The strange power of art is sometimes it can show that what people have in common is more urgent than what differentiates them. It seems to me it's something that theatre can do, but it's rare; it's very rare.
John BergerRead
The camera relieves us of the burden of memory. It surveys us like God, and it surveys for us. Yet no other god has been so cynical, for the camera records in order to forget.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote reflects on the camera's dual role in capturing moments and alleviating the need to remember them fully, while also suggesting a cynical aspect of forgetting.
John Berger's quote illustrates the complex relationship between photography and memory. He suggests that the camera serves as a powerful tool that allows us to capture and document our experiences, freeing us from the need to retain every detail in our minds. However, this liberation comes with a downside: the act of recording can lead us to forget the essence of those moments, as the camera's representation may not fully encompass the richness of real experiences. Thus, while the camera acts as an omniscient observer, it can also foster a superficial understanding of the past.
Themes
CameraMemoryPhotographyRecordingForgetting
In practice
Example use cases
In a discussion about the impact of photography on memory preservation during a seminar.
More from John Berger
All quotes →Unlike any other visual image, a photograph is not a rendering, an imitation or an interpretation of its subject, but actually a trace of it. No painting or drawing, however naturalist, belongs to its subject in the way that a photograph does.
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We never look at just one thing; we are always looking at the relation between things and ourselves.
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Propaganda requires a permanent network of communication so that it can systematically stifle reflection with emotive or utopian slogans. Its pace is usually fast.
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Being a unique superpower undermines the military intelligence of strategy. To think strategically, one has to imagine oneself in the enemy's place. If one cannot do this, it is impossible to foresee, to take by surprise, to outflank. Misinterpreting an enemy can lead to defeat. This is how empires fall.
John BergerRead
Nothing in the nature around us is evil. This needs to be repeated since one of the human ways of talking oneself into inhuman acts is to cite the supposed cruelty of nature.
John BergerRead
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