“A Culture of Hate”
A while ago I wrote about a very touching and horrifying photographic report on
the aftermath of the
Chernobyl disaster. Now, I visited Magnum in Motion again since I was looking
for another feature. But first, I stumbled upon something else, covering a more
recent event.
A couple of Magnum photographers were in place in New York on that fateful day
on September 11th, 2001. From their coverage, Magnum has put together a very aggrieving
photo
essay. Like in other Magnum essays, the photographers themselves talk about
their experiences during their work, which really is a work inside the chaos.
As everyone is running from the place of disaster, they go against the tide and
make their way directly into the eye of the storm, so to speak. Which is essentially
their job, be it in New York on 9/11 or in countries where civil war is raging
or places where people are living in extreme poverty and dying of hunger. These
people are producing the images that reach us through the media. In fact, they
are the ones who give tragedies a face. I wouldn't have the guts to do this job,
I think it requires a very, very enduring and resistant psyche and personality.
I think of it as a very double-edged task. But this is not the theme of this post.
Instead, I suggest to watch the show and listen to what the photographers have
to say about that day and everything that followed.
The actual reason for me to go to the Magnum site though, was because I was looking
for an essay
about Magnum photographer Thomas Hoepker. In fact, the 9/11 essay features
some of his photos of that day as well. Hoepker is considered one of the most
influential German documentary photographers, his photos having been printed in
many publications throughout his carreer, which took him all over the world, working
for magazines and agencies, on both photographic assignments as well as films.
The Museum für
Kunst und Gewerbe in Hamburg is currently showing an exhibition covering 50
years of his photography. An accompanying book has also been released. The exhibition
is very impressive and definitely recommended. In the very impressive Magnum
feature, you can see a selection of his works along with his audio commentary
on selected photos and his work in general.
Also in that context, the recently published World
Press Photo of the Year 2006 reminds me a lot of Hoepker's 9/11 photo of a
small group of young people relaxing by the shore with the burning towers in the
background. In both cases, there is a weird and almost surreal combination of
catharsis and disaster. The World Press Photo exihibition has been one of my must-see
events since 2005. The exhibition is touring the world during the upcoming year,
stopping off at Hamburg usually in May. Since it's not only an impressive, saddening
and disturbing show, but can also be witnessed for free, it's a recommendation
for everyone who's not necessarily interested in photography specifically, but
in world affairs generally.
Back to the blog.