Photography and its Histories

“Odd,” wrote Roland Barthes in his renowned 1980 study of photography, “that no one has thought of the disturbance (to civilisation) which this new action causes.”

Recent years have duly witnessed an explosion of scholarship considering the social and psychological impact of taking photographs. This course draws on recent approaches to explore the wide-ranging changes in perception brought about by the technology since its invention in 1839. How has photography shaped the aesthetic sensibilities and ethical sensitivities of the modern world? Through a series of discrete but related talks by experts in the field, this programme considers how the camera has informed our understanding of art, politics, nature and the self.

Sean Robert Willcock convenes this five-part lecture series, covering the origins and early uses of photograph, technology, and visual media.

Free to attend. No prior art historical knowledge is necessary.