My Little Self-reflexive Diary: the Balkans

The change in the meaning of photography from modernism to postmodernism did not occur alone independent from everything. The meaning of photography and the concepts it represented changed in parallel with the changes observed in social sciences, art and even science. Thus, in today’s field studies, photography is defined as a visual diary rather than the fact that it conveys reality and is an evidence of the moment. Visual recording is the recording of “objective reality”. On the other hand, creating a visual diary carries different connotations built on the alternative conceptualization of photographic tool itself. What will the photographer include or exclude in a work? How will the photographer evaluate events that occur in front of her/him? According to her/his level of understanding of the topic she/he examines or documents? Photographs as visual diary include photographer and her/his tool (camera) in documenting process. In other words, diary is self-reflexive historical diary of photographer’s presence or absence in the field. These photos are a self-reflexive interpretation of the Balkans. My memories about the Balkans are upsetting. I remember some heartbreaking photos in newspapers during the war in early 1990s. I saw dead bodies for the first time in my life that was hard to conceive as a child. I always wanted to go the Balkans. I had the chance to visit the region in 2007. This serial was the first time that these photos come to light. For Scotiabank Contact Photography Festival (Canada), I read and created the photos again with self-reflexive-consciousness.