Discussion 01

1. Discuss how does Dawoud Bey approach the idea of using photography as a way of finding his voice. Describe one of his projects and the impact he sought to create with that project.

Dawoud Bey is an American photographer that has as main goal to fight against the lens of social pathology that the black community is being perceived with, and create photos that have a deep meaning and shows the real people. He has been dealing with hearing loss problems for a long time; however, this hasn’t interfered with his work. In fact, he said that because of his hearing loss, he has been compensated with tending to see more than others, and this has helped him find his voice through photography.

We can see how he works on portraying the black community in a different way, especially when he tries to give a radical reimagining of history in one of his biggest projects called “Night Coming Tenderly, Black”. In this project, he transport us to the 1800s where runaway slaves used secret routes to escape and find a place to live freely. These pictures are dark landscapes without people or figures, so that the viewer can somehow feel or “see” what the slaves were looking at throughout their escape.

2. Discuss how Carrie Mae Weems uses photography to find her voice.Describe the kitchen table project and the impact that she sought to create with the project.

Weems said that she uses the art of photography to find and express not only her own voice or the one from African American women, but she wants to express the voice of women in general, and we can see how she works on it on her project called “The kitchen table”. In this series, the photographer decided to be vulnerable and used her own home as the set, and her family, friends and husband participated as “actors”. While taking the photos, she wanted to show a new perspective of the role of women in the household. That’s why the main theme of these photographs are the battles that occur around the family members and between the sexes. Carrie’s main goal was to change the perspective that the world has about women and fight against the social dynamics in the family circle.

3. How can you find your own voice?

Finding your own voice is a task that requires time and it can be done through different ways. I think one needs to first find what interest them or what they to want to express to the world, and then they can look for a way or art that helps them realize them. This could be photography, drawing, painting, music, etc. We just need to see which one fits our abilities and necessities.