PHOTOGRAPHY AS A TOOL TO EVALUATE SOCIAL EVENTS

Yıl 2024, Sayı: 8, 60 - 69, 29.09.2024

Hale Zeynep Ağacan

Öz

The aim of this article is to show how photography as an art form can be used as a tool to help us see the reality and the true color of the society that we live in. As it shows us the social reality with an objective look and from a different perspective, photography is also a very important medium to document history and important social events. The general question addressed in this article is whether it is possible to understand the social problems through camera lenses. This article does not intend to question whether photography is accepted as an art form, but rather it tries to understand how photographic images help us see the reality of the unseen. Since Gordon Parks has seemingly unlimited amount of photos, in this article only seven of his photo, which are seen as the vivid portrayals of racial discrimination in America, are going to be used. These photos are among the most popular ones and each one has a historical and cultural roots. Through these photos, it is intended to highlight the consequences of racist discourse in the US.

Anahtar Kelimeler

Gordon Parks, Gordon Parks photography, civil rights movement, racial discrimination

FOTOĞRAFÇILIĞIN SOSYAL OLAYLARI DEĞERLENDİRMEDE BİR ARAÇ OLARAK KULLANILMASI

Öz

Bu makalenin amacı, bir sanat dalı olarak fotoğrafın, içinde yaşadığımız toplumun gerçekliğini ve gerçek rengini görmemize yardımcı olacak bir araç olarak nasıl kullanılabileceğini göstermektir. Farklı bir açıdan bakıldığında fotoğraf aynı zamanda tarihin ve önemli toplumsal olayların belgelenmesinde de kullanılan çok önemli bir araçtır. Bu makalede ele alınan genel soru, toplumsal sorunların kamera merceklerinden anlaşılmasının mümkün olup olmadığıdır. Bu makale, fotoğrafın bir sanat dalı olarak kabul edilip edilmediğini sorgulamayı amaçlamıyor; daha ziyade fotoğrafik imgelerin, görülmeyenin gerçekliğini görmemize nasıl yardımcı olduğunu anlamaya çalışıyor. Gordon Parks’ın bir çok galeride neredeyse sınırsız sayıda fotoğrafı olduğundan, bu makalede onun Amerika’daki ırk ayrımcılığının canlı tasviri olarak görülen yalnızca yedi fotoğrafı kullanılacaktır. Bu fotoğraflar en popülerleri arasında yer alıyor ve her birinin tarihi ve kültürel kökleri var. Bu fotoğraflar aracılığıyla ABD’deki ırkçı söylemin sonuçlarının vurgulanması amaçlanıyor.

Anahtar Kelimeler

Gordon Parks, Gordon Parks fotoğrafçılığı, sivil mücadele, ırkçılık

Kaynakça

• Becker, H. S. (1974). (Essay). Photography and Sociology.
• Grady, John. (2007). 21st Century Sociology A Reference Handbook. Sage Publications. California.
• Harper, D. (2023). Visual Sociology. Routledge Taylor & Francis Group. New York.
• Hertzmann, A. (2018). (Essay). Can Computers Create Art?.
• Jenkins, P. (2017). A History of the United States. Red Globe Press.
• Stange, M. (2006). “A World of Possibility” in Bare Witness: Photographs by Gordon Parks. Stanford University Press.
• Internet Resources
• Cooke, A. (2023). Photography’s Power as an Agent of Social Change https://fstoppers.com/historical/photographys-power-agent-social-change-649083#:~:text=Since%20its%20origins%20in%20the,galvanize%20people%20to%20take%20action
• Kloehn, S. (2014). Gordon Parks: Arts in the Service of a Social Vision https://news.uchicago.edu/story/gordon-parks-arts-service-social-vision
• Kunard, A. (2021). Gordon Parks And Photographing America. https://www.gallery.ca/magazine/gordon-parks-and-photographing-america
• Seiferle, R. (2024). “Documentary Photography Movement Overview and Analysis”.
• https://www.theartstory.org/movement/documentary-photography
• https://artsandculture.google.com/story/7-gordon-parks-images-that-changed-american-attitudes/_QXxWEH0ykiDIA
• https://g.co/arts/J3FRBSaeGER5jyVP6
• https://www.gordonparksfoundation.org/gordon-parks/photography-archive/harlem-gang-leader-1948/artworks?view=thumbnails
• https://www.moma.org/audio/playlist/297/4226
• https://www.artbasel.com/catalog/artwork/44079/Gordon-Parks-Outside-Looking-in-Mobile-Alabama?lang=en
• https://www.moma.org/artists/8083
• https://canvas.saatchiart.com/art/art-history-101/photography-as-art-form#:~:text=Photography%20as%20an%20art%20form,and%20timing%20of%20a%20shot
• Visual References
• Image 1.Parks, Gorson.(1942). American Gothic. (Photograph). Access date: 13.02.2024. https://www.theartstory.org/artist/parks-gordon
• Image 2. Parks, Gordon. (1948). Harlem Gang Leader. (Photograph). Access date: 13.02.2024 https://g.co/arts/YveYRN4CFZxdY3FKA
• Image 3. Parks, Gordon. (1948). In mortuary Red and Herbie Levy study wounds of Maurice Gaines, a buddy who was found dying one night on a Harlem Sidewalk. (Photograph). Access date: 13.02.2024.
• https://www.theartstory.org/artist/parks-gordon
• Image 4. Parks, Gordon. (1952). A Man Becomes Invisible. (Photograph). Access date: 12.02.2024. https://g.co/arts/C4E2tYQ4Tuih3oh9A
• Image 5. Parks, Gordon. (1956). Outside Looking in, Mobile, Alabama. (Photograph). Access date: 12.02. 2024. https://www.artbasel.com/catalog/artwork/44079
• Image 6. Parks, Gordon. (1963). Untitled. (Photograph ). Access date: 13. 02.2024. https://www.theartstory.org/artist/parks-gordon
• Image 7. Parks, Gordon. (1966). Mohammed Ali. (Photograph). Access date: 13.02. 2024. https://www.theartstory.org/artist/parks-gordon