Research Paper

Impermanence, Memory and Photographic Representation

in Talbot and Broomberg & Chanarin’s work

Abstract

This paper examines the works of William Henry Fox Talbot, Man Ray, László Moholy-Nagy, and Pierre Cordier to explore the relationship between memory and the perception of flux and impermanence. By drawing upon the theories of Aristotle and the fragmentary remarks of Heraclitus, and setting them into critical dialogue with modern thinkers like Walter Benjamin, Roland Barthes, Susan Sontag, and John Berger, this paper explores whether photographic work, from its earliest history, sought to escape limitations of only means of representation in order to capture the impermanence—not only of material objects, but of memory itself. Work made by Man Ray, László Moholy-Nagy, and Pierre Cordier, whose photograms and chemigrams exemplify the flow and impermanence characteristic in memory and perception. The Pencil of Nature by William Henry Fox Talbot illustrates the ephemeral nature of early photography and its similarity to the impermanence of memory and life itself. The Day Nobody Died 2008 by Broomberg and Chanarin opens up a critical dialogue with the institutional constraints placed upon traditional war journalism, and seeks to achieve philosophical representation via true non-figurative abstract imagery.

Keywords: Photography, Memory, Photograms, Non-figurative representation, Flux, Perception

Introduction

In the treatise Memory and Recollection written c.350BC, Aristotle looks at the nature of memory, perception, and imagination, which he finds are different. He argues that we know the present because of perception, and we recognise the past by using our memory, which can be accessed only when the present becomes the past. (Aristotle:1.449b15).  He distinguishes the act of remembering from experiencing the present, questioning whether in remembering we are recalling the memory-image or phantasma or the actual past event itself. This inquiry leads him to treat memory, perception, and imagination as distinct mental processes (Aristotle: 1.449b25). 

Based on Aristotle’s theory, by looking at a painted (or printed) image of a living, we are looking at both the painting or print as a physical object and also the representation of the living (Aristotle: 1.450b22-b23). Will it be enough for any image that is associated with a past event to be representative?

This paper discusses how photographs and memories act similarly. We store photographs using different archival means such as photo albums, photo books, museums, galleries, archives, in wall-mounted frames, etc. Memories are often interpreted as archives: "a repository filled with items, meanings, and visuals suggesting that one could tap into their memory to reclaim past events”. (Cross et al., 2010). In what follows, this research project will explore how non-figurative representation in photography embodies the concepts of impermanence and flux, affecting our understanding of memory and perception, through an analysis of works by William Henry Fox Talbot, Man Ray, László Moholy-Nagy, Pierre Cordier, and Broomberg & Chanarin. The pre-Socratic philosopher Heraclitus made numerous remarks on flux and the nature of reality, such as “Everything flows; nothing remains” and “Change alone is unchanging,” and his fragmentary comments will feature throughout this paper.

In The Destructive Character, 1931, Walter Benjamin explores how destruction and change are integral parts of the process of renewal and transformation, much like Heraclitus. Benjamin sees the prejudice against destructiveness as a bourgeoisie phenomenon that favours maintaining the existing order. The continually ongoing destructive process is necessary for change and creation. (Benjamin, 1931)

The photographic image is the element within the photographic object, and the decision to make a photograph is for the future, but it represents the past. It will capture the specific moment in time but does not fully convey the complexity of memory and recollection (Berger, 1982, p. 85-91). Berger also argues that the photographer's decisions and choices are not neutral. However, Susan Sontag argues:

"photography has powers that no other image system has ever enjoyed because, unlike the earlier ones, it is not dependent on an image maker. However carefully the photographer intervenes in setting up and guiding the image-making process, the process itself remains an optical-chemical or electronic one, the workings of which are automatic"  (Sontag, 1979, p. 164).

Photography plays a complex and multifaced role that goes beyond recording and documentation. It also occupies a unique space as it exists in multilayer and simultaneous spaces, creating a dichotomy between the photographer and the photograph.

