Jul 3, 1986 - By the later seventies, moving images with soundâfilm and videoâ began to occupy my attention. I tried to see as much of the non-commercial ...
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Visual anthropology in Switzerland Ricabeth Steiger
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Teaches part‐time at the University of Zurich Published online: 03 Jul 1986.
To cite this article: Ricabeth Steiger (1986) Visual anthropology in Switzerland, Visual Sociology, 1:1, 10-11, DOI: 10.1080/14725868608583564 To link to this article: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/14725868608583564
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The Black. Photographers Annual, Volume II. 1974
Subject: Man and Animal" at the Anthropological Department of the University of Zürich, Switzerland. C. Vogelsanger's contribution deals with the subject "Man and animal in our culture," my own with visual anthropology by photography. Training students of anthropology in photography means for me to show them the specific characteristics of photography and to teach them to handle these characteristics in a theoretical and, above all, in a practical way.
Lange. Dorothea 1982 Photographs of Lifetime. Millerton, N.Y.: Aperture Lange, Dorothea 1973 To A Cabin. Grossman.
New York:
Visual Anthropology In Switzerland
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by Ricabeth Steiger
The first half of the course which has just finished, consisted of the following contents and exercises:
Studying Anthropology in Switzerland does not include any theory or practical training in still photography. But every anthropologist doing field research takes a camera with him and uses it, even if he had never used it before (during his or her university training he or she had to show verbal skills only, not visual ones).
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a theoretical introduction to photography (as well as to the relation between man and animal).
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every student had to snap 20 pictures about the subject "Man and Animals"; the students were asked to take these photos very consciously; i. e. to think about what he or she wanted to photograph; to control whether and how they realized their projects; to show the photos during the course, getting feedback about what information the photos contained and what impression they elicited in others (discussing the experiences during taking the pictures and discussing the photos, one's own and the others, was a very important part of the course, especially as the discrepancy between the intended meaning and the outcome became evident).
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articles about visual anthropology were discussed.
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a second series of photos had to be taken; the task was more difficult than the first one, because 30 photos had to be taken and four of them chosen
Recently, an anthropologist came back from an eleven-month field research; none of his negatives taken with a flash were properly exposed. He had neither taken pictures before, nor read carefully the user's manual of the camera or flash. Of course, some of the anthropologists take good pictures. But all of them use photography merely as an instrument of documentation, trying to confirm their research results by help of visual evidence; never is photography used as an instrument of research in its own right. The reason of this is due to the total lack of knowledge about the possibilities and subtleties of photography, which would be necessary for a use of photography beside simple documentation.; In fall 1985, C. Vogelsanger and I started a one-year course entitled "Photographic Documentation of a Specific
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limestones (quarried in Bavaria), and for the sounds and smells of the processes. A perfectly grained stone offered a wonderfully sensitive surface to respond to the marks and gestures made by my hand with the grease pencil. The lithographic process, based on the chemical principle that oil and water will not mix, was nearly magical to watch. The horsehide covered printing roller defined the viscosity and tack of an ink. The rhythm of dampening and inking the stone, and the rituals of printing rich velvety blacks and infinitely subtle nuances of tone and texture onto hand-made papers were very strong experiences. All of this was enhanced by the fact that I liked to work alone, late at night, by a wood fire. It was very romantic. I made a lot of prints during those years. Some were sent to juried print shows, and if accepted, represented an important line on my resume—but not much more than that. The exhibitions for the most part are not conducive to a discussion. There was little or no feedback. The medium is inherently biased to emphasize technique and particular image qualities and the conditions under which an audience confronts prints do not encourage critical discussion. I began to lose interest in my area of expertise. By the later seventies, moving images with sound—film and v i d e o — began to occupy my attention. I tried to see as much of the non-commercial, so called underground, experimental or independent film and video as I could. I read about its histories and its varied theories. And I began to work with the tools and equipment of super 8mm film and i/2" video to explore a variety of problems and issues. I became involved with a medium which has a very different history and relation to society than does printmaking. 1 made an attempt to confront the problems and influences of television, and found also that I
to illustrate a common theme. The exercise was discuss'ed in the same way as the first one. For the second part of the course, each student was asked to choose a more specific subject of special interest to him (still in the field of the relation between man and animal).
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It is intended that the students also interview the people they photograph and discuss the photos already taken with them. At the same time, new photographs should be made. In this way, personal contact, taking pictures and using them become all part of a continuing process. Finally, we intend to prepare an exhibition for which each student has to choose and comment on some of his work, combining visual and verbal information to a whole. So far our students have worked very intensely and with great concern; there seems to be a great need for this kind of course in Swiss universities, where the importance of a practical education in photography (including exercises and discussion about the outcome) has not yet been recognized. Basel, 2/16/1986
From Fine Arts to Visual Sociology: A Personal Comment by Roger Bailey In the early and midseventies, I was confident I was on my way to becoming a master lithographer—an expert at making hand-proved prints which came into being by my creative vision, skill, and craftsmanship. I was grounded in a rich history that included Daumier, Gavarni, Gêricault, Toulouse-Lautrec and Whistler. I had a deep respect for the. physical properties of the process—for the uniform texture and weight of the
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