Wiki Loves Monuments (2014-16)
Wiki Loves Monuments is based upon a Wikimedia competition of the same name, where entrants from all over the world submit images of monuments. These are judged with winners selected, and are then listed by country and held within the Wikimedia collection and creative commons licensing. The collection is a wide interpretation of monumentality, taking in things such as structures, bombed buildings and public art. Often the selected images included striking landscapes or reminders of past or recent events; in many cases the photograph and the structure became increasingly or decreasingly relevant to one another, recalling the HDR photography of Internet “wanderlust” imagery or news images donated by members of the public.
Wiki Loves Monuments is a re-archiving project, whereby certain photographs are selected and all traces of the structure’s surrounding environment are removed. The item is then perhaps resized and placed within the centre of the image. As an isolating process it expands the potential for re-use in the images, acting as a tongue-in-cheek “democratisation`’ through a de-contextualising censorship. With the monument unpinned from its surroundings, its image is left vulnerable yet possibly benefits from wider exposure. As per the share-alike clause of the licensing, the images are also hosted online and are available for download.
Wiki Loves Monuments is a re-archiving project, whereby certain photographs are selected and all traces of the structure’s surrounding environment are removed. The item is then perhaps resized and placed within the centre of the image. As an isolating process it expands the potential for re-use in the images, acting as a tongue-in-cheek “democratisation`’ through a de-contextualising censorship. With the monument unpinned from its surroundings, its image is left vulnerable yet possibly benefits from wider exposure. As per the share-alike clause of the licensing, the images are also hosted online and are available for download.