Memory and the Photographic Image

For many photographers, memory plays a large role in the choice of subject and how that subject is interpreted. These images often become the only record of a moment passed, and therefore the one that is accepted as truth. But photographs and their negatives can be manipulated, raising questions about the intent of the visual choices offered by photographer, the experience of the viewer, and the question of control of our memories. If we were at the same place at the same time as the photographer, would we have the same experience of the event, and would we have taken the same image to remember it by? The answer is, most likely, no. So is our memory based on the photographer’s? This then begs the question of how many of our memories are made up of other people’s images—and how much input we really have on our own memories.

Encompassing various themes throughout the history of photography, including both intimate and informal portraits, perceptions of war, and our connections with urban scenes and landscapes, this exhibition examines our ideas about visual memory and how those memories are consumed and shared by viewers.