Notes on early photography in Albania

Abstract

The manner in which the photographic invention interacted with various societies and national temperaments is undoubtedly one of the most interesting aspects of this field. Very little has been published about the arrival and development of photography in Albania. This article is based in part on conversations with the Albanian photographers Gegë Marubi, Piro Milkani and others, in the autumn of 1980¹.     

The art of the autochrome

Abstract

The work of Esther Parada resonates with the Chicago tradition of experimental photography but with a decisively activist fervour born of the 1960s. Her themes impinge on the neglected confluence of public and private domains, the stories of lives omitted from official record, and the frank negotiation of personal accountability in response to political dissembling and disingenuousness. Though Chicago itself continues to be thoroughly inscribed in her life and her work, reflected in projects that tell of the crucial importance of black Americans, women, and urban landscaping in the history of the city, her perspectives are truly global in scope - as wide ranging as Nicaragua, England, and India. As an educator in photography at the School of Art and Design of the University of Illinois, Chicago, she deserves special consideration as having exemplified the visionary practice and critical teaching of the medium established in 1937 by László Moholy-Nagy at the New Bauhaus. Indeed, she did graduate studies at the Institute of Design, where she came in contact with such innovative artists as Aaron Siskind, Arthur Siegel, and Joseph Jachna.¹ Parada, however, has broken new ground as one of the fJISt photographers to make the jump from the analogue or film-based photograph to the digital image, which she has deployed as part of an extended interventionist strategy of collage in order to pose alternative views to the limited narratives of privileged political and social institutions.     

Welfare Capitalism and Documentary Photography:

This article examines the use of photography in promoting welfare capitalist initiatives at the National Cash Register Company (N.C.R.) of Dayton Ohio in the early twentieth century. The article argues that the company's founder, John H. Patterson, became interested in both industrial betterment schemes and their photographic documentation as a result of industrial sabotage. In response to working‐class antipathy to the cash register itself, which was viewed as a technology of workplace surveillance, Patterson introduced factory improvement schemes that benefited workers at the Dayton plant. Photographs and lantern slides documenting these improvements became central to Patterson's international publicity campaign to render the Dayton plant a global showcase for progressive business practices. The circulation of these images in a global reform network allowed them to function, the article argues, as fetishes of Progressive‐era utopianism, obscuring the violent details of early twentieth‐century factory life. Like the cash register itself, which became an international commodity in the 1880s, the photographs documenting the triumphs of N.C.R.'s industrial betterment programme gain their value in relations of exchange, as they circulate in a global network of Progressive‐era conferences, exhibitions, and educational endeavours designed to ameliorate the human costs of industrial capitalism.     

From Carnival to Satire: Photomontage as a Commentary on Photography

This article discusses two eras of manipulated photography –that of trick photography before 1914 and that of photomontage of the 1930s. The former had a carnivalesque character, while the latter highlighted political satire. Although profusely discussed in its days, trick photography was largely anonymous. By contrast, the 1930s brought about distinct personalities such as John Heartfield or the Soviet cartoonist Boris Klinch as well as prominent theorists, including Karel Teige or Günther Anders. Despite formal differences the article argues for a continuity of approaches: both periods represent steps that question photography as a medium that claims stable signification.     

Serving,Owning, Authoring

Service provider or creative – which is the architect's primary role? And what legal, economic and ethical implications does each aspect carry? Architect and theorist David Ruy examines evolving business models in the architectural profession, from forays into property management to a focus on intellectual property rights, and considers the complexities of copyright law in the digital era.     

The Presence of the Weather

Modern architecture has dedicated much of its discourse to crystal-ball gazing – dwelling on the visionary and the speculative. Conversely, Kevin Nute , Professor of Architecture at the University of Oregon, puts the case for the present over the future and the past. To enhance experiences of the present, he describes how architects can harness the effects of changing temporal and weather conditions – sun and shadow, wind and rain. Design can heighten the sensory stimuli these conditions generate, keeping us ‘in the moment’ while still enjoying the comfort of being indoors.     

Exuberant Couture

Is the exuberant confined to architecture? Judith Clark , curator and lecturer in the history and theory of fashion, looks into the sartorial equivalent of digital exuberance. She describes how exuberance in fashion is largely performance-based expressed on the catwalk, as epitomised by Hussein Chalayan's dramatic staging of his shows. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Ashmolean Museum,Oxford

In November 2009, the Ashmolean Museum opened a new extension that doubled its gallery space on its existing city centre site. Howard Watson looks at how the redevelopment of the museum has been to its benefit curatorially, optimising the display space available for its extensive collections, but also enabling new connections to be made between artefacts in a way that fully tells the stories of civilisations across the globe. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

论杜威的社会哲学

古典实用主义在杜威达到顶峰 ,杜威把从自然科学中总结出来的思想五步法推广到了社会科学领域 ,对传统的社会哲学进行了改造 ,提出了一些有见地的观点 ,但从整体上陷入了历史的多元论和改良主义。     

关于计算机不可能摆脱人的控制的证明

在计算机高度发展的今天,人们自然会提出计算机会不会超过人的问题。本文用集合论的概念与方法,证明计算机不可能编出连人都编不出的程序,从而证明计算机不可能摆脱人的控制。从这个意义上说,计算机不可能超过人。