Absence is a lack of presence of something or someone. I think that footprints are one of the biggest indexical signs of this as they indicate that a person was once in this place and also show the direction in which they went, giving the same signal as an arrow or somebody pointing. I feel that the absence from footprints are amplified because of the eerie feel it brings, you can sense the lack of presence more than if there was nothing there at all..
Rachel Whiteread, Ghost
Casting is another method of signifying absence. The positive attributes are removed and leave the negative of an object, this is when we can see the absence of the object. I find this quite uncanny as even though you are looking at a solid object in front of you, it signifies to you that there is nothing.
A particular argument that intrigued me in Anna's seminar was whether a blank canvas or piece of paper is a picture of nothing or just nothing at all. When I would normally look at it I would usually see nothing at all, but this argument has opened my eyes to think it could mean either. I don't think there is a particular right or wrong answer as it just depends on how an individual perceives it.
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