Immigrants, Memory and Photography

“The Immaculate Conception Photography Gallery”

by Katherine Govier

Outline

General Issues: 1. City on three levels2. Immigrants, memory and photography

“Immaculate Conception”: Starting Questions

Sandro as an immigrant; Different Views on photography; Sandro’s changes The author and her words

Issues related to a CityCanadian Individual General

racial and gender relationships; immigrant ghettos identity: initiation, parents, religion, death, trauma, mask, passion, value. history – portrait in “Canvas of Time,” and the wall and confession in “Le Confessionnal.”

concept city vs. lived city; (Lion) rational planning vs. disordered, multiple spaces (utopia vs. heterotopia) (“Mislaid”) invisible cities (in culture, of history) and imagined communities (“Daybreak”; newspapers)

Immigrants, Memory and Photography

Immigrants: permanent sojourners, 花果飄零 and 落葉歸根 ? a potted plant? with an empty luggage? “We have floated upwards from history, from memory, from Time.” (Rushdie, Shame 70-71) Memory: 「不在乎天長地久只在乎曾經擁有」 Permanent, unique and genuine? A process of reconstruction? Like watching movies? “The past is a country from which we have all migrated” (“Imaginary Homelands”)

Immigrants, Memory and Photography (2)

Like cars and newspaper, it is a sign of modernity; (Cf. Govier’s words); like T.V. and movies, it is part of contemporary visual culture. Evidence of identity & memory/history photorealism mechanical reproduction

http://www.artcyclopedia.com/history/photorealism.html

Photorealism? by Close,

Chuck

Lucas, 1986-87, oil & pencil on canvas

http://sunsite.dk/cgfa/c/c-9.htm#close

宋七力光明本尊散放光明照片

Pictures don’t tell you everything.

Starting Questions Why do the customers want to have their photos changed? Why does Sandro disagree with it, but then keep on doing it? What types of moral judgment does he make along the way? How do his wife and his drunkard-friend Becker respond to them? What does Sandro do at the end? Would you keep on doing it if you were Sando? What have these changes to do with immigrant identities in a city? How else do we “fix” our memories? Or survive bad memories?

Sandro and the immigrant community

modern, adventure, no religion p. 126

vs. village, religion, and close-knit community. P. 127; 135 gender bias

Different views of photography & memory

The customers 1. Photo is “forever”

Alicia’s Punishment p. 129

2. want good memory, worth the price 130

3. Mostly family photos; adding in a brother 131

Sandro’s 1. Like a plastic su

rgeon 128 2. Existential ques

tions about life vs. things, 131

3. Creator/murderer p. 132

His wife/friend

1. Lie;

2. Things and survival;

3. Factual and practical responses.

Reasons for Sandro’s Continuing the job of changing photos

machines – 131; curiosity – p. 131; prayer 132; curiosity, challenge, compassion, greed.

Different views of photography & memory (2)

The customers

Diora—denies the past

Sandro’s Feel “god-like” Keep a file 133Cannot wipe people out

• Becker

Art and money

No standard.

The changes in Sandro skills improved; getting more machines; "Are we here just to have our photograph taken?“ See himself as God, making and changing human bodies and communities p. 133 See himself murderer, keeping the bodies. P. 135 love indifference, ill at home—dangerous and unreliable? erasing himself and going west. (the author’s words)

“Immaculate” Conception

machine-made memory and identity causing concern, compassion or indifference? How else can we do? Picture-taking as a ritual.

Katherine Govierborn in Edmonton, Alberta.has lived in Calgary; Washington D.C. and London, England; now in Toronto;studied English literature at the University of Alberta and York University; Writer of 6 novels and 3 short story collectionscurrently vice-president of PEN Canada.

The Immaculate Conception

Photography Gallery. Toronto: Little Brown Canada, 1994.

The West

We discuss the West, where she says people are more clear-eyed, pragmatic and energetic, and don't waste their time on pretence. Every now and then, her husband says, "Oh, you're doing your Alberta thing again," she says wryly. "But the West is indelible in me - the light and the land and the magnificent people that I grew up with." http://www.canoe.ca/JamBooksFeatures/govier.html

Photography

"Immaculate Conception Photography Gallery," the story was the first major piece that I wrote that anyone ever saw that had to do with photography.And then of course the novel, Angel‘s Walk, about a photographer.I love photography. I think it's the art form of the 20th century. It's just endlessly fascinating to me. I like the fact that it's about light. I like the fact that it has to do with stealth and pursuing and capturing. In other words, I like the process. I like how it's made. http://www.januarymagazine.com/profiles/govier.html