the whole is delivered in parts

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"The whole is delivered in parts"

All sets of ideas that gets a foothold in large parts of a population can bee seen as institutions.

A fair assumtion is that all viable institutions serve a purpose and have meaning in the context in which they are established. At least they all have a cause. The nature of an institution is, however, to enclose some, and to exclude something or someone. No institution is perfect or complete. "The whole is delivered in parts".

We can learn something -for better or for worse, from all institutions we encounter, weather we find ourselfs on the inside or not. But because we all have a finite capacity for insight -and despite the fact that we are all influenced or bound by some institutions - we all have our unique set of personal experiences, needs, properties and interests and therefore our unique interpretations and perseptions.

Hence what we take from or contribute to the institutions, and cultures in general, must be individual. Maybe thats what constitutes our identity?

About Jo Bentdal

My approach in most of my personal projects is documentary art photography. I prefer to use natural/ available light and found rather than made motifs. I find its the best way to achieve a spontaneous, "keeping it real"–believable feel in the pictures. And, not least, when what´s in the pictures has actually happened without interference, it allows me to respond to the world and react to the things that Im drawn to.
I do, however, have an affinity for visual expressions of personality and cultural references. This can take on various forms - ranging from fashion to architecture, as well as more subtle social indicators. I often mix a documatary with a semi-saged approach, as I like to explore how we all stage ourselves, and how nothing human is purely objective.
In many cases I feel the result is as much a self portrait as anything else. Of course, I also hope others find that the pictures resonate with something in themselves, but I have no intention of imposing a particular reaction or telling an explicit story without room for individual interpretation.
When asked in a recent interview:"What message do you want to convey in your photographs?" My reply was the following:
"The answer to that question is evolving. The most current version is: I hope to be able to make people reflect on the issue that the world is a complex array of different systems, institutions, cultures and individuals. All of which is directly or indirectly linked. All the elements are there for a reason. No single person, system or ideology holds all the answers. What you do with it, and how you define yourself into that matrix is (or should be) a matter of defining your own identity."