The core focus of this research was to identify a comprehensive and appropriate methodology for studying how photographic works approach the constructed nature of reality. The goal was to develop a framework that outlines strategies for critiquing or exposing this constructed reality, which could then serve as a metric for evaluating whether a photograph or a series of photographs critically engages with the construction of reality. To achieve this, the perspectives of three photography theorists were examined: Andy Grundberg, Steve Edwards and Sally Miller. leading to the identification of three main strategies for critiquing the constructed nature of reality through photography.
The first strategy, masking and unmasking, introduced by Andy Grundberg, involves imitation that incorporates flaws, differences, exaggeration, or parody, thereby challenging the very concept of authenticity. The photographs were examined with Miller also showed that the repetition or imitation with a little difference can be used to challenge constructed reality. The second strategy, distancing, overlaps with masking and unmasking and has been highlighted by theorists such as Steve Edwards and Sally Miller. This approach involves making the tools or process of photography visible within the frame, thereby reminding viewers that they are observing a constructed image. Alternatively, it may involve staged scenes where the artificiality is deliberately revealed. This study shows that there will be some overlaps between this methods because for example sometimes distancing effect is based on a repetition with deliberate faked staged photograph. The third strategy focuses on representing those who have been marginalized by dominant discourses or offering alternative depictions of what has traditionally been taken for granted. Photography is a democratic medium which can be used by all the people so it is a suitable medium to make visible the invisible people or show the hidden aspects of things.
these three strategies were not systematically articulated by a single theorist. Grundberg articulate masking and unmasking but just mention two other methods analyzing some photographs and didn’t categories or theorize this methods, Miller also didn’t pay attention to categorizing this methods and he just showed some examples of how photography challenged a constructed reality and even didn’t use a special name for the methods, at last, Edwards showed two different ways to critic the construction of reality and specially focused of the construction of representation of reality. He just mentioned distancing and alternative constructions but didn’t mention repetition or masking and unmasking. So To develop a unified methodology, the research expanded beyond the field of photography to engage with critical theory and feminism, particularly the work of Judith Butler, who has proposed strategies for challenging constructed realities such as gender. Although Butler does not explicitly outline methods for critiquing the constructed nature of reality in a structured way, the researcher identified three key strategies within her writings: subversive repetition, Brechtian distancing, and presenting alternative constructs.
Butler believed that gender is performative. It means that gender constructed with some repetitive acts that they don’t show some existed characteristics of gender but they construct them. So if the repetition is the main process of construction so it can be a good way to challenge the constructed nature of reality too. Thereby Subversive repetition in Butler theories is repetition with parody, with exaggeration, with a little difference that can critic the construction of reality. She also said that if the gender is constructed so it could be constructed differently. So presenting alternative constructs is another way to critic constructed reality. She also mentioned Brechtian distancing in her writings when she focused of how theater can deconstruct the reality.
The study then examined the extent to which these strategies aligned with those proposed by photography theorists. The results revealed significant parallels between the two sets of strategies, suggesting that Butler’s framework can be adapted to analyze how photography critiques constructed realities. Masking and unmasking is somehow like the subversive repetition however there a little difference in some details. For example Grundberg said that some masking methods like Appropriation can deconstruct the concept of originality with claiming that they are original, but Butler believed that parodic repetitions deconstruct the originality because they showed that there isn’t any original at all. Obviously, representing the marginalized people or things and showing hidden aspects of things is aligned with presenting alternative constructs and distancing in photography is somehow like Brechtian distancing. However distancing in photography have two option because sometimes photographs can make distancing effect with revealing the constructed nature of photograph and sometime they can just represent something that it is constructed. Finally, This research ultimately proposes a structured and comprehensive methodology for assessing the critical engagement of photographic works with the constructed nature of reality. However, it is necessary to refine and adapt Butler’s three main strategies to account for the unique characteristics of the photographic medium.