Frederick O'Loughlin

Indiscernibles Exhibition

A photo essay exploring identity loss. It was exhibited in 2012 at the Truman Brewery, London.

We have all been there. That moment when you look at a group photograph, and the first thing we look for? Ourselves. Our image fascinates us, maybe causing us to cringe, or maybe to smile. But we don't always pause to remember that it is not really us.

An image of our selves is just that, an image. It is an astounding recreation of what we looked like for a moment in time. But to what extent does that make it me? After all, the moment has gone, and a selfie is not my true self.

That has never slowed us down, we wear our images like masks on our social media. Not always conscious that everyone else is doing the same. The 'me' presented in that environment is a construct... Even if that construct is deliberately trying to subvert the system.

Now enter the world of photo manipulation, magazine covers, and deepfakes. The camera can now lie with greater ease than ever before. And we also consume more images than ever before.

It is impossible to think about all of this and not question the implication it all has on Identity. We put a lot of ourselves into the photographs that resemble us. But our likeness cannot support us, and what actually happens is a kind of identity loss.

That is the meditation which the Indiscernibles project was based upon. It is a series of abstract photographs relating to identity loss.

I was especially interested in the image creation that occurred in the camera. So explored in-camera abstract techniques. Some were taken using vintage cameras and even when using a DSLR the techniques used to abstract the image were all non-digital.

I eventually exhibited it at the Truman Brewery, London in 2012. You can take a look at the images below.

Indiscernibles Gallery