The Relation between Photography in General and Photographs in Particular
During the next six weeks, our “blogger in residence” David Campany will write about the intricate relations between words and pictures, but also about the difference between thinking about photography in general and thinking about individual photographs: “The general and the particular. This is not unusual. The split has haunted photography at least since it became a mass medium and modern artistic medium in the 1920s. … When photographs are discussed in their absence, under the name ‘photography’ let’s say, the writer is more likely to take liberties with them than if they were there on the page/screen. The writer is also more likely to generalize.”
David Campany
David Campany writes, curates and makes art. His books include Walker Evans: the Magazine Work (2013), Gasoline (2012), Jeff Wall: Picture for Women (2009), Photography and Cinema (2008) and Art and Photography (2003). He co-founded PA magazine. In 2013 he curates shows of the work of Mark Neville and Victor Burgin. He teaches at the University of Westminster.