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Pete James
It’s kind of interesting in the context of archives then that if
those photographs get deposited as historical records and they are so
contrived, they are actually kind of passing down a kind of very questionable
reality, and it’s that whole thing about, well, the camera never
lies – that’s what was in front of the camera when the shutter
dropped, but if you look at the context in which that image was taken
and what was going on around that, then you could say that it’s not
actually a true depiction of that person’s experience or circumstance,
there’s questions about the history.
George Hallett
But it's photography as entertainment, also, because the picture becomes
a legend – it’s a fantasy.
Vanley Burke
Yeah, it’s a lie.
George Hallett
Why can other arts do it and not photographers?
Vanley Burke
I know because for example, I had photographs of my uncle while I was
in Jamaica and I’ve seen some since, because I love collecting old
photographs. What they did is they'd dress up in white gloves and stand
by this table or in suits or whatever it is and in their white gloves,
and they’re posing by this table. Now you tell me – a working
class black man in England in white gloves?
Pete James
A waiter.
Vanley Burke
No. They wouldn’t even accept them as waiters. They are all building-site
workers and factory workers. They’re doing the menial, roughest,
toughest job, and yet these are the images they prefer to project and
send back to the Caribbean.
I was taking photographs and I was a bit high up and he came to me and
he went ‘take me picture’.
George Hallett
It’s a global phenomenon.
Vanley Burke
It is, but despite the fact that I say it's a lie, I think it’s a
brilliant record because within that process are certain truisms, you
know?
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