Power and responsibilities – reflection
Another thought-provoking week. Part of the requirement for this week included writing a personal ‘manifesto’ that defined my purpose as a photographer:
It asked: What are your responsibilities; who are you answerable to; and who should answer to me as an image maker?
It isn’t something I have given much in-depth consideration to , although I found it quite instinctive to respond as below.
We also considered the appropriateness of how images are used. The example given was of Alan Kurdi, the child who drowned off Turkey (along with his mum and brother) as the whole family were trying to get to Greece in an oversubscribed inflatable boat as part of their attempt to flee Syria.
The image of his dead body was used by media worldwide, with differing judgements made. For me, as a former journalist as well as photographer, I believe that, on the whole, those that make the decisions should always ask: “Would I want to see this so I can be informed, make my own judgement and act accordingly?”
In a Photovoice article – https://photovoice.org/1000-more-words-on-aylan-kurdi/ – written in September this year and one year on from Alan’s death, projects manager Kate Watson states:
Whether this single image has been or holds the potential to move beyond iconicity and transform the public opinion, political will and legislation needed to bring about the sustainable change demanded by this on-going crisis, is something that is still to be seen.
It is the last sentence that has yet to be answered. Has any image stopped a war, cruelty, violence? But by being a part of the story it must make a difference. Surely it is better to be aware, even in an image saturated world and a world that can tweak photographs before and after print to give new meaning, so that you can investigate and think for yourself rather than turn away and hide from things we don’t agree with or would prefer not to see.
This week I saw an X-ray of a dog (shared by the BBC: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-tees-37708831) that showed a nail through its skull. The dog was still alive when it was found buried under a mound of earth. It couldn’t be saved. That X-ray image has greatly impacted me – especially as one of my project proposals is currently titled For the Love of Dogs – I hope it can be used to educate people about the abhorrent senseless acts humans inflict on animals and by sharing it may lead to a conviction. Much the same as I hope out of other tragedies caught on camera, new hope, happier outcomes and/or positive change can be achieved where needed.
To round off this week’s refection I need to say thank you to my fellow students in my Oral Presentation Group. We are all fervently working to pull together our run-through demos that will showcase our thoughts, motivations and reasoning for our research project ideas. They have helped provide some clarity for me, which is definitely needed at times:-)