Printed Paper: Mood Disorder on Printed Web #1

Published on March 19, 2014

Publisher: Paul Soulellis Library of the Printed Web Long Island City, New York 2014

In Mood Disorder Horvitz has made a self portrait on a beach in the early morning in New York City. The photograph is based on his studies of stock photographs that depict depression and sadness. Horvitz has acted out these cliches and gesticulations that represent depression: his face is in his hands, he is dressed in black, behind him waves are crashing. Horvitz has then placed this image on the English Wikipedia page for the article about Mood Disorder. Since Wikipedia is a website of copyright free content, the image can circulate openly and legally without restrictions. News pages, blogs, journals, and various other kinds of sites have started to use the image as a free stock photograph to illustrate their articles. Using reverse image searches the artist has tracked the articles that have been using his image. The piece is essential a digital image traveling outside of the artist’s control. This piece continues to grow larger over time.

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