The anniversary of Gert's sale

"On September 25, 2013 - one year ago today - Christie’s London, King Street sold 58 images of Kate Moss from the collection of Gert Elfering for £1.67m/$2.73m. 

 

It was in reaction to this sale that I felt the need to undertake this project. Over the following months an interactive site, www.ishotkatemoss.com, was designed. 58 new unique images of kate - captured on film as in-camera montages of layered media we are all surrounded by in public spaces - were uploaded to the site which houses an interactive and participatory collage.

On Saturday November 2nd, 2013 the site was launched with an invitation to all others who wish to contribute. At present, the site houses over 300 images within the collage.  

A screen shot from the ishotkatemoss.com collage

The anniversary of the sale was an opportunity to, not only launch a slightly new look for this blog, but also to reflect upon iskm's progress and why I believe that this project matters:

I created ishotkatemoss as I am interested in how we exhibit, view and mass-produce images of each other and how these often carbon copied representations become individualized by the effects of time and location. Having explored such themes within other projects and exhibitions, I turned my attention to kate.

I was once asked 'Why her?' to which I responded: Kate Moss is the perfect subject to explore this theme given that her image is one of the most reproduced representations, used to market and commercialize the idea of beauty and now ‘art’, in modern history. 

There is no underlying reason why she is utilized by others in this way. She is not a politician, born into royalty, an athlete, artist or intellectual. She is now a mirror and a representation of something much more than herself.

This project looks towards the decay of a romantic portrayal of ourselves, finding a fascination with the distinct lack of control we have over what happens to images over time. As the human visage is constantly repeated, systemized and codified I believe that our perception of ourselves and others is altered.

My assertion is that if we slow down, particularly in today's fast-paced world of constant bombardment, we will experience and see the image, the change and the impact on ourselves so much more clearly. We experience one face in so many different forms and shapes that we become desensitized. As a result we stop seeing the transformation to who we are, beyond the superficial layers. This is why the collage will slow and become more accessible if the speed of our interaction and the movement of the viewer's mouse becomes unhurried. Just as in life, it is our own movements (more so today through constantly viewing countless photographs on screens) that dictate the momentum and urgency of the images.

Another screen shot from the ishotkatemoss.com collage

Shortly after launching the collage this blog was created in order to track the project while exploring universal artistic (appropriation, copyright, artistic interpretation) and societal (celebrity, privacy, sexuality, commercialization) themes. It does so through the lens of, use and analysis of manipulated reproductions of Moss’ image. I am pleased that so many people are interested in the work, particularly the collaborative Photographer Series where artists’ practices and processes are highlighted through the exploration of one or more of these themes. I would like to take this opportunity to thank all who have participated in the project to date, particularly the contributing Photographer Series artists including: Daniel Afzal, Neil Haddon, Cindy Hinant, Wataru Komachi, Keren Moscovitch, Alex Nunez, Matthu Placek, Jonno Rattman, Saul Robbins, Jeffrey Rothstein, Lynn Saville. They have given not only their creative input but a good deal of time during the interviews.I hope to have many more interesting perspectives to share over the coming months.

One of iskm's founding 58 unique images of kate

At present, the collage and blog have had approx. 20,000 views without any social media or concentrated marketing campaign. Not bad in 9 months for a seditious little project ... but there is a long way to go. So please send the www.ishotkatemoss.com link on to others if you enjoy and find this project at all relevant.

And most importantly, continue to Observe. Slow Down. Shoot and Submit!"

Zev Jonas,

September 25, 2014