In Camera/Ex Camera: Devices, Tools, and Equipment in the History of Photography

Virtual Session at the 2022 University Art Association of Canada Conference
University of Toronto, Oct 27-29
Online, Nov 4
Frances Cullen (McGill University) and Sameena Siddiqui (University of British Columbia)
fdcullengmail.com and sameenasiddiqui064gmail.com
Extended deadline: July 29

Photographs are made with cameras, of course, but also with a panoply of other equipment and devices. The camera itself is meanwhile an iterative object in its own right, and one that works through the assembly of multiple different components and accessories. This panel puts that roster of photographic tools and techniques in the critical spotlight, asking:  how have such individual devices been designed, manufactured, and sold? What do the world-wide distribution and usage histories of such technologies have to tell us about the regional and local dynamics of the photography industry? And what do these histories reveal, not just about how photography has been made, circulated, and used, but about what there is to be gained by considering them as technical, cultural, and even aesthetic objects in their own right? In doing so, it aims to illuminate the material culture of photographic making, while also bringing a critical global perspective to the theoretical discourse that would treat the photographic apparatus as, for example, a ‘seeing machine’ made possible by the assemblage of diverse technologies and techniques (Kittler, 1999).

Submissions must include:
• the applicant’s email address
• the name of the applicant
• the applicant’s institutional affiliation
• a brief biography (150 words maximum)
• title of proposal
• a proposal (300 words maximum)

If interested in participating, please fill out the linked call for papers form and send to the co-chairs by July 29. If you have any questions, or have trouble accessing the form, please do not hesitate to contact us.