For more than 20 years we had this almost annual photographic meeting.
Named “Encontros de Fotografia de Coimbra”, it spreaded through the city of Coimbra, in churches, public buildings, universities, art galleries, bars and coffee shops, hospitals, museums, hotels and so on.
There we could see exhibitions covering all kinds of photography, from some of the XIX century to some done on propose to the event. Known or unknown photographers, nationals or not. From classic approaches to experimental photography. At the same time, we could attend to some conferences or workshops about the main subject of that year.
If I do well remember, I missed just two of them: the first because I didn’t knew of its existence, the other because I was sick. And, if I was working with some classes, I went there twice the same year: one, during two days, to see, taste and fell photography and to chose from all of them those that we could attend with the class, next week end, in just one day, after a trip of 200 km by bus. The options were of location, importance of author and work, subjects and their own interests, since they had the chance of chose some of them.
It was a very nice and fun day, all together, thinking, talking and breathing photography!
As everything else in life, those meetings faded away until they died. And I miss them!
Among all of those exhibitions, there is this one that I remember well.
It was a mixture of photographs and objects and was about a Russian cosmonaut.
We could see him as a baby, as a teenager, as a student, as a civilian and as a military officer. Wearing uniform or his space suit.
And they showed us as well his watch, his pen, some of his notebooks, parts of his uniform, medals, wallet and others.
At the end, they had this huge card waiting for us. There we could read that everything see before in that room was a fake. A huge cheat! The man wasn’t a cosmonaut, not even a Soviet citizen. It was Spanish (Catalan, if I well remember) and all the photographs and objects were build on propose for that exhibit.
Most of the public was chocked. They felted they had been taken as fools, believing in all that.
Some others gave felted laughers, understanding that as a big joke. I even heard some applause.
Most of them discovered there that photography is not a copy of the reality! And that the only truth we can find in photographs is the one the public take for guaranteed. Being not important the fidelity of the image with the original subject or the message.
As for the picture above, I can imagine what you have seen there.
But I can assure you that it is the inner curve of an elbow, belonging to a friend. It was done with a pocket camera and thinked for this text, or some alike.
And where is the truth in photography? In our minds, I guess!
Texto e imagem: by me
Named “Encontros de Fotografia de Coimbra”, it spreaded through the city of Coimbra, in churches, public buildings, universities, art galleries, bars and coffee shops, hospitals, museums, hotels and so on.
There we could see exhibitions covering all kinds of photography, from some of the XIX century to some done on propose to the event. Known or unknown photographers, nationals or not. From classic approaches to experimental photography. At the same time, we could attend to some conferences or workshops about the main subject of that year.
If I do well remember, I missed just two of them: the first because I didn’t knew of its existence, the other because I was sick. And, if I was working with some classes, I went there twice the same year: one, during two days, to see, taste and fell photography and to chose from all of them those that we could attend with the class, next week end, in just one day, after a trip of 200 km by bus. The options were of location, importance of author and work, subjects and their own interests, since they had the chance of chose some of them.
It was a very nice and fun day, all together, thinking, talking and breathing photography!
As everything else in life, those meetings faded away until they died. And I miss them!
Among all of those exhibitions, there is this one that I remember well.
It was a mixture of photographs and objects and was about a Russian cosmonaut.
We could see him as a baby, as a teenager, as a student, as a civilian and as a military officer. Wearing uniform or his space suit.
And they showed us as well his watch, his pen, some of his notebooks, parts of his uniform, medals, wallet and others.
At the end, they had this huge card waiting for us. There we could read that everything see before in that room was a fake. A huge cheat! The man wasn’t a cosmonaut, not even a Soviet citizen. It was Spanish (Catalan, if I well remember) and all the photographs and objects were build on propose for that exhibit.
Most of the public was chocked. They felted they had been taken as fools, believing in all that.
Some others gave felted laughers, understanding that as a big joke. I even heard some applause.
Most of them discovered there that photography is not a copy of the reality! And that the only truth we can find in photographs is the one the public take for guaranteed. Being not important the fidelity of the image with the original subject or the message.
As for the picture above, I can imagine what you have seen there.
But I can assure you that it is the inner curve of an elbow, belonging to a friend. It was done with a pocket camera and thinked for this text, or some alike.
And where is the truth in photography? In our minds, I guess!
Texto e imagem: by me
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