Master of Photography
Introduction
Visual theorist, John Berger notes, that ‘the relation between what we see and what we know is never settled’ (1972: 7). By noting this, Berger reminds us to ask what it is we are looking, why and how it’s come to be. All of this is attributed to the contextual reading of the image and underscores why photography has always been so compelling and important. This sentiment is reflected in the work you see this year. The MA Photography graduates of 2022 play on Berger’s assertion and invite us all to think about what we see, and crucially why now. Topics within the show reflect the visibility of working-class communities and notions of localness, the relationship with nature and wellbeing, issues of death and materiality as well as works that look back and invite a reconsideration of the ways in which gender, power, pleasure, and vernacular photography represent, omit or obfuscate our understanding of belonging or self.
