Humor beyond language. An image-based inquiry focused on the medium of photography and video

Abstract

“Why is that funny?” This seemingly banal question is often particularly difficult to answer and most probably spoils the fun. Nevertheless, this thesis project is an earnest inquiry into the question of what humor is and has thus to risk a balancing act: between boredom and provocation, between ironic distance and the own position. Humor in a theoretical context is often treated exclusively based on language. In consequence its unique forms and means of expression through images are not considered. Therefore, this investigation asks: How can humor be conveyed through images? The exploration took shape in a hands-on experimental approach as well as the collection and analysis of existing media from a professional and amateur context. Through making and collecting, a deeper understanding developed. However, the answer to the question posed did not lead to a formulated definition or set of fixed rules, but finds expression in a series of found images organized into eight categories, mostly based on incongruity: exaggeration, context, unexpected use, formal similarities, giving life to objects, shifting focus, mistakes, amateur. Thus, a first practical output is a publication that contains the arranged examples, accompanied by a selection of the photographic experiments conducted. Through maintaining the categories as order-giving instance, the intention is to reveal a subjective comprehension and invite the viewer to explore her own understanding through comparison and rearranging. The second part of the practical output is a video installation, which embraces the aesthetic of the everyday and consists of several video sequences and sounds next to and overlapping each other. Other than the former, there is a topic next to the frame of humor underlying the concept: The visualizations of work referring to household and care derive from the statistics that globally 75% of unpaid work is done by women. Each clip is based on the idea of twisting everyday tasks to absurdity. An example is vacuuming in the park, which additionally moves the task from the private living situation to a public space. Therefore, the invisible work becomes visible. The use of everyday aesthetics in the produced results is a conscious renunciation of perfect staging and a celebration of the ordinary that already inherits absurdity and reflects upon our social and cultural environment. Exploring humor through images might change one’s perspective on given humor theories and for sure sharpens the eye to diversions and fresh prospects. After all, to give an image a humorous connotation requires an unexpected twist, and nothing is as damaging to surprise as habit and repetition. Since we want to exclude stereotypical representations, this must be achieved through creativity and invention. Finally, humor allows us to not only endure imperfections and mistakes, but to celebrate them – a fantastic starting point for diving deeper into image making.