The Message is the Medium

My classmate and talented photographer Robert Herman gave a profound speech today about the nature of photography. He said that digital photography has changed the way we interact with images, and, "for the first time in history, we can't believe what we see." Not only that, but because this new approach - suspicion of all forms of images, moving or still - we must swim in a state of perpetual suspended disbelief. Where does that leave us? Constantly in a dream world, where, Robert says, "we must reinvent our own imaginations and learn to be comfortable with our own happiness."
I'm an artist who works in two mediums to get my message across - photography and theater. I choose my medium based on what I feel will be the most effective way to get my vision in front of "as many eyeballs as possible". Twin Towers has a story tell, and theater is the ideal medium. In theater, we know there is no manipulation, no special effect, no photoshop. In a sense, theater is the antithesis of film and digital photography - while special effects strive to become more and more realistic, black box theater asks the audience members to put in more, to participate, to make the leap into imagination on his or her own. The more the viewer has to contribute to the special effect of internalizing the characters and story, the more powerful it becomes. Less IS more!