On one hand, it acts as a lens to allow us to look at the absent or hidden, the punctum, as explained by Roland Barthes. This stays within the individual's unique interaction with the photograph as an image. (Barthes, 1993, p. 116). The punctum—a personal, poignant detail of a photograph—is a bridge between what is visible and what is invisible within the photograph, inviting us to engage with aspects of emotion, memory, and subjective interpretation that may not be readily apparent at first glance. Consequently, photography exceeds its function as a recording device, becoming a means of discovery and reflection that challenges us to see beyond the surface.

On the other hand, it raises space of debate on who owns the agency, creation and interpretation. John Berger’s assertion that the photographer’s decisions are not neutral yet, Susan Sontag complicates this by emphasising the “automatic” nature of the photographic process, challenging the notion of the artist’s total authorship. Does the photography process democratise image-making, as Sontag suggests, or does the photographer’s deliberate direct imput still dominate the narrative?

Case Studies

William Henry Fox Talbot

In 1834, William Henry Fox Talbot discovered how to create photographs. His process was called “calotype” or “Talbotype”. This method involved creating a paper-based negative photographic print, allowing him to produce multiple positive prints. To create these prints, the paper was coated with light-sensitive silver iodide and placed inside a sliding box camera. When exposed to light, this setup produced a negative image on the paper. The exposed paper was then developed using gallic acid and fixed with sodium hyposulfite to make the image permanent. Talbot’s main problem at the time was making it permanent or “fixing it" so it didn't fade away. (Malcolm, 2000). Many of Talbot's photographs suffered from the issue of fading when kept in daylight, as the light-sensitive silver iodine coting was getting dark under daylight. (Malcolm, 2000). Some of his initial prints are still only available to be seen under “the darkroom safe red light". Early photographic materials were fragile and susceptible to fading or degradation over time, just as our memories can fade or change as time passes. Both involve capturing and preserving moments, yet both are inherently impermanent and subject to loss. Talbot’s early photographic experiments faced challenges in terms the print being stable after the chemical process, with many prints fading over time due to the chemical limitations he was facing. This physical impermanence of his initial prints parallels the fleeting nature of human memory, where recollections fade unless actively preserved or revisited. The degradation of Talbot’s photographs serves as a metaphor for the constant flux inherent in both technological processes and human cognition.

Talbot's work, The Pencil of Nature, is the first example of photography's capability to document and memorise public spaces and/or personal experiences, showing the specific capacity of photography to register monuments, objects, spaces and portraits, creating a meta-archive. A meta-archive is an archive that contains other archives, in this case, a collection of photographs that depict a diverse range of possible uses for photography (Bate, 2010, p. 248). The Pencil of Nature was the first photography book ever made and is a collection of 24 plates that depicts a diverse range of possible uses for photography. These contain architectural studies, landscape scenes, still life, and close-ups, as well as reproductions of prints, sketches, and text. Given the lengthy exposure times needed in early photography, Talbot included only one image featuring people, The Ladder Plate XIV (fig1). Talbot also sought to demonstrate photography's potential as an artistic medium with images like The Open Door Plate VI (fig2). Talbot’s The Pencil of Nature demonstrates photography’s ability to capture moments in time and preserve them through archiving. Photography acts similarly to our memory: the impermanence of his first images due to chemical instability emphasises the ephemeral nature of both the medium and the memories it preserves. This work depicts how photography, while attempting to create a lasting record, is subject to the same forces of flux and decay that affect all material things.

Fig. 1 : William Henry Fox Talbot XIV. The Ladder. Public Domain

It became possible for people to look at images that accurately depicted people who’d been long dead. The photographs became mirrors of memory, changing the perception of time and allowing memories to be formed or distorted. Roland Barthes described photography as "the impossible science of the unique being" and he characterised the medium as being able to record the highest degree of realism. However, paradoxically, a photograph cannot capture its subject's real essence and individuality. The photograph's existence proves the subject's presence but represents a moment of the past, immediately creating a distance in time, as explained by Aristotle. Compared with a painting, a photograph can't be made after the fact as the past, as represented, cannot be captured again.

