Black_White_Photography_-_Winter_2014

21

B+W

photographs existed for purely

functional purposes.

Guided by former Magnum

archivist Nick Galvin, historian

and anthropologist Elizabeth

Edwards, photographer Hannah

Starkey and artist Uriel Orlow

were invited to sift through

the 68,000 prints stored at the

agency’s London office. Working

together as well as individually,

each of the selectors chose around

40 images that spotlight their

own areas of interest, producing

a unique show of varying social,

political and cultural viewpoints.

D

ivided into three

rooms, the main

part of the display

begins with Edwards’

selection. Here we’re prompted

MAGNUM: ONE ARCHIVE, THREE VIEWS

runs until 4 January at the De La Warr Pavillion; Bexhill-on-Sea; East Sussex; TN40 1DP;

dlwp.com. Admission free.

In a pub, Wolverhampton, 1978 © Chris Steele-Perkins/Magnum Photos

to focus on the people, often

found in the background, of the

photographs. Starkey’s set, which

are photographs taken by or of

women, follows. The exhibition

ends with Orlow’s collection,

where he has decided to look at

a subject many associate with

Magnum: war. Offering a digital

counterpoint to the resin prints,

a slideshow of photographs

selected from Magnum’s online

archive is also on show at the

display’s entrance.

Small in size, the framed but

unmounted photographs beckon

visitors to take a closer look. The

imperfect quality of the images

tell their own unique story: some

include the photographer’s notes

for the final print, while others,

perhaps fixed in the darkroom

in haste, have intriguing marks

and tones. Once used in the day-

to-day running of the agency,

these photographs were never

intended to form the basis of

an exhibition. By re-examining

the archive now, however, it

highlights a precious moment

in Magnum’s history for the

public to enjoy.

Reflecting on the selection

process, Nick Galvin says,

‘My biggest surprise...was to

discover just how many [of the

resin print] images were not

online; indeed well over 50 per

cent of the images chosen in the

exhibition are not yet digitally

available via the website.’

Highlighting how Magnum’s

pre-digital archives still hold

distinctive selections of material,

this exhibition shows a lesser

known, but just as enticing,

collection of images by Magnum’s

leading photographers.

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