Memories and stories

"It is recognized that statements such as these are presented to fit a personal view or agenda. Terry Barrett, in his text, Criticizing Photographs: An introduction to understanding images, describes that art theory has different approaches: by critics, by photographers, by historians, and by curators.
Here it is, of course, a view [...] by a conservator.
[...] The conservators start from an object-centered approach [and try] to reconcile with the image-centered visual culture approach.
Would Barrett consider adding “Theories and conservators” to his list?

The retouching techniques on dry plate negatives of Portuguese photography collections of the first half of the 20th century, 2022

Retouched collections – Seeing the Invisible

A proposal for a new reading of photographic negatives as cultural objects. Based on six Portuguese collections, it explores the role of manual retouching in image-making, highlighting the material, technical, and symbolic value of negatives in studio, scientific, and amateur photography of the 20th century.

Retouched Collections

22 hours ago7 min read

Archive boxes for photographic negatives

Archived Negatives: Preserving the Invisible

On International Archives Day, we reflect on photographic negatives as cultural, technical, and historical objects. Retouching — often invisible but essential — reveals gestures and intentions worth preserving. Archiving also means interpreting, and making visible what so often remains hidden.

Photography

Jun 95 min read

Starting from the Negative: images, gestures, and memories to be preserved

Starting with the negative is not going backwards. Is looking at the reverse side of images, at forgotten gestures, at the objects that sustain what we see. This blog was born from the practice of conservation and research into the history of photography, but it aims to be more than that: a space for reflection on memory, image, culture and identity.

Photography

Jun 52 min read