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You’re Invited: The ‘Public Life’ of Photographs Symposium, Toronto, Canada, May 9-11, 2013

© Clifton Li, Ryerson Image Centre 2013

© Clifton Li, Ryerson Image Centre 2013

The ‘Public Life’ of Photographs Symposium

Presented by:
Ryerson Image Centre

May 9-11, 2013

FREE Admission

Eaton Lecture Theatre (RCC204)
Rogers Communications Centre
80 Gould Street, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Website: www.ryerson.ca/ric
Phone: 416-979-5164 (Ryerson Image Centre – RIC)

The ‘Public Life’ of Photographs symposium is supported by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council, the Institut français, and the Consulat Général de France à Toronto as part of Paris-Toronto, and is co-presented with the Scotiabank CONTACT Photography Festival.

  • The lead sponsor of  this symposium is Partners in Art

The Ryerson Image Centre symposium “The ‘Public Life’ of Photographs” will:

  • analyze the dissemination of photographic images from the nineteenth century to the present

    • The dissemination of photographs is a topic that invites scholarship from diverse disciplines

      • Photography can perform a wide range of functions: it can be a vehicle of information, an instrument of ideology, a means of scientific exploration, and an artistic medium

      • The flexible nature of photography and its use within many different contexts demand a wide scholarly approach; this conference will therefore bring together experts in the history of photography, art history, philosophy, and visual culture

  • be divided into the following four panel discussions:

    1. “Photography in Public Narratives” will analyze photography’s role in the cultural construction of memory and ideology

    2. “Market and Exhibitions of Photography” will demonstrate how economic exchanges have played a key role in the mobility of the photographic image and will examine how photographic exhibitions, whether in museums or less traditional venues, have played a major role in the circulation of photographic images

    3. “Photographs in Print” will investigate how the press has participated in disseminating information and opinions through the use of photography

    4. “Public Photographs in Art” will focus on how the dissemination of photographs has helped artists gain recognition

Each of the symposium’s panel discussions involves five sessions that will include presentations from each participant and an audience Q&A period:

Registration: Please note that seating is provided on a first-come, first-served basis.