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Energy: Sparks from the Collection
Whether generated by sunlight passing through a camera lens, triggered by the burst of a flash bulb, or forged by electricity coursing through a microchip, all photographs need some form of energy to exist
Whether generated by sunlight passing through a camera lens, triggered by the burst of a flash bulb, or forged by electricity coursing through a microchip, all photographs need some form of energy to exist
This display shone a light on the diverse kinds of energy in photography, from the hidden processes intrinsic to creating a picture, to the subjects in front of the camera.
This display is now closed at V&A South Kensington
Display highlights
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Leaves on a stem, photogenic drawing of a leaf, by William Henry Fox Talbot, 1839, England -
Le Souffle, photogravure, by Man Ray, published by Compagnie Parisienne de Distribution de l'Eléctricité, 1931, France -
From the series Libido Uprising, C-type print, by Jo Spence, 1989, Great Britain -
Inez Andrews with tambourine and Elaine Davis, concert Fairfield Hall, Croydon, Feb. 1965, gelatin silver print, by Val Wilmer, 1965, England -
Palermo, Sicily, 1972, gelatin silver print, by Henri Cartier-Bresson, 1972, Italy -
Big Bang, gelatin silver print, by Brian Griffin, 1986, England -
Riot Girl, C-type colour print, by Vinca Peterson, 1999, Great Britain -
Sans Titre 5, from the series Ça va aller, inkjet print on cotton canvas with hand embroidery, by Joanna Choumali, 2019. Purchased through the Prix Pictet Fund
Past events
Header image:
Man Pole Vaulting, from the series Animal Locomotion, photograph, by Eadweard Muybridge, 1887. Museum no. PH.678-1889. © Victoria and Albert Museum, London