There has always been a fascination in death and violence present in our society. From public execution to war films, our society gathered around death as a form of entertainment. Photographs by...Show moreThere has always been a fascination in death and violence present in our society. From public execution to war films, our society gathered around death as a form of entertainment. Photographs by Weegee uncovered this fascination and he exaggerated it using various photographic techniques. Portraying the period of socioeconomic struggle of post-war America, his photographs exposed the raw human emotions which emanates from witnessing the extremity of murders. Weegee captured the process of individuals’ pains turning into the spectacle of the public through “Their First Murder” and “Balcony Seats At A Murder”. Us, as the viewers, then view the subjects depicted in the photograph as a spectacle, creating a chain of gaze. Using theories of Susan Sontag, Mark Seltzer, and the politics of gaze, the essay will investigate the intention behind Weegee’s exaggerated representation of his subject.Show less
Brazil’s heterodominant cultural climate subjects trans individuals to turbulent social realities emerging from their deferred styles of embodiment. Such realities are depicted by Pep Bonet in his...Show moreBrazil’s heterodominant cultural climate subjects trans individuals to turbulent social realities emerging from their deferred styles of embodiment. Such realities are depicted by Pep Bonet in his photodocumentary series All Imperfect Things. Through systematic visual analysis, paying particular attention to the different "ways of seeing" provided by Bonet, this research has as its objective the exploration of the effect to which the trans body is captured and displayed throughout the documentary. Through considerations of the body in conjunction with tendencies of documentary genre, space, and a sense of community, research has shown how Bonet subverts the reinforcement of Brazilian trans' powerlessness. What materialises is a humanizing way of representing which is both empowering and true to itself and the community depicted.Show less
