Friday 23 September 2011

9/11

9/12
HANS-PETER FELDMAN
To say the past ten years have been tumultuous may be an understatement considering the natural disasters that have taken place from floods to fires, and tsunamis to earthquakes. We've seen the invasions of Iraq and Afghanistan, the deaths of both Saddam Hussein and Osama bin Laden, the downfalls of Blair, Bush and Howard and continued global financial meltdowns affecting many. With digital technology, the role of the photographer continues to be important as a way to comprehend, understand and memorialise major global events.

An interesting piece appeared in The Guardian by Jonathan Jones. In his article The meaning of 9/11's most controversial photo Jonathan discusses what has come to be an iconic and defining image from the day in question noting motivations, projections and attitudes. It's a riveting read and comes highly recommended for those in the Historical Perspectives of Photography course.

9/11 as a subject is one that a number of artists have tackled. Perhaps one of the more intriguing works is by Hans- Peter Feldman. His work 9/12 reproduces 100 front page covers of newspapers from around the world providing a point of reflection.