Notes & Comments

NOTES & COMMENTS

A GATHERING OF FORCES

Who ARE the individuals in this country, and abroad, who, passionately interested in and devoted, are actually advancing Fine Photography?

This question dominated a gathering held in New York City during January of this year at which were present representatives of George Eastman House, Limelight Gallery, Gamma Picture Agency, the photographic quarterly IMAGE, the Institute of General Semantics, and the photographic departments of the University of Indiana and the Rochester Institute of Technology.

Most of the representatives are photographers whose work was included in the then current SENSE OF ABSTRACTION exhibit at the Museum of Modern Art. These individuals, then, are practicing creative photographers in either Experimental or Equivalent photography, as well as being engaged daily in picture editing, exhibiting photographs other than their own, writing about pictures and teaching photography as a medium at various levels. The various persons present are articulate, not only verbose, and work from both sides—the practice of photography as a medium, and the presentation of fine photography to many kinds of audiences.

The gathering was arranged by APERTURE and was called in order to discuss, in a general way, the possibilities and need for some kind of a visual-verbal vocabulary for use when photography is employed as a creative-expressive medium. The idea of such a vocabulary remained vague during the entire meeting. For the information of the present reader by "visual-verbal vocabulary’’ is meant some kind of a word and picture combination by which various words used awkwardly now in criticism and the aesthetics of photography might be given common coinage. For example the word "information” might be defined with words in company with the photographs from which the word definitions sprang —both supplied in printed form at the same time. The purpose of such a vocabulary would be to establish for special words such as "photograph,” "image” a common ground of meaning which would make communication easier in the difficult fields of photographic aesthetics and criticism when this is aimed at both the emotional feelings of photographs and the intellectual framework. We had in mind definitions which might give, if not precision, at least general understanding and agreement when speaking and writing about matters that are invariably intangible. Most of the persons present have given considerable study to such matters—and always with their own sets of words with their own personal symbols attached. In Optics the term "virtual image” approaches a standard meaning—the same term extended to the study of visual perception merely approaches heresy.

As the meeting developed one member present said that any kind of a "glossary,” whether defined with words AND pictures or not, was not at all what was wanted, he even thought such a thing quite undesirable. Yet, as the afternoon wore on, it became more and more evident that communication between the various individuals present was nearly impossible on even simple visual matters. When it came to speaking of significant perception problems in the visual world communication broke down completely. As was expected different terms were used for similar concepts and conversely different understandings clouded the same word. It became obvious that for the people present to actually come to any kind of understanding of one another, let alone agreement, was out of the question in less than days and weeks of conversation that were not at hand for anyone present.

With the idea of a glossary discarded we sought to find what was really needed. This proved to be knowledge of what each person present stood for, what each did in his profession, and what each did in his personal photography, and what philosophy of photography each had developed over the years in whatever application of photography each was engaged.

If you are deeply concerned, or actively engaged in the advancement of photography as a medium, a letter to APERTURE will be welcomed. (Address: 72 North Union St. / Rochester 7, N. Y.) Such a letter might include some notion of the areas of your practice and research, also some indication of your published writings and/or camera work—indications of one-man exhibitions equally welcomed.

In anticipation that articles, illustrated, and portfolios of photographs may grow out of such interchanges of information between active individuals, APERTURE offers its pages to such findings. Personal philosophies, research in pure form, experimental photography, pursuit of Spirit, research in the perceptual performances of viewers and photographs, the effects of words on pictures or whatever else is due along trends, aesthetic and critical lines in the next few years. A long term program is envisioned here. Many years are going to pass during the undertaking and continuation and completion of study along the lines suggested above. Criticism with insight is entirely lacking in photography today because the crying need for it by the dedicated workers is drowned out by the mass aspect of photography.

On the subject of the exchange of information between the intellectuals and the photographers the idea of "regional editors’’ was presented. It is a well known fact that persons already live in various parts of the country (and abroad) who notice the appearance of new talent in their region, keep track of the progress of growing reputations, and continually evaluate the evolution of the established photographers. Likewise they are often in a position to encourage and know about the studies going on at an academic and intellectual level. They are aware of those studies which are being aimed at the unraveling of the aesthetic and psychological, creative and spiritual problems of camera work. As an outgrowth of such discussion APERTURE is looking for persons who are willing to act as regional editors.