Deconstructing Stock Photography with ISIA Urbino Students

A few snapshots of the work by our students at ISIA Urbino during a four-day mini-workshop. Students were asked to explore and repurpose the images and data of a well-known stock photo platform through a different medium: a printed thematic catalogue meant to spark debate on how stock photos can create, reinforce, or dismantle visual tropes. School Is Fun looks at how the school system, divided into its five main phases (preschool, elementary, middle school, high school, and university), is represented as an overwhelmingly positive environment, leaving little room for a more realistic picture. By Anita Bortolotti, Felipe Minicucci, and Greta Rolando. Say Cheese researches how the world of labor is represented in stock image archives, organized into five sections covering some of the lowest-paid jobs in the US. By Nico Ardini, Francesco Mazzerioli, and Klajdi Ribaj. Futuristock looks at how the future is represented in stock image archives, scouting the visual tropes we've all internalized through constant repetition across media — tropes that are by now part of a shared imagery we all help sustain simply by looking at them. By Alice Arcangeli, Daniele Pala, and Martina Proverbio. Habitat examines how domestic spaces, and the people inhabiting them, are represented in stock photography. Using the metaphor of an IKEA catalogue, the project explores the different spaces of a typical American house, chapter by chapter. By Alice Giordano, Roberto Hajdari, and Mirko Micheli. Thanks again to the ISIA Urbino students for their participation and the great discussions throughout the course.