Wednesday, October 12, 2011

Quote of the day

"Today, the meaning of this photograph has nothing to do with judging individuals. It has become a picture about history, and about memory. As an image of a cataclysmic historical moment it captures something that is true of all historical moments: life does not stop dead because a battle or an act of terror is happening nearby."

The Guardian's Jonathan Jones on Thomas Hoepker's controversial 9/11 photo. Over-egged perhaps, but nevertheless the article contains some interesting reflections on why the image shocked (and continues to shock) and what it might signify. Callous insouciance or an almost propagandist image indicating that the West remains unshaken even by the most devastating of terrorist atrocities so close to home?

1 comment:

David said...

It seems odd to me that critics would try to cast judgement on the people caught in this photograph. "The young people in Mr Hoepker's photo aren't necessarily callous. They're just American."

Isn't it obvious that their 'behaviour' is just our interpretation of a frozen instant that the photographer has chosen to present to us?