Dawoud Bey had suffered from a hearing loss. While that may have set him back a little bit he still found a way to make his voice heard and that was through the use of photography. He wanted to portray blacks or the view of blacks in a more complex manner. To try and go beneath the surface of what society shows. One of his projects called “Night Coming Tenderly, Black” was a very intriguing one. Within this project, Bey is trying to have viewers sort of experience what was once a very troubling time in history (during the period of slavery and the Underground Railroad). As he said in the interview the project is about ” making the invisible visible, through the photographs, in a way that resonates within those viewing them. The images are pretty dark and gloomy and none of them have people in them which contributes to the experience of the exhibit. One picture in particular that stood out would have to be the one of the kinda run down house in the middle of the woods (or forest). The entire landscape seem to be tough to have to wander through alone on foot and that’s what many people back in history had to do.
Carrie Mae Weem’s approach to using photography as a voice all started with her drive to wanting to find an outlet/ voice for women during a time where they did not really have one. To which she started her “kitchen table series” all from the conforms of er own home, in her own kitchen under a singular light source. She sought out to show the relationships between women and men (and the balance of responsibility and power between them). And also the relationship between woman and child and friends/ lovers. Her pictures showed or could lead you ton imagining conversations that might be had during those times, based on the people and objects within the photographs.
Their approaches are similar because at the end of the day they both wanted to use photography as a means of communication to people that either never lived through those times. Or those who would not really understand them. Also their approaches are similar because they draw upon important moments or times in history where indifferences had occurred. However their approaches are different because of why they needed photography to be a voice in their worlds. Bey who’s suffered from a hearing loss sort of just naturally adapted and just had a better eye for things and understanding places and times and used it to help others understand as well. Mae Weem on the other hand wanted to represent a larger group (woman in general) kind of enabling them with a source of power/reason. I think the power of photography is that It helps create a deeper understanding by helping to contribute to the imaginative side of what’s being presented. And as people always say ” a picture can be worth 1000 words.”
Nicely stated. Bey is a wonderful example of someone who makes a disability into a strength. Night coming Tenderly, Black is amazing in how it puts all of us back in history to imagine what it was like for people escaping slavery.
As you say, since Weems doesn’t change the location or the angle of view in the Kitchen Table series, we focus on the people and objects and the relationships between them.