The iconopathe
Moving elements, re-assembling stories, order memories, perpetuating attachments, arranging affinities, divert bodies, from one another, re-routing values, structuring small arrangements, displaying dissimilarities, tune -up violins, orchestrate daily calendars, shuffling evidence, classifying classes, scrutinizing representations, interfering pains, weaving angers, securing fears, syndicate kisses, smile to correlations, reconstruct families, prioritize bounds, assign legends, dissect rituals, such is the task of the iconopathe who will gradually "pict" and depict series of altarpieces organized according to 37 categories established by The Family of Man.
This project was created by Isabelle Massu during a residency at Kawenga Territoires numériques, Montpellier, France.
Development : Timothée Rolin
The great family of Man
1950's: first constitutions of family albums, pictures are multiplied, relocated, traded like cards. Tools are democratized, one does not go on holiday without his Kodak, documenting his small world, while other more professionals handle the big one, observe, collect and give away the far away exotic. Photographic exhibitions are increasing, showing it all, the private and the precious as well, humanist photographers set the tone and say the world in picture. In 1955 the Family of Man exhibition organized by the Museum of Modern Art in New York paints a portrait of humanity implying we all belong together. The exhibition is organized around 37 themes: love, birth, work, family, education, children, war and peace ... This is to show the universality of the human experience, but also the tremendous capacity photographs held in portraying this experience. Today the family has undoubtedly expanded, but also appropriate tools of representation. Our daily pain is immortalized on internet. The distant cousin take charge of the Really Simple Syndication, the dangerous liaisons. In turn, other family members implement, participate, collaborate to weave the web and feel unstoppable in their illusionnary function, to create meaning. Not too isolated from each other, not too close either, we like to be part of that family. We enjoy it, cherish it in search of similarities within this impalpable tribe. Exchanging gift without remorse from screen savior to instant postcard, a difficult choice among 106,118, 222,767 sunsets,160,669 horses and 239,879 births.
One of the most popular family is Google's, it's family album is named after Picasso and casa, Picasa. Father creator aspires to housing rights and provides free hosting to all homeless families. He established a solidarity economy throughout a system of exchange and sharing within the "community". Everyone is free to access their neighbor's life, so much to encourages sharing practices but prohibiting reproduction. Everyone has the right to speak, denounce if necessary, a real democratic space. A cyclopean inventory which takes literally from Family of Man. Marriages and births remain the engine of all sorts of gratitude. Daily routine is naked, privacy has red eyes, "My Dog", "My Kitchen", "My wife". We pours kilobytes of data, and participate to the present, to the collective, the caring community, the great family of Man who, true to the standards, maintain self-censorship, self-reprisal, violates my copyright, and inform with Father Google who has yet other fish to fry ... The iconopathe will profit from these moments of inattention to do some intuitive shuffling and continue to muddy the waters for a possible common sense.