When evaluating the book ‘Forget Me Not: Photography and Remembrance’ by Geoffrey Batchen, what is clear is that it seeks to bring out a rather complex relationship between the art of photography and memory. Batchen (2004) seeks to reflect on the fact that indeed the use of photography remains as one of the most curious aspect relating to ensuring that people connect with their history. When providing a description of the different photographs, as can be seen within the book, one is able to get a sense of emotional appeal arising from the memory logged into the photographs that would help towards preserving specific events. That builds on the understanding that indeed people may seek to extent their use of photographs in a bid to capitalizing on their abilities to maintain a positive connection to specific historical events in their past.
Batchen, who was a photography historian, understands the value placed on photography as it relates to preservation of history, especially in creating a different tone that would seek to change the perception that people hold towards photography. From my personal understanding of Batchen’s presentation of photography, I tend to believe that he seeks to describe photographs from the perspective that they can be considered as visual treasures. That means that they do not only seek to present an image but also allow for the preservation of a memory, as they seek to describe individual memories from the perspective of events surrounding period when the photograph was taken. Consequently, this leads to my conclusion on the fact that photographs ought to be seen as treasure chests of both mysterious and beautiful images.
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Batchen (2004) reflects on the fact that people may be in a position allowing them to create the emotional appeal with regard to photographs by working towards embellishing them using texts, paints, and flowers among others. From an analysis of the photographs that have been presented within the book, it is clear that they have been embellished to some extent using texts and paints as a way of ensuring that they create that sense of emotional connection to the audience. The embellishment of the photographs can also be seen from the fact that some of the images have been contoured in a bid to ensuring that the audience would connect with the message that they intend to pass along. An example can be seen from the image titled ‘Traveling mirror with portrait of a man wearing a hat’ that creates a sense of reflection for the image presented to connect with the audience that it seeks to serve.
In my opinion, Batchen believed in the fact that the changes made to photographs before they are presented would be great value towards creating hybrid objects that the audience would relate with as part of their analysis of historical events. I took note of the fact that in all the photographs and images that Batchen presented, they had been changed to some extent with the aim being towards creating a sense of appeal for the audience. That means that people tend to have a closer connection when dealing with hybrid objects when compared to photographs that are presented in their original state. Batchen (2004) has been able to maximize on the understanding that indeed usage of extraordinary works of art allows for the audience to establish a clear understanding of how the pictures and photographs would represent them.
References
Batchen, G. (2004). Forget me not: Photography and remembrance . Princeton Architectural Press.
