# @williamslenses on Instagram

- **Type:** Image
- **Original URL:** https://www.instagram.com/p/DPm-26tjBJ_
- **Gondola URL:** https://gondola.cc/posts/35535112-williamslenses-instagram
- **Thumbnail:** https://img.gondola.cc/tr:w-,h-,fo-auto/postThumbnails/f464b281a8.jpg
- **Posted:** 2025-10-10T00:46:01.000+00:00
- **Account Owner:** WILLIAMSLENSES (@williamslenses) — https://gondola.cc/williamslenses

## Caption

Backscratch (Joshua Jacob) // 2024 💻🤝🌁 
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This is Joshua, a portrait from my series, “Of masked/omitted devices.” It is an encounter born from the digital ether of queer chatrooms and dating apps, a moment of physical connection captured from a virtual search. Its composition is a mix of sweat, shade, and the shared intimacy framed by the concrete underside of a river bridge. It is a portrait not of a constructed profile, but of the vulnerable, human body that exists just beyond the screen.
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But this piece is more than just a document of a meeting; it is an inquiry into digital intimacy. It personifies the ambiguous line between the online persona and the offline person. Photography, in this vein, becomes the critical bridge—a medium that both facilitates and critiques the very platforms where this connection began. It confronts the moment of translation itself: the disembodied texts, the shared location pins, and the tangible presence of another person in a space defined by fleeting connection.
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The creation of this piece was the interaction itself—a conversation that spanned countries and time zones before culminating in a shared physical space. I remember Joshua’s words, a mix of British and Italian life  grounding our digital exchange in a specific voice. The journey to that spot under the bridge was a necessary pilgrimage, a way to deconstruct the digital interface to find something authentic. Through this work, I continue to dissect the performance of identity in our hyper-mediated world, seeking the genuine humanity behind the profile. 🌐💬🫂
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#Backscratch #OfMaskedOmittedDevices #DigitalPhotography #ContemporaryPhotography #QueerArt #Portraiture #DigitalIntimacy #DatingApps #WebcamAesthetics  #LensBasedArt #LGBTQArt #StampsMFA

Endless love, ~WrH

## Stats

- **Views:** 0
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- **Comments:** 6

## Tags

queerart, lgbtqart, datingapps, backscratch, digitalintimacy, webcamaesthetics, stampsmfa, portraiture, ofmaskedomitteddevices, lensbasedart, digitalphotography, contemporaryphotography

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