In regard to Campany’s essay ‘Safety in Numbness’

Introduction

Campany’s essay was in response to the post-911 photography project by Joel Meyerowitz, the only photographer given access to the ruins of the World Trade Center towers during the recovery operation.  His assertion is that images shot after an event that capture only traces of what has happened are an aid to memory of it, rather than a document of it.  The stillness created by an image of aftermath is more about the photographer’s skill in creating an aesthetic rather than the impact of the event itself.

My consideration of the essay

When I read this essay, I was already looking at it defensively.  Meyerowitz is arguably my favourite photographer and I initially felt that this was a patronising look at what was a well-intended project to record the tragedy of 911 for the American people.  However as with most challenging material, when we look beyond initial perceptions or even predjudice we can identify with some of the key messages.

I found Campany’s comments about the role of photography with the development of moving picture technology interesting.  In the days before mass print journalism, photography provided the single moment of an event to inform the public of something relating to it.  The lack of real-time information didn’t really matter because there was not alternative at the time.  With the advances in print media, photography became the way of emphasising the impact of an event or series of events, e.g. the great depression of the 1930s.   It was later criticised for being narrow in its perspective when bringing the general hell of war to the people.  However, Campany adds that photography ceased to be used as the primary documentary tool for war zones after Vietnam.  I was a teenager when the first Gulf War took place and hadn’t really appreciated until reading Campany that video and moving imagery were the primary ways for us to understand the conflict.  I remember the first still images (that weren’t freeze frames from video) being after the allies had gone into Kuwait after the Iraqi surrender.  The still nature of those images are, as Campany describes, horrific but numbing.

In terms of he comment on Meyerowitz, I can see the point being made that despite the photographer asserting that the subject ‘told him how to shoot it’, his skill means that the images take on a certain beauty that is almost counter to the idea of documentation. I have the photographs in Meyerowitz’s collected works book ‘Taking my Time’ and they no longer remind me of how tragic 911 was.  Instead, they serve as a collection in the canon of one of my favourite artists.