Saturday 11 July 2015

FSA


In 1935 Farm Security Administration decided to begin an ambitious project of photographing the influence of the Great Depression on American nation, primarily on rural parts of the country. The most vulnerable farmers, landowners, refugees, and migrant agricultural workers were photographed over the period of 8 years by 18 photographers. Today, we question the level of exploitation involved with capturing the photographs, after all the FSA set up the project in order to justify government's decision to begin 'rural rehabilitation'. A program involving such drastic changes as purchasing of land owned by poor farmers and re-grouping them together on more efficient government owned farms.

I believe that story of the aftermath of the great depression had to be told, but without a doubt the subjects of the photographs for the FSA project were exploited to some extent in order to validate the upcoming social changes. Photography and specifically documentary photography can be a very exploitative craft, after all the photographer will always approach its subject with a view of producing a premeditated statement or a very specific comment.

Below are a few examples of the photographs produced for the FSA project.

Sheldon Dick


Walker Evans 



Dorothea Lange 




Russell Lee 





Edwin Locke 




John Vachon


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