MICHAEL CHRISTOPHER BROWN
The idea was for a large-scale photography exhibition, but it then became a project, which the renowned American photographer Michael Christopher Brown enthusiastically embraced. Thus, the exhibition became an opportunity for an artist in residence, a workshop, and a scientific seminar on photographic reportage and the dissemination of visual information in the digital age. The undisputed star of the show, with his presence, was Michael Christopher Brown, the first photographer in the world to immortalize a revolution, the Libyan one of 2011, with an iPhone. And for this, to be hired by the prestigious Magnum Photos agency.
Let's take a look at the project's milestones:
Workshop, in the classroom and outdoors
Presidential Suite Four Points by Sheraton Catania,
Etna, Etna villages, Catania historic center, Acicastello and Acitrezza
Michael Christopher Brown
In Sicily
The main theme of the workshop was the profession of the photojournalist in the era of great technological, multimedia and digital changes, both in terms of shooting tools and in the dissemination and sale of images. Brown's experience was also invaluable for learning the aspects related to the conception and preparation of the photo reportage, the choice of the narrative model and the logistical and organizational aspects. The external excursions on Etna, in the historic center of Catania and in the Etna villages and on the Sicilian Ionian coast allowed the participants to live an unforgettable experience working alongside a great American photographer.
The workshop was attended by:
Federica Carrozza, Giulia Cassaro, Alberto Castello, , Giuseppe Geria, Mattia Pellizzari e Andrea Roccaro.
The scientific seminar with the photographer who revolutionized the imagery of information
Being Michael Christopher Brown
THE PURPOSE BEYOND THE TOOL
In the age of Instagram, the fact that a photographer decides to use a smartphone to take his shots may seem like a trendy choice. But for Brown, everything was born from a choice dictated by necessity. «A long time ago I was in Libya, but due to a complicated situation, I lost all my equipment. I only had my phone left, so I used the Hipstamatic app to take some shots. It was very limiting, starting from the mandatory square format, but over time technology has advanced. Today the iPhone allows me to shoot very quickly, it is discreet, it allows me to get closer to people and look at the scene with my eyes and not just through the viewfinder». When asked about the quality of the shots taken with a phone, his answer is clear: «I think the fundamental thing in photography is the message you want to send, the emotion that is transmitted».
Excerpt from "M.C.B. Oltre il mezzo, il mio sguardo tra sciogliete personali e globali"
by Federica Carrozza - Sicilian Post.
From 10/8/2021 to 4/30/2022
Galleria d'Arte Moderna "Le Ciminiere"
Catania
The international photography exhibition
With a world premiere of the project "A more beautiful world"
I/Reporter
curated by Ezio Costanzo
For the first time in Europe, a photographic retrospective of Michael Christopher Brown, the contemporary American photojournalist who more than any other has revolutionized the media landscape, is being presented. Curated by Ezio Costanzo, the Galleria d'Arte Moderna de Le Ciminiere in Catania features two hundred photographs that trace the reporter's career and his global travels to chronicle conflicts, populations, and territories. Among his most iconic reportages, recounted in the exhibition, the most important is the one on the Libyan revolution, with explicit, brutal, and merciless shots of lifeless bodies and Gaddafi's face beaten to a pulp. Others include the reportage shot on the streets of China, again with his iPhone, or the one taken in Cuba during Fidel Castro's funeral. The other sections of the exhibition bring together shots taken in Congo, Afghanistan, Palestine, and the remote Russian island of Sakhalin, which have left an indelible mark on the contemporary depiction of our world. Reportages for major international magazines such as National Geography, Amnesty International, and the Magnum Photos agency.
Michael Christopher Brown is a photojournalist who bears witness to our times, documenting events by imbuing his images with a powerful, introspective narrative. He is also an innovator in the language of photojournalism—and not only in the narrative, but also in the technical aspects of the medium. Many of his reportages were shot with an iPhone, a device no professional photojournalist had ever thought of using to immortalize a conflict. In these reportages, the introspective tension of the narrative blends perfectly with the compositional aspects of the images.
A section of the exhibition features a preview of some images from his new project, "A More Beautiful World is Possible." Furthermore, three large lightboxes present three images taken by Brown during his residency in Sicily, and a section of the exhibition is dedicated to a sound installation titled "The Audible Island," created by sound engineer Michele Spadaro, who wandered the island with Brown, investigating the impact sound can have on the imagination of people and places. Michele Spadaro's work is an immersive audiovisual installation in which traditional models of philosophical abstraction, usually based on words or images, are augmented with sound models, challenging traditional interpretations of the metaphysics of being. Spadaro traveled around Sicily with Brown for seven days, experiencing the same spaces and places with the photographer but focusing on different senses. The result was an investigation of the impact sound can have on our imagination of a place and its perceived reality when created in conjunction with photography rather than for it.
Who is Michael Christopher Brown
Michael Christopher Brown (USA, December 18, 1978) explores the conflicts and socio-economic, political and environmental contexts of our planet. Raised in the Skagit Valley, a farming community in Washington State, he became known for his iPhone-based documentation of the 2011 Libyan civil war and the subsequent monograph “Libyan Sugar” (2016). A contributing photographer to National Geographic since 2005 and a former associate photographer for Magnum Photos, his photographs are held at the Brooklyn Museum, the Museum of Fine Arts in Houston and the Musee De L’Homme in Paris. [...]
