Review article

The truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth. Visual anthropology’s inquiry into image ethics

Lea Vene

Abstract

Jay Ruby, in his essay The Ethics of Image Making; or, “They’re Going
to Put Me in the Movies. They’re Going to Make a Big Star Out of Me.”, discusses potential ethical issues that arise from the (un)justified use of people and human destinies as to create seemingly realistic and recognizable images/representations of the Others. Up until recently, the passive subjects could only take up fixed and imposed positions in order to be transformed into aesthetic objects and objects of scientific studies which was predominantly justified under the guise of expert scientific research ensuring overall progress or artistic projects worthy of aesthetic enjoyment and admiration. Given that the naive assumption about the camera that never lies has long been discarded and that documentary does not imply objectivity, what are the values and professional commitments towards those photographed/filmed that the photographers and filmmakers should adhere to? Do artists have different moral authority than scientists or photojournalists? How to explain the schism between the representations of the Others and their own self-image? If one takes the everyday lives of people and
uses them to construct an artistic statement, where is the line drawn between the actuality of the subjects’ lives and the aesthetic needs of the artist? These are the key questions for re-examining personal motives and intentions, work methods and representational contexts, all the while listening to the Other with whom a reciprocal relationship is inevitably built.

Keywords

ethics; image; the Others; representation; visual anthropology; photography; film

Hrčak ID:

180329

URI

https://hrcak.srce.hr/180329

Publication date:

1.7.2016.

Article data in other languages: croatian

Visits: 1.809 *