Fig. 2 : William Henry Fox Talbot. The Open Door (Plate VI). Public Domain

    Walther Benjamin in his 1931 essay The Destructive Character discusses the idea that destruction is a necessary condition for change and renewal. In Man and His Symbols, C.G. Jung discussed that to make space for a new way of thinking, it is often required to let go of all beliefs. Forgetting is needed as a way of making space for new memories. When used as an archival space, photography becomes an extension of these forgotten memories. A family album is one example of an archive of family memory; John Berger in Another Way of Telling, says that:

“a photograph preserves a moment of time and prevents it from being effaced by suppressing future moments. In this respect, photographs might be compared to images stored in the memory. " (Berger, 1982 p89)

Man Ray and László Moholy-Nagy

Talbot’s initial photographic prints were botanical documentation of plants created during his experimental period. After coating the paper with light-sensitive chemicals, he would lay a plant on top of the paper and expose it to light. The plant blocked some of the light from reaching the photosensitive coating, while the rest of the paper darkened, leaving an impression of the plant. He called this process “photogenic negative drawing.” This process, also known as a photogram, derives from the Latin words Photo -meaning light and Gramma- meaning written.

Man Ray, an influential artist of the Dada and Surrealist movements, placed objects directly onto photosensitive paper and exposed them to light, producing abstract images that challenged traditional notions of representation. He called this way of making images "Rayographs". The absence of a camera in this process eliminates the mediator apparatus, allowing for a direct imprint of objects. Aristotle claimed that memory is an impression of the past (Aristotle: 1.449b15); similarly, Man Ray’s rayographs capture the essence of objects not as they are perceived in reality but as imprints of their existence, blurring the lines between the actual object and the representation made on the photographic print as an object. László Moholy-Nagy, a key figure at the Bauhaus school, produced work that emphasised the interplay of light, form, and space; he followed Man Ray and he used photograms to explore abstraction.

In his book Vision in Motion László Moholy-Nagy said “the photogram is the true key to photography. Its possibilities could be greatly extended with these new discoveries”. Man Ray’s rayographs and Moholy-Nagy’s photograms were created without a camera. They relied on the direct exposure of light on the photosensitive paper with objects placed on top of it. This process captures a singular, unrepeatable interaction of light and material, freezing a moment in the flow of time. The resulting images are, paradoxically, records of impermanent arrangements, emphasising the flux of reality and the ephemeral nature of perception. Despite advances in technology since the early nineteenth century, these photographic objects are also subject to physical decay. Are flux and impermanence the only permanence?

Pierre Cordier, known as the father of the chemigram, merged painting and photography without the use of a camera or enlarger. By painting chemicals directly onto photosensitive paper, Cordier created abstract images that embody the transient and impermanent nature of memory: “the chemigram combines the physics of painting (varnish, wax, oil) with the chemistry of photography (photo emulsion, developer, fixer); without a camera, without an enlarger, and in daylight…while it seems complicated, it really isn’t” (Cordier, 2011, p262)

The exploration of photograms by Man Ray, Moholy-Nagy, and of the chemigrams by Pierre Cordier could be seen as a visual investigation of the philosophical meanings of memory, perception, and representation. Their work prompts us to consider how images function as extensions of our memories and how the absence of figurative representation can still evoke powerful recollections and/or emotions. By eliminating the camera, which can be seen as the filter between reality and representation, the photogram becomes a direct representation of the objects that were placed onto photosensitive material. This act symbolises how our experiences leave lasting impressions on our minds, creating memories that are both perceptible and untraceable. The photograms serve as a record or memory of what was there on the photosensitive paper but also as a reminder that it is no longer present. It captures the essence of memory, but also it reflecting its delicate and impermanent nature.

