Memory Play at Leica
“The scene is memory and is therefore non-realistic. Memory takes a lot of poetic license. It omits some details; others are exaggerated, according to the emotional value of the articles it touches, for memory is seated predominantly in the heart.” -Tennessee Williams, The Glass Menagerie”
This March, join fine art photographer Jennifer McClure for an online course exploring the concept and use of memories in photography.
We each have memories that shape our lives, moments and scenes that weren’t photographed at the time. We have historical photographs that look different to us now, that we cannot remember being taken, or of loved ones taken before we were born. All of these together form a narrative of personal history, either individual or collective, that is layered and nuanced.
How can we make pictures about both the feelings and the facts of lives? How can we re-contextualize an archive and bring it into the present day? How can we express a moment that is no longer with us, or a memory that is slowly fading away? What is gained and what is lost in the retelling?
This class will explore several different types of photographs and projects that involve memory—those that are based on memory, those that re-frame memory using family/historical photos, those that preserve or memorialize, and those that document or interpret the loss of memory. We will look at historical and contemporary examples of each of these.
Five Sessions
Dates: TBD
Location: Leica Akademie online
Enrollment limit: 10 students
Skill/Experience Level: Open to all levels