CAPTURING THE PAST - TODAY

“Between the moment recorded and the present moment of looking at the photograph, there is an abyss.” - John Berger (2013)

Traditional education in architectural history & theory provides students with an analytical perception of the built environment. One in which their experience, comprehension, and conception become divided by the past and present. Photographs are portrayed merely as static moments in the past, left for analysis and memorization. Although not the intent of the educator, architectural history is reduced to a pile of dates and photographs.

However, on occasion, it seems apparent that students can be consumed in a mode of experiential perception, in which they see and understand the built environment in-time. Understanding architectural history not only as a collection of past instances but as continuous moments that unravel and provide meaning to our present sense of place.

The goal in the presentation of “Capturing the Past - Today,” is to provide the initial framework and findings of an analog photography workshop meant to connect and refresh their relationship with the built environment and enrich their understanding of architectural history. Featuring the developed analog film photographs of 6 architecture students and their thoughts on the value of capturing, developing, and processing images of the built environment.

Workshop by Enrique Ledesma, photos by the following UDM SACD students: Alexane Chiasson, Sofia D’Arienzo, Bushra Fawaz, Tyler Hearn, Sidny Hessem, Ryan Lemke

 

  • In-the-Field Analog Film Workshop Structure:

    An analog shoot on site as a group. Each analog camera will be loaded by the student with 35mm B&W Ilford HP5plus film. Students will be expected to take photographs following the workshop’s theme “KHAN” in addition to taking photographs of their own interests.

    Students will physically develop and digitally scan their film. Students will be provided the resource of a scanner, in addition to a tutorial on how to edit their scanned 35mm negatives.

    Students will produce a Zine that aligns with the theme, utilizing the photographs taken by those who participated in the workshop.

  • “The photograph offers irrefutable evidence that this man, this horse, and this bridle existed. Yet it tells us nothing of the significance of their existence.” John Berger (2013)

    In an essay titled, Appearances, in his book, Understanding a Photograph, by John Berger the photograph to the right is examined. Its photographer is unknown. Likewise, the name of the Man and Horse within the photo. The main subject is unclear. Leaving viewers to invent meaning.

    In a media-dominant society, it is apparent that photographs play a vital role in the way in which past events are documented and later understood. Further, photographs, and drawings to a certain degree, are the dominant means by which the history of the built environment is presented. However, this essay expands on the lack of meaning and significance associated with the way photographs are translated to experience.

    Can experiencing places, paired with photographic evidence, help provide meaningful significance to the way we examine the built environment?

  • University of Detroit Mercy School of Architecture and Community Development course description:

    A three-course sequence investigating the histories and theories of architecture through a broad and multi-disciplinary world-view perspective: framed not as an isolated phenomenon or just as individual buildings, but rather as part of a broader cultural pattern, particularly in relation to social justice, and the under-represented. Structured around a series of lectures and readings examining architecture, art history, urbanism, landscape design, philosophy, science, literature, political forces, and cultural studies between the mid-18th century and the present. Enriched by a series of in-class discussions, this class seeks to uncover how both past and present factors impact a contemporary understanding of architecture.

    Although “Architectural Theory” revolves around a series of discussions that reveal an area for critical conversation and contribution. “Architectural History” primarily relies on a series of lectures meant to present as opposed to provoking feelings or fuel conversation.

    This apparent dichotomy between the means of educating architectural history and theory highlighted a flaw. History was often lectured to a student, and in extension largely assessed through a student’s capacity to memorize. While the theory was often investigated through active class discussions and assessed through a student’s ability to expand on those ideas through writing.

    The Capturing the Past - Today workshop is meant to create a different way of educating students. The workshop is meant to inspire its participants to actively engage with their built environment in a more critical and intentional way. The removal of many technological amenities the smartphone camera offers, including certain colors, immediate image review, and the number of photographs that can be taken requires a different form of engagement. This workshop is meant to exploit those qualities with the intention of expanding the way in which we engage the past.