SIGHTINGS is a series of photos influenced by cryptozoology – the study of folkloric creatures – and plays on the aesthetics of the imagery surrounding the field. The series centres around and critiques the idea of ‘finding yourself’.
The series also questions the notion of truth. To many, photography is a medium that represents reality, thus lending itself to practices such as cryptozoology wherein fake images are created but are presumed, by some, to be real simply due to the medium on which they appear. “Photo evidence” is often taken as a signifier of objective truth.
SIGHTINGS plays with both of these ideas by using the photos to question the truth or validity of the idea of finding oneself. The concept of a ‘true’ self that must be searched for and found is treated like a cryptid – an elusive creature, hiding from human sight.
The self is often treated as a sort of elusive concept, something that must be searched for and found, similarly to creatures of folklore such as Bigfoot and the Loch Ness monster.
By presenting the idea in this way, its validity is questioned by aligning it with the falsehoods created in the staged and doctored photographs of cryptozoological sightings.
The series also explores the world of online subcultures. The images explore the aesthetic of, and also take part in, the online subculture of cryptozoology. Although the practice began before the internet as we know it, it has been given new life and the ability to thrive through the interconnectedness of the online sphere, through messageboards and online groups created for the sharing and spreading of information pertaining to mysterious creatures and events.
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The series also explores the world of online subcultures. The images explore the aesthetic of, and also take part in, the online subculture of cryptozoology. Although the practice began before the internet as we know it, it has been given new life and the ability to thrive through the interconnectedness of the online sphere, through messageboards and online groups created for the sharing and spreading of information pertaining to mysterious creatures and events.
