Imagining Photography in the Age of AI

An analysis of the debate on Boris Eldagsen’s Pseudomnesia: The Electrician

Autori

  • Chiara Spaggiari Università di Urbino Carlo Bo

Parole chiave:

Generative visual media, Photography , AI-generated images, Boris Eldagsen, Visual Culture

Abstract

The present article observes the current crisis of photography concerning the new algorithmic and machine learning systems, which are increasingly integrated into the apparatus of capturing, processing and creating technical images. In this moment of technological transformation, it changes conceptions and definitions of photographic images, influencing both the imaginaries from a structural and philosophical point of view, as well as the imaginative expectations and related worries of individuals. The case of Boris Eldagsen, who won a photography award in April 2023 with an image generated with DALL-E, was the trigger for a debate on social media, particularly Facebook, concerning the relationship between photorealism and photography, art and communication. Through the qualitative content analysis of posts and comments, it is possible to observe the trajectories by which new distinctions are defined by social imaginaries.

Biografia autore

Chiara Spaggiari, Università di Urbino Carlo Bo

Chiara Spaggiari is a PhD candidate in Humanities, curriculum Communication Science and Digital Culture at the University of Urbino Carlo Bo with the supervision of Prof. Laura Gemini. She was a PhD visiting student at the IT University of Copenhagen with Prof. Luca Rossi. Her research focuses on the relationship between photography, generative visual media and new media art. She holds a degree in Philosophy (BA) and in Visual Arts (MA) from the University of Bologna. She published with L. Gemini (2024) Le Arti della Politica. Sguardo pratico e intento civile. Le responsabilità dell ’arte alla prova della guerra Israele-Hamas, in «Comunicazione Politica» and (2023) Forme estetiche della VR teatrale. La mappa del cuore di Lea Melandri in VR di Ateliersi fra liveness e pratica spettatoriale, in H-ermes. Journal of Communication, Comm. 25, 43-62 (with L. Gemini and S. Brilli). Since 2017, she has been working in the field of contemporary art as an independent curator.

##submission.downloads##

Pubblicato

2025-07-01 — Aggiornato il 2025-07-21

Come citare

Spaggiari, C. (2025). Imagining Photography in the Age of AI: An analysis of the debate on Boris Eldagsen’s Pseudomnesia: The Electrician. Mediascapes Journal, 25(1), 281–305. Recuperato da https://rosa.uniroma1.it/rosa03/mediascapes/article/view/19039

Fascicolo

V. 25 N. 1 (2025): Celebr-Age: Celebrity and Ageing in Media and Sports Contexts

Sezione

Percorsi di ricerca - Sezione miscellanea

Licenza

Creative Commons License

TQuesto lavoro è fornito con la licenza Creative Commons Attribuzione 4.0 Internazionale.