The PHOTO OP series — to which SEMIOVOX has invited our semiotician colleagues from around the world to contribute — analyzes photos that we’ve snapped while “off the job.”

The character of a culture is encoded in the walls, graffiti, and murals of its cities, in dialogue with themselves. I like taking pictures of these raw material signs that often frame and contextualize the more polished and official meanings of brands and digital media. 

Posters with the phrases “To immigrate is to resist” and “Immigrate to survive” have been painted over with white paint in Coyoacán, one of the most gentrified neighborhoods in Mexico City, which has experienced a stark rise in prices due to the waves of temporary residents since 2020. 

Street poetry in Manhattan takes the tangible ruggedness of Times Square walls to the glossy, bright social media screens of passersby co-authors. 

Street graffiti in Oaxaca, Mexico, with a traditional wooden engraving (aesthetic from the Mexican revolution), portrays a Coke bottle that says “Poison” on the label. It has attracted 3 hummingbirds, killing one of them.

PHOTO OP: Mariane Cara (Brazil) on LA LUCHA CONTINUA | Aiyana Gunjan (India) on YAMRAJ | Greg Rowland (England) on I ❤️ FOOD | Gabriela Pedranti (Spain) on NOT SO TRIVIAL | Biba Allarakia (Saudi Arabia) on ALL THAT GLITTERS | Brian Khumalo (South Africa) on A LOST MEMORY | Becks Collins (England) on A MILLENNIAL ON THE BRINK | Samuel Grange (France) on SLOW DOWN | Rachel Lawes (England) on DESKTOP COLLECTIONS | Marie Lena Tupot (USA) on BOX OFFICE | Sónia Marques (Portugal) on SWISS-NESS | Serdar Paktin (Turkey / England) on BOTTLE SERVICE | Stefania Gogna (Italy) on OPEN-AIR MUSEUM | Charles Leech (Canada) on IS IT IRONIC? | Kishore Budha (England) on DOWN THE TUBE | Josh Glenn (USA) on JOINED AT THE DIP | Mark Lemon (England) on SHOP LOCAL | William Liu (China) on SWAN SONG | Malcolm Evans (Wales) on CHOCOCRACK | Paulina Goch-Kenawy (Poland) on POLAND’S NEW (HI)STORY | Adelina Vaca (Mexico) on WHAT’S YOUR POISON? | Natasha Delliston (England) on NATURE BATHING | Ramona Lyons (USA) on DEATH TO TECH | Victoria Gerstman (England) on TBD | Ximena Tobi (Argentina) on TODO PASA.

Also see these global semio series: MAKING SENSE (Q&As) | SEMIOFEST SESSIONS (monthly mini-conferences) | COVID CODES | SEMIO OBJECTS | COLOR CODEX | DECODER (fictional semioticians) | CASE FILE | PHOTO OP | MEDIA DIET.