In this year’s edition of the Solidarity is About Youth (SAY) program, Polish photographer Oskar Wangart proposed a photo for analysis that addresses the topic of social inequality. The aim of this program is to broaden and deepen the field of vision, literally and figuratively. By analyzing the photograph, the students reflect on the diversity of perspectives and learn to be sensitive to other people.
Exercises in image analysis in the program make it easier for children and young people to form opinions and express their thoughts and feelings, which they then write on a postcard and send out into the world.
An interview with the author of the photograph “Progress?”
Why did you take a photo of an old, dilapidated tenement house with a modern skyscraper in the background, a photo that we use in the program to talk about social inequality?
I saw this building on my way to work. I regularly walked past this tenement house, I watched it being demolished, I was interested in it from this aesthetic point of view, it seemed interesting to me – an old tenement house symbolizing the past and a modern skyscraper – the future. First, I took a photo and then I really understood what was in it. For me, photography is about noticing things, because I could have passed by and not taken a photo. Often, you just have to be in the right place at the right time. I was lucky to be there, I came across it. For me, the most important subject in photography is people and their stories. When I take photos of buildings, it is also a story about the people who lived, worked and built them. I am also attracted to so-called ugliness. I say “so-called” because everyone has different tastes. But such buildings are often much more interesting than the sleek, polished ones.
What do you think photography is?
For me, photography is more of a craft than an art form, I say more because it is also a spectrum. It is certainly creative. It is capturing a moment, but also interpreting reality. Everyone has their own reality and when I take a photo in a certain way, I present it in my own way, it is up to me which frame I choose. And the choice of frame can completely change the meaning and message of the photo. I also don’t like all this talk about AI destroying photography. It can create a nice, aesthetic image, but it will never be real. Because photography is not about taking a photo and making it look good somehow. Presence in a given place cannot be created with AI, emotions can be depicted, but they will not be real emotions. It will only be the imagination of a machine that has not been to that place, has not seen or experienced what it depicts.
Why did you become a photographer?
That’s a very difficult question. There was no one specific moment in my life, no romantic story. It was a process. What interests me the most is social photography. I think that photography brings people closer together. When someone sees me with a camera, they come up and ask if I can take their photo. Not everyone. Some people move away when they see the camera. On the one hand, it brings people together, and on the other hand, it separates them. It’s a bit like a protective shield that you can hide behind.
Is it possible to take a good photo with a cell phone?
Yes, it is. As I said, photography is about capturing emotions, capturing the moment. I invested in a good camera a year ago to have control over what comes out of the photo I take, so that it comes out exactly the way I want it to. But I also take photos with an analog camera – a Zenit that belonged to my grandfather and a compact Kodak. It’s a bit of a surprise, I take a photo and I don’t know what will come out of it and I also take into account that out of the whole film only one photo will be good enough for something.
What advice would you give to beginner photographers?
To go out and take photos. You just have to take photos. There is no specific method – you have to try, observe, see and try to capture it in the frame. For me, the crime of photography is not taking a photo when you should. I wouldn’t criticize any way of taking photos, approach to photography, or the tool used to take them. I don’t think you need to have 20 lenses and equipment worth 20,000 zlotys. I think the worst thing in photography is inaction.
Oskar Wangart was interviewed by Agnieszka Gwiazdowicz, coordinator of the Solidarity is About Yough program.
Warsaw, October 29, 2024.
More information about the Solidarity is About Youth program and sample image analysis lesson plans can be found at: https://www.szkolazklasa.org.pl/obszary/solidarnosc-podaj-dalej/