Slater King on creativity, morals and the white eye
The London-based photographer discusses how recent events have brought the “blind spots” of society into focus and how he believes that all creative work is moral work
The spotlight from the Black Lives Matter movement has led to much soul searching among individuals and industries over the past year. For the creative industry in particular, this has sparked a debate about the problem of the “white look”. While this is a concept that black and brown people have grappled with for generations, white people are only just beginning to grapple with the overt whites of the culture they have created.
While the tide may turn – in the past few months, CR has spoken to organizations and individuals decolonizing the creative industry and addressing the lack of diversity in design book publishing, among other things – the fact remains that much of Western culture has been on known clichés and harmful stereotypes.
The history of photography, in particular, goes hand in hand with white perspective, which dates back to colonial times when it was used as a means of perpetuating prejudice and reinforcing the meaning of the colonial gaze. All you have to do is look at old editions of National Geographic – a magazine that has only recently recognized its racist past – or the fact that Steve McCurry's controversial portrait of Afghan Girl from 1984 is still one of the most iconic photographs in the world to see the disturbing results to witness the white look.
For photographer Slater King, identity and perspective should be kept in mind throughout the practice. “In my opinion, all creative work is constructed, even reportage photographs are selected, framed and processed. When you look at someone else's picture, be it a picture, painting, or whatever, you are creating a bio of that person. That's one of the things we humans do, ”he tells CR.