Seeing is Believing : The Capacity of the Manipulated Photograph to Represent Scenes of Mythology and the Supernatural

This illustrated paper explores the capacity of the manipulated photograph to represent scenes of mythology and the supernatural. Can a photograph, which is said to be an index of the real, render a mythical realm into a believable scene? Practices such a double exposures and combination printing have historically been used to create famous faked images of the supernatural, such as the Cottingley Fairy images and Spurgen’s photograph of the Loch Ness monster. The photograph has a causal link with reality and as such a carefully manipulated image has the power to deceive or persuade the viewer. In her photography project ‘Realm’ Carolyn Lefley explores this apparent truth-telling phenomenon by constructing double exposure photographs that create a layering of realities. A familiar domestic interior and a potentially mythological landscape combine to create scenes of make-believe, which reference texts such as Alice in Wonderland and The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe. Down the rabbit hole, through the looking glass and into the wardrobe, all of these paths lead from the realm of the real, into the realm of myth. The kingdom of Narnia is entered through an ordinary wardrobe. The photograph of a homely interior becomes a portal into a mythical realm. The idea of creating fictional realms and in essence writing new mythology is a practice known as mythopoeia, which fascinated authors such as JRR Tolkien, CS Lewis and George MacDonald. The photographs in ‘Realm’ depict new image-worlds of myth and wonder. Post-production techniques have been utilised to achieve these images. The paper will conclude with a consideration of the next era in photography, that of computer simulated reality. Sarah Kember notes in her book Virtual Anxiety that the veracity of the photograph is not threatened by this paradigm shift, suggesting that any representation only constructs an ‘image-idea’ of reality.Non peer reviewedFinal Accepted Versio

An investigation of machine learning based prediction systems

Traditionally, researchers have used either o�f-the-shelf models such as COCOMO, or developed local models using statistical techniques such as stepwise regression, to obtain software eff�ort estimates. More recently, attention has turned to a variety of machine learning methods such as artifcial neural networks (ANNs), case-based reasoning (CBR) and rule induction (RI). This paper outlines some comparative research into the use of these three machine learning methods to build software e�ort prediction systems. We briefly describe each method and then apply the techniques to a dataset of 81 software projects derived from a Canadian software house in the late 1980s. We compare the prediction systems in terms of three factors: accuracy, explanatory value and configurability. We show that ANN methods have superior accuracy and that RI methods are least accurate. However, this view is somewhat counteracted by problems with explanatory value and configurability. For example, we found that considerable eff�ort was required to configure the ANN and that this compared very unfavourably with the other techniques, particularly CBR and least squares regression (LSR). We suggest that further work be carried out, both to further explore interaction between the enduser and the prediction system, and also to facilitate configuration, particularly of ANNs

Excavating images: a photographic response to an archaeological excavation

In 2013 Timespan Heritage Museum in Scotland commissioned photographic artist Carolyn Lefley as their Artist in Residence during the excavation of a longhouse ruin. This paper explores the relationship between photography and archaeology, referencing Lefley’s methodology and photographic output. This illustrated paper examines the parallels of the process of excavation, of peeling back the layers of earth to reveal evidence of the past and the indexical quality of a photograph to record reality. What is interesting about most excavations is that the site being revealed pre-dates the invention of photography. Lefley collaborated with archaeologists to make a photographic response to the excavation. Fieldwork was combined with research exploring notions of home, the Highland Clearances (including diaspora and migration), excavating and documenting, art and archaeology. Out of this research and time spent daily at the dig, Lefley made new work using a variety of photographic techniques to create new artefacts that now sit alongside the findings of the excavation in the museum. The paper concludes with a presentation of the photographic output from the excavation. ‘The Diaspora Stones’ are a new collection of pseudo photographic fossils exploring key themes linked to the excavation, including abandonment, home and migration. ‘The Descendants’ are a series of photographic portraits taken at the dig site, which reference the tradition of the human scale in archaeological photography.Non peer reviewe

Belonging : Photographs from the series ‘Belonging’ and accompanying text

Non peer reviewe

Picturing Myth: Double exposed realities

Down the rabbit hole, through the looking glass and into the wardrobe, all of these paths lead from the realm of the real, into the realm of wonder and myth. In Carolyn Lefley's project ‘Realm’ (2009-2012) constructed double exposure photographs create a layering of realities. A familiar domestic interior and a potentially mythological landscape combine to create scenes of make-believe or wonder, which reference texts such as Alice in Wonderland and The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe. The home becomes a portal into a mythical realm. The kingdom of Narnia is entered through an ordinary wardrobe. The idea of creating fictional realms and in essence writing new mythology is a practice known as mythopoeia, which fascinated authors such as JRR Tolkien, CS Lewis and George MacDonald. In this illustrated paper Lefley will explore the capacity of the manipulated photograph to invoke scenes of mythology and the supernatural. Can a photograph, which is said to be an index of the real, render a mythical realm into a believable scene?Non peer reviewe

Imaging the home : A photographic poetics of space

Non peer reviewe

Exploring Heritage Through Time & Space : Supporting community reflection on the highland clearances

Non peer reviewe