Me Now in Hand’ by Walt Whitman plays a quintessential role to the overall experience of the exhibit. It should be noted “when a poem describes such photographs, it runs the risk of simplifying what they recorded and diminishing complex historical facts by reducing them to a mere surface details”.1 Nevertheless in this case, the poem offers context as to how the exhibit should be viewed as well as a possible sociohistorical time frame that could have influenced the creations of these photographs. In regard of the questions this essay asks, German photographer Lendvai-Dircksen offers the most intriguing train of thought, stating that “it is never the what that is decisive in its significance, but rather the how of this what”.2 That is to say that the ‘what’ has not changed, but rather, how it is regarded, singled out and exploited — in short: how it is interpreted.

For instance, regarding the collections of wrestling men, the collection of these images originally appear to have been taken in order to promote or report on the sport. These have then been singled out, in addition to being cropped and enlarged, and are now being exploited in order to visualise potential homosocial interactions. It is during this singling out and exploitation phase that interpretation of the represented gets room. However, when considering photography as a mechanical analogue of reality, all of the pictures in this series should be regarded as an index. Furthermore, when analysing the photographs it becomes apparent that they are clearly dated and old, indicative of anywhere ranging between early to mid-twentieth century. This can be assumed purely by observation of aesthetics in fashion, as well as photographic style. In other words, trace indicators of the time period these images represent. However given the lack of information about the images, merely referring to them as archival footage, further underlines this assumption of something that has been almost seemingly lost in time, giving more possibilities for further abstraction by ‘singling out’ and ‘exploiting’ them.

Taking the subject matter of the photos as the truth and therefore as index, there is a visualisation of a coincidence between representation and the proposed and presumed reality of a particular society. This requires complex formation of codes of behaviour, which in turn, are the norms that control the attitude of humans towards their particular environment or background.

To understand photography, it is necessary to understand why it is needed and how it is used. Leaving out scientific means of documentation as well as commercial approaches, the camera is best suited to revive the substance and quintessence of the object or moment photographed, regardless of the motive.3 An example of this is photographer Hiroshi Sugimoto, whose recreated historical scenes with wax figures offer the illusion of a photograph that has been taken predating the birth of the camera. In doing so, he creates the previously mentioned, in this case illusionary, qualitatively credibility as well as ‘reviving’ the object captured.

In Meneghello’s series the potentially intimate and homoerotic touches between the subjects captured could present possible social historical difficulties that were prominent of the time. When considering the poem in this context, or even reviews of the poem, there is an evident conflict between “the desire for and confidence in intimacy” but also “the stunning lack of evidence for any such mutual understanding”.4 With no clear factual evidence, proving or disproving that the photographs capture homosocial intimacy, the true meaning of both the photographs and neXos. New Perspectives in European Documentary Photography 29 poem seems ubiquitous as well as rather a matter of interpretation. Photography offers insight to not only the world of the photographer, but also their audience, in doing so they present symbols as well as themes that are context-dependent. The images seem to have been captured within a society that appears rather urban or even mundane. The grappling men seem to be in an organised athletic group training, the group of men sporting uniform commemorating a possible excursion or meeting, and finally the pictures of couples are all of everyday life, as if almost in accordance to the ‘pragmatism and urbanization’, honing in on the American culture of Whitman’s poetry.5

Considering the limited information given, that is to say where these images come from, what the circumstances were of them being created, and ultimately what purpose they were to serve, leaves mere speculation as possibility. Symbols which can however be interpreted are the ones restricted within the pictures, and solely with sociological interpretations of today’s society, rather than the time in which image was taken. Lacking satisfactory analytical studies about attitudes and conceptions about homosexuality these remain questionable. Gestures, glances and postures in these pictures do offer a potential level of intimacy, but whether these or definitively of homosexual nature is mere speculation. In some cases it may apply, in others perhaps not, so what these images do offer is a glimpse into the past.

Henry Fox Talbot suggests that photography, rather than capturing objects located in space, fixes events occurring through time6 , which is an essential concept within the theory of photography. Gilles Deleuze states that photography creates a relationship to time, describing this “as a prehension of a prehension: a self-enjoyment”.7 That means that the present moment is not a moment of being or of present ‘in the strict sense’. Instead it is the passing moment that “forces us to think of becoming, but to think of it precisely was what could not have started, and cannot finish, becoming”.8 For instance, as the lifespan of a person progresses, it is experienced in a linear manner — one is born, lives and eventually dies — leading to the assumption that time is a strict progression of cause and effect. Yet, by means of photography it is possible to review life, or certain moments that have been captured in a non-linear non-subjective viewpoint. Thus approaching photography abstractly, it can potentially be seen as a time machine.

However unlike with a time machine, in which supposedly one could travel back and relive the events that have been captured, photography merely evokes a sense of nostalgia to those who actually experienced this specific moment in the past or have a connection to it. For those not ‘involved’, which view it without any pre-existing knowledge, history or connection to the photograph, it only suggests and implies rather than preserving incidents that have been witnessed. Be this intentionally or by chance, photography allows the viewing of times flow at different speeds.

