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The Douglas Summerland Collection is a fictional, yet critically engaging, "monographically based history" that examines the complex relationship between photography, historical narrative, and the construction of knowledge. At its core, this research navigates the contested terrain of history recording, questioning the authenticity of photographic evidence and the interpretive methods through which histories are constructed, communicated, and consumed by contemporary audiences.
The narrative unfolds around a fictional discovery made in 2004: a small, timeworn album of maritime photographs found in the archives of the Port Chalmers Regional Maritime Museum in New Zealand. Purportedly containing vernacular images from the late nineteenth to early twentieth centuries, the album features life aboard notable sailing vessels such as the DH Sterling and the William Mitchell. These images, though fictional in context, are presented with the visual and textual authority typically associated with archival records.
This body of work critically engages with the idea of the photograph as a "truth system"-a visual document traditionally assumed to be an objective witness to the past. By embedding fictional imagery within real historical frameworks, the project challenges the viewer's assumptions about historical authenticity and photographic evidence. It questions how deeply ingrained perceptions of photographic "truth" influence our understanding of colonial histories, and how photography has been instrumental in shaping colonial narratives and power structures.
The research further explores how audiences digest new forms of "knowledge" that blur the line between fact and fiction. By presenting fictional narratives through the lens of museum curation and archival authority, it forces viewers to confront their own biases and assumptions about historical truth, documentation, and institutional trust.
Ultimately, The Douglas Summerland Collection serves as a commentary on how histories are not only recorded but also manufactured and interpreted. It underscores the idea that what we accept as historical knowledge is deeply influenced by cultural, institutional, and technological constructs-particularly the perceived objectivity of photography. In doing so, it invites a critical reflection on how we engage with the past and the narratives that shape collective memory....
