"When writing about photographic archives, in the context of national and cultural identity formation, Caraffa and Serena (2015), persuasively argue that the value of photographs is more than as aesthetic objects, they write:

A photograph – whether analogue or digital – is still able to play this role better than other types of document, since by its very nature it is linked to the concept of identity and self-recognition. (Caraffa and Serena 2015:8)

This is a viewpoint that builds on previous writing around the cultural value of photographs, from Hall (1984), Ryzova (2015), Edwards (2004), Campt (2012), to name a few. The starting point for this panel is to think through photographs as more than should aesthetic images. They can be understood as objects of cultural, social, aesthetic and political significance. Drawing from this perspective, this proposal looks at ways in which vernacular photographies inform and shape our understanding of the present, as well as the past. In doing this we open up questions around the of value of archives of the future. After a short introduction from the chair to frame the discussion, the panelists (see further information below) will discuss their research practice around vernacular photographies. This will be a starting point to answer questions such as: If we understand archives to be that liminal space between which memory and forgetting sit, how can this inform our current understanding of vernacular photographies?" (Molloy, 2018)

Panel Chair
Caroline Molloy, Senior Lecturer in Photography, Coventry University and PhD Candidate at the History and Theory Photography Research Centre, Birkbeck, University of London. Her research interests are centred around the relationship between contemporary vernacular photographies and cultural histories. http://www.carolinemolloy.media/

Panel Guest
Dr Nicky Bird, Reader in Photography, Glasgow School of Art. Bird is an artist whose work investigates the contemporary relevance of found photographs, the hidden histories of archives and specific sites. She is interested in a key question: what is our relationship to the past, and what is the value we ascribe to it in the present? https://nickybird.com/about/

Panel Guest
Dr Karen Shepherdson, Reader in Photography, Christchurch Canterbury University. Karen is the director of the UK’s South East Archive of Seaside (SEAS) Photography; co-director of the Centre for Research on Communities and Cultures; and co-editor for the Journal of Photography and Culture. Shepherdson’s research is based around archival coastal photography, through which she seeks to provide new
insights into cultural memory around working class coastal history. http://www.karenshepherdson.com/