If the collection of photographs for this series as well as the addition of the Whitman’s poem does deliver a possible interpretation of homoeroticism and homosexuality, this would be only of contextual interpretation. Academically speaking, the lack of evidence or what could be argued as potential evidence can be interpreted either way. What these photographs do offer is a window in time, to a past unknown for those not involved.. In order to make a sound defence for or against possible homoeroticism and/ or homosexuality in the presented pictures, more background knowledge as to origin and circumstances of the photographs would be needed. The images represent hands touching, which could be seen as an indicator, but lack the certainty of an index.

References:

Baetens, J., Streitberger, A. and Gelder, H. (2010). Time and Photography. 1st ed. Leuven: Leuven University Press. Carroll, N. (2010). Theorizing the Moving Image. 1st ed. Cambridge: Cambridge Univ. Press. Dickey, F. and Killingsworth, M. (2003). Love of Comrades: The Urbanization of Community in Walt Whitman’s Poetry and Pragmatist Philosophy. Walt Whitman Quarterly Review, 21(1), 1-2. Kemp, W. ed. (1999). Theorie der Fotografie II (1912-1945), 1st ed. München: Schirmer/Mosel. Weston, E. (1924). Präsentation statt Interpretation, Tagebucheintragung (1924-1932), 66. Miller, A. (2015). Poetry, Photography, Ekphrasis: Lyrical Representations of Photographs from the 19th Century to the Present. 1st ed. Liverpool: Liverpool university Press. Rodowick, D. (2003). Gilles Deleuze’s Time Machine. 1st ed. Durham, NC: Duke University Press. Sutton, D. (2009). Photography, Cinema, Memory. 1st ed. Minneapolis, Minn.: University of Minnesota Press. 1. Miller, 2015, 119. 2. Kemp, 1999, 158. 3. Kemp, 1999, 66. 4. Dickey and Killingsworth, 2003, 2. 5. Dickey and Killingsworth, 2003, 1. 6. Baetens, Streitberger, and Gelder, 2010, 22. 7. Deleuze quoted in Sutton, 2009, 108.

neXos. New Perspectives in European Documentary Photography

Photographic Lexis As A Non-Linear Journey In Again He Holds Me By The Hand

Anastassia Dalcolmo

Part of the photographic series Again He Holds Me by the Hand by David Meneghello is the installation in which the photographs are hung. In the context of intimate relationships through the specific physicality of the referents, this installation is also an interesting aspect of the series to examine. In this essay, I will look at different concepts of time in the medium of photography as well as representations of place and space, to investigate how these aspects contribute to the production of meaning of Again He Holds Me by the Hand.

The installation consists of a series of framed black and white photographs in various sizes depicting men in wrestling positions from various angles. With regards to perception, the viewer can experience the images as a kind of “journey”. As time passes during the viewing of the images, it is important to consider that this temporal flow is not necessarily linear and thus is built up of contains various phases. This process of looking can be separated into two parts: viewing the surface of the photograph and further examining the subject of the image itself. The installation explores how physical proximity can be perceived through reframing and spectatorship itself. The photographs depicting men wrestling are taken in split seconds. They are taken from various angles and some of the wrestling pairs reappear in several of the photographs, which suggests a partial repetition. Therefore, the main question this work raises is to what extent could it be considered a metaphorical “journey” in terms of a delay of the temporal flow? I will demonstrate in the following essay that the delay of time can be identified in several ways.

With regards to David Meneghello’s installation, the duration of viewing or photographic lexis requires an indefinite amount of time. Film theorist Christian Metz refers to this amount of time as “temporal size”.1 In the case of my object of review, there is no linearity that the spectator is obliged to follow. It is important to note that this process is not linear but rather individual and subjective as “it depends rather on the spectator, who is the master of the look”.2 Viewing the surface of the photograph is a separate process from acknowledging the subject of the image and therefore causes a break in the timeline of viewing.3 The duration of the photographic lexis also involves a physical process as the viewers turn their head or lean forward while observing the photographic work.4 The shape of the installation also contributes to this experience, because it consists of frames of various sizes.

