THE VOICE OF THE VISUAL IN MEMORY (ZELIZER, B, 2004)

When looking to find some written inspiration to inform my project I came across this article by Barbie Zelizer.

"the force of the photographic image is derived from its powerful capacity to represent the real"

The quote above will inform my practice and research as it questions if photographing memory is a practice of capturing the real. So far, the majority of the images I've taken have been authentic and real reflections of the memories and events I have been part of. I wanted to stress this idea as I want my project to reflect the honesty of my memories, even if that means they're not the most aesthetically pleasing.

"often photography aids the recall of things and events past so effectively that photographs become the primary markers of memory itself"

The sparked some interest for me because it hints that the camera is one of the pivotal aspects of capturing raw memories. And without this practice of capturing an image, perhaps our true memory of the event is foggy or inauthentic? Throughout this project I've captured random memories that I've lived through, whether this be a memory of special places in my hometown or relaxing with friends at the pub. Perhaps some of these 'memories' wouldn't be as memorable to me if I hadn't captured the moment.