The Tethered Artist

Abstract

There is a long history of artists physically tethering themselves in order to draw attention to the lengths to which they will go in their practice, often with the implied message that they are conceptually straining at the tethers of convention. Beginning with a discussion of my recent Arctic underwater photography, this article looks at the use of tethers in my own work, as well as in that of several other historical artists. I argue that by highlighting any method of production within the artwork, and specifically a tether, artists are revealing a Realist impulse.