Featured Image

Whither the vernacular?

Watch Geoffrey Batchen's keynote speech at our event 'Talks on everyday imaging – the analogue and digital realm of the vernacular'

Introduced into photographic discourse in about 2000, the term ‘vernacular photography’ has now become a commonplace. But is the term still a useful one? This paper will trace its history, looking at how non-artistic photographs have been incorporated into exhibitions and books devoted to photography during the past 25 years. What have been the effects of that incorporation? How has it shaped our understanding of photography? Through a consideration of these questions, I will argue that it is time for a reconsideration of this key term, and perhaps even for its abandonment.

Dr. Geoffrey Batchen is the Professor of History of Art at the University of Oxford. He recently curated two exhibitions for the Bodleian Library: A New Power: Photography in Britain 1800-1850 and Bright Sparks: Photography and the Talbot Archive. His books include Burning with Desire: The Conception of Photography (1997), Apparitions: Photography and Dissemination (2018), Negative/Positive: A history of photography (2021), The Forms of Nameless Things: Experimental photo- graphs by William Henry Fox Talbot (2022), and Inventing Photography: William Henry Fox Talbot in the Bodleian Library (2023).


Event Concept: Róza Tekla Szilágyi, Endre Cserna
Video: Zsuzsi Simon
Music: Áron Lörinczi
Design: L2 Studio

The lecture took place on November 2, 2023, in Budapest, Hungary.

You can find the original event description of 'Talks on everyday imaging – the analogue and digital realm of the vernacular' here.

Latest Articles

Screenshot 2024-08-14 at 9.50.46

by Róza Tekla Szilágyi

“The only thing to do in life is to be curious.” – Interview with Jean-Marie Donat

The Paris-born vernacular photography collector, founder of the the publishing house Éditions Innocences and co-founder of the Vernacular Social Club describes himself as a “ventriloquist” photographer. After showcasing his collection at Les Rencontres d'Arles twice during the previous decade the exhibition highlighting materials from Studio Rex, a photo studio that was located at the heart of Belsunce, Marseille’s working-class neighborhood is on view at C/O Berlin. We talked to Jean-Marie about his motivations, collection and reasons to visit fleamarket after fleamarket to unearth new pieces for his collection photograph by photograph.

covermelissainter

by Endre Cserna

“As societies, we are much more image-savvy than we used to be, and children grow up in visual cultures which they are also very adept at deciphering”
– Interview with researcher and writer Melissa Nolas

 Visual sociologist Melissa Nolas is the Director of the Childhood Publics Research Programme and the Children’s Photography Archive. The London-based institution offers a digital infrastructure for the collection and curation of these image materials, and for the research of children's visual cultures, children's photography, and visual ethics.

leonellicover

by Endre Cserna

“Why are girls denied climbing trees?” 
Interview with journalist and curator Laura Leonelli – Collectors & their collection vol. 4.

Laura Leonelli’s 2023 book I Won’t Come Down: Women Who Climb Trees and Look into the Distance, published by Postcart Edizioni, collects a hundred anonymous photographic portraits of women climbing trees from the late 19th century to the 1970s and includes texts from feminist authors.

Get in touch!

Copyright © 2023 eidolon journal.
All rights reserved.

Newsletter

Back to top Arrow
View