Re-framing ‘nies tal-pjazza’ : portraiture through deadpan methodology

Abstract

This study investigates deadpan photographic portraiture through artistic practice-led research with ethnographic aspects. This research project examines the issue of objectivity in deadpan photographic portraiture and investigates whether deadpan portraiture enables a subject to visually convey a dominant personality trait. The research is based on a sample of 63 male individuals belonging to a specific Maltese social group that is called ‘nies tal-pjazza’ (people of the village square) recruited and photographed in public areas across eight Maltese villages. The deadpan portraits as well as the ethnographic observations of the researcher before, during, and after the photography sessions are systematically analysed through engagement with the theories of non-verbal communication, body language, and personality traits. The produced data indicates a significant congruence between the body language displayed on the images and the assigned personality traits, based on the researcher's observations. Furthermore, this study proposes an analysis of the data by defining five categories that represent various interpretations of objectivity in photographic portraiture. Overall, this artistic investigation with ethnographic aspects highlights the complexity of the concept of objectivity and provides a new perspective for further exploration of the spectrum of objectivity in deadpan photographic portraiture.