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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
This display shines 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.
Display highlights
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Leaves on a stem, photogenic drawing of a leaf, by William Henry Fox Talbot, 1839, England. Museum no. RPS.59-2017. © Victoria and Albert Museum, London -
Le Souffle, photogravure, by Man Ray, published by Compagnie Parisienne de Distribution de l'Eléctricité, 1931, France. Museum no. E.1654-2001. © Man Ray -
From the series Libido Uprising, C-type print, by Jo Spence, 1989, Great Britain. Museum no. E.396-2010. © Jo Spence, Rosy Martin -
Inez Andrews with tambourine and Elaine Davis, concert Fairfield Hall, Croydon, Feb. 1965, gelatin silver print, by Val Wilmer, 1965, England. Museum no. CIRC.192-1973. © Val Wilmer -
Palermo, Sicily, 1972, gelatin silver print, by Henri Cartier-Bresson, 1972, Italy. Museum no. PH.588-1978. © Henri Cartier-Bresson -
Big Bang, gelatin silver print, by Brian Griffin, 1986, England. Museum no. E.1064-1988. © Brian Griffin -
Riot Girl, C-type colour print, by Vinca Peterson, 1999, Great Britain. Museum no. E.4-2001. © Vinca Petersen. Courtesy Edel Assanti -
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 . Museum no. PH.93-2022. © Joanna Choumali
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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