Blog Post #1Cultural Authenticity in Travel Photography

THEMES (TRAVEL BLOG):

In an era of globalized tourism, it becomes difficult to distinguish between the real cultural experience and the one packaged for the tourists. Thus, we are placed in a situation where zoos in Malaysia, views in New Zealand, and the travel photos shared on social media are interconnected and form the fabric of contemporary exploration.

THEORY:

Applying the framework from "Discourse: In the special issue of “Studies in the Cultural Politics of Education” (2015), it is possible to analyze how travel photography and social media sharing affect the construction of cultural discourses. This discourse analysis of the texts brings out how power relations are depicted in the cultural and environmental representation through the tourism prism. The idea of “staged authenticity” in tourism, which is described in the journal, is rather interesting. It implies that what the tourists see and capture in their cameras are tailored versions of the culture, and not the real deal. This staging results in a narrative that can reproduce a number of cliches and reduce cultural experiences to nearly caricatures.

SET UP PROCESS:

Michael Cook’s “Fake” series (Cook, 2023) presents a similar example to this discourse. Cook forces the viewer to re-examine the concepts of realism and cultural portrayal by pairing high-end brands with Indigenous peoples in the Australian wilderness. His practice makes one think about how much of our travel and the images we really see and how much of it is just staged for an ‘Instagram worthy’ post.

When we are scrolling down the beautiful photos of animals in a zoo in Malaysia or stunning sceneries of New Zealand, we are part of the story. These are the questions that come to my mind when thinking about the images that we see and consume about cultures and places, are they real or are they staged and selected to fit the narrative that we want to see.

Cook’s subjects are frequently depicted complete with the accessories of the tourist – cameras, outdoor wear, selfies. But as we travel across different terrains and countries, do we get to peel off the skin and touch the core of the places that we visit.

CONCLUSION:

The problem of the contemporary tourist is how to look for real life behind the pictures, how to interact with people and how to tell the stories that cannot be purchased. Thus, we are able to support a healthier and more empathetic conversation about travel and cross-cultural experiences.

REFERENCE:

Cook, M. (2023). Fake | Michael Cook (en-AU) Photographer. Www.michaelcook.net.au. https://www.michaelcook.net.au/projects/fake-1

Anwaruddin, S. M. (2015). Why critical literacy should turn to “the affective turn”: making a case for critical affective literacy. Discourse: Studies in the Cultural Politics of Education, 37(3), 381–396. https://doi.org/10.1080/01596306.2015.1042429