Photographing War and Peace through the Ages | Exhibition
Sir James Matthews Building
Building: Sir James Matthews Building
Room: Level 2, Room 2069
Building: Sir James Matthews Building
Room: Level 2, Room 2069
Age suitable for:
Accessibility alert:
- 11 - 14 years-old
- 14 - 16 years-old
- 16 - 18 years-old
- 18+ years-old
Accessibility alert:
- Potentially upsetting content
Images of war have been informing public opinions since the invention of the camera in the mid-1800s. This exhibition of conflict photography will take you on a journey through time, from photographer Roger Fenton's use of a horse-drawn 'photographic van' in the Crimean War to present-day snapshots of war taken by smartphones and shared over social media within minutes. Each photograph is selected to be representative of its time - from the black and white trench photography of the First World War to the high-resolution screenshots of Ukrainian soldiers' TikToks - and the many facets of wartime imagery, including themes like combat, civilian displacement, and antiwar protests.
The history of war photography is as much about technology, censorship, and the evolving role of the war photographer, as it is about these iconic images, and the exhibition will introduce you to some truly fascinating context behind the photographs, including how editorial and curatorial choices shape what we see of war. At the end of the exhibition, you will be able to see how important these decisions and the framing of photographs are through an interactive activity where you can match news headlines, museum exhibitions, films/TV shows, and even advertisements to their corresponding images.
The history of war photography is as much about technology, censorship, and the evolving role of the war photographer, as it is about these iconic images, and the exhibition will introduce you to some truly fascinating context behind the photographs, including how editorial and curatorial choices shape what we see of war. At the end of the exhibition, you will be able to see how important these decisions and the framing of photographs are through an interactive activity where you can match news headlines, museum exhibitions, films/TV shows, and even advertisements to their corresponding images.
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