BOB MILLER
Installation photograph of Bob Miller’s works. From the exhibition Travellers from Australia, exhibited at the Pailia Ilektriki, Ktima Pafos, Cyprus, 2-15 October, as part of the official program of the Pafos2017 European Capital of Culture. Photo: Shelley Webster, 2017.
Artist Statement
What difference does digital photography bring to the archaeological process? Reflecting on my own practice, which began in analogue photography with film cameras and dark rooms, I explore the new techniques that digital photography has contributed to the archaeological process. My photographs combine visual exploration of actual sites and objects with original research into techniques and approaches. By remembering the primary role of archaeological photography historically, I investigate the contemporary relationship between artefact, site and image.
Digital photography has made possible a quantum leap in the volume, quality and immediacy of visual data available to the user. Further, through the creative process, digital archaeological photography may provide an abundance of visual information that exceeds the archaeologist’s original research questions, so that the digital image may sometimes exceed its primary role as a recording device. In such cases it may become the starting point for new research due to its potential for “photo-excess” and creates a new paradigm for archaeological photography.
An important distinction between creative photography and archaeological documentation is the presence of the artist’s (photographer’s) hand throughout the progression from creation to final image. In each step of the process, significant choices are made from the many possibilities, further influenced by the ‘intent’ of the photographer. The artist’s mark is not only discernible but also inherently valuable as each photographer imparts his or her own style and creative choices. As the artist photographer I am always concerned with aesthetic qualities, and it is the combined elements of technique and aesthetic choice that are displayed in the exhibition photographs here.
I see the camera as a passport into a variety of life situations. Since I made the transition to digital cameras in the late1990s, I have become expert in data management of precisely photographed archaeological images. Archaeology assignments have taken me primarily to the Eastern Mediterranean region on sites ranging from Neolithic and Bronze Age, through the Iron Age and Classical civilisations to the Byzantine and Medieval periods.
Bob Miller, June 2017.
Biography
Originally trained as an artist printmaker and sculptor, Bob Miller became a specialist in archaeological photography, working with universities from Australia, England, Scotland and Poland on sites and museums in Cyprus, Greece, Jordan, Syria and Turkey. While working as Lecturer at the University of Canberra, Bob joined the University of Sydney theatre excavation team at Paphos in 1997 and has been fortunate to witness the enormous changes to the site and contribute photographs that are used to document and interpret the site and features. He was awarded a PhD in 2015 from the University of Canberra ACT Australia, for his research into the history of archaeological photography and the impact of digital photography in this field. Achieving national awards, his work is represented in a number of institutions and photographic collections, including The BHP Collection, the University of Canberra and the National Library of Australia.