Thursday Topic 11/6

Tableau
Adjective
-1. A work in which narrative has been distilled into a single image.
-2. A preconceived narrative created through a composition of props, gestures, and the style of the work of art.

Although this is a very generic term in photography, I take it to mean purposeful storytelling. In my work, I strive mental dialogues, where the viewer can't just look at the image for it's beauty or composition. I want something in the scene to provoke a narrative, while leaving something out of the scene so as not to follow a stereotypical narrative. Without tableau, I believe photography can too easily fall into being strictly documentary. With tableau, the viewer is left to question reality.