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Ilovethesequotesforsomanyreasons.WhenIreadthemtogetherIcanthelpbutviewthemascall toaction,asablueprintforsomuchoftheworkthatresonateswithme.Togethertheybeckonforth projectsthatgobeyondwitnessingtheworld.Togetheronecanimagineandrecognizeprojectswhose imagesembodyandmakevisiblethesocialprocessesthatgointotheircreation.Togetheronecan imagineandrecognizethesocialperformancesthatgointoproducingandconsuminganyimage,and howthisexpandednotionofaestheticscouldbeusedtotransformthewayinwhichweinteractwith eachother,withthoseinpower,andwiththeworldaroundus.Thispaperrevealsanincompleteyet comprehensivearchiveofcontemporaryimagemakingpossibilitiesthat,ifnothingelse,sharethenotion anddisplaytheimportanceof'lettinggooftheshutter.'Whetherthroughamachinelikesetof predeterminedlimitationsthatproduceanimageoranentirebodyofwork,afocusonarchivingnot producingimages,oravarietyofcollaborativeprocesses,oracombinationofallthreeandmore,many contemporaryimagemakerschampionwhatwillbereferredtoasa'socialaestheticonethatbringsto theforegroundandembodiesthesocialprocessesthatwentintotheproductionoftheimage,aswellas thosesocialinteractionsthatitsexhibitionproducesandinspires.Spanningdecades,andincreasingly prevalent,thesephotographicmethodspresentchallengingalternativestotheproduction,exhibition,and distributionofimages.AfteridentifyingthoseprojectsandideasIseeasuniqueandgenrechallenging,
thepaperwillutilizemyownpracticeasacasestudytoshowhowthesealternativemodesof imagemakingcanplayout,fail,andmoveinwaysthatcontinuetosurpriseandexciteme.
Alldealingwithwithwar,eachexampleseeksinuniquewaystobringthewarhome..
producedandpromotedit.ErnstFriedrich,outragedbythefirstWorldWar,compiledthevast collectionofimagesfromGermanmilitaryandmedicalarchives.Duetocrosseuropeangovernmental suppressionofmedia,thevastmajorityoftheseimageshadneverbeenseenbythegeneralpublic...so forthebook,nonewimageswerecreated.Thinkwikileaksinthe1920s....Heavywithidealist underpinnings,thebooksoughttoreachaninternationalaudiencethroughthethepurporteduniversality ofitsimagesandbyprintingcaptionsinamultitudeoflanguages.Sotheprojectprofferedtwoideas: thatthereisobjectivetruth(thatwarisbarbaric)andthatimagescanactivateviewersinuniversal ways...thuswhilethefunctionoftheimagesfitswithinanassortmentofutopianphotoprojectssuchas SteichensFamilyofManexhibit,theroleoftextwithinthebook,andthecorrespondingAntiwar MuseumFriedrichopenedthefollowingyear(1925)tooktheprojectastepfurther.Thuseventhen, thereisanacknowledgementthatimagesarepowerful,buttheyarenotenough.LikeLewisHine, WalterBenjamin,andmanyothers,Friedrichbelievedthatimagescouldprovideauniversalentrypoint totheseissues,butthattextandpublicengagementwerenecessarytoinspirecommunitiestofightfor peace.
MarthaRoslersHomeBeautiful:BringingtheWarHome
IfFriedrichbelievedinthepowerofphotographytorevealtheawfultruthofwar,pushingthenotion that,toborrowaphrase,thetruthisouttherewejustneedtocaptureandpresentit,ifhebelievedin thepowerofwarphotographytoinspirepeace,thenMarthaRoslersprojectHomeBeautifulfrom 1967muddiesthatsentiment.Hercollagesappropriatephotographsmadebyjournalistsduringthe VietnamWarandpairsthemwithimagesfromthepagesofHomemagazine.ToRosler,photo journalistsareunableashersubtitlestates,tobringthewarhome.Shewrites,thattheworkstemmed fromafrustrationwiththeimageswesawintelevisionandprintmedia,evenwithantiwarflyersand posters...thattheimageswesawwerealwaysveryfaraway,inaplacewecouldn'timagine."ToRosler theimagesmadeinVietnamfailedtwice.Theyfailedinbringingtheviolenceandatrocitiesofwarinto oureverydayconsciousness(throughthisculturalandgeographicaldistancingmentionedabove),and theyfailedtoacknowledgetheinherentviolenceoftheeveryday.Thustheobjectsweconsume
Thatnotionofpersonal/collectiveparticipationinviolenceisexploredfurtherandinmorecomplexand polyvocalwaysinTheAmericanWar,2005,byHarrellFletcher
LikemuchofFletcherswork,theprojectistechnicallysimple,butcreatesspaceforanimmersive, polyvocal,andchallengingnotionofphotographictruth.ThewartoFletcherbothnevercamehome andhas,atthesametime,alwaysbeenaroundus.Theimageswillneverdotheexperiencejustice. Thismarkstomeahugeturningpoint.PhotographyintheAmericanWarisnotviewedascapturinga rigidorobjectivetruth,norasformorvehicleforalienation,butasanaffecting,yetinadequatetoolfor documentingortransformingtheworld.Imageswithintheprojectareunderstoodthrough performance...thatofthephotographer,andthose,whobyparticipatingintheexhibit,addtotheir meaning.ForFletcherittookgoingtoVietnamtogainabetterunderstandingofwhatVietnameserefer toastheAmericanWar(onecanimaginewhatothersimilarmuseumsacrosstheworldwouldfeellike toexperience).ThoseimageswereobviouslytransformativeandchallengedFletchersknowledgeof
SoldiersStories,JenniferKarrady For the past six years, Jennifer Karady has worked with American veterans returning from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan to create staged narrative photographs that depict their individual stories and address their difficulties in adjusting to civilian life...Karady collaborates with the veteran to restage a chosen moment from war within the safe space of their everyday environment, often surrounded by family and friends (from the artists website).
