Can pictures lie? Documentation and Dramatization in Photography

The digital age and the latest technology used in image production and processing have forever changed how we define photography, visual depiction and reality. Photography no longer serves a testimonial or documentary function, but is now part of a wide field which includes artistic photography and dramatization. Worlds of images are challenging our perception and radically expanding the spectrum of graphic depiction.
The conference Documentation and Dramatization in Photography, organized in cooperation with the Kunstmuseum Bonn, aimed to develop methods of interpreting contemporary photography. The conference organizers invited leading representatives from the fields of philosophy, image and art sciences from Germany, Canada and the USA to discuss their views with the audience.


The conference was the last event in the five-part series Philosophy:Art 2009-2011, jointly organized by the Federal Cultural Foundation and the LMU Munich and hosted at five German museums. The goal of the project was to examine and discuss current issues in the art world in a language as clear and understandable as possible. The hope was to productively apply the methods and concepts of analytical philosophy toward understanding contemporary art.

Project coordinators:
Prof. Dr. Julian Nida-Rümelin and Prof. Dr. Jakob Steinbrenner
Chair of Philosophy IV, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität, Munich