Anthropo-Seen-Zoned: Navigating the Archipelago of Images

This research proposal investigates how Personal Photography (Van House, 2011) shapes the imagination of space, memory, and environmental experience in the Philippines. It emphasizes the role of photographic practices in online private discourse. It looks into how images sustain communication in communities, while also looking for a way to make communities sustainable and liveable. Building upon Azoulay's (2005) "Citizenry of Photography" and Bourriaud's (1998) "Relational Aesthetics," the proposal examines how photographic and image-sharing practices, particularly within digital networks interface with the drastic environmental changes and hopes for societal change in the Philippines.

This builds from Chakrabarty’s (2009) idea that "we normally envisage the future with the help of the same faculty that allows us to picture the past.” Research questions are the following: (1) How does Personal Photography of climate change in the Philippines circulate and evolve within digital networks, and how can these networks be leveraged to foster collective action?; (2) What are the ethical and societal implications of diverse photographic practices in shaping our relationship with the environment?; and (3) How can photography be used to foster a deeper memory of environmental issues and inspire action towards environmental sustainability? It hopes to illustrate how personal photography acts as a form of "future-making," not just memory-keeping.

About the Speaker

Aaron Vicencio is a photographer, geographer, and full-time instructor at the Department of Communication and part-time with the Department of Interdisciplinary Studies, and Executive Director of Eugenio Lopez Jr Center for Multimedia Communication at Ateneo de Manila University. He holds an AB Psychology degree, a Diploma in Visual Journalism, and an MS in Geography. With over a decade of freelance photography experience for diverse clients, he now serves as the university's photographer-at-large. His research explores images of home, soundscape ecology, and documentary photography, reflecting his advocacy for urban quiet spaces.

Due to limited seats, please send your RSVP to: communication.soss@ateneo.edu