Text: Camera Lucida by Roland Barthes

Date: Wed, May 21, 7pm

Location: Nolita with Nick & Phil

Roland Barthes wrote Camera Lucida in 1980 to parse the essence of photography — to understand what makes the form unique, what its inner “genius” might be.

Along the way, Barthes tries to understand why some — not all — photos speak to him, exploring this question through two concepts: the studium (an initial sense of attraction) and the punctum (a poignant detail that cuts through one’s attention). When, where, and why do these arise? What forms of attention open us to that sharp experience of a punctum in particular—what draws us in deeper to an image, rendering it “inhabitable?”

We will experiment along these lines together to develop a sense of how pictures shape, frame, and pierce our attention.

To participate in a Sidewalk Study, please join us for an Attention Lab or Seminar to join our list.

Read more about Sidewalk Studies HERE.