Bob Fitch, Martin L. King (Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.),
Birmingham, Alabama, United States of America,
December 1965.
Reproduction from the Black Star Collection,
Ryerson University. Courtesy of the Ryerson Image Centre.
Using the
1948 Universal Declaration of human rights as a point of departure, Mark Sealy,
MBE, RPS Hood Medal, Director Autograph ABP and Founding CEO of Rivington Place
London, examines whether images of political struggle, suffering, and of
victims of violence work for or against humanitarian objectives, especially
when considering questions of race, representation, ethical responsibility and
the cultural position of the photographer.
The talk will reflect on the imagery that has informed
perceptions of civil rights, ranging from historic events such as the Selma to
Montgomery March and Martin Luther King’s “I have a Dream” speech, to the
independence movements in many African countries as well as more recent
examples of injustice within wider global conflicts. Here the historical and
contemporary roles of photography to validate and question the case for civil
and human rights will be examined from different perspectives.
The event is FREE but booking is essential as places are
limited.
This lecture forms part of a series accompanying a project by National Museum Wales to work on its rich and diverse historic photographic collections
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