Public defence in Photography, MFA Hanna Timonen

The title of the thesis: Ordering the Everyday – Serial photography, repetition and everyday acts

Doctoral student: Hanna Timonen
Opponent: Prof. Annebella Pollen, University of Brighton
Custos: Prof. Harri Laakso, Aalto University School of Arts, Design and Architecture, Department of Art and Media

Thesis available for public display 10 days prior to the defence at: https://aaltodoc.aalto.fi/doc_public/eonly/riiputus/

Serial photography as artistic and everyday activity 

Seriality is a form central to photography, both now and historically. It is present in the work of many artist photographers while digital platforms often present content in a serial arrangement. This study looks at the intersections of this seriality and the everyday. Photography is not approached as a medium representing everyday scenes, but as an activity that is an integral part of everyday life. Seriality is key to this activity, as like many other chores, photography too is often the repetition of the same or similar action time and again. 

The study engages artistic research, and includes an artistic output, the exhibition Look Every Day (2018). With the help of my own artistic practice, other examples of contemporary artworks and quotidian photographs, photographic theory and everyday aesthetics, the study illuminates the connections the activity of taking photographs has to other everyday tasks. It brings forth perspectives on how serial photography can be observed as an interaction with one’s environment that transcends the contexts and formal considerations of art. The study proposes that in order to understand ways in which photography forms a part of our everyday life, it is crucial to consider seriality.

Contact information:

Doctoral theses in the School of Arts, Design and Architecture: https://aaltodoc.aalto.fi/handle/123456789/54