Eye on the Street Photography in Urban Public Spaces

• Published in: Radical history review Vol. 2012; no. 114; pp. 7 - 18
• Main Author: Tucker, Jennifer
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York Duke University Press 01.09.2012; Duke University Press, NC & IL
• Subjects: Art history; Built Environment; Central Cities; Cities; Conflict; Cultural Studies; History; Photographers; Photography; Politics; Public Space; Public spaces; Roads & highways; Social meaning; Sociology; Surveillance; Urban Areas; Urban Studies; Walking; World History
• ISSN: 0163-6545; 1534-1453
• DOI: 10.1215/01636545-1597979

Some of the most powerful historical images of streets and the people traversing them have been served up by photographers. Public urban spaces are not merely subject matter for photography, however, since photographers themselves are actively engaged in navigating city streets fraught with politics and social meaning. This essay reflects on a few of these urban practices and spaces of photography and identifies some enduring themes through this history, from the technical challenges of depicting humans passing through static structures and built environments of the city to conflicts over access and surveillance. An exploration of the many different appropriations of public spaces for photography shows that walking in city streets has not only been a central subject for fine art photography; it also has been one of its primary historical conditions.