Week 8: Photography: Reconceptualising Culture, Memory and Space

Tutorial Question: Why do we consider photography as a form of cultural critique? Is every photograph able to do so? 

During week 8, the topic photography was thought. Why do we consider photography as a form of cultural critique? Is every photograph able to do so? Photograph is a prosthetic memory. Landsberg (2004) define prosthetic memory as a new form of memory that "emerges at the interface between a person and a historical narrative about the past, at an experiential site such as movie theater or museum." Photography was initially used for portraiture, but it superseded and in many ways offered a more accurate representation of life than paintings. In the beginning, people were not generally happy with black and white picture but accepted its artistic nature. Since photograph were able to document whatever happened, it could be use to critique culture. 

As Industrialization began, so does modernism. Photography is one of the revolutions of modernity and it is consider as a modern cultural product. Due to photography is being consider as a cultural product, thus it can be critique culturally. Another reason why photography is consider as a form of cultural critique because photography is a simulacrum. What is simulacrum? "A common definition of the simulacrum is a copy of a copy whose relation to the model has become so attenuated that it can no longer be properly said to be a copy." (Massumi B., as cited in Pronger, 2002). In short, the photograph is the real truth. Since photograph is considered as the real truth, hence it is a form of cultural critique. Photograph is a powerful tool to critique culture. 

According to Wright (1999), the photograph has the ability to "show people what they would not normally see, bringing issues to their attention through challenging their conventional perspective of life." Wright (1999), stated that "the role of photography in the service of revolutionary activity is both to promote a particular viewpoint and to educate." Due to the role of photography to promote a specific viewpoint and to educate people, it is a form of cultural critique. 

But not all photograph is in a cultural critique form. This is because some photographs have different views from its cultural form. Also some photographs portray lies and also some photographs are difficult to understands. Photograph is a form of art that not many people understand. Another reason is that some photographs are taken to be kept as memories, not to be critique on like the example below. 

Reference list:-

Landsberg, A. (2004). Prosthetic Memory: The Transformation of American Remembrance in the Age of Mass Culture. New York: Columbia University Press. 

Massumi, B. (1987). Realer than real. The simulacrum according to Deleuze and Guattari. Quoted in Pronger, B. (2002). Body Fascism: Salvation in the technology of physical fitness. Canada: University of Toronto.

Wright, T. (1999). The Photography Handbook. London: Routledge.