Private Lives, Public Places

Hilijos Exume

Imagery, Identity and Culture: Private Lives, Public Spaces

Constructing an identity can be done intentionally and unintentionally. Some identities are ascribed, given to us at birth. Such as being a certain race, gender, nationality or age. These characteristics are part of who we are. And some identities we create for ourselves. Such as our occupations, clothing style and musical taste. Together these characteristics form our personality and overall identity.

Home videos are one of the most private pieces of media and are perfect sources of viewing the identity of a family or a group of friends. Home videos usually depict days in the life or people enjoying the company of their loved ones. They are meant to be viewed by a select group of individuals, usually those involved in the video. That is why MOMA's exhibit Private Lives, Public Spaces is named as so. It features videos captured in people's private cameras and yet they are showcased in an open museum space. As the public, we get an inside look at some private footage of people truly being themselves.

In today's social landscape, people often reveal themselves in social media outlets like Instagram, snapchat etc. However we cannot always trust the credibility of the content posted there. Technology has gotten to a point where imagery can be easily altered, disintegrating the authenticity of what we see. An intagrammer can use multiple methods to show him/herself in an appealing way for the sake of pleasing the followers. This doesn't show who the instagrammers really is, but rather who they want people to view them. This sort of imagery isn't as skin deep as a home video.

The videos in the exhibit, Private Places Public Spaces are authentic. They depict the activities of people engaging as they normally would without any worry of an outside gaze. This is definitely a difference compared to social media imagery. Some people act differently when they know they're being seen versus when they are in their private lives. By catching a glimpse of people in their private lives, we are seeing their true identity.

Fictional movies are another type of video media where the imagery isn't an authentic representation of the people. Actors and actresses pretend to be someone they are not. Movies, however are a more dramatic comparison. Despite the differences between social media, movies and home videos, there is still a connection. They are all trying to capture moments. Usually good/entertaining moments. Like selfies today, home movies sought to capture and document an event, or a feeling, or any happening worth remembering. Home videos foreshadowed the need to keep and share memories/events.

One video captured identity perfectly. It was a home video of the Martin Family. Lon Martin, the father. Mary Steichen Martin, the mother. And their baby Nell. Much of the video shows the parents playing with the baby, especially the father. He plays a sort of peekaboo among other games that are quite questionable and too playful. Nonetheless, the moments seem to be a loving bond between parents and child. In today's age, parents would have used Instagram or a youtube vlog to display that same amount of affection.

As a graphic designer, it is important for me to be able to read imagery. Therefore, with the absence of sound and text, I have to be able to put together clues and elements and form an interpretation of what I see. With that in mind, the Martin home video shows the conventional depiction of a family household. We see a mother being motherly, as she's the one usually seen holding the baby. We see the father in a dressing shirt and tie. This tells the viewer that he is a working man. It is also worth mentioning that this family is white and considering that the video is from 1927, this furthers depicts the imagery of America at this time period.

Another video untitled "Cruise" by an unidentified filmmaker also relays typical 1920 imagery. It showed a group of well to do white people dancing. I can tell that they were upper class because of the way they were dressed and based on the title. Again similar to the Martin video, this video shows a snapshot of America during the roaring twenties. An exuberant time period where people danced and dressed differently. But the country still had racial issues so it is no surprise that only white people are featured. But we also see the power of the home video. The people are really letting themselves go as they dance.

A third video filmed in New York by Victor Ginsburg also featured scenes of dance. Though the imagery is different than that on "Cruise". The overall video is more patriotic. There are multiple scenes and wide shots that feature the American flag. As the flags are being shown, we also see people walking, cycling and going about their business. America is portrayed as one of productivity and peace. Sometimes the Statue of Liberty is seen in the background. There was also a firework scene. Piecing these images together leads me to believe that the video was shot on Independence Day. We are seeing the identity of America as a nation. It is a feeling of pride and celebration. A young woman was seen doing a salute towards the flags and also impersonating a soldiers march. It is safe to say that that woman identified herself as a proud American. She is joined with other kids and they dance together. This group was more racially diverse. The video was filmed in 1981. This shows the progression of America.

These three videos had a common thread. They all reflected America during a particular time frame. The Martin Family showed the conventional American family of the 20s, “Cruise” reflected the feeling and the type of people we'd see in that same time period and Victor Ginsburg's video showed a more progressive, inclusive and patriotic America. Nonetheless, a large majority of the videos in the entire exhibition didn't feature that many minority races. The wall text at the entrance of the exhibition mentioned that portable cameras were introduced in the 20s. It's possible that people in high socioeconomic classes had access to this new technology. Wealthier people had more chances to preserve and capture their stories.