The public was asked to post the most important image on their phone to Instagram or Twitter, with the #ceciestimportant hashtag. The images were then printed and displayed in the museum for less than 24 hours. Questions arise: why has someone chosen *this* image amongst the hundreds in their smartphone gallery? Are we looking at a secret lover, a deceased brother, is it an auto-portrait? What happened in that building, what does this field, statue or pet evoke for the photographer?
Participants came to see their most important image on display but as each photo was printed out it was pinned over a previous one, effectively overwriting it. Each image was as ephemeral on the museum walls as it had been online.
#ThisIsImportant was created for LabElisée, The Musée de l’Elysée’s new space dedicated to digital experimentation. The lab questions the way that a cultural institution dedicated to photography plays with new technologies, and invites both the online and physical visitor to contribute to the photography museum of the future.
