Behind the Lens: 130 years of RMIT Photography

BACKGROUND Photography at RMIT turns 130 in 2017, making it the oldest educational institution to teach photography in the world. RMIT Gallery is presenting an exhibition of photographic works spanning these 130 years. In order to curate and present an exhibition, the following research was undertaken; A review of historical and contemporary literature to determine how RMIT has been positioned within Australian photography as an educational instituion; A review of industry magazines, cultural texts and related publications to identity which alumni and staff made the most significant contributions to the field; Research within the RMIT archives to identify names of alumni and staff, as well as key publications and archival records. CONTRIBUTION This exhibition offers new perspectives on Australian photography by focusing on the important connections and contributions made by RMIT Photography, its relationship to the growth of Melbourne as a city, and the ways our students and staff have reflected the shifting cultural, social, artistic and political climate of Melbourne and Australia over the last 130 years. Australian photography has a well researched establishment history, however the emphasis of the institution is almost exclusively through the collections of museums and galleries. The focus of this exhibition will be on the impact of educational institutions, and particularly RMIT, that not only train photographers, but develop cultural strategies and personalities that have a lasting impact on the way artists and photographers develop and consider their practice. The exhibition revealed a diverse engagement with photography over 130 years that was identified and categorised into Archives and Historians, Inquiry, Insights, Moments and Narratives. SIGNIFICANCE The project is significant in that it begins the conversation about the role of the educational institution in the history and narrative of photography in Australia.