The Impossible Science of the Unique Being

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.11606/issn.2178-0447.ars.2026.247929

Keywords:

Photography, Memory, Grief, Family Archive, Artificial Intelligence

Abstract

The essay recounts the observation of family photographs through the experience of grief, drawing on a body of images produced between the 1950s and the 2010s. The work investigates the interaction between photography, narration, and memory, exploring the synergy between word and image. The narrative journey moves from intimate memories and family secrets —revealed through cut-out photographs and archives discovered after a death— to a critical reflection on generative artificial intelligence technologies, proposing dialogues with ritualistic images such as the Fayum portraits.

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Author Biography

  • Andre Leite Coelho

    André Leite Coelho (1986) is a visual artist and researcher. His artistic work deals with the relationship between technology and perception, memory, and the interaction between text and image. His research focuses on the histories of techniques, with an emphasis on the photographic medium and visual culture.

    He holds a PhD in Arts from ECA-USP (2021) and works professionally in both formal and non-formal education fields, having taught courses at institutions such as PUC SP, Instituto Moreira Salles, and Sesc. He is part of the Photographic Printing Research Group at the Department of Fine Arts of ECA-USP, coordinated by Prof. Dr. João Luiz Musa. He works at Sesc São Paulo on institutional research and the digitization of the Sesc Memórias collection—the organization's memory center.

References

BAILLY, Jean-Christophe. La llamada muda: ensayo sobre los retratos de El Fayum. Trad. Alberto Ruiz de Samaniego. Madrid: Akal, 2011.

BARTHES, Roland. A câmara clara: nota sobre a fotografia. Trad. Júlio Castañon Guimarães. Rio de Janeiro: Nova Fronteira, 1984.

BENJAMIN, Walter. Obras escolhidas I: Magia e técnica, arte e política – ensaios sobre literatura e história da cultura.

Trad. Sergio Paulo Rouanet. São Paulo: Brasiliense, 1996.

DELEUZE, Gilles. Cinema 1 — A imagem-movimento. Trad. Stella Senra. São Paulo: Editora 34, 2018.

FLUSSER, Vilém. Ensaio sobre a fotografia: para uma filosofia da técnica. Lisboa: Relógio d’água, 1998.

LISSOVSKY, Mauricio. A máquina de esperar: origem e estética da fotografia moderna. Rio de Janeiro: Mauad X, 2008.

ZUBOFF, Shoshana. A era do capitalismo de vigilância:a luta por um futuro humano na nova fronteira do poder. Trad.

George Schlesinger. Rio de Janeiro: Intrínseca, 2021.

ZYLINSKA, Joanna. Nonhuman photography. Cambridge: The MIT Press, 2017.

Filme

Caracol (1994), Dir: Naomi Kawase, Japão: Kumie Inc., 40’, Son., color.

Site

FUNDAÇÃO BIENAL DE SÃO PAULO. A imagem gravada de Coatlicue. In: 34ª Bienal de São Paulo — Faz escuro mas

eu canto. São Paulo, [2021]. Disponível em: 34.bienal.org.br/enunciados/9064. Acesso em: 5 mar. 2026.

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Published

2026-07-13

Data Availability Statement

Os conteúdos subjacentes ao texto da pesquisa estão contidos no manuscrito.

Issue

Vol. 24 (2026)

Section

Dossiê Grupo de Pesquisa em Impressão fotográfica (GPIF)

License

Copyright (c) 2026 Andre Leite Coelho

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How to Cite

Leite Coelho, A. (2026). The Impossible Science of the Unique Being. ARS, 24, e-247929. https://doi.org/10.11606/issn.2178-0447.ars.2026.247929