Scribd Logo
Upload

Welcome to Scribd!

  • Ariella Azoulay Civil Uses of Photography

    Uploaded by

    ugo_hugo
    44 views18 pages

    Original Title

    Ariella-Azoulay-Civil-Uses-of-Photography

    Copyright

    © © All Rights Reserved

    Available Formats

    PDF or read online from Scribd

    Did you find this document useful?

    Is this content inappropriate?

    Report this Document

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF or read online from Scribd
    Flag for inappropriate content
    44 views18 pages

    Ariella Azoulay Civil Uses of Photography

    Uploaded by

    ugo_hugo

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF or read online from Scribd
    Flag for inappropriate content
    of 18
    CIVIL IMAGINATION A Political Ontology of Photography ARIELLA AZOULAY Translated by Louise Bethlehem VERSO London « Now Yo ‘This paperback edition fist published by Verso 2015 First published in the English language by Verso 2012 Translation © Louise Bethlehem 2012, 2015 "ye mens ment smn eT Ontology of Photography] All rights reserved i publisher gratefully acknowledge the permission granted mages in this book. Every effort has been made to trace ' and obrain their permission for the use of copyright ‘material. The publisher apologizes for any omissions and would be grateful if notified of any corrections that should ke incorporated in future editions. ‘The moral rights of the author have been asserted 13579108642 Verso. UK: 6 Meard Street, London WLE OEG US: 20 Jay Street, Suite 1010, Brooklyn, NY 11201 vwwwr-versobooks.com Ves sth imprn of New Lf Booka | tsany3:978-1.78978-05.7 | eISBN-13: 978-1-78478-302-0 (US) | eISBN-13: 978-1-78478-301-3 (UK) British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library ‘The Library of Congress Has Cataloged the Hardcover Edition as Follows: ‘Azoulay, Arilla, [Dimyon ezcahi. English) Givil imagination : a political ontology of photography / Ariella Azoulay; sd by Louise Bethlehem, Includes bibliographical referefces and index, ISBN 978-1-84467-753-5 1, Photographic criticism —Israel. 2. Photography—Political aspects—Israel 3. Photography—Philosophy. I. Title ‘TR187.A98313 2012 ‘770.1—de23 2012006238 “Typesetin Sabon by Hewer UK Led, Edinburgh CONTENTS List of Figures Introduction What is Photography? Rethinking the Political ‘The Photograph as a Source of Civil Knowledge Civil Uses of Photography Epilogue: The Right Not to Be a Perpetrator Notes Bibliography Index CHAPTER FOUR CIVIL USES OF PHOTOGRAPHY* les anewed session ofthat which might be fired inthe frame—ao th someting bred in he photograph or by means ofthe photograph might energe ‘The Photograph as a Visual Document in which Excess and Lack ‘Ave Insribed the phowgraphed oropphic fume. Asis wel known, sate mec four protagonists at leas—a camera, whoever stands bebind the lens whoever aces the len ad lahoerer igh: Become spectator viewing the pod ofthe encont, ocd soldiers overseeing snd no the fld they are supposedly barvet “The Arab gues gather around spit At zing pt. The pit cep. Alongside this exces of details dl the arc i897. One cannot with any cent pr who took ir was sumone et t00 dose to horography, and in oder not to iarngs the bourdaies of Ue 232 Chilimogination 1 pore nde coon ws exe spr ft xii sony "Comte Vie" Desa he sue fay ete ken place inthe area concerning the pow vet ink with any ain 1 apr ‘ime or place. [almost gave up imteaion ring ore tendency of de-hieoricirng ‘eataserophe, However, through the 4 procedure typical ofthe to bury Palestinians. The dlr from the very nature ofthis procedure ‘The Photograph Is Not a Representation Noch me ben wo aout th inde ae of he ph olan Res gv ref mow gop usin! “i there." The “bis” Barthes afer tis supposed abstract enooeh whatever might have “been thee” i Inscription in the feame regardless ly the claim “ event andi grounded in the phoogaph sul Thay ay ‘Photographs are filed under categories including *cehgees,” “ort ‘hss of Pocozrapiy say parPusion” in a way that tons the photograph inc a representation of seomena or stsatons such a “refuges,” “torus” or "capone Fhe pcesenaton annals the exces and lack tht were nsaioed ds ‘horograph, subordnaing io oe, eapposedy factual po ‘enabling che photographs to detemine that “th "refugee." a repes photogs is refed under one tached tot, and continues to Photographs of refugees from o sealing with claim: “These ar refugee.” In ther eats, the “thr wae thos in im “this is X” but serves 0 justify the creation of ‘Tits: Photograph take during an expulsion may be included ins volane abont the “building ofthe Land of lerael” wader the caption “The toe ke of war” The absrac and general form ofthe caption ney oe, {hi tll of warfare for granted, it does nat even specify which war the ae ‘aged prior tthe founding ofthe sate, o alate wer? Te link between “this ws