How do you describe the photographic universe today—without defining what is a photograph, and what is a camera? Perhaps this seems more difficult than its, for after all, the universe is limitless, and photography is not quite…for now. 

The Photographic Universe II, taking place on Wednesday and Thursday this week in New York, takes a stab at answering these questions by bringing together a range of leading practitioners, scientists, theoreticians, historians, and philosophers to consider and reflect on current discussions in photography at a pivotal moment in its history. The conference (which is free and open to the public) will conclude with a roundtable focusing on photographic education. Here are a few teasers on subjects for discussion:

Photographs of yourself, your friends, family and surroundings automatically snapped at 30-second intervals and stored on a cloud. This is the lifelogging camera made by Memoto, a Swedish company. Founded in 2011, Memoto has raised close to a million dollars in financing through Kickstarter and from European investors. The device costs $279 and includes a year of free online photo storage. It comes with 8 gigabytes of storage, enough to hold up to 6,000 photos. Its battery can last for a few days before it needs a recharge. The company has already received 3,000 orders, and it hopes to begin shipping devices by late April or early May. (The camera switches off only when it is dark, face-down, or placed into a pocket). [More]

“The deceptive nature of the digital image is not evoked by a certain resemblance of original and copy, or reality and its simulation. No matter whether faithful or unfaithful, the similitude of the simulacrum seems no longer a question of likeness or unlikeness. Instead, similarity has turned into simultaneity; it has become a question entirely occupied by time: synchronized time and temporal command.”–– Florian Schneider, 2011 [More]

“Too many people think they can change the medium immediately—I think it may take five years. . . .There is a need to interest people who can deal conceptually with the medium, who may not be photographers, but may be people in other fields, such as philosophy, sociology or anthropology, who can begin to help clarify, for a very naive photographic community. There is also a need for centres to explore the needs of the medium and human communication problems. . . – Nathan Lyons, The Photographic Studies Workshop, Rochester, NY, 1971

Wolfgang Tillmans, Freischwimmer 151, 2010, ink-jet print on paper, 12‘ 5“ x 16’ 8”.  Installation view, Walker Art Gallery, Liverpool.

“A photographic ink-jet print on paper, an iPad drawing printed on ink-jet paper, and an original design printed on ink-jet paper are all technically exactly the same. Perhaps it’s time to rethink the remarkably persistent categorization of artworks. In my view, we are all making pictures.” –– Wolfgang Tillmans, Interview in Artforum, September 2012 [More]

"The camera has offered us amazing possibilities... We are only beginning to exploit them; for although photography is already over a hundred years old, it is only in recent years that the course of development has allowed us to see beyond the specific instance and recognize the creative consequences." —László Moholy-Nagy, ca. 1925 

Aperture Foundation and The New School—including the School of Art, Media and Technology at Parsons The New School for Design and the Vera List Center for Art and Politics—present: The Photographic Universe II. Wednesday, April 10-Thursday, April 11. Theresa Lang Student and Community Center, 55 West 13th Street, NY, NY. Free and open to the public. Information/Schedule.