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Photography and
history
When
we look at photographs we are looking through the lens of the
photographer.There
are many different reasons why an artist thinks a picture is worth
taking at
any particular moment. But there in my opinion two main
reasons. |
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The
first motivation for taking a picture lies in an artistic and aesthetic
motive,
or simply because the subject is an attractive one. The second reason
could be
that the photographer wants to express himself/herself, or document a
special
emotion in a creative and sensitive way. In addition, there is a third
way to
make a good picture. History sometimes radically alters the objects the
photographer recorded on film. Space changes through the influence of
time and
in space we can read time. Time and space should be fixed in
people’s minds,
but when this isn’t the case only silence remains. |
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The
history in the 20th Century of Cambodia
is an example of
a bad time, ever-present
in the mind of its people but rarely discussed. This is where
photographic
images can help people to think about their history and the present
thus
helping to break the silence. The photographs of Yoko Toda show
Cambodian life
before terror seized the country and are shot in the spirit of the two
reasons
for taking a picture mentioned above. |
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The
photographs of Yoko Toda have a special
place in the memory of the
Cambodians and they can help in recreating their society without the
anguish of
war and pain. There not many existing documents of the time before the
oppression and war destroyed parts of the Cambodian identity. These
pictures of
daily life and the temple of Angkor Wat are witnesses to
the peaceful Cambodian
life. |
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Moritz
Schneider, 2006
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©
Silence-Remained 2005-2011 |
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