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Category Archives: Readings

The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction – Walter Benjamin

Friday, May 28, 2010

The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction
Walter Benjamin, 1936
“Our fine arts were developed, their types and uses were established, in times very different from the present, by men whose power of action upon things was insignificant in comparison with ours. But the amazing growth of our techniques, the adaptability and precision they [...]

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Thomas Struth & Gil Blank in Conversation – Whitehall Magazine 2007

Monday, May 3, 2010

Thomas Struth & Gil Blank in Conversation
Whitehall Magazine, Volume 6 2007
Gil Blank: I’d like to begin by asking how you perceive the nature of subjectivity within contemporary imagemaking. The concept of subjectivity, and even the word itself, is a loaded one within current artistic discourse, so I think it would be a helpful point [...]

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“How To Write About Africa” – Binyavanga Wainaina

Sunday, April 25, 2010

(Or How to Photograph in Africa)
How to Write about Africa
Binyavanga Wainaina
Always use the word ‘Africa’ or ‘Darkness’ or ‘Safari’ in your title. Subtitles may include the words ‘Zanzibar’, ‘Masai’, ‘Zulu’, ‘Zambezi’, ‘Congo’, ‘Nile’, ‘Big’, ‘Sky’, ‘Shadow’, ‘Drum’, ‘Sun’ or ‘Bygone’. Also useful are words such as ‘Guerrillas’, ‘Timeless’, ‘Primordial’ and ‘Tribal’. Note that ‘People’ means [...]

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