The other day I had a bit of a revelation that, in this day and age, seems up there with splitting the atom and the lunar landings. Inspired by our feature on The Photocopy Club – a photography exhibition concept where photographers photocopy some of their favourite shots and sell them for a few quid – I actually printed out some of the random photos I had taken on my phone over the past few months. In true Photocopy Club style, I printed them out black and white on basic printer paper. Not exactly suitable to hang at theNational Portrait Gallery, but for my kitchen it seems to work.
This may be a very small gesture but it seems to be the perfect antidote to how disposable photography has become nowadays. People must take hundreds of photos a month but how long do they take to actually look at and appreciate them before sticking them up on Facebook, getting a few likes and LOLs, and then leaving them to sit on Mark Zuckerberg‘s hard drive for the rest of eternity for him to do with them as he wishes? *Evil chuckle* But by printing it out – you know, like photos used to be before digital cameras and Instagram – actually helps you take a step back and enjoy them on a whole new level, from fleeting glances to full-on, chin-stroking scrutiny.
And totally un-coincidentally, HUCK#032 is all about exploring the appeal of creating ‘real’ things like this, from handcrafted wooden sea and snow sticks in New England to political activists sewing handkerchiefs to affect change. But it recently struck me that we are revering creative skills like needle work and carpentry as novelty and groundbreaking when a generation ago, they were mainstream. A few decades ago when you wanted a jumper, you bought a pattern, a ball of wool and knitted it. You wanted a kitchen table? You went to the forest, chopped down an oak tree, dragged it home and whittled the fuck out of it! But nowadays, thanks to the growth of global flow of capital, nice big companies just find people in less developed countries they don’t have to pay much to make them for us all. Happy days!
But apart from the many ethical questions that this capitalist trend raises, it seems that this separation from the process of creation and ownership is leaving people somehow unfulfilled. It’s easy to see why. The things we consume are often only an infinitely duplicated collection of noughts and ones – music, films, apps, video games, magazines – or, if they are actually ‘real’, have been spun, woven and moulded in far away lands with the intention of being thrown away in a few months time when a shinier version comes along. And as the laws of economics dictate, the more abundant things are, the less value they’re perceived to have. Think about it, now you can access more music than you could listen to in your whole lifetime from your mobile phone, what does ‘owning’ your favourite album mean to you?
Therefore, when people actually get their hands dirty and put the time in to create something unique, it really resonates with them. They value and treasure it so much more. Come to think of it, one of my favourite ‘objects’ is a cardboard model of MF Doom that I cut out of myself with a scalpel accompanied by lots of angry screams of frustration – I’m not very good at such tasks. It’s the identification with the process of making it and the investment of your own time that’s so much more fulfilling than clicking on a website and waiting for it to download or the postman to arrive.
That’s not to say that the modern industrial means of production don’t have their benefits. The mass production of things like food, clothing and medicine have helped billions around the world achieve a better standard of living, and stopped a lot of people from dying. But it has also churned out plenty of shiny little precious things that, after the initial flurry of excitement from purchasing, are utterly devoid of meaning or use, or both, to the owner.
Ok, the world would be a pretty grim, utilitarian place if we did away with these things entirely, but maybe next time you’re contemplating ‘consuming’ something like this, why not try and make it yourself instead of just picking something up from the worldwide production line?
Don’t worry, you can always Google how…
You might like
Venice Biennale will not award artists from Israel & Russia due to war crime accusations
Art Not Genocide — Both countries will still be allowed to exhibit work at their respective pavilions, but be excluded from judging considerations, as they have leaders facing arrest warrants issued by the International Criminal Court.
Written by: Noah Petersons
“I didn’t care if I got sacked”: Sleazenation’s Scott King in conversation with Radge’s Meg McWilliams
Radgenation — For our 20th Anniversary Issue, Huck’s editor Josh Jones sits down with the legendary art director and the founder of a new magazine from England’s northeast to talk about taking risks, crafting singular covers and disrupting the middle class dominance of the creative industries.
Written by: Josh Jones
Joe Bloom’s View From a Bridge
More stories, more human — The artist and creator of the vertical video generation’s most loved storytelling platform explains the process behind creating the show, and the importance of bucking trends.
Written by: Isaac Muk
When David Wojnarowicz became Arthur Rimbaud
Arthur Rimbaud in New York — In 1978, the American artist and his friends donned masks to pay tribute to the French poet, who was born a century before him. Miss Rosen traces the differing yet parallel lives of the queer revolutionaries.
Written by: Miss Rosen
Louis Theroux’s ‘Manosphere’ shows men aren’t the problem, platforms are
No Ws for Good Men — The journalist’s new documentary sees him dive headfirst into the toxicities and machinations of the male influencer economy. But when young creators are monetarily incentivised to make more and more outrageous content, who really is to blame?
Written by: Emma Garland
Inside Bombay Beach, California’s ‘Rotting Riviera’
Man-made decay — The Salton Sea was created by accident after a failed attempt to divert the Colorado River in the early 20th century. Jack Burke reports from its post-apocalyptic shores, where DIY art and ecological collapse meet.
Written by: Jack Burke
