Photography

DeWitte et all: Photography

Photography hasn’t always been the favorite medium  of artistic expression, and a lot of debates have surrounded the label of considering photography as art — it wasn’t until 1980s that photography was essentially grouped under the art and photo exhibitions took place. DeWitte et all explain the earlier technologies associated with photography and the concept of negative, positive and value. As the art of photography significantly progressed further, John Ruskin, a British art critic claimed that photography has its own genres and divided photography into portraits, landscapes and still life. Photographic portraits provided people to take their own photos instead of getting painted portraits, landscape photography explored the beauty of nature, and still life photography allowed photographers to engage with the light, shadow and texture of inanimate objects.

Another significant aspect of photography is photojournalism. Photojournalism is the art of telling a news story, not by words, but by constructing a photographic archive. Photo essays and photo stories have both evolved from photojournalism. The chapter further explains the different initial interpretations of photography, how artists tried to make it look artistic, and how some emphasized more on a photograph’s power to stop time and record detail in magnanimous amounts. DeWitte explains the different aspects of a photograph and various terms used in the study of photographic theory and practice like proportion, scale, background, composition, shape and rhythm. Photomontages and photocollages are two other deviations of photographic art, where multiple images are used to create a single visual entity.

In conclusion, it can be said that photography is a unique pillar of the arts, as it combines the real with the creative, and gives a result that is both public and private.

Grindstaff: Creating Identity: Exhibiting the Philippines at the 1904 Louisiana Purchase Exposition 

Grindstaff talks about the Philippines Reservation which was a display of Filipino patriotism and identify after the Spanish invasion of their countries, and in support of American indulgence in their economic and political affairs at Louisiana Purchase Exposition. It was an exhibition of 1024 photographs, which were made to look like mug-shots of the Philippine people. It was a huge-scale art work of politicized space, enclosed by timber and lake, and was accessible only via the displays of natural resources and an huge amount of original landscape — both of these highlighted a movement back into the ‘uncivilized world’. The fair gave special attention to education and scientific exhibition, and showcased books, manuscripts, and photographs.  The reservation in total consisted of 1024 photographs and 128 casts, which were later put for display in either the National Museum or other museums around Philippines.  All in all, the exhibition provided the local community to display the stereotypical views of identity they were exposed to and the cultural misconceptions that gnawed at them. They took events out of their ordinary context and blew them out of proportion before displaying them before 18 million people. They placed a special emphasis on showcasing matters related to race, geography, evolution and culture. The resources spent on this spectacular and elaborate project played well in highlighting the support for American intervention in the Filipino circle.

 

Timothy Mitchell (Orientalism and the Exhibitionary Order), Dipesh Chakrabarty (Museums in Late Democracies) The Visual Culture Reader

Timothy Mitchell — Orientalism and the Exhibitionary Order

In this article, Mitchell focuses on Europe’s, particularly France’s, infatuation with the ‘Orient’ as well as the wider picture this infatuation leads to imply and portray to the general masses. He describes three fundamental features of the Orientalist reality: essentialism, otherness and absence. The Orient is described as cultural heritage that is in utter contrast to the ideologies of the West, where practicality or rationality does not exist, and is concocted on the basis of emotions and radical values. Mitchell says that this obsession with the Orient was not limited to romantic ideas or Oriental studies, but was rather something much more massive — the Orient garnered a pivotal place in Europe’s representation of the world. 

