Exercise 1.9 Visual research and analysis - social contrasts

This exercise follows commentary in the notes on Photography and the City. The notes quote Clarke (1997) from his chapter in The Photograph. I made notes on this for a previous course and reread for this exercise.

The object is to find photographs depicting at least two different social perspectives of the same place. I chose not to focus on the work of a single photographer for this part of the exercise but rather explore further a subject I came across somewhat by accident when in Barcelona: the plight of the homeless in that city. This article explains that there are about 3,000 homeless in Barcelona, and, while there, I visited the Piso Piloto exhibition setting out the problem using exhibits and video interviews:

Piso Piloto Exhibition. Available from http://www.cccb.org/en/exhibitions/file/piso-piloto/128989. Accessed on 25 March 2016

The contrast between the renowned tourist sites of Gaudi's stunning architectural design and the homeless who live therein is manifested with the following set of images:

The chimneys at La Pedrera

Park Guell. Available from http://www.denizbekleyisseven.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/Park-Guell.1.Barcelona.jpg. Accessed on 24 March 2016

Sagrada Familia. Available from https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/ee/Sagrada_Familia_01.jpg. Accessed on 24 March 2016

The images show the contrasting beauty of Gaudi's work with some of those who live within its shadow and for whom the presence of tourists admiring the architecture offer little expect begging possibilities. As a way of crossing this divide a social enterprise company has been established to offer guides to the city employing homeless people.

Guides employed for tour were previously homeless. Available from http://www.hiddencitytours.com/. Accessed on 24 March 2016

The second part of the exercise is to find two photographs depicting social contrasts within a single image. 

I found the following by searching the internet:

Availalbe from https://sotwpodcast.files.wordpress.com/2014/07/image-425413-galleryv9-sqdr.jpg. Accessed on 24 March 2016.

I like this image as it is evidently a grab shot taken as three fashionistas pose on the pavement as entirely unaware of the disadvantaged man on the left as he is of them. It really is as if they inhabit different worlds yet, for this moment, in close proximity to one another. The city, with its teeming population, allows the coexistence of many social contrasts. 

Available from http://i.telegraph.co.uk/multimedia/archive/03461/homeless-mancheste_3461778b.jpg. Accessed on 24 March 2016

Tents housing the homeless have appeared in Manchester along a shopping street of designer boutiques. Apparently, the occupants find that northern shoppers are more generous donors than southerners according to the Daily Telegraph article.

Reference:

Clarke (1997) The Photograph. Oxford University Prss. New York