article

Before The Gaze

Gözde Türkkan

In its early stages, photography was expected to be a perfect and precise representation of reality; thus it tended to replace painting in terms of documentation and authentication. For instance it was used as a memento in portrait and post-mortem photography since the 19th century. Currently photojournalism and vernacular photography is likely to be the most unadulterated form of photography because it is either supposed to represent facts without interference or just to keep a moment’s impression, which is judged memorable. On the other hand, each and everyone behind the camera makes decisions. Even the most naïve interference might not be that ineffective. One should not always look for connotations in the author’s interference, but this is something to bear in mind, especially if you are the one behind the camera. Thereby it can be stated that photography is certainly not an exact representation of the world, but eventually a version of it.

At this state psychoanalysis might provide some knowledge in order to get acquainted with a photographer’s choices. Richard Zakia, a theorist who works on the relationship between the photographer and what is being photographed, attempts to establish the different natures of this relationship. According to him, there are at least three approaches. The first one, projection, is actually derived from Freud’s defense mechanism theory of psychological projection. Here, “The photographer projects onto the object what he or she feels at the time.” (1) The second one is introjection. In order to explain the mechanism, Zakia uses an analogy:  “The photographer spends time looking at the tree and studying it in a quiet way, attempting to ‘listen’ to what the tree has to reveal. The photographer then tries to photograph that quality of the tree.” (2) The third approach, entitled “confluence”, is described as an “highly meditative one in which the tree and the photographer become as one and the photograph reveals that intimate relationship.”(3)

On the other hand, scopophilia is considered to be one of the component instincts present in childhood according to Freud.(4) Children experience pleasure, among other things, through looking at others and this instinct may be pursued in some individuals to adulthood and externalized through voyeuristic acts. Furthermore, Kohei Yoshiyuki’s statement about his series “The Park” deserves attention: “My intention was to capture what happened in the parks, so I was not a real ‘voyeur’ like them. But I think, in a way, the act of taking photographs itself is voyeuristic somehow. So I may be a voyeur, because I am a photographer.(5) ”

It is commonly accepted that the sexual instinct, thus sexual desire is one of the primary motivational energy of human life. So exhibitionist feelings and its counter, scopophilia or voyeurism, are components of this so vital sexual instinct; and it is more developed in certain individuals than others. Also the eye is an erotogenic zone in scopophilia and exhibitionism. Sophie Calle’s work fall in to consideration in this context. One of her interesting works involves a private detective following her for a day, hired by Calle’s mother on her request. The artwork consist of clichés taken by the detective and his notes, accompanied by Calle’s writings about her day while she is aware that someone is pursuing her. At some point she states that she got her hair done in order to please her stalker, uninformed of the artist’s intentions.(6)

Furthermore, among other things, one also takes photographs to show to others. In this respect, self-portrait might be an eligible way of satisfying both instincts, voyeuristic and exhibitionist while stimulating pleasure to the self. Being able to represent his/her self the way the author seeks to see himself/herself is a remarkable potency. Many female photographers and artists who involve themselves in their works via self-portraits may be mentioned: Elenor Carucci, Nan Goldin, Hiromix, Diana Michener, Natacha Merritt, Cindy Sherman, Annelies Strba.(7)Self-portraiture is obviously a way to satisfy oneself and in this sense it can be described as an autoerotic act.

Autoeroticism usually refers to the practice of sexual stimulation of oneself or obtaining satisfaction from one’s own body. Autoeroticism includes masturbation, but it is more specifically defined by Freud regarding infantile sexuality: “Childhood sexual activities feature is that the instinct is not directed towards other people, but to the self.”(8) The child might usually be in need of a repetition of a satisfaction previously experienced, for instance thumb-sucking in order to stimulate similar pleasure felt during breast-feeding for instance. In other words, the supposedly lack of sexual object and the autoerotic acts of the childhood period along with the narcissist development could be formulated as the child actually being his/her own sexual object. It is not until puberty that the sexual instinct, which has been so far mainly autoerotic, is supposed to find its sexual object - an object other than the self. Similarly, mechanisms such as the “Elektra Complex” and “Penis Envy” takes action on the subconscious of the female child. When the girl, subconsciously fallen in love with her father, realizes her lack of the phallic apparatus, desires one of her own, consequently her father’s.

Those are, of course, the supposedly usual evolution of things.
Freud’s statement is quite agreeable at this point: “We have to deal with disturbances that affects the sexual instinct in the course of its development.”(9)

As I stated, self-portraiting is likely an act of autoeroticism. Hence this whole work is an attempt of self-satisfaction, an act of autoeroticism to many extends. First of all, taking my own portraits, capturing my “self-gaze”, representing myself according to my will is maybe the most basic form of self-gratification taken into consideration here. On the other hand, there is the pleasure of capturing the gaze and attention males laid on me. And finally the book itself is the materialization of my presumed recognition as an object of desire and the compensation of my unsatisfied infantile libido. Furthermore it can also be said that photography is a form of libidinal release, a sexual act regardless of its object; therefore the camera is my sex toy. Including photography in the act of sexual behaviors is even more unavoidable.

Besides I am in search of my own “female gaze” but my perception seems to be distorted by the male gaze dominating the world; dominating me. Thus I first need to represent myself as a female in coherence with the male gaze; so to say as an object, an object of desire. However I am also in search of some kind of potency, the potency usually innate to the male. And obviously my sexual object choice is towards the male, but I seem to be stuck or fixated in a pre-pubertal state of autoeroticism in which I am still my own sexual object. To which extend this eventual recognition as a sexual object will effect me? This is what I am so willingly digging to find out.

I am to be found imperfect in various contexts, in the first place because the excessive need of admiration and psychological power, and pervasive sense of grandiosity are especially peculiar to the narcissistic personality traits. My ego-libido, directed inwards to my self, must mature and I am in need of articulating this through photography.
On the other hand there is another question: Does my female gaze engages in process of creating objects of desire out of males? Maybe not, but making an object out of males might be a way of coming into power, gaining power on them, in the same manner they already have on me.

I am masturbating right now in front of you as you look at me, at what I want you to look at. So you become part of my exhibitionism and my pleasure in being looked at. I want you to desire me.

Then it can be satiable.

  The book embodies some of my deepest fears, complexes, desires and stimulations. These are carried to a next level as I projected them into that physical fetishistic object and I now declare my independence from them.
And I sated.

1. Gozde Turkkan, from I Was Looking to See if You Were Looking Back at Me to See Me Looking Back at You, 2008.

2. Gozde Turkkan, from I Was Looking to See if You Were Looking Back at Me to See Me Looking Back at You, 2008.

3. Gozde Turkkan, from I Was Looking to See if You Were Looking Back at Me to See Me Looking Back at You, 2008.

4. Gozde Turkkan, from I Was Looking to See if You Were Looking Back at Me to See Me Looking Back at You, 2008.

5. Gozde Turkkan, from I Was Looking to See if You Were Looking Back at Me to See Me Looking Back at You, 2008.

6. Gozde Turkkan, from I Was Looking to See if You Were Looking Back at Me to See Me Looking Back at You, 2008.

(This article is part of the publication “I was looking to see if you were looking back at me to see me looking back at you”, 2008)