Adam  Broomberg and Oliver Chanarin

In 2008, Broomberg and Chanarin joined the British Army as embedded photojournalists and travelled to Afghanistan to document the war in Helmand Province. Being embedded journalists, the artists say, meant that they had access to the front line of the war, but the British Army also had access to and controlled the way they produced work while embedded (Broomberg & Chanarin, 2008). The artists received clear rules on what they could photograph but also on what they could not photograph such as injured or dead civilians or soldiers, hospital scenes, ammunition and the effect of it on buildings or surroundings, or anything that was a sign of war. For journalists and/or humanitarian workers, being neutral can be difficult in the context of war, and the embedment layer makes it easier or different. (Cramerotti & Mele 2021)

Before departing, they packed in a lightproof cardboard box a roll of photosensitive paper 50m long and 0.76m wide. British soldiers transported the box of light-sensitive paper from the UK to Afghanistan. Broomberg  and Chanarin documented the transportation using a small go-pro camera attached to the box, creating "a kind of a dadaesque stunt" (Broomberg & Chanarin, 2008). After arriving in Afghanistan, they joined the army patrols in the backs of bulletproof armed vehicles with just two small windows to look out. In response to these traumatic journeys and to a series of mundane events, Broomberg and Chanarin, while in the back of the armed vehicle, unrolled sections of the light-sensitive paper from the box, transforming the army vehicle into a mobile darkroom, and exposed to the sunlight for 20 seconds.  The non-figurative abstract images created by exposing the light-sensitive paper to the sun are the opposite of what photojournalism is. The resulting images lacked direct input and instead were the product of "the temperature of light that day, at that moment, in that place". Broomberg and Chanarin called the work The Day Nobody Died, offering a different approach to conflict photography, and creating alternative ways of seeing such events. (Cramerotti & Mele 2021).

The photograms produced, fig. 3, which are direct records of light conditions at the particular moment, not only represent the events they took part in but also display the marks of the war as it bears witness to those series of events: “the day when a BBC fixer was executed”, “the day that a suicide attack killed nine Afghan soldiers”, “the day three soldiers died, pushing the total number of soldiers that died in combat to 100”. The day that the title refers to, The Day That Nobody Died was a day that the war didn’t cause any fatalities in Afghanistan.

This type of work doesn’t have a journalist shape, but there is a general agreement that the images convey the emotions of witnessing those events incorporating the flux of time within them. These images are not figurative and do not directly depict anything specific, but they create an atmosphere and spark conversation. David Bate discusses "the politics of representation" of an image as we all experience photographic images differently. We see images on our phones, on billboards, on TV, in magazines, in galleries, and in museums. Some of these images become idealised, are seen as representative, and are used to incite our attention (Bate, 2010, p.249). With The Day That Nobody Died, Broomberg and Chanarin challenged this idealised conception of representation and invite the viewer to consider the question: “what is it you expect to see?” (Broomberg & Chanarin 2008). The photograph's existence proves the subject's presence but represents a moment of the past, immediately creating a distance in time, resembling the flow of time. The past represented in an image cannot be captured again.

Fig. 3. © Adam Broomberg & Oliver Chanarin, C-print on paper, mounted on aluminium, displayed: 755 x 6010 x 15 mm

In the work The Day Nobody Died 2008, Broomberg and Chanarin recorded specific events that embody the flux of time in a war zone where life and death coexist in a cycle. The horrific events of war are included in these 20-second exposures, becoming part of an articulate flow rather than isolated incidents. This approach reflects the philosophical idea that time is always in flux but also that life is impermanent, a concept explored by Heraclitus. Aristotle theorised that memory is an impression of the past, accessible only when the present has become the past (Aristotle: 1.449b15). Heraclitus’s own work bears material witness to the nature of memory: all that survives of his one book are a number of fragments, many of which were only preserved through quotation by other authors through a process of cultural memory. Adam Broomberg and Oliver Chanarin, by converting a military truck into a darkroom and exposing the six-meter-long photosensitive paper to light during their embodiment with the armed forces, captured the flow of time and memorialised the impermanence of those horrific moments of war.  

