Taryn Simon recently spoke at a TED conference about two of her major projects "An American Index Of The Hidden And Unfamiliar" and "Innocents". Earlier this year, in our Contemporary Photographic Practice Module at University, we were asked to write a critically informed and illustrated appraisal on a published photographic book. I chose "An American Index of the Hidden and Unfamiliar" - what was particularly interesting to me in exploring Simon's publication is the curious nature of her work - a hybrid of art and documentary photography where both image and text are fundamental and the balance between the two is always tightly maintained. The image does not reveal its meaning until the text is read.
© images & accompanying text, Taryn Simon
Nuclear Waste Encapsulation and Storage Facility Cherenkov Radiation
"Submerged in a pool of water at
Forensic Anthropology Research Facility, Decomposing Corpse,
"The decomposing corpse of a young boy is studied by researchers who have re-created a crime scene. The Forensic Anthropology Research Facility, popularly known as The Body Farm, is the world's chief research centre for the study of corpse decomposition. Its six-acre plot hosts approximately 75 cadavers in various stages of decomposition. The Farm uses physical anthropology (skeletal analysis of human remains) to help solve criminal cases, especially murder cases. Forensic anthropologists work to establish profiles for deceased persons.. These profiles can include sex, age, ethnic ancestry, stature, time elapsed since death, and sometimes, the nature of trauma on the bones. Corpses were first brought to the facility in 1980 as donations from the state (unclaimed bodies) or from families donating on behalf of the deceased".
