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Identity

Print
2005 (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

From an early age Joanna Brendon was interested in practicing as a visual artist but only took up making work recently after several years work in arts administration. Visually impaired from birth, she developed cataracts in mid-life, but an operation at Moorfields Eye Hospital in 2007 (after the three prints which she donated to the museum were made) left her sight much improved. After years of 'living in thick brown gravy' as she described her visual ability, colours came back.

In much of her work she uses the barcode as motif and signifier. In a barcode, each sequence of bars, while looking quite similar to the next, is unique, and the key to very specific information. While Brendon is unable to attain the detail and precision of image making that fully sighted artists might, she can still make works that refer to the significance of coded messages. Much of her work uses actual photographs of the eye, taken by herself as well as a professional opthalmic photographer.

This print differs from the two others by Brendon in the collection, which form single blocks of colour. Here the barcode takes the form of sequential blocks, suggesting a progression or narrative in the information implied in the image.

Object details

Categories
Object type
TitleIdentity (assigned by artist)
Materials and techniques
Digital print on paper
Brief description
Joanna Brendon. Identity. Digital Print. 2005
Physical description
An image of 12 sequential blocks of mixed black and coloured parallel stripes -each block resesmbing part of a barcode. The coloured stripes are slightly mottled- like sections of coloured clouds or flowing water. They are in fact taken from highly magnified details of photographs of the cornea of the eye. Printed parallel to each other in a straight line. Printed on thick grey paper with a wide margin.
Dimensions
  • Sheet, wider at left margin than at right. height: 11.3-11.6cm
  • Sheet width: 105.4cm
  • Printed surface height: 8.3cm
  • Printed surface width: 88.1cm
Credit line
Given by the artist
Subjects depicted
Summary
From an early age Joanna Brendon was interested in practicing as a visual artist but only took up making work recently after several years work in arts administration. Visually impaired from birth, she developed cataracts in mid-life, but an operation at Moorfields Eye Hospital in 2007 (after the three prints which she donated to the museum were made) left her sight much improved. After years of 'living in thick brown gravy' as she described her visual ability, colours came back.

In much of her work she uses the barcode as motif and signifier. In a barcode, each sequence of bars, while looking quite similar to the next, is unique, and the key to very specific information. While Brendon is unable to attain the detail and precision of image making that fully sighted artists might, she can still make works that refer to the significance of coded messages. Much of her work uses actual photographs of the eye, taken by herself as well as a professional opthalmic photographer.

This print differs from the two others by Brendon in the collection, which form single blocks of colour. Here the barcode takes the form of sequential blocks, suggesting a progression or narrative in the information implied in the image.
Collection
Accession number
E.55-2006

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Record createdJune 30, 2009
Record URL
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