Picturing Roland Barthes’ Unseen Photograph September 10 .

ives, this exhibition creates a multitude ofplatforms from which to consider the theoretical conversations about photography—notonly what we see but how we see—that continue to shape our understanding of the mediumtoday. In addition to coinciding with the 40th anniversary of Camera Lucida, this exhibitionopens two seasons of programs celebrating the 40th anniversary of Houston Center forPhotography.—Ashlyn Davis, Executive Director and Curator, Houston Center for Photography2

Pre-visit ActivitiesObjectives: Introduce students to the “Winter Garden photograph.”Introduce students to the concepts of vernacular photography and foundphotography.Introduce students to some of the works in the exhibit.Examine themes that students may encounter in Keeper of the Hearth: PicturingRoland Barthes’ Unseen Photograph.1. Vernacular Photography and Memories: In 1979, the French literary theorist andphilosopher, Roland Barthes, wrote a book called Camera Lucida (La chambre claire)which describes his personal response when viewing photographs, including both fineart photographs by several well-known photographers and photographs of everyday life,or vernacular photography, of his family. Barthes was very close to his mother, and hewrote this book shortly after her death while he was grieving. In one chapter entitled,“The Winter Garden Photograph,” Barthes describes a moment while looking throughold family photos of his mother:“There I was, alone in the apartment where she had died, looking at these pictures ofmy mother, one by one, under the lamp, gradually moving back in time with her,looking for the truth of the face I had loved. And I found it. The photograph was veryold. The corners were blunted from having been pasted into an album, the sepia printhad faded, and the picture just managed to show two children standing together atthe end of a little wooden bridge in a glassed-in conservatory, what was called aWinter Garden in those days. My mother was five at the time (1898), her brotherseven. He was leaning against the bridge railing, along which he had extended onearm; she, shorter than he, was standing a little back, facing the camera; you could tellthat the photographer had said, ‘Step forward a little so we can see you’; she washolding one finger in the other hand, as children often do, in an awkward gesture.The brother and sister, united, as I knew, by the discord of their parents, who weresoon to divorce, had posed side by side, alone, under the palms of the WinterGarden ” (Barthes 67 – 69).a.) Read/Listen/Discuss (Art K – 8, ELA K - 8, SS K - 1): After reading the excerpt above,have the students reflect on photos of family or friends that are special and importantto them. Suggested discussion questions: Do you have photos of your family orfriends on display in your home or in a photo album? Who is in the photos, wherewere they taken, and when were they taken? Where are they in your home? Howoften do you see the photos? Why are they special to you? Why do you think people3

take and collect photos of their families and friends? Are these kinds of photos thesame as photos you might see in an art museum or gallery, or are they different? Whyor why not?b.) Draw (Art K – 8, ELA K - 8): Have students draw a picture of “The Winter GardenPhotograph” as it is described in the excerpt above.c.) Examine/Discuss (Art K – 8, ELA K - 8): Have students closely examine the exhibitionpiece, Holding this photograph with yeema and yee-jeung, by artist Ka-Man Tse(page 6) and describe what they see. Explain how this picture is a photograph of aphotograph. Read the artist statement below the image to your students and havethem consider how this new photograph is different from the original vernacularphotograph of the group of people.d.) Write/Discuss (Art 3 – 8, ELA K - 8, SS K - 1): Have students go through theirphotographs of family or friends at home, and select one photograph that isespecially important to them. Have them write about or discuss the photo – Who orwhat is in the photo? What memories do they have associated with the photo? Doesthis photo illustrate any traditions that their family has? Why is this photo important tothem?e.) Create (Art 3 – 8): If students have access to a camera, have them re-photograph orrecreate the picture they selected to write about and share their photo with the class.2. Found Photography and New Meanings: Keeper of the Hearth brings together over 200photographs from many different individuals to reflect on the unpublished photographof Barthes’ mother known as “The Winter Garden Photograph.” Some of thephotographs are examples of found photography, or discarded photos found orrediscovered by people who did not originally create the photos but who use the photosto create new artworks.a.) Examine/Discuss (Art K – 8, ELA K - 8): Have students closely examine AlejandroCartagena’s photograph, Embrace, (page 7) and describe what they see. Ask thestudents where and when do they think this photograph was taken? How do theythink this image was created? What visual clues within the image make them thinkthat?b.) Watch/Examine/Discuss (Art K – 8, ELA K – 8): For his Foto Estructura/PhotographicStructures series, Cartagena works with found photographs that he finds at markets,then he alters them in his studio. Have students watch a video of Cartagena findingand cutting photographs for his Foto Estructura/Photographic Structures series on4

