Mapping with a Car and a Camera: Ralph Bagnold in the Libyan Desert
Date
2019-03
Authors
deCourcy, Elisa
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Taylor & Francis (Routledge)
Abstract
The view of a track-riven sandy terrain, dotted with the silhouettes of
two cars and the remnants of a camp, was taken by British military
engineer cum desert explorer, Ralph Bagnold during 1929 (Figure 1). The
tread of the tyres arches violently across the fore and mid-ground, cutting
through the furrows left in the sand by the wind and training the eye
upward toward the horizon. The movement of the eye, in looking,
mimics the motion suggested to have occurred immediately prior to
exposure. More than this, the photograph is a synergy of the imprinting potential of the car and camera, both mechanized
technologies united in their ability to mark out
a surface.
Description
Keywords
photograph, inter-war exploration, Ralph Bagnold
Citation
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Source
Photography and Culture
Type
Journal article
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Access Statement
License Rights
Restricted until
2037-12-31
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