Analysis of Photo Reading Process Based on Actant - Network Theory

 
 

Like other artistic contents such as poetry, painting and film, the product of photographic action, i.e. photo (Image), is exposed to all kinds of questions when entering into a communicational process. This kind of action is called " Image reading". Critics usually look at the photos in various ways and approaches based on different philosophical and aesthetic definitions and theories, and thus read, interpret and elaborate it and share their opinions with others. In general, the act of reading literal and artistic artworks is related to the ontological, epistemological and methodological encounter with them in order to understand, interpret, and analyze their different aspects and layers. From this perspective, reading of artworks, including photographs, is a kind of action that can be compared with the action and encounter of scientists and thinkers toward the world and objects in order to gain knowledge and insight. If scientists seek to understand the world and explain its phenomena in many different manners, the goal and intention of critics is the recognition and explanation of art works and sharing of their interpretations with others. Hence, science and art can beperceied in the same manner, and sometimes by similar methods, therefore by using some theories and models in the field of science and technology one can reflect on and contemplate how to encounter and read artworks.
In this regard, the purpose of this research is to analyze the process of image reading and its constructionism. Therefore, identification of the main factors and elements involving image reading and the relation between them, has been attempted. The research method is descriptive, analytical and comparative, and the used approach is the theory of Bruno Latour. He has provided a different and interesting theory about the encounter of scientists to the world and objects and also the construction of all kinds of scientific and technical innovations which the investigational and analytical power to study all types of networks and their construction methods are among its characteristic feature. Based on his theory, Actor–network theory (ANT), Latour believes that everything is the output of relating human and non-human actors, including all living creatures, objects and artifacts, and so it is the way that all kind of structures such as scientific reality, buildings, government, parties, books and films are made.
Latour looks at the universe regardless of common categorizations  such as subject-object, real- unreal, natural- artificial and based on the Actor–network theory (ANT), he believes that the universe is composed of a heterogeneous interrelation betwen human and non-human (creatures, objects, artifacts), observable and unobservable (virus, microbes and electrons) actors that unite together to achieve their goals, and that is how scientific, technical, legal, political, cultural, and artistic structures form a scientific reality a political party, or government, buildings, cars, books and stories. Actor–network is a concert concept that shows two sides of one phenomenon; network is made of the connections among actors, and any entity that owns action and can cause change is considered as an actor. Therefore, there is no difference between a human actor and other non-human ones such as stones, birds, words, books, etc. Thus the nature, role, power and the functionality of each actor is determined within the network and relationships and connections that it has with other actors.
Basically, in isolation and without any connection with other human and non-human actors, no actor can make a change or create an action.  For example, driving takes place in network consisting of driver, car, road, weather, traffic rules, traffic signs, police, etc. that each of these actors influences the other and they define, interpret and adjusts the goals and strengths of one another. Speed, does not depend only on the driver's will, but it is determined and adjusted by other actors like car, weather, road, and the police. In other words, the driver here decides and acts as a network actor and has functionality but he is not a separate actor.
Since the basis of this theory is according to the way that actors are connected within each network, so if we want to study actions in the field of science, technology, religion, law and art law and investigate a product like law, government, book, movie or reading, first we have to identify the actors involved in the creation of the product and then reconstruct and analyze their interaction and negotiation within the network. In fact, instead of studying a product, the process of making it is considered here.Activist-network theory is ontological and a general method that is not allocated just to science and technology, as we can study scientific and methodological approaches with reference to this theory, as well as religion, politics,culture, and art. Therefore, by reconstructing this theory ontologically and psychologically and borrowing some generalizable concepts of Latour's theory, explaining and interpreting them, we can use it to present the formation and construction the process of image reading and trace the main actors and involvers in the process to clarify how they interact with each other through conflict, negotiation and interpretation, define and redefine change and adjust one another in order a reading to be created.
The main concern of this theory is the study of the nature of union, relation, connection and interaction of different human and non-human actors with each other within any network and how an output or structure is made. From this aspect, all types of image readings can be considered as a structure or product, in which many elements and actors have role and influence. Critics usually do the image reading with a certain method and approach and place their emphasis and orientation towards the artwork, artist, audience or a combination of them, but in this article, instead of describing the methods and approaches of image reading, we study and analyze the constructionism of the process itself. Therefore, these questions are raised, how is the process of image reading formed and finally made? Who are its main actors? What is the way of connection, communication and interaction of the actors involved in image reading with each other? Regardless of the creation of identity and definite homogenization between scientific and artistic theories, one can increase their understanding and analytical power in relation to artworks and photographs through such studies. Also, due to the lack of such attitudes and researches in the field of photography, by conducting and expanding such approaches new horizons and frameworks for interpretation of photography, and photography itself will be opened.
Finally, this research comes to the conclusion that image reading forms in the first step from the vision exposure and its union with human activism, i.e. the image critic, and then through blending, interaction, confrontation and negotiation of all actors involved in the network- from the title and statement of the photo up to the perspective and intention of the photographer- the branch and category of the photos and aesthetics theories and art criticism are made. In fact, the critic's action is not independent and depends on the acting of other network actors. In this way each of the actors makes or breaks relationships and links and defines and redefines each other's nature and change and adjust each other's actions to create a reading. In fact, due to the connection and interaction of visible and invisible actors, image reading goes through the process of change and transformation. Also, emerging different types of readings arises from the way of connection, negotiation and conflict between the actors. On the other hand, if any kind of reading is noticed, approved and confirmed by other critics, acts as a new actor and can cause change and transformation in the whole network of image reading. In this way the network of reading expands and changes. At the end, it is suggested the how-ness of reading different artworks to be investigated and analyzed by experts from Actor–network theory (ANT) point of view.