Six Ways of Thinking about Photography
 |
|
Cindy Sherman
Untitled Film Still #17 1978 Tate © courtesy of the artist and Metro Pictures |
SOLD OUT
Photography raises many interesting philosophical issues about representation, imagination, evidence and art. Some writers
have claimed that photographs are transparent to what they represent, taking seriously the early description of the photograph
as ‘a mirror with a memory’. Others stress the similarities and continuities between photographic and traditional picture-making
techniques. Documentary and pictorial uses of photography rely on different conventions of use and reception. Artistic uses
of photography are now commonplace, but the philosophical justifications for such uses are rarely examined in any depth. In
recent years digital photography has forced photographers to rethink the nature of photography and its relationship with the
world, both as a form of visual evidence and as depiction.
This six-session course on the philosophy of photography gives participants the opportunity to discuss and explore six important
ways of thinking about photographs: photographs as mirrors, documents, aides-mémoire, pictures, prints and art. During the course participants will spend some time in the Collection displays applying philosophical
ideas to particular uses of photography and related media.
Nigel Warburton is author of a number of books on philosophy including The Art Question (Routledge, 2003) and Philosophy: The Basics (3rd edition, Routledge, 1999). He has also edited a book about the photographer Bill Brandt and published a series of articles
on the philosophy of photography.
£90 (£60 concessions), booking required