He highlights how the representations of Orient in nineteenth century Europe were as close to the realist images of the Orient region, primarily Egypt, as possible. Exhibitions in France sold Egyptian merchandise and hand-made goods, vendors sold everything from perfumes to clothes who were natives dressed in classic Egyptian attire, and you sales were carried out in Egyptian currency rather than in Francs. The primary focus of these exhibitions was to present to the visitors an idea of how the Orients lived and a peek into their life — special attention was paid to have donkeys brought in from Egypt, for the streets to resemble the exact chaotic everyday life of Cairo, and for the representation of Sultans in elaborate dresses stationed in royal courts. Furthermore, the overall structures of the exhibitions were laid out as cobbled streets of Egyptian bazaars to present a more realistic picture. Also, a paradox was created between the real aspects of society/everyday life and the simulated exhibitions, as because of their expansions from exhibits to markets and local shops, it was hard to distinguish where one ended and the other began. The Egyptians were mystified as to how real these exhibits were.  However, this representational technique had some flaws, as not all aspects of the Egyptian society were portrayed as realistically as it was claimed those were for e.g. mosques, where traditionally music and dance is haram, were adorned with vibrant interior decors and Egyptian dancers were made to dance inside. Egyptian visitors to the area claimed it to resemble more to a coffee shop. Furthermore, such representations led to the Egyptian visitors being seen as a part of the exhibit because as they narrated in their experiences (pg 503), the French and other visitors were intrigued and mystified by them as they loved to stare at them. These exhibitions, thus, served not only as an educative platform of Orientalism but rather developed a sense of otherness to the subject of the Orient itself. 

To what extent has your vision of the ‘Orient’ or the Middle East been formed by reinforcement of European ideologies through both text and media? What, in your opinion, are the downsides of such representations or misrepresentations? Also, how is your country represented or misrepresented on the other side of the world (whatever that may be for you)?

 

Dipesh Chakrabarty — Museums in Late Democracies 

In this article, Chakrabarty focuses on explaining two modules of democracy that in his opinion sometimes coexist and sometimes conflict horribly in contemporary democratic politics — the nineteenth century idea of the political and early-twentieth century idea of the political.  His primary focus is on the role museums play in both of these contrastive ideologies. Nineteenth century’s idea of political authority was based on the idea of acquiring knowledge and then attaining the licence to be considered political — museums, universities, and libraries assumed this role of teaching; however, self-eduction was also implied. The book came the focal point, and the comprehension of abstract realities and reasoning was learned, taught and practised. The twentieth century idea of the political was entirely different — it was argued that individuals were born political and that to be human was to be political. Education and experience gained a backseat in this shift of perspectives on democratic politics. Arguments such as ‘everything is political’ or ‘the personal is political’ became famous and widely accepted. However, the pedagogic approach to politics has not been left behind in books of history and museums and universities across the globe are not unaware of this rising conflict between the pedagogic and the performative approach to the subject of contemporary political systems. These institutions have devoured the perspectives brought around by post colonial and post modern critics and thinkers and have absorbed the new insights brought — according to Chakrabarty, it can be rightfully said that no museum or university would like to dwell back to the nineteenth century idea of democracy or society/education in general. However, Chakrabarty believes that museums have been affected more by this shift and the authority of museums worldwide has been questioned — what can be exhibited and to whom. This is the conflict that Chakrabarty was talking about in his introduction. The two ideologies can, however, coexist according to him. The nineteenth century perception was based on education and thus made vital use of text, visuals and images. The twentieth century perception was based on authority and experience. The tie between the two would (and does), according to Chakrabarty, produce a whole new level of understanding and exploration where education and enlightenment won’t be tied down to boundaries or borders, but exceed and present themselves to people of all racial, lingual, or national origins. 

How significant was the role of museums in your education or enlightenment? Do you think the idea and exploration of museums should be implemented in schools’ syllabi throughout the world to educate children?

Timothy Mitchell (Orientalism and the Exhibitionary Order), Dipesh Chakrabarty (Museums in Late Democracies) The Visual Culture Reader

Timothy Mitchell — Orientalism and the Exhibitionary Order

In this article, Mitchell focuses on Europe’s, particularly France’s, infatuation with the ‘Orient’ as well as the wider picture this infatuation leads to imply and portray to the general masses. He describes three fundamental features of the Orientalist reality: essentialism, otherness and absence. The Orient is described as cultural heritage that is in utter contrast to the ideologies of the West, where practicality or rationality does not exist, and is concocted on the basis of emotions and radical values. Mitchell says that this obsession with the Orient was not limited to romantic ideas or Oriental studies, but was rather something much more massive — the Orient garnered a pivotal place in Europe’s representation of the world. 

