Don't tell me what I'm looking at! Can't you see I've got a pair of eyes? Anonymous
Visual cultural documents, such as the photographs in this project, are didactic only to the extent that they describe their contents-they do not explain the who, what, why, where, or when. Unlike the written word, which tends to concretize particular concepts and ideas, the photograph uses visual language to evoke the nuances of behavior and allows the viewer to consider social questions unfettered by the descriptive and culturally weighted nature of words. Captions, by virtue of their written expression, tend to tell the viewer what to think and how to look at the photograph. An uncaptioned photograph, however, provokes dialogue with the viewer, as its content invites the viewer to probe and reflect. Accordingly, the photographs in this project have no captions, only titles naming the place of worship.
The photograph is a two dimensional object whose surface projects a representation of reality, juxtaposing particular elements so that they imitate a moment of truth. Visual language gives details about color, shape, form, texture, light, shadow, and movement but does not reveal reason, nor intention, nor point in time. The surreal quality of the photograph-the peculiar way in which the image, like dreams, has no beginning or end-renders its contents vivid, in spite of the fact that the photograph has frozen a random moment, an arbitrary space.
However, the photograph is not static. Unlike the moving image in film or video, it stares back, enticing the viewer to return, to contemplate, to discover. Indeed, the
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viewer will approach the photograph with his or her own cultural baggage-social location and emotional station-and engage each picture at multiple levels-emotional, intellectual, and spiritual. Something in the content of the image may trigger a particular memory, creating a positive, negative, or ambivalent response, revealing the cultural filters-social, political, religious-that inform their perception.21 The dialogue between viewer and photograph is itself an expression of the viewer's self; the mode of that person's intellectual engagement determines what he or she sees in the image.
Captioning the image with words-which are culturally weighted-therefore creates a barrier to receptive communication. The question of whether captions are assets or impediments raises the issue of the need for clarification. What is the importance of knowing, for example, the significance of a man's seemingly ecstatic state as he faces a crowd? Is he preaching? Teaching? Leading in prayer? Admonishing? The answer is that the viewer is attempting to relate to the subject matter, and for some individuals, the more (textual) information available, the more (they believe) they will appreciate the subject's nature.
One of the ways in which the viewer will respond to a photograph is to perceive that the content of it reflects his or her thoughts and feelings--anxiety, joy, anger, sadness, apathy, concern, serenity, curiosity, etc.22 This mirror effect echoes and amplifies the perspective of the viewer, with the result of reinforcing what the viewer already imagines, expects, or believes. I witnessed this act of self-reflection during the course of installing the project photographs for my exhibition. A female student approached me to talk about the pictures and asked why I had not represented women in leadership roles, especially since the institution of religion is a patriarchal system that has traditionally oppressed women throughout the history of the world. She questioned me about the lack of photographs of people worshipping female deities and wondered
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why I had not included the Wiccans23 in my visual research. She stated that as a concerned feminist, she was interested in seeing images of women depicted as leaders and not just as followers. Interestingly, she did not question the absence of captions.
The implication that this work was mere patriarchal propaganda led me to conclude that she perceived a lack of adequate depiction of women leaders in religion within the photographs, and that this assessment was based on her expectations of what the images should represent. My response to her critical comments was to direct her to the artist's statement--which explained the experimental nature of the work--and to suggest she give the photographs a generous reading, for there were several images that depict women in the manner she sought. I was, in fact, in agreement with her that women are generally not depicted in leadership roles. This is due in part, because women clergy represent only a fraction of all religious leaders. Women participate in worship in the same numbers as men, and my photographs do reflect this parity. Several women in the exhibition do hold leadership positions, including the reverends at Jade Buddha Temple (see transparencies # 26 and 42); the priestess at Irmin's Way-Kindred of Asatrú, who was worshipping a female deity in this photograph (see transparency #50); and the pastor at Metropolitan Community Church of the Resurrection (see transparency #55).
Photographs may also be viewed as windows. In this interaction, the viewer perceives something new and is interested in learning more about the photograph's content and its meaning. The person looking at the image senses an invitation to get inside the frame and explore its fundamental nature. The viewer's willingness to explore a perspective other than one's own indicates an interest in extending one's self outward to engage the world with curiosity and enthusiasm. Looking at the photograph--whether it was a pleasurable or offensive encounter--therefore becomes
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an edifying experience. Some viewers are motivated to learn something more about the picture's subject matter, others feel compelled to embrace or pursue a cause, and many are inspired to express their newfound awareness. For this viewer, a caption merely represents additional detail, not a reaffirmation or repudiation of the cultural baggage brought to the photograph.
Everyone carries cultural baggage. The anthropologist formulates methodologies for studying behavioral systems in spite of it, or because of it; the photographer imbues images with it as a matter of expression; the viewer consciously or unconsciously filters his or her awareness of the world through it. The caption remains, therefore, problematic, for it is constructed by a cultural being, whose psyche is continually informed by social, ethnic, political, religious, and educational biases, and cannot, therefore objectively describe an image with words. Invariably, the viewer assigns a meaning to the picture.
In reality, the photograph functions as both a mirror and a window. You cannot say more than you can see.24
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