BringingtheideasofFredRitchinandDavidLeviStraussbackintothefoldonecanseehowthese projectssupportandcreatevisualsignpostsforvariousdiscoursesonthepowerandlimitationsof photography.Imagescanhaveanincredibleimpact.Weproduceandconsumeenormousquantities everyday...continuallyreifying,beckoning,andtransformingtheworldasweknow,ordreamof.But theyareinherentlylimited,cancreatedistancewherebridgesareneededandpossible.Iwillnevercall fortheendofphotography,oratleastnotfortheendofimagemaking,butmyhopeisthatthere becomesanacknowledgmentthateveryissueistoocomplex,thatallissuesareindireneedofmultiple sourcesofcontext,representation,andaccountability.Thustheanswerisnotmoremedia. Multimediadocumentsofsystemicissueswillonlydigsodeepandoftenexchangeideasintraditional anddisempoweringmethods.Brazilianeducationaltheorist,PauloFrierereferredtothismodeof informationexchangeasthebankingmodelwhererecipientsofknowledgeareviewedasempty vesselsforexpertstofill,andbyproxy...toform.Likewisewedontneedbettertools...butnewways toutilizethem.Newforumsandmodesofexchanging.Itistheprocessthroughwhichthemediais created,howideasareshared,andwhatinteractionsitsexhibitioninspiresthatisofmostexcitement tome.FredRitchincallsforprojectsthatproposevisualmodelsforawayforward,notsimplyanindex ofthepastorreductivetruths......likewise,artistandeducatorTaniaBruguerawritingabouteducation (whichIbelievecanstandinforanypracticeofsharingknowledge)viewstheclassroomasasitefor creatingcollectivelyanddevelopinghumanandsocialpotential,notsimplyacquiringordepositing information.
Buthowcanphotographydothis?Apracticethathastraditionallychampionedsingleauthorship, objectivity,andproblematicnotionsoftruthwouldseemtobetheunlikelytoolforthejob.Butif
Bringingthesocialaesthetictotheforefrontwillonlyaskmorefromphotography...bemorecritical aboutitsproductionandexhibition.Willdemandmoreintentionality.Wherethehow,who,andwhere arethemessagewherethecamerabecomesatoolfortestingandperformingnewwaysofseeing andbeingwithintheworld...Andlikeanynegativeawaitingtheuniquetouchoftheprinter,eachnew socialorartisticmodeltheseprojectscreatecanbetransposedandadaptedtoworkwithinanylocal context.Thusfocusingonthesocialaestheticdoesntnullifyphotographyspowerofreplication(the abilitytoendlesslyreprintanimage).WendyEwaldhasdoneprojectsincountlesscountries...infact DukeUniversityinstitutionalizedhermethods,wherethoughsheworkedwithinthesamegeographical areayearafteryear,herprocess,onethatisdeeplyinformedanddrivenbyitsparticipants,continuedto realizepowerfulandsurprisingresults.SoifweshiftthefunctionofarttomirrorBruguerasnotionof education...whereartisviewedasasiteforexploringnewsocialrolesandrealities,thenthecamera notonlyprovidesevidenceoftheexperience,butisthetoolthroughwhichtheperformanceismade, andthroughwhichtheperformer,andthosearoundthem,aretransformed.
projectsimplyasuccessifitmeaningfullyincludesotherswithintheprocess?Asanartistexploringthese ideas,theseandmanyotherquestionscontinuallyarize.
Theimages(sometimesphotographedbyme,sometimesthroughcommunitycollaboration)arecreated, printed,andmailedorgivenbacktotheincarceratedparticipant.
Limitationssurfaceagainintheexhibition.TheimagesareprintedatthesamesizethatIamallowedto
all,whichevents,moments,interactionsseemedtoomediated,reductive,orevensuperficial.
Ifphotographyassocialpracticecancreatemodelsforhowweengagewitheachotherandtheworld aroundus,formsofimagemakingsuchasmetaphotographyandafocusonarchivingorrevealing imagesalreadyinexistencehavethepotentialtoradicallytransformpoliticalandcivicinstitutions. Wikileaks,anonymous,andothergroupsbelongingtowhathasbeendescribedasthe5thestatehave certainlychallengedwho,how,where,andwhyinformationisdisseminated.Likewise,theemphasison citizenjournalismduringtheArabSpring,theOccupyMovement,911andmanyotherssuggestan evolvingandincreasinglyhorizontalmeansofexchangingideas.Itcanbecertainthatimageswillplayan incrediblyimportantroleinourfuture.Viewingphotographyasasocialperformance,onamicroand macroscale,willequipuswithnotonlyabetterunderstandingofthesourceofimagery,butoffer blueprintsforimagebasedprojectsthatcanhelpinstigatelastingsocialchange.