अहम्
क्रिया
KRIYAA
a word used to describe an action, state, or occurrence, and forming the main part of the predicate of a sentence, such as hear, become, happen.
n. (Sanskrit), verb
E.g. The agent of verb (the subject) is subjected to the meanings and sentence structures that a language permits: i think, therefore i am.
the Production
Read the sign
Berlin (2022)
electronic photographic image
3344 × 2985 px
Means of Production
Moulding
Assembly
Branding
Camera, subject, ideology.
The photographer carefully arranges various elements within the frame. Lighting, angle, focus, depth of field - all of which is meticulously welded together to create a specific visual image.
Individual images are contextualised and sequenced by assembling captions, titles, or any accompanying text together that forms a specific narrative.
Signifiers within the images are carefully, and selectively, highlighted to evoke a sense of familiarity within the mind of the viewer - for instance, a sociocultural reference, memory, or a repressed feeling.
act
reyyi interrogates the algorithmic reification of human consciousness [in The Age of Surveillance Capitalism]* through digital platforms that are relentlessly quantifying and monetising every human interaction. The complexities of social consciousness and cultural affiliations are being flattened in the form of tradable data points, that are stripped of historical and psychological depth of an individual, of a class, of a community, of a collective.
Through the use of photographic images, as a deliberate medium, reyyi critically intervenes into this process, transforming complex social relations, cultural understanding, and a postcolonial catharsis into visually singularised frames, that reflect the logic of reification - turning a dynamic human process into a fixed, consumable object.
However, this mirroring is also a critical counter-gaze. The subjects—drawn from varied geographical locations, socioeconomic contexts, and cultural practices—are presented as captured work products. The project, as an act of meditation, compels the viewer to confront the mechanics by which their own reality, cultural understanding, and sense of Self are manufactured, monetised, and controlled by [a] dominant narrative that remains invisible and perpetually beyond the frame.
*2019, Shoshana Zuboff
Quality Check
To ensure consistency and effectiveness, the images are measured against a set of established principles. Feedback loops are used to refine the production process and optimise the production of photographic images.
Packaging & Distribution
Images are packaged, often with ideological biases. Public forums act as distributors, shaping public perception, and, at times even reinforcing dominant narratives.
product
Delivery
Finally, the photographic image reaches the consumer — the viewer. The viewer assembles the meaning of the image, not just based on the instructions provided, but also through their own experiences, biases, and cultural context, creating surplus meaning of the image. The subjective nature of interpretation becomes most apparent, as different viewers construct different meanings of the same image, from their point of view.
POINT OF VIEW
Subjectivity, at its core, refers to the conscious experiences and unconscious retentions, perceptions, and understandings of an individual - the sense of Self - producing and reproducing the values, beliefs, and desires reified as a commodity.