Post-production or how pictures come to life or play dead

Abstract

The article reflects upon the visual practice of the author. The term ‘postproduction’ is used to reflect on a particular quality of documentation, namely the practice of theory after an exhibition of the author's work. Hermeneutical aesthetics is drawn upon to ground this endeavour, as it enables us ‘to see more of what has yet to be seen’ (Nicholas Davey). The concept of performativity is deployed to trace the cultural signification of the medium of printmaking in which the work has been made; the exhibition venue which represented a mixture between a workshop/studio and the ‘white cube’; the particular works in the exhibition; the role of installation and the place of the viewer. Special consideration is given to the hallucinatory quality of the work and the role of repetition with regard to the performative constitution of the viewing subject. It is suggested that the insights gained through such documentary post-production become the foundation for further practice, both for other artists and the author herself. This is equally true, whether post-production relates to the practice of theory or artistic practice, but ideally both.

Keywords:

• Documentation
• hallucinatory effect
• hermeneutical aesthetics
• performativity
• post-production
• printmaking