^{"Stare. It is the way to educate your eye, and more.}  

^{Stare, pry, listen, eavesdrop. Die knowing something.}  

^{You are not here long" (Walker Evans)}  

"Exposed   : Voyeurism, Surveillance & the Camera":   The current photographic show at Tate Modern plays on the ambiguity of the term «   exposure   » as a double-edged sword.  

Of course the whole notion of «   exposure» is inherent to that of photography both in the photographic development process and in the impact it has as a medium to lay bare infinite aspects of human life and numerous facets of reality. The sheer power of the photographic image has shaped perceptions and has had an undeniable influence in determining certain human behaviours: the whole notion of celebrity (we are promptly reminded in the blurb that accompanies the show) «   is inseparable from the invention of photography.

The show claims to deal with «   voyeurism   » (from the French «   voyeur   » «   the one who sees   »), usually associated with the powerful illicit position of an onlooker having one-way access to someone’s private moment. It suggests an urge to lay bare a person’s emotions and intimate sphere and is perceived as an invasion of privacy.  

Surveillance (again from the French surveiller «   to look out   : to watch out) on the other hand uses the notion of «   exposure   » invertedly   ; it is still monitoring and recording behaviour but this time with the inherent suggestion (promise?) that it will expose threats, dangers, crimes, injustices;   «   voyeurism   » carried out in the name of safety.

By juxtaposing a huge amount of photographic work from various genres (photojournalistic, paparazzi, forensic, arts), the show fully explores the ambiguity between what is regarded as «   voyeurism   » and «   surveillance   » and successfully questions the relationship between the camera and the notion of «   exposure   » (being exposed/exposing). Each room offers a range of work which addresses and challenges the viewer about the complex dichotomy between the notions of «   looking at   » and «   being looked at   » and the role of the camera (and by extension the photographer) as a powerful tool to reveal, lay bare, suffuse and ask the question asked at the beginning of the show   : Is photography an invasive act and is such invasiveness inherent to the medium itself?

Merry Alpern   -   Dirty Windows

  

Found this post-it note yesterday on the floor of a changing room at Gap. How did it ever get there? (one cannot help but ponder)... Coincidental phenomenon or the result of a practical joke?

 

René Maltête (1930-2000): the quirkiness of his surname seems to have transcended the photographer's vision at its core and tinted his recording of everyday life's incongruities with equal amount of wit and humour. An assistant to Tati on "Jour de Fête" and a collaborator on Jacques Prévert's « Paris des rues et des chansons », Maltête had an eye for the poetic and successfully captured the visual puns that would otherwise fleetingly pass us by. 

In rural Switzerland as in many other European countries, slaughtering the pig was a winter ritual (a tradition now on its way out). It used to start early morning and go on until the night; friends and family would gather together for a long day of fresh-meat cutting, curing, salting and sausage–making (accompanied by much food and drink!). Here a picture from the 1920s depicts my great-grandparents, neighbours and friends as they toast to the sizeable catch. Note how the animal’s weight (275kg) was dutifully recorded on the pig's body, directly etched onto the photograph.  

A family group portrait from circa 1919 depicting my ancestors posing in soiled clothes and pitchfork in hand, which suggests it was taken after a day of hard labour harvesting the fields nearby. A typical portrait of early 20th century farming life with garments and large-brimmed hats strangely reminiscent of the Ingalls family’s wardrobe (from late 19th century American West). The young girl with her head tilted to one side and an air of utter exasperation is my grandmother. 

"...ssport ...graph of ...be af...ed ... the ...ng... 6/10/73"