He highlights how the representations of Orient in nineteenth century Europe were as close to the realist images of the Orient region, primarily Egypt, as possible. Exhibitions in France sold Egyptian merchandise and hand-made goods, vendors sold everything from perfumes to clothes who were natives dressed in classic Egyptian attire, and you sales were carried out in Egyptian currency rather than in Francs. The primary focus of these exhibitions was to present to the visitors an idea of how the Orients lived and a peek into their life — special attention was paid to have donkeys brought in from Egypt, for the streets to resemble the exact chaotic everyday life of Cairo, and for the representation of Sultans in elaborate dresses stationed in royal courts. Furthermore, the overall structures of the exhibitions were laid out as cobbled streets of Egyptian bazaars to present a more realistic picture. Also, a paradox was created between the real aspects of society/everyday life and the simulated exhibitions, as because of their expansions from exhibits to markets and local shops, it was hard to distinguish where one ended and the other began. The Egyptians were mystified as to how real these exhibits were.  However, this representational technique had some flaws, as not all aspects of the Egyptian society were portrayed as realistically as it was claimed those were for e.g. mosques, where traditionally music and dance is haram, were adorned with vibrant interior decors and Egyptian dancers were made to dance inside. Egyptian visitors to the area claimed it to resemble more to a coffee shop. Furthermore, such representations led to the Egyptian visitors being seen as a part of the exhibit because as they narrated in their experiences (pg 503), the French and other visitors were intrigued and mystified by them as they loved to stare at them. These exhibitions, thus, served not only as an educative platform of Orientalism but rather developed a sense of otherness to the subject of the Orient itself. 

To what extent has your vision of the ‘Orient’ or the Middle East been formed by reinforcement of European ideologies through both text and media? What, in your opinion, are the downsides of such representations or misrepresentations? Also, how is your country represented or misrepresented on the other side of the world (whatever that may be for you)?

 

Dipesh Chakrabarty — Museums in Late Democracies 

In this article, Chakrabarty focuses on explaining two modules of democracy that in his opinion sometimes coexist and sometimes conflict horribly in contemporary democratic politics — the nineteenth century idea of the political and early-twentieth century idea of the political.  His primary focus is on the role museums play in both of these contrastive ideologies. Nineteenth century’s idea of political authority was based on the idea of acquiring knowledge and then attaining the licence to be considered political — museums, universities, and libraries assumed this role of teaching; however, self-eduction was also implied. The book came the focal point, and the comprehension of abstract realities and reasoning was learned, taught and practised. The twentieth century idea of the political was entirely different — it was argued that individuals were born political and that to be human was to be political. Education and experience gained a backseat in this shift of perspectives on democratic politics. Arguments such as ‘everything is political’ or ‘the personal is political’ became famous and widely accepted. However, the pedagogic approach to politics has not been left behind in books of history and museums and universities across the globe are not unaware of this rising conflict between the pedagogic and the performative approach to the subject of contemporary political systems. These institutions have devoured the perspectives brought around by post colonial and post modern critics and thinkers and have absorbed the new insights brought — according to Chakrabarty, it can be rightfully said that no museum or university would like to dwell back to the nineteenth century idea of democracy or society/education in general. However, Chakrabarty believes that museums have been affected more by this shift and the authority of museums worldwide has been questioned — what can be exhibited and to whom. This is the conflict that Chakrabarty was talking about in his introduction. The two ideologies can, however, coexist according to him. The nineteenth century perception was based on education and thus made vital use of text, visuals and images. The twentieth century perception was based on authority and experience. The tie between the two would (and does), according to Chakrabarty, produce a whole new level of understanding and exploration where education and enlightenment won’t be tied down to boundaries or borders, but exceed and present themselves to people of all racial, lingual, or national origins. 

How significant was the role of museums in your education or enlightenment? Do you think the idea and exploration of museums should be implemented in schools’ syllabi throughout the world to educate children?

Timothy Mitchell (Orientalism and the Exhibitionary Order), Dipesh Chakrabarty (Museums in Late Democracies) The Visual Culture Reader

Timothy Mitchell — Orientalism and the Exhibitionary Order

In this article, Mitchell focuses on Europe’s, particularly France’s, infatuation with the ‘Orient’ as well as the wider picture this infatuation leads to imply and portray to the general masses. He describes three fundamental features of the Orientalist reality: essentialism, otherness and absence. The Orient is described as cultural heritage that is in utter contrast to the ideologies of the West, where practicality or rationality does not exist, and is concocted on the basis of emotions and radical values. Mitchell says that this obsession with the Orient was not limited to romantic ideas or Oriental studies, but was rather something much more massive — the Orient garnered a pivotal place in Europe’s representation of the world. 

