Addressing one of the most common concepts that define the nature and function of photography, the fifth edition of the conference After Post-Photography aims to re-think the fundamental notions and offer new perspectives on the subject of photography and its connection with memory.
Memory is a notion commonly brought forward when speaking about photography. The very idea of close connection between memory and photography has long found itself at the basis of the (re)construction of histories and identities.
The photographic image, when regarded as a material evocation of memories, is supposed to not only preserve the past, but to represent a selection of moments worthy of being captured and retained. In this sense, photography has caused fundamental changes to mental structures, such as remembrance and forgetting. Its mechanics, however, is still indecisive: is photography something that evokes memory - or something that enhances oblivion? Furthermore, is a photograph something that really speaks of a moment of the past, or does it rather testify of certain modes of cultural optics? Is there still a possibility to ‘remember’ with, or through photographs? After all, the traditional belief in photography’s truthfulness, its indexical function, the freezing of a decisive moment, or proof of “what has been”, all this stands in strong contrast with the contemporary discussions on fake news, artificially constructed memories, post-reality politics and “augmented” realities.
The conference is chaired by Maria Gourieva, Olga Davydova, Natalia Mazur, Moritz Neumüller, Daria Panaiotti, and Friedrich Tietjen. It is organized in collaboration with the conference "PHOTOGRAPHY AS ART. Current trends in study and the history of national schools", at the Russian Academy of Arts, Moscow, May 27-29, 2019.