AustLit

'What exists at the intersection of image and word? Where does the photographer end, the writer begin? Who owns the story? “Bits of Worth”, an artefact of Worth, attempts to address such questions. Combing iPhone photos taken by LJ Maher and 1000 word stories written by Daniel Baker, Worth is an evolving collaborative narrative that skirts the borders between author and'reader. Herein, photos are curated by both creators and the constitutive elements of the greater narrative—characters, settings, plot, etc.—discussed. Part auto-writing, part fiction, part snapshot, part gallery, Worth blends lived experience and fictional reality, and, at its core, outlines a creative practice predicated on sampling, remixing, remediation, and authorised theft. Underpinned by the work of Lawrence Lessig and Henry Jenkins, Worth is positioned at a nexus of practice and theory, concerned with the historical image of the “original” artist and their relationship with economic, social, cultural factors. As such, questions of reader agency, collaborative vulnerabilities, artistic originality, and creative ownership naturally arise. Fundamentally, then, “Bits of Worth”, and its parent project part, constitutes something of a refrain, the unifying theme coded into a creative dialogue between its participants where each picture and each story is both conversation and consideration.'

Source: Abstract.