Week 10- Enter the Academy
This week looked at photography as an art? I read the ‘Introduction’ in Contemporary Cultures of Display by Emma Barker, which drew my attention to the role of museums and galleries and that they are not neutral in exhibiting work, they very much have their own criteria and intent for the kind of works there wish to exhibit. Barker says “The context of display is an important issue it colours our perception and informs our understanding of works of art” (Barker,1999, p.8). For me I don’t have much understanding of art and the different mediums or what qualifies as art (which I hope to inform myself greater as the modules progress) but I would imagine it could be broken down into, was it received by an audience, did they like it, could it be viewed in the context of a museum or gallery.
I also read the article from the Guardian by Jonathan Jones with the title of “The $6.5m canyon: it’s the most expensive photograph ever – but it’s like a hackneyed poster in a posh hotel”. The photograph in question is a landscape by Peter Lik. Jones’ opening statement is “Photography is not an art. It is a technology. We have no excuse to ignore this obvious fact in the age of digital cameras, when the most beguiling high-definition images and effects are available to millions” which I have to argue that the only thing that he is stating here that photography is just more accessible to people. Which doesn’t justify his comment of “Photography is not an art” if you simply just look up the Oxford English dictionary definition of art it says “The expression or application of human creative skill and imagination” for me that does describe photography. This is a really interesting subject, which I hope to look into further when I have more time to go over various arguments.
For my own work I have been looking at the possible galleries/exhibitions that could be interested in my practice. I think my main factor is the geographical elements, which would best fit contextually.
http://www.belfastexposed.org/
Belfast exposed looks interesting as their mission statement says “To be the major centre for photography in Northern Ireland, promoting and encouraging excellence in the medium, enhancing the reputation of local photographers internationally, and bringing the best of world photography to the heart of Belfast.” As a local photographer and my practice centralising around Northern Ireland’s history would certainly be worth submitting a statement and my work.
Critical Research Journal 