Engaged Observers

ENGAGED OBSERVERS

Last year in the summer I travelled to L.A and while I was there I visited the Getty museum. I saw a photography exhibition called 'Engaged Observers'. Subtitled Documentary Photography since the Sixties, every photo had a story and these stories stretched over 50 years of photography. The focus of the exhibition was looking at society and its problems, and the photographer's personal beliefs embedded in the photos.  Artists included Leonard Freed, Phillip Jones-Griffiths, W. Eugene and Aileen M. Smith, Susan Meiselas, Mary Ellen Mark, Lauren Greenfield, Larry Towell, Sebastião Salgado and James Nachtwey. 

The particular artist I have chosen is James Nachtwey (b.1948), this is due to the powerful impact of his work. He only had one piece in the Exhibition called “The Sacrifice”(2006), a large panel broken up into a grid of 60 black and white photographs. These photos depict trauma scenes from a field hospital in Iraq. Nachtwey himself was injured in 2003 from a grenade exploding on the Humavee he was riding. The initial pictures show wounded soldiers, yet gradually as the eyes move to the right, you are taken through the operation procedure, and finally to last photo, the sobering picture of a man with a white sheet covering his head. He puts these cleverly in chronological order (rather than a collage) so that we may see and endure what really happens on a day to day basis during war.

The Sacrifice (full), James Nachtwey, negatives, 2006–7

Nachtwey: "The Sacrifice," 2007, a 60 photo mural at the Getty Museum. 

The Sacrifice (detail), James Nachtwey, negatives, 2006–7; print, 2010

The Sacrifice (detail), James Nachtwey, negatives, 2006–7; print, 2010

The way in which the work was displayed was very effective. The photos were in black and white, which made the display look almost calm from far away as if they were just a grid of photos; however the closer one observes the photos, the horror of war as well as the pain and terror, not only of the soldiers but the all the nursing staff, doctors and surgeons comes to light. The black and white photography also has a practical purpose as often too much colour can cause confusion, whereas the monochrome underlines the structure and adds to the power of the work. Art has changed; whereas before it was aesthetically pleasing nowadays it is perceived to be something aesthetically successful; modern art has a ‘shock-value’. James Nachtwey’s display fulfils this paradigm as his photos accomplish their purpose by shocking the audience.

Another artist that displayed their work which also had a big effect of me was Mary-Ellen Mark.

Her project was called 'Seen behind the scene', with all her photos set in Seattle focussing on her investigation of child homelessness. 

 Mary Ellen Mark: Lillie with her rag doll, Seattle, Washington 1983

Mary-Ellen Mark, Rat and Mike with a gun, Seattle, Washington

Tiny in Her Halloween Costume, Seattle, Washington, USA. Mark was drawn to Tiny, a 13 year old prostitute, and returned to photograph her many times. Tiny is now married with nine children (see below, Tiny (1999) - Source  http://www.maryellenmark.com/text/magazines/london%20sunday%20times/904G-000-023.html