YouTube here. View other works from Cartagena’s Foto Estructura/PhotographicStructures series on his website here. Ask the students - What parts of thephotographs is Cartegena cutting out, and why do you think he is cutting theseparticular parts out? What might he be trying to say by doing this?c.) Draw/Write (Art 4 – 8, ELA K - 8): Have students draw a Venn diagram of twooverlapping circles to compare and contrast Cartagena’s photograph with Barthes’description of “The Winter Garden Photograph.” Explain that one circle representsqualities of Cartagena’s photograph, and the other circle represents qualities of “TheWinter Garden Photograph.” Similar qualities of the two photographs should belisted in the overlapping area, and qualities that are unique to each of thephotographs should be included in their applicable circle in the non-overlappingarea. For a more complex compare and contrast activity, have students create a Venndiagram of three overlapping circles comparing and contrasting Cartagena’sphotograph, “The Winter Garden Photograph,” and Winter Garden by Dan Estabrook(page 8).d.) Create (Art K – 2): Have students create a physical collage using found photographsfrom magazines and newspapers. Share and discuss the final collage with the class.e.) Create (Art 3 – 6): Have students create a digital collage using found photographsfrom the internet or their own personal digital collection. Share and discuss the finalcollage with the class.f.) Create (Art 7 – 8): Have students create a new artwork by appropriating one or moreexisting fine art photographs. Share and discuss the final artwork with the class.5

Ka-Man Tse. Holding this photograph with yeema and yee-jeung. Archival inkjet print. 2018.Courtesy of the artist.It's 2018. I am able to convince my aunt and uncle, now in their eighties, to let me borrowthe wedding album again. We carry it back to my yeema's apartment. We look through all ofthe photographs in the album together. She is the oral historian of the family, the keeper ofstories and tells me who is who in each picture. It takes me a few days to figure out the newphotograph. The hands on the right side of the frame are my aunt, my yeema, who is 71 nowat the time of this making. She is in the photograph she is holding, but a teenager. She is theone in the black cheongsam. The hands on the left are her husband's, my yee-jeung. Themiddle hand is mine, one hand is absent for holding the cable release. On my left hand I'mwearing my own wedding ring, in Hong Kong where gay mar constructions, and sculpture, including modeled forms, using a variety of materials.17

Grade 2.3) Historical and cultural relevance. The student demonstrates an understanding ofart history and culture by analyzing artistic styles, historical periods, and a variety of cultures.The student develops global awareness and respect for the traditions and contributions ofdiverse cultures. The student is expected to:(A) interpret stories, content, and meanings in a variety of artworks;Grade 2.4) Critical evaluation and response. The student responds to and analyzes artworks ofself and others, contributing to the development of lifelong skills of making informedjudgments and reasoned evaluations. The student is expected to:(B) compare and contrast ideas found in collections such as real or virtual artmuseums, galleries, portfolios, or exhibitions using original artworks created by artistsor peers; andGrade 3.1) Foundations: observation and perception. The student develops and expandsvisual literacy skills using critical thinking, imagination, and the senses to observe and explorethe world by learning about, understanding, and applying the elements of art, principles ofdesign, and expressive qualities. The student uses what the student sees, knows, and hasexperienced as sources for examining, understanding, and creating artworks. The student isexpected to:(A) explore ideas from life experiences about self, peers, family, school, or communityand from the imagination as sources for original works of art;Grade 3.2) Creative expression. The student communicates ideas through original artworksusing a variety of media with appropriate skills. The student expresses thoughts and ideascreatively while challenging the imagination, fostering reflective thinking, and developingdisciplined effort and progressive problem solving skills. The student is expected to:(A) integrate ideas drawn from life experiences to create original works of art;(B) create compositions using the elements of art and principles of design; and(C) produce drawings; paintings; prints; sculpture, including modeled forms; andother art forms such as ceramics, fiber art, constructions, mixed media, installation art,digital art and media, and photographic imagery using a variety of materials.Grade 3.3) Historical and cultural relevance. The student demonstrates an understanding ofart history and culture by analyzing artistic styles, historical periods, and a variety of cultures.The student develops global awareness and respect for the traditions and contributions ofdiverse cultures. The student is expected to:(A) identify simple main ideas expressed in artworks from various times and placesGrade 3.4) Critical evaluation and response. The student responds to and analyzes artworks ofself and others, contributing to the development of lifelong skills of making informedjudgments and reasoned evaluations. The student is expected to:(A) evaluate the elements of art, principles of design, or expressive qualities inartworks of self, peers, and historical and contemporary artists;(B) use methods such as oral response or artist statements to identify main ideasfound in collections of artworks created by self, peers, and major historical orcontemporary artists in real or virtual portfolios, galleries, or art museums18