Questioning the Image
“When approached with an open mind and heart, art can catalyse empathy and respect between people who, on the surface, seem immiscible’
Question the Image: A View from Two Poles of the World
IN APRIL, the online magazine LensCulture published an interview with Alasdair Foster, who was to be one of the panel of judges for their Street Photography competition. LensCulture’s managing editor, Alexander Strecker, had certainly done his research and his questions provided a stimulating dynamic to the conversation.
“The pernicious rhetoric of the arts as an ‘industry’, promulgated by neoliberalism, is tending to reduce our most essential shared attribute to the production of luxury artefacts for the rich…”
The discussion covered a wide range of issues from the global to the personal. The relationship between practical and theoretical understanding of photography. The transformative potential of an art experience. The characteristics of photography in the Asia-Pacific. The importance of democratising the arts. And why the internet is ‘spicier’ than former means of mass distribution.
“The rise of mass media has created a dangerous confusion between notions of democracy and those of homogenisation.”
Described by the Guardian newspaper as “One of the most authoritative and wide-ranging” photography websites in the world, LensCulture is committed to discovering and promoting the best of the global photography community. Based in Amsterdam and now in its tenth year, LensCulture is, in the words of the UK’s Independent newspaper, “a definitive resource for anyone who wants to keep up with the latest trends and debates in contemporary photography”.
“One must carefully consider the way art is experienced and not simply assume that any given artwork contains a universal message.”
You can read the full interview here…
Cultural Development Consulting 