By depicting specific moments, Broomberg and Chanarin emphasise how these traumatic events, while significant, are ultimately ephemeral—impermanent imprints on the moving canvas of time. By transforming the military vehicle into a mobile darkroom and creating these non-figurative images, the artists challenge traditional war photography, which often seeks to freeze and monumentalise specific moments of horror. Instead, they present the war as an ongoing flow, where moments of terror are part of a larger, perhaps unstoppable current. Heraclitus was conscious of the centrality of war in human history: “When Homer said that he wished war might disappear from the lives of gods and men, he forgot that without opposition, all things would cease to exist.”

Conclusions

The photographic image as an object exposes memory as inherently inaccurate, and no two people remember the same thing in the same way; being part of the process of destruction and decay and its inaccuracy can lead to the creation of "artificial memories" (Sontag, 1979, p. 34). The relationship between photography and memory is complex, as photographs do not merely preserve moments in time but interact with and influence our memories. John Berger suggests that photographs isolate appearances of disconnected instances, unlike the continuous experiences that form remembered images. David Bate argues that memory resides in the preconscious and is subject to temporary forgetting and degradation over time. John A. McGeoch's memory decay theory suggests that memories disintegrate unless continually revised, and photographs can distort or help re-remembering. The question still remains if a photograph aids in preserving the moments in memory or actively participates in the ongoing memory narrative and rewrites the decayed memory with new information.

Aristotle’s treatise on memory shows that perception emphasises the nature of recalling past experiences, highlighting that our interpretations of both long-lasting and ephemeral representations shape our understanding of reality. The analogy between photographs and memories serves as a way of exploring how archival methods preserve our personal histories and experiences while also portraying the characteristic impermanence of these records, as seen in the works of William Henry Fox Talbot

The relationship between memory and photography is a multilayered subject with philosophical, historical, and technological dimensions. Aristotle's exploration of memory and perception sets the basis for understanding how we differentiate between the present and the past through phantasma – a behaviour that brings back memories (Aristotle 1.427b19-20). Broomberg and Chanarin’s work The Day That Nobody Died 2008 challenged traditional notions of representation of memorable moments in events such as the war in Afghanistan. Their non-figurative abstract images, created through the exposure of light-sensitive paper, affected by the unique light conditions of a specific place, offer a different perspective of conflict documentation and the role of photography without direct figurative representation as another dimension to the world of photojournalism. Their work engages in a critical dialogue with the tradition of embedded war journalism, which often faces institutional censorship and/or media editing. By exploring alternative means of documentation, Adam Broomberg and Oliver Chanarin positioned their work The Day That Nobody Died2008 as witnesses of the specific events during a conflict captured within the flow of time during the twenty-second exposure. The traumatic experiences they faced and the difficult, deadly, and horrific realities of war became an integral part of their work.

Walter Benjamin and C.G. Jung reinforce the idea that the act of forgetting and also object decaying is as important as the act of remembering or preserving, which becomes intertwined with the ongoing evolution of our understanding of memory. Consequently, photography, figurative or non-figurative, serves not only as a means of archiving (Berger, 1982 p89) but also as a catalyst for observation, reshaping our narrative and perception of the meanings of life, proposing to embrace impermanence.

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Appendix

Images

Fig.1: William Henry Fox Talbot. The Ladder (Plate XIV.) https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/306335

Fig. 2: William Henry Fox Talbot. The Open Door (Plate VI). Public Domain

https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/283068

Fig. 3. Adam Broomberg & Oliver Chanarin, C-print on paper, mounted on aluminium, displayed: 755 x 6010 x 15 mmhttps://www.tate.org.uk/art/artworks/adam-broomberg-and-oliver-chanarin-the-press-conference-june-9-2008-the-day-nobody-died-t14650

Acknowledgements

Algorithm output tools were used to assist with my dyslexia, however, the intellectual content of the this research paper is my original work

OpenAI. (2024). ChatGPT (Nov 24 version) [o1-previw]. https://chat.openai.com/chat -algorithm output was used to help summarise some of the papers used in this research and to help with the structure and editing of this paper, help with organising the bibliography

Grammarly. (2024). Grammarly. https://www.grammarly.com/ (Last used on 18/11/2024) algorithm output was used to correct spelling mistakes and punctuation

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