The figure that appears in many of my images is known as ‘The Cage’s Keepers’ or ‘The Keeper’ for brevity. The cage, an analogy for society created by the German philosopher Max Weber, is not locked but open, and one may leave at anytime.
Therefore, the role of ‘The Keeper’ is to furnish the cage with the ideology necessary to keep the inhabitants inside it. ‘The Keeper’ is an allegory of the prevailing ideology of capitalism which has infiltrated and rules over much of our modern existence. I use the figure in my images as an allegory of capitalism to address its presence in the spaces of the everyday. The character is also an echo from my own past as a former corporate employee, while the briefcase, belonging to my father, is another icon of the corporation.
About David Flood
David Flood is an Irish image-maker, researcher, educator, and PhD candidate at the University of Helsinki, Finland. He holds a practice-led Masters by Research degree from Dún Laoghaire Institute of Art, Design and Technology, Dublin, Ireland. His work focuses on the how the photographic image is deployed in relationships of power. David’s most recent work, completed in 2018, focused on the role of the photographic image in the transformation of urban topographies in the context of globalised production and neoliberal governance. Starting his professional career as a software developer working for large global based corporations has been a key influence on his work. In support of his photographic work David also does extensive academic research on his projects and is interested in how the photographic image is deployed to support certain views of the world through ideology. David is currently a doctoral student at the University of Helsinki, exploring the prevalence of the digital image in society and how the networks it is distributed through form phenomenally transparent windows that shape our understanding of the world. He also teaches photography courses at the Espoo Education Centre near Helsinki, Finland. David is represented by The Copper House Gallery in Dublin, Ireland where you can view a collection of his work. [Official Website]
