Introduction
1. The Nature of Photography
2. A Philosophy of Photography
3. Another Philosophy of Photography
4. The Landscapes of Code
5. Photography as Algorithmic Art
Conclusion
References
Index
Yanai Toister (Ph.D.) is an artist, curator and educator. Toister serves as associate professor and director of the Unit for History and Philosophy at Shenkar College of Engineering, Design and Art in Tel Aviv. Toister’s artworks have been shown in numerous solo and group exhibitions (including Sandroni.Rey, Los Angeles; Dvir Gallery, Tel Aviv; Kunstahalle Luzern, Switzerland; Bolsky Gallery, Otis College of Art and Design, Los Angeles; Maison Europèenne de la Photographie, Paris; the 11th International Architecture Exhibition at the Venice Biennale; Kunstmuseen Krefeld, Haus Lange, Krefeld, Germany; Israel Museum). Toister’s writing has been published in various catalogues and journals (including Digital Creativity; Flusser Studies; journal of Visual Art practice; Journal of Science and Technology of the Arts; Philosophy of Photography; Photographies). Toister’s book Photography from the Turin Shroud to the Turing Machine has been published by Intellect/University of Chicago Press.
'Toister presents a theory of photography that goes beyond the
analog image into the realm of media arts and computation. Well
versed in the literature of photography, Toister provides a good
inroad to the topic, one with a unique spin. Basing his
recalibration on the paradigm shift concept articulated by Thomas
Kuhn (1922–96) in 1962 and the writings of the Czech-born media
philosopher Vilém Flusser (1920–91), Toister articulates a
'photography-postphotography' theory of the medium. Dismissing the
traditional emphasis on the unique sensibility of the photographer
as protagonist, Toister considers extant histories of photography,
e.g., Beaumont Newhall's, as a 'carefully constructed work of
fiction' (p. 108). . . . Well documented and clearly argued,
this book outlines a theoretical bridge between the image made of
light and the image made of data, and presents a serious challenge
to the rich and compelling history of the analog medium. . . .
Recommended.'
*CHOICE*
'Toister’s exposition of his position is quite remarkable. The
author’s ability to explicate ideas means that the trajectory is
clearly marked out [...], the documentation is absolutely
scrupulous, the examples given (including images) are entirely
germane and the argument is skilfully presented.'
*John Lechte, Philosophy of Photography*
'While the contribution of this book to the field of photography
theory/philosophy is clear, it is its contribution to the adjacent
discipline of design theory which should be noted. The classic
example would be the book’s contribution to the now well discussed
debate between art history and visual culture. The book’s main
thesis, alluding to the transition from pre-photography (the
analogue world) to photography (the digital, algorithmic and
computational) is highly innovative and could contribute to
design-oriented disciplines. While still an emerging discipline,
design theory often relies heavily on adjacent disciplines, such as
visual or material culture. Crucially, this book could illuminate
an interesting approach to research from our field.[...] Those that
will pick up this volume will enjoy a plethora of disciplines,
ideas, and points for reflection.'
*Jonathan Ventura, The Design Journal*
'Vilém Flusser may be spinning in his grave—with glee. After a
decade or more of the Brazilian Czech-born philosopher’s pioneering
communication philosophies trickling into English translation and
securing increased traction within media studies and digital
theory, Yanai Toister’s Photography from the Turin Shroud to the
Turing Machine skillfully explicates Flusser’s ideas about imagery.
Toister nudges them further toward the forefront of contemporary
thought about visual culture and, specifically, what photography
has come to be and mean in the digital era. [...] More than just a
whip-smart lit review, however, Toister pivots midway through to
bind the trajectories of more recent theorists (Kittler, Manovich,
and mainly Flusser) into a single toolkit for current and future
discourse about the medium. Toister’s accomplishment in this
compact argument is a steady, patient finesse in debunking old
wisdom about photography’s elemental nature and reframing it not
just as a complex technical system but as an inherently
computational one.'
*Thomas H. Conner, Technology and Culture*
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