How are these two images similar? How are they different? 

• These two images both depict the exact same location in Sonoma County, California. Each photograph was taken at different times and by different photographers.
• The image on the left is called Bliss and it was photographed by Charles O’Rear in 1996. 
• Bliss may not look familiar to you if you were born after the year 2000 but it might be the most viewed photograph in history! It was the default computer desktop wallpaper of Microsoft’s Windows XP computer operating system, released in 2001. 
• The original Bliss image was not edited by the photographer. It’s often assumed that it is a digital image but it is actually a photograph taken with a film camera.
• The image on the right is called After Microsoft and it was photographed by the artist duo Simon Goldin and Jakob Senneby in 2007.
• Goldin + Senneby returned to the spot to photograph it and created a video that tells the story of Charles O’Rear capturing the Bliss image and selling it to Microsoft.

Microsoft chose the Bliss image for the default wallpaper because “it illustrates the experiences Microsoft strives to provide customers (freedom, possibility, calmness, warmth, etc.).”

Do you think Microsoft would have chosen the photo of the exact same location by Golden+Senneby? Why or why not?

Windows XP Commercial from 2001:

For your next stop, look for this colorful, interactive artwork:

Left: Charles O’Rear, Bliss, 1996. Digital desktop image. This image of Bliss (1996) was independently screengrabbed and printed for exhibition purposes. This copy is not affiliated with, authorized by, or sponsored by Microsoft Corporation. Microsoft is the sole owner of Bliss in its original iteration.

Right: Goldin+Senneby, After Microsoft, 2007. Still image with sound, audio loop Courtesy of the artists and Nome, Berlin, © Goldin+Senneby, CC 2.5 S.A.