The Camera and Documentary Practice

During our curator-led tour of the exhibition “Re-Viewing Documentary: the Photographic Life of Louise Rosskam” at the Katzen Arts Center on Thursday, I found it particularly interesting to hear about the photographer’s intent.  Throughout her experience with documentary photography, capturing life around her, Rosskam never viewed herself as an “artist,” but rather as a documenter with a sense of purpose.  She used her camera as a tool with the hope of enacting subsequent social change, rather than seeking to produce art for arts sake (as many photographers do today).  And she wanted this utilitarian quality of her photographs to be appreciated for its significance.

While photography has since developed into an independent art form that can be appreciated for its aesthetic value, the documentary capacity of the camera remains.  Artists and non-artists, alike, use the camera today, more than ever before, to capture their experiences and share them with others.  This ability has been further supported by technological developments in the recent years.  In an article I recently read in The New York Times entitled, “When the Camera Takes Over for the Eye,”  the author, Roberta Smith, explored the implications of art viewers' use of the camera as a documentary tool.  Smith discussed how Ruth Fremson, the photographer for The New York Times who documented the Venice Biennale this summer, focused her own camera on other people using their cameras to capture the works on view, creating a complex arena of documentation that sheds light on this current practice. 

The photographer found that few visitors to the exhibition used traditional cameras to capture what they saw, as smaller devices like cell phone cameras permeated the exhibition space.  Today’s technologies offer even greater documentary capacities, as such devices make capturing moments of life easier and more efficient.  Not only have these new mobile devices changed the nature of photography, but they have also contributed to an environment of collective experience.  With a quick press of a button, it is possible to send captured images worldwide, and thus share one’s experiences with others. 

It is important to consider the implications this has for the art exhibitions.  Much art viewing today is not done on the spot, but rather through the lens of a photograph, or better yet, the screen of a cell phone.  According to Smith, the overwhelming use of cameras in the exhibition space today can be viewed as distressing.  It creates an emphasis on the viewer capturing a fleeting glimpse to possibly reflect back on later, rather than taking the time to fully appreciate the art in the moment in time.  And those who are not there to experience the art, itself, may consider seeing it through someone else’s lens adequate.  On the other hand, some could argue that this culture allows for a wider dissemination of viewing capabilities to those who otherwise may never come into contact with the art in any form.

Does this documentary culture take away or add to the art-viewing experience?  Or has it become an inevitable and integral part of this experience, itself?