Benjamin Freedman

Benjamin
Freedman

Projects

PHOTOGRAPHY

Benjamin Freedman – Positive Illusions

by Benjamin Freedman

Positive Illusions is a photobook that depicts a series of childhood memories constructed using CGI. The resulting uncanny still lives, imagined from the perspective of a child, evoke a strange family presence in photo-realistic environments. Inspired by the nature of memory and simulation, I have based my scenes on what I could remember and used a phenomenological approach to fill in the blanks. Revisiting the past using CGI technology to re-stage events creates a unique flattening of the past and present – a process of pseudo visual archaeology. Some images in the series are repeated but with slight alterations, revealing the surrealist process of fabricating them and underscoring the phenomenon of distortion that is inherent to memory.

PHOTOGRAPHY

Automated Photography - Fall 2022 - MAP2

with Marco De Mutiis

The course focuses on the relationship between photography and play, and rethinks the role of the photographer as player. Students learned about notions of gamification of the image as well as image play as a form of artistic intervention, questioning systems of value creation and image economies. During the semester, students looked at contemporary and more historical artworks, as well as vernacular positions, engaging with the way artists and photographers submit or subvert rules, conform to or rebel against image systems, and ultimately ‘win’ or ‘lose’ the game. The course also introduced practical tools, learning the foundations of creative programming and how to (mis)use software and automated imaging systems.

PHOTOGRAPHY

Self-Initiated Project - Fall 2022 - MAP2

with Elisa Medde

The second-year students worked on projects that they themselves had initiated, under the direction of Elisa Medde.

PHOTOGRAPHY

Materialized Photography - Fall 2022 - MAP2

with Felicity Hammond

In this module, students explored the potential for the photographic image to simultaneously be a backdrop, object, and prop. Students maked images both for the purpose of being reimaged and for their sculptural possibilities, ending in a work that investigates the potential for an endless cycle of images and objects. Crucially, students considered the staging of the work, and the conceptual and physical site for which it is intended.

PHOTOGRAPHY

Photobook - Fall 2021

with Bruno Ceschel

The photobook module introduces students to the history of photobooks and artists’ books and leads them to consider different strategies and approaches to contemporary book-making. In the first term students individually conceptualised a publication that have been designed, printed and distributed.