The Iconography of Disaster: Shock Images and Activist Film
In this age of "information overload" where we have become accustomed to the constant barrage of violent images, the iconography of war has been reduced to mere shock or impact. Human conflict now comes to us stripped of information and context. In this series of round table discussions, we will reflect on how contemporary photography, documentary and film deal with this narrative chaos.
Since wars exist, people have attempted to capture them in written words or illustrations. Death—in this case, violent death on a massive scale—has always fascinated human beings, caught up in the vital, agonising uncertainty about their own fate. Images of war give us pain or inspire empathy with those who suffer, but at a deeper level what they really reveal is our own fear.
This series explores the issue from three different angles. The first round table will discuss the controversial theme of shock photography or "war porn", evaluating whether or not it is necessary to flood screens and newspapers with violent images of reality in all its raw, uncensored horror in order to purportedly prick consciences or attract a wider audience/ readership. The second round table will explore narratives told from the perspective of the "bad guys", when directors pass over the testimony of the victims and instead choose to show death through the eyes of the perpetrators: executioners, murderers or kamikazes. The third and final session will focus on the genre of "counter-propaganda" documentary or activist film, which tells stories with the aim of doing what good journalism has always done: track down and expose corruption rings, shed light on war crimes or simply convey something other than the single "official message".
Curated by: Mayte Carrasco, war correspondent and writer.
These round tables and screenings will be held simultaneously with the (Anti)War Film series.
