Interpretations of visual art

Photography workshop

Dr Grant Pooke, senior lecturer, History of Art, University of Kent, United Kingdom, not only addressed issues of those apprehensive of photography but also intrigued by it, in his lecture, ‘Writing for Photography’.

Recently, Dr Pooke’s workshop, was held in the Capital and was attended by photography practitioners, gallerists, journalists, economists, educationalists, students, postgraduate researchers, textile artists and designers. Presence of this wide range of professionals proved that ‘eminence of photography’ is increasingly being felt across society .

“On the basis of my teaching experience over the past 20 years or so, I would say that such diversity is becoming less apparent in certain educational contexts within the UK,” says Dr Pooke.

Since 2011, he has made three visits to India and feels that the interpretation of visual arts here involves a formalist orientation.

“Visual art is important for interpretative and methodological paradigms – in the UK and Europe too, but there are other discussions and debates around the indexicality of the image which could have a broader and critical relevance,” Dr Pooke tells Metrolife.

Amongst other discussions during the workshop, many were seen discussing various implications that social media portal Instagram has on photography. From esteemed photographers like Steve McCurry sharing their work, to fan pages of other photographers, the portal gives a singular platform to photography on a global level.

While Dr Pooke doesn’t personally use Instagram, he says that such platforms emphasise the “sheer ubiquity of the photographic within late modern society.”

“The self surveillance that we perhaps unwittingly accept and share online is an interesting technological development that has both advantages and disadvantages,”
he says.