The Cape Town Month of Photography 2005 Catalogue
by Andrew Lamprecht
The third incarnation of the Cape Town Month of Photography (MoP), presented by the South African Centre for Photography finds a permanent record in its extensive and beautiful catalogue. The literally 100s of shows, most very ephemeral, some still to be seen in the odd slow-to-change venue, are recorded and remembered in MoP director Geoffrey Grundlingh's authoritative publication. In reviewing this publication I was immediately transported into a happy nostalgia at the shows that I visited during the time that the festival ran, roughly from late February through to the end of March this year as well as a could-have-kicked-myself shock at some of the things I missed.
For those who did not or could not view MoP (and I doubt if anyone, Grundlingh included, could have seen everything) this book is a useful guide to the state of photography in South Africa today. An especially useful feature is the fact that contact details and relevant website addresses are provided where appropriate. In some ways this allows the catalogue to serve as a sourcebook for practicing photographers and those wishing to make use of their services.
In addition to artists' statements, ranging from the brief and obscure to the lengthy and illuminating, there are three catalogue essays. Philosopher Elisa Galgut in 'The Illusion of Imitation' examines photography in the context of Socrates' famous injunction against the representational arts. Although somewhat brief it is a fitting opening to the catalogue, being well written and happily free of obfuscatory pretensions.
One cannot say the same about Sean O'Toole's 'This is Not Photography, This is Just Boring'. Overly aware of his own style and wavering between chattiness and the appropriation of fashionable jargon, O'Toole's reflection on Jürgen Schadeberg's statement, from which the title derives, is chiefly interesting for the context in which the statement was made and to whom it refers. Apparently it was made during 'the vexed deliberations of the seven jury members' (one of whom was the essay's author) while standing before an image by Jo Ractliffe. Presumably the usual rules of jury confidentiality did not apply to the DaimlerChrysler awards. O'Toole decries what he terms 'Schadeberg's outburst' and makes all manner of convoluted readings of the statement. This essay left a bad taste in my mouth. While I agree with some of the author's positions, the manner in which he makes them and the basis of his flights of reasoning did not invoke much confidence as far as I was concerned.
Svea Josephy's 'Departures' is a much more balanced, nuanced and sophisticated assessment of the status of post-apartheid documentary photography. Here she presents a sustained argument, backed up by example after example. The result is an essay that is beautifully written and convinces through the author's obvious deep knowledge of her subject.
The catalogue is beautifully designed and serves several functions: as a reference book or coffee table browsing material it works well. One final note: having seen several of the exhibitions catalogued here I must pay tribute to Geoffrey Grundlingh's unfailing eye. He always manages to pick the very best and most iconic image for illustration. Sometimes the show looks far more interesting as a catalogue entry than it does when one actually gets to the venue. One can hardly fault an editor for that.
Geoffrey Grundlingh (editor)
Cape Town Month of Photography 2005
Cape Town: The South African Centre for Photography, 2005
196 pp. Softcover. R200
ISBN 0 620 33778 8
