Images of this century

Abstract

Photographs make the unbelievable irrefutable. Images of the execution chambers and mass graves at Auschwitz, people jumping to their deaths from the Twin Towers, or prisoners in Abu Ghraib have become engraved on our collective memory and change forever our view of the world. But with a globalised media churning out thousands of poignant images every week, is it harder today to make an image that changes the world? Is the traditional attention-grabbing tactic of shock—illustrated, for example, by the 1984 images of the Ethiopian famine that resulted in Live Aid—still as powerful today? Or have we reached saturation point and image fatigue?During the past 21 years Reuters, one of the world's largest international news agencies, has amassed some outstanding photographs. The State of The World, a new collection of more than 500 Reuters images with accompanying text, captures the stories and developments of this century. These pictures document a world fragmented by war, instability, and inequality, and reveal that the power of image is as important as ever. Predictably many of the images of war and conflict are from the Middle East and Central Asia, with photographs of injured and dead Iraqi civilians among the most disturbing. Yet the many forgotten wars that are being fought across Africa are hardly featured in this collection. Perhaps this omission reflects the news agenda and political priorities in western countries where such conflicts are largely unreported.A Palestinian boy sits on a staircase stained with the blood of his father in Jabalya refugee campView Large Image Copyright © 2007 Ahmed Jadallah/ReutersUS hotel heiress Paris Hilton at the Cannes Film FestivalView Large Image Copyright © 2007 Eric Gaillard/ReutersSplit into nine main themes the book covers issues that range from the role of religion, the pattern of war and peace, to our increasingly technological world. The contrast between photographs of so-called celebrities—”the demigods of our age”—and the aftermath of terrorism, the Asian tsunami, and the Pakistan earthquake is horrifying. Such visual juxtaposition demands the question: what relative value do we place on real-world issues and on human life? The State of the World is a powerful reminder that our memories are etched visually, and that images often force us to confront what words allow us to deny. Photographs make the unbelievable irrefutable. Images of the execution chambers and mass graves at Auschwitz, people jumping to their deaths from the Twin Towers, or prisoners in Abu Ghraib have become engraved on our collective memory and change forever our view of the world. But with a globalised media churning out thousands of poignant images every week, is it harder today to make an image that changes the world? Is the traditional attention-grabbing tactic of shock—illustrated, for example, by the 1984 images of the Ethiopian famine that resulted in Live Aid—still as powerful today? Or have we reached saturation point and image fatigue? During the past 21 years Reuters, one of the world's largest international news agencies, has amassed some outstanding photographs. The State of The World, a new collection of more than 500 Reuters images with accompanying text, captures the stories and developments of this century. These pictures document a world fragmented by war, instability, and inequality, and reveal that the power of image is as important as ever. Predictably many of the images of war and conflict are from the Middle East and Central Asia, with photographs of injured and dead Iraqi civilians among the most disturbing. Yet the many forgotten wars that are being fought across Africa are hardly featured in this collection. Perhaps this omission reflects the news agenda and political priorities in western countries where such conflicts are largely unreported. Split into nine main themes the book covers issues that range from the role of religion, the pattern of war and peace, to our increasingly technological world. The contrast between photographs of so-called celebrities—”the demigods of our age”—and the aftermath of terrorism, the Asian tsunami, and the Pakistan earthquake is horrifying. Such visual juxtaposition demands the question: what relative value do we place on real-world issues and on human life? The State of the World is a powerful reminder that our memories are etched visually, and that images often force us to confront what words allow us to deny.