Trace Yourself: Layers of Interpretation in Autobiographical Photo Tracings

Visual elicitation, well established in social research, if always somewhat niche, is diversifying. Photoelicitation is prevalent, while drawing or mark-making in general remains uncommon, largely because of people's perceived or actual aversion to drawing as a slow and difficult activity. Forms of combining photography and drawing are even rarer, but potentially offer greater flexibility and a wider range of stimuli for interpretation. Phototracing combines the rapidity and descriptive richness of photography with the ability to allow for individual reflexivity and interpretation. To stimulate discussion of these issues and to present some applications, I will show how I have explored the potential of line drawing by tracing over photographs. In a research setting, it is possible to take or elicit photographs (in a variety of ways, depending on the focus of the project) and then, as part of the analytical phase, trace them to peel back layers and boundaries to get closer to what - one discovers - matters, focusing on objects/subjects but also on their relationships and narratives. I experimented with this method in a student project, Trace Yourself, where we examined how identity is expressed and performed through the material and social world, starting with the clothes and other objects that surround us. Students selected and traced photographs of themselves that they felt defined them. They were asked to focus on the details that they felt were important, but were free to intervene by selecting and pasting elements onto old or new photographs, reflecting on the practice and arranging the images in a sequence that was meaningful to them. I then traced and combined the resulting tracings as part of my own reflections, which I shared as inspiration in a feedback discussion. If time and conditions allow, a short tracing experiment could be attempted with the roundtable participants.