Additionally, physical movement is consistent here with the notion that the grainy photographic surface in fact becomes less visible as the viewer moves towards it.5 The blurred surfaces of the photographs – as it is shown in the image above – play part in the viewer attempting to distinguish the details. This is in turn is also a delay of temporal flow due to our awareness of an existing older source. These photographs are reminiscent of shots found in 20th century newspapers and magazines. Maneghello’s work is a product of “‘remediation’ … [a] process of producing a more transparent version of an earlier medium”.6

The deliberate alteration and resizing of the photographs, initially indicates that, as physical objects, the photographs have undergone a transformation. According to Roland Barthes the photograph cannot be transformed unless disposed of.7 Indeed, the appropriated images cannot be considered as having been transformed. According to the German artist Sigmar Polke, in reproductions “only one layer, that of the signifying system itself remains. It is in the strictest sense, an act of deconstruction: the ostensible analogon is exposed, by enlargement, by exaggeration as a mirage and its rhetorical power is broken”.8 However, in the photo installation the cropped original photographs have become decisive moments. These decisive moments draw on the details of the physical interactions of the men and the title of the series itself, Again He Holds 26 neXos. New Perspectives in European Documentary Photography Me by the Hand. The physical proximity between arms and hands is a recurring theme throughout the photographic series. The repeated shots of these implied homosocial/ homoerotic gestures are the main focus of this installation.

The break in the temporal flow can be connected to the notion of death in photography. “Strictly speaking, the person photographed is dead, no longer present in the state in which he/she was photographed and is therefore belonging to the past now”.9 Like the journey, death is also a metaphor here. Time is fixed within each of the frames. The journey is evident in both the physical and historical context, but also in geographical context. The relocation in this specific instance involves the physical transportation of the photographs, as they have been rendered and relocated to a museum space. Originally, the photographs had been used as press material. To become part of the artwork as they are now, they have been reproduced, cropped, and reframed, and finally exhibited. The metaphorical journey continues with the viewer being aware that the photographs are framed. The viewing time additionally consists of the reflection on that which is off-frame. “The spectator has no empirical knowledge of the contents but at the same time cannot help hallucinating it, dreaming the shape of this emptiness …”10 and this fragmentation implies the anticipated proximity between the male figures. This is a further delay of the temporal flow in the process of viewing.

Repetition functions here in two ways: first, the reproduction of the photographs of the original format and second, there is a kind of repetition of the subject itself through the selection of the decisive moments. The original frozen split seconds – made by the original photographer – have been reframed by Meneghello.

The frames can also be considered as fragments of time as the wrestling men are caught in multiple time periods. However, this concept of cropping an existing old photograph also alters the iconicity of the photograph. The title of the photographic series Again He Holds Me by the Hand suggests repetition of physicality. This is echoed in the physicality of the referents in the framed photographs. The indexicality (the wrestling men) in the decisive moments chosen for this installation, gain a new meaning and a new kind of iconicity (the touching of skin and the homoerotic and/ or homosocial nature of the gestures captured in the frozen split seconds through framing). This ambiguity signifies a break in the temporal flow of spectatorship. The viewer’s eye travels across the surfaces of the individual photographs in the installation and reflects on either the potential presence or absence of intimate physical relationships. Some of the frames have been placed close to another while others are further apart. This can be seen as imitation of the physicality of the subjects themselves, the wrestling of the men, the touching of skin and repeated physical distance. It is evident that the photographic series Again He Holds Me by the Hand relies on the referents and their framing.

The images are not visual documents of a “prohibitionist past” nor do they contain a linear narrative as an installation. The notion of time in this installation involves a journey of the act of viewing as well as a journey of the images themselves having been re-contextualized.. There are several pasts depicted in this work. These are the pasts that have been altered into alternative pasts, alternative timelines. The journeys and repetitions draw attention to the subject of the installation through framing. The delay of time for the viewer can be identified with his or her perception of the repeated gestures in the photographs of the installation and the frames that signify these isolated moments in time. As the viewer’s eyes move across the surface of the installation he or she might experience a break in the temporal flow, a delay of time occurring due to the forced reflection caused by the frames. These frames have created physical borders for the spectator that he or she must cross in order to reflect on the signified moments of physical proximity between the male subjects.

References:

Barthes, R. (1981 [1980]) Camera Lucida. Reflections on Photography. Trans. R. Howard. Hill and Wang, New York, NY. First published as La chambre claire. Battye, G. (2014) Photography, Narrative, Time, Time: Imaginining Our Forensic Imagination. Intellect, London. Haxthausen, C.W. (1997). ‘The Work of Art in the Age of its (AI) Chemical Transmutability: Rethinking Painting and Photography after Polke’. Sigmar Polke. Die Drei Lügen der Marlei. Cantz Verlag, Ostfildern, 185-202. Metz, C. (1985) Photography and fetish. October, Vol. 34, 81-90. Van Gelder, H., Westgeest, H. (2011) Photography Theory in Historical Persepective: Case Studies from Contemporary Art, Wiley-Blackwell Publishing, Malden, MA. 1. Metz, 1985, 81. 2. Metz, 1985, 81. 3. Van Gelder and Westgeest, 2011, 58. 4. Battye, 2014, 62. 5. Haxthausen, 1997, 189. 6. Bolter and Grosin quoted in Van Gelder and Westgeest, 2011, 56. 7. Barthes, 1981, 93. 8. Polke quoted in Haxthausen, 1997, 189. 9. Metz quoted in Van Gelder and Westgeest, 2011,