Assignment 2 - Philip-Lorca DiCorcia "Heads"

For the second assignment I have decided to use the "Heads" series of images to focus on. This series of images was created between 1999 - 2001 in Times Square, New York. This piece is is in the style of street photography but with a twist! DiCorcia rigged strobe lighting to scaffolding on the sidewalk, from a distance of approximately twenty feet, DiCorcia stood, focused on a predetermined point. When a subject he considered suitable passed through this "X" marked area, DiCorcia would take his image, triggering the lights which created a mostly blacked out area, focusing attention on the heads and shoulders of his unknowing subjects.  The resulting photographs show people that are absorbed in their own worlds and thoughts, creating an image that causes the viewer to create their own backstory.

DiCorcia based the concept of this series on the Baader-Meinhof Gang was one of post WW2 Germany's most prolific left wing terror groups. Each member had to live amongst their neighbours, pretending to be something they weren't, DiCorcia is quoted as saying "their interior and private life was in no way reflected in their exterior". It is my belief that this is what DiCorcia was trying to reflect with this series, the notion that regardless of how we percieve the person in the images, the fact is we have no real idea about the person just from the way they look and behave.

DiCorcia published the series in a book with the same title in October 2001. The book contained 17 full bleed images and was 38cmx30cm high. Each image addorned the right hand page and the left simply contained the number of the image in apparently random order. The opening chapter of the book is an essay by Luc Sante which explains the method in which DiCorcia captured his images.

Research References

• Warburton,Nigel. (Unknown year of publication). Caught unawares: from Philip-Lorcia diCorcia’s Heads. Available: http://www.prospectmagazine.co.uk/tag/times-square/. Last accessed 26th Nov 2011.

• Smitch,Leslie. (Unknown year of publication). Philip-Lorca diCorcia. Available: http://www.lslimited.com/cgi-local/view.cgi?level_3=4. Last accessed 26th Nov 2011.

• Wortnan,Rachel . (April 25th 2010). Street level: Intersections of Art and the Law Philip-Lorca diCorcia’s “Heads” Project and Nussenzweig v. diCorcia. Available: http://gnovisjournal.org/2010/04/25/street-level-intersections-art-and-law-philip-lorca-dicorcias-heads-project-and-nussenzweig/. Last accessed 26th Nov 2011.

• Bright,Susan (2011). Art Photography Now. London: Thames and Hudson. 216-217