there” and “thi i X"cendrs the photo ih «presentation ofa person eveat or dead tha has aeah keg lace—to we are able to clearly designate the catego sastance, oF * hich the photograph presents and represen eeencation forse the photograph, eodaced 0 conform 0 highly reduced terplatof polar. elouside, phorographevphotographcd person, taubjes of obsecration, Critical discourse on photograph agg qhiriows to this polarization, but adopes the idenication ofthe see ‘eatation with the estence of photography ntti t0 say sewing photography as a non-detecnil on Frrween human beings aot circmseribed by the photograph lloes wea Scnstate photography as an ope encounter in which gehen may rani representation has become tes of photography in the poliial reine fo rounded on polar elaions of iesiefouside, not povernel* (ti Uses ot Photography aay hose who succeded him, photographed event, re wet ed along the srcets eatery “refuge,” fr spans patake inthe game of truth the possiblities open to ether the center reaiy. The photograph gee,” * ce : = conep tat enable sch cto Beacon he governed to econ The vial laren a horgrghy sad etnfomaton ces rose th Photograph of the heterogenisy -AbRamla Photograph by Hono Retbeaber eae Site Archive, 1948 ‘The ontology of photography that I pr transcend the question "WI is claim, let us take che pharograph of 8. The archive ass the photograph under the caption "Refugees escorted by Haganah soldiers.” The clam the caption “these are refugees”—celes tothe group of who are being marched down the middle ofthe road. The ident Created by the photographer (or those who subsequently deal phocogaph) between those photographed and refages as its expresed inthe caption, doesnot the photograph but rather ro the mauaer in law preserving violence, since it acknowl reign power 10 separate people into people rights that are read caus ofthe consticuent violence ‘ncoogicel properties of potas thgm of sovereign spectators, and Violence renders sele-eviden. ‘The civil 18 of photography invites the 226 Ohi Imagination hi Uses of Potopaphy ase lermine she selFeviden sans of the act of diapessesson. ‘The Photographed Event / The Event of Photography 1 pointing ‘sual guides the encounter with che rah like a paperclip ataching elf to that which was there, This sve, ing the spectator dicey tthe photographed evens, regards theromers fs & means to achieve a goal~capruing a cern event in a frame ned Devileges the camera over the event of photography. In cass whew aie ‘way of the agent using it—the photographer or his ing her co frame the photographed co meth sic ph was capared, however she hots ad Syne who cane into conte with cea people one may oF ote ono i opin, ce ep ‘means to an end or 35 an obstruction, Both th camera snd ihe ere ‘sroerates are ually tered our by the sled gaze tat seduere thoes to the “thing sell” However itself, we see a group of young Palestinian men surrounded by armed cles who, pining tt weapons ec hem ac ta ot devi The homogency of ihe group walking dewm the mid of the road, compesing young, helthy men exclusively, enables us to de that some form of processing has been implemented, These young men leven he hotogcaphed rare. These race ably eangzdal tothe pal of the at ofthe photographer, ate regulated by means of the theoreteal od frame chat dul their presence, Soregrounding the phot ‘instead, ay having occured inthe past and as able inthe ed. Constructing the the spectator is noe just, ofthe instrumentation ‘hat Dell Lisi has termed the single-foeus camera. Rather ay dicen ‘ofthe phocoga ‘alestinins from their lands, hor the photographer keeps stars between 1947 and 1948, om the objects of photogra 5, this tance and foremost, a category of men who have been adopt a point of view {om thet women, external wo this own vi Uses of Pomeraphy aay 288 Ci Imagination incision inthe lege even of photography in which they participate, In seas poop om Gls tacts mie die ‘of the event the eameta precipitated, but the photographer apparently ‘waited forthe moment thatthe eveat of photography became marginal to I.” the scene he wished to record—an encounter between fesidene aad the military administration a¢ posed upon them: ‘he arm on the Bottom left acts to ime whea, the secand photograph, we se how cance the photogeapher fom the site Bhowgraphed, as Kraszan obserted. For ny pat ead the ves one sesture dirs 1 photographer is seking pecaly ro overcome his 0 move beyond the dstancing am and to render it nearly invsible inthe photograph, None ofthe phocograph I surveyed showed the reperoze of pesca that foreground the ever of photography par excellence, such xe aoe familia from the 1980s onward where the phorogtaped person shone ne ‘ther casero tothe camera. Dung th 1340s he figure of-hephoneg saphes was not usually perceived a an adrciee for expressions af neces [ esenrment Is possible 1 