2nd Annual Philosophical Photography Contest Results Announced
The Rotman Institute of Philosophy at Western University has announced the winning photograph and honorable mentions in its 2nd annual Philosophical Photography Contest.
What do they mean by “philosophical photography”? When the contest was opened, its organizers said:
We’re looking for high-quality photos that somehow capture a philosophical idea, problem, theory, etc. All genres of photography can offer inspiration for philosophical issues: street photography, still life, abstract, landscape, close-up, portrait, documentary, architecture, experimental—anything goes, as long as there is a recognizable connection with a traditional philosophical topic…
Submissions will be judged on content, form, composition, and originality. Please note that we are not looking for photographs related to philosophy in general, but to philosophical topics themselves. A simple photograph of an effigy of Aristotle or a sign that reads “Philosophy” does bear some connection to philosophy, but it’s not about a philosophical topic itself—unless a case for it is made.
The winning photograph this year, “Qualia,” is by Mark Bessoudo:
Bessoudo, who was a runner-up in last year’s contest, included the following description of his photograph:
Consider your visual experience as you look at a royal blue wall. There is something it is like for you subjectively to undergo that experience, some phenomenological character that this experience has. There is a “blueness” to the royal blue. This experience is very different from what it is like to experience the “redness” of a ruby red window shutter. This ineffable, intrinsic, private, non-physical subjective experience is called “qualia”. While there is still debate about how qualia relate to the physical world both inside and outside our minds, the concept remains central to a proper understanding of the nature of consciousness.
Below are a few of the honorable mentions, along with descriptions submitted by the artists. You can see the rest here.