He highlights how the representations of Orient in nineteenth century Europe were as close to the realist images of the Orient region, primarily Egypt, as possible. Exhibitions in France sold Egyptian merchandise and hand-made goods, vendors sold everything from perfumes to clothes who were natives dressed in classic Egyptian attire, and you sales were carried out in Egyptian currency rather than in Francs. The primary focus of these exhibitions was to present to the visitors an idea of how the Orients lived and a peek into their life — special attention was paid to have donkeys brought in from Egypt, for the streets to resemble the exact chaotic everyday life of Cairo, and for the representation of Sultans in elaborate dresses stationed in royal courts. Furthermore, the overall structures of the exhibitions were laid out as cobbled streets of Egyptian bazaars to present a more realistic picture. Also, a paradox was created between the real aspects of society/everyday life and the simulated exhibitions, as because of their expansions from exhibits to markets and local shops, it was hard to distinguish where one ended and the other began. The Egyptians were mystified as to how real these exhibits were.  However, this representational technique had some flaws, as not all aspects of the Egyptian society were portrayed as realistically as it was claimed those were for e.g. mosques, where traditionally music and dance is haram, were adorned with vibrant interior decors and Egyptian dancers were made to dance inside. Egyptian visitors to the area claimed it to resemble more to a coffee shop. Furthermore, such representations led to the Egyptian visitors being seen as a part of the exhibit because as they narrated in their experiences (pg 503), the French and other visitors were intrigued and mystified by them as they loved to stare at them. These exhibitions, thus, served not only as an educative platform of Orientalism but rather developed a sense of otherness to the subject of the Orient itself. 

To what extent has your vision of the ‘Orient’ or the Middle East been formed by reinforcement of European ideologies through both text and media? What, in your opinion, are the downsides of such representations or misrepresentations? Also, how is your country represented or misrepresented on the other side of the world (whatever that may be for you)?

Dipesh Chakrabarty — Museums in Late Democracies 

In this article, Chakrabarty focuses on explaining two modules of democracy that in his opinion sometimes coexist and sometimes conflict horribly in contemporary democratic politics — the nineteenth century idea of the political and early-twentieth century idea of the political.  His primary focus is on the role museums play in both of these contrastive ideologies. Nineteenth century’s idea of political authority was based on the idea of acquiring knowledge and then attaining the licence to be considered political — museums, universities, and libraries assumed this role of teaching; however, self-eduction was also implied. The book came the focal point, and the comprehension of abstract realities and reasoning was learned, taught and practised. The twentieth century idea of the political was entirely different — it was argued that individuals were born political and that to be human was to be political. Education and experience gained a backseat in this shift of perspectives on democratic politics. Arguments such as ‘everything is political’ or ‘the personal is political’ became famous and widely accepted. However, the pedagogic approach to politics has not been left behind in books of history and museums and universities across the globe are not unaware of this rising conflict between the pedagogic and the performative approach to the subject of contemporary political systems. These institutions have devoured the perspectives brought around by post colonial and post modern critics and thinkers and have absorbed the new insights brought — according to Chakrabarty, it can be rightfully said that no museum or university would like to dwell back to the nineteenth century idea of democracy or society/education in general. However, Chakrabarty believes that museums have been affected more by this shift and the authority of museums worldwide has been questioned — what can be exhibited and to whom. This is the conflict that Chakrabarty was talking about in his introduction. The two ideologies can, however, coexist according to him. The nineteenth century perception was based on education and thus made vital use of text, visuals and images. The twentieth century perception was based on authority and experience. The tie between the two would (and does), according to Chakrabarty, produce a whole new level of understanding and exploration where education and enlightenment won’t be tied down to boundaries or borders, but exceed and present themselves to people of all racial, lingual, or national origins. 

How significant was the role of museums in your education or enlightenment? Do you think the idea and exploration of museums should be implemented in schools’ syllabi throughout the world to educate children?