assume, however, tat at ast woe af the is of Palestinians who had bee tempted 10 show the mers Seeking recognition fo the injustice or lp ed hundreds of phorograps the absence of chi gesture tos casts, the photographer seems to have he event of phocography so as wo avoid the participant in the event of photography with any of jose whom disaster had srk. None of the hundreds of pause tke by ‘eich photographers ofthe period depict the Palestinians who spp the photograph explcty ay plaints. The presence of al ‘ff would disupe the rationale offeted foc ty the events depict! were noe consummaced without onitiuen violence involved ‘My assumprion concerning deliberate ab the event of photography is based takes on the square leading to the a ‘hat had been waited forthe soncsion of (age 230). Although the photographed pe squarely in he frame, clear from the absence of eter people hee that athe damage done othe ommpoand The pono. fapher who took the pictues dil not witheaw tthe sgh of ae eropraphcd peron’s gesture, nor did be mae forthe more abe de Session of evens in order to phorogragh the hotogrephed the actual performative gesture las. Phezgrph by David dan Gone Pr Of. May 1.1908 Dhonoecaphs repent the geaur of pointy deploy Ci Uses of Pretcgrapty 231 ‘nthe way the photograph is presented, Every tee a spectatoe faces rsp of conse nd ses that which i phorograped n event that is fished, ap evert to which the spas the spectator © omaipreseace of photographs, ‘about and ebrough the omnipresence ofthe event of phot. euro the ances >a created by those in whose power itis be chambers, be would or ven Barack Obama who decided to prevent the raph fom inerropation and " AG Zacowe, with he kind permis of Zaki ‘-Qadferasle. Photspraph by Al autour, wih she kind pr 2enoas O48 pecvons. In both dese images photographed atthe same place i 2 the Faised band that points tothe damage ‘everrgnty over the even af photography and over the icerpretie fame, work of its consequences, Ye the very conditions of photography wv aa ‘undermine the feasibility of uch sovereignty Photographs Not Taken etme has come to discus photographs tae * photographs chat have been los, but photographs 34 Gil imegnation Uses er Potaraphy a3 ‘hen they opened the grave they found thet the body was already in sate of decompor pact and fli leaking from wat unable to determine the cause of death oF nape. © accumulated pathological signs, I's body and its becoming hone end e would nes to see a child precious to ld ho had ‘Had a press phocographer bsen on the ene, we would able ro se a man—peobab beneath the diagoual line oad ied ‘who sezmed to he in charge, beging posses filing the center of the fame. The man would be holding a black camers to his ees, Blocking his face from view, Inthe background, ald be able to eth lower bodies of two soldiers, sanding by. ld also be able to see what they did: the shocking sight of 4 1 brain doving aut ot found mse wi ‘which documents the references to rape, Petod. ian wonten in spite of dozens of ks and articles dealing with the sae inthe photograph corpus. In ight of ‘nirac of Photography regarding the cont oma visual repertoee of hot and the photographed event, bevween the expos ‘and her being made had found soon enough that had not been taken, or The photographs I envisioned ia out phos ‘ones which had boon made nace 234 Col imagnanan ‘my mental reconstruction cesembled none of the familar rape scenes in fiction flms—no dark alleys or back sooms where the crime’ matic o literary imagination, Civil ime possible within the coneree. ery ad arrived to take his pictures. But wht the hell are they doing there? They ae, after al, che very tame ‘of evidence shown to him, and which—because of the liniation of his profession asa specialist in gynecology rather than forensic medicine —he Ss incapable of investigating Wa photoersph was indeed taken at the abl. Tit was taken on behalf ofthe powers Tying in storage somewbere—eensored, IF ic was taen by whocver te Wished to investigate this or anocher cate—some representaive of an ‘exter authorty—shen it was suey confiscated. With the coostcution of the state, any phorogr joned by the authorities has been ‘unwelcome. The general synrax of the injuoesion in force ducing the period ‘reads as follows: “Speaking ofthe lm confiscated fram the eamnera ofan ‘American doctor who visited Majal Krum, T explained to observers out Position eegasing the prolubition of carying and using camras onthe round, espec ln the revised version of The Birth ofthe Palestinian Refuge Problem, Beany Morris argued thar several dozen acts of rape were perpetrated during the period erween 1947 ‘numbers but the ip ofthe iceberg. Gleansing of Palestine, devoted a three-page sub-chapter to the isue of rape, alo describing several dozen cases and emphasing che neces of Gv Uses orPhetogmpty ais

    You might also like