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When folks inquire about my college major, they typically express astonishment upon learning that I pursued English Literature. Perhaps it’s because they expected me to have studied photography, or maybe it’s because they simply didn’t expect an Asian individual to opt for English over the more common choices of Science, Engineering, or Commerce.

Although I haven’t retained a great deal from my studies in English Lit., there is one concept that has been tickling the recesses of my mind lately: Defamiliarization. Essentially, it’s an artistic technique that invites viewers to see ordinary and familiar things in a fresh and peculiar light. The term itself stems from the Russian concept of ostranenie, which can be translated as “to make strange”. This concept finds its most fitting application in the realm of poetry, given the profound depths of meaning and symbolism that can be discovered within seemingly simple verses.

While we may not all fancy ourselves poets, this is a practice that should captivate photographers as well. Many of us have instinctively dabbled in defamiliarization to some extent. Consider black and white photography, for instance. Depending on the subject and desired outcome, color can prove to be a distraction, despite being the canvas against which we view the world. When executed skillfully, capturing a black and white image enables us to perceive it in an entirely different and strange manner. Macro photography, abstract compositions, and essentially any photographic genre can be leveraged to achieve this effect. It merely demands a heightened attentiveness to the details that surround us and an acknowledgment of the inherent beauty they possess. After all, our subjects need not always be grand or exotic to be captivating, for defamiliarization does not solely apply to the extraordinary.

Granted, this may sound a tad flowery and overly simplified, but I genuinely believe that every object crafted by the human hand carries a measure of artistry, bearing the indelible mark of its creator’s vision and creativity. Our task is simply to perceive it.

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Ihab Salloum