Words, Images, and Meanings
WINDFALL (Czech-Republic), 1996
Jill Mathis
Two photographs, each 12″ x 8″
The photo show “Between Language and Geography: Words, Signs, and Symbols in Photography” shown recently at Baruch College’s Sidney Mishkin Gallery examines the link between words and images. Both words and images have the ability to both convey different meanings and contain many symbols. The mere title of a photograph with the accompanied image can provoke much thought about the relationship between words and images, causing the meaning of the photograph to change. The show featured the work of photographers such as 20th century documentary photographer Jerome Liebling, innovative color photographer Joel Meyerowitz, and Marilyn Bridges, known for her aerial photographs.
Jill Mathis’ photograph “Windfall” examines the connection between the origin of the word “windfall” and the image in her photograph. One accepted origin of the word “windfall” comes from the permitted gathering of wood that had fallen from the wind after an ancient law forbade commoners from cutting down trees. The word “windfall” has another accepted version of its origin referring to the reward given to a charcoal burner named Purkiss for returning the body of the King of England to Winchester. The reward allowed Purkiss to collect all the firewood on the ground. The photograph “Windfall” shows two photographs of a forest divided by a white line with the word “wind” in one photograph and the word “fall” in the other. The photograph shows the connection between the possible origins of the word and the image of wood itself. The title of the photograph in connection with the image gives the viewer a different perspective and a deeper meaning of both the word “windfall” and the image of the forest.
The photograph “Barbershop decorated for luring in customers, Northern Uganda, East Africa, 2006” shows a barbershop with advertising telling potential customers to get a haircut to look “smart.” “Smart” is actually a colloquialism in Anglo-Africa, meaning pretty or handsome. The meaning of the photograph changes with the discovery of this definition of the word “smart.” The use of the word “smart” adds to the visual and helps educate viewers about an aspect of colloquialism in Anglo-Africa.
Andreas Feininger’s photograph “Hudson River Waterfront at Midtown” depicts buildings as seen from the point of view of one entering New York City’s Midtown by way of the Hudson River. The words “welcome home” on one of the buildings changes the photograph’s effect. The words “welcome home” transform the photograph from an image of buildings to an image with a real story behind it. Words add to the image to create a final product that is open to more interpretation than the image without the words.
“Between Language and Geography: Words, Signs, and Symbols in Photography” exhibits how words and images are instrumental in conveying information. The photo show also demonstrates that words and images can effectively complement each other, creating a deeper meaning for the viewer to ponder. The photo show shows that the meaning of certain photographs truly lies between their language and geography.