78 review F our men sat in a Parisian bar a little after the end of the Second world war. Affected by the horrors which they had photographed, robert Capa, Henri Cartier-Bresson, George rodger and Dav- id “Chim” Seymour discussed an idea. Later, at the Museum of Modern Art in New York, Capa toasted the war’s end and new beginnings. The world had much to offer, and, over a 1.5 litre bottle of champagne, a photographic agency was founded and named after the bottle’s size: Magnum. That was 1947 and Magnum has kept its original promise: to capture those moments when the lines between photographer and per- son become blurred and to seize how a scene can be seen. The fundamental principle was for the image to suggest a narrative. Magnum differed from other photographic agencies in two respects: first, it was established as a cooperative, meaning the staff would guide, rather than direct, the photographers; and sec- ond, the photographers would own the copy- right to their images, allowing them the liberty to travel wherever their lens would take them and fund themselves. Growing from strength to strength, Magnum represents 70 photographers, of which 45 are still working. All of them have taken iconic images that are famous worldwide. MAGNUM OPUS Doha’s Cultural village premieres its first exhibition, In Our Time , a photographic show in collaboration with the Qatar Museums Authority and renowned photo agency Magnum. Myrna Ayad reviews the first in a string of cultural events, all supporting Qatar’s role as 2010 Arab Capital of Culture. Facing page: Above: Marc Riboud. Prayer in Rub’Al- Khali in Saudi Arabia . 1974. Silver gelatin print. 50.5 x 41.5 cm. © Marc Riboud / Magnum Photos. Below: Henri Cartier-Bresson. Muslim women on the slopes of Hari Parbal Hill, praying toward the sun rising behind the Himalayas in Srinagar, Kashmir . 1948. Silver gelatin print.41.5 x 50.5 cm. © Henri Cartier-Bresson/Magnum Photos. ACCeSSiBiLiTY iS KeY Over 60 years after its inception, the Magnum archive amounts to over one million images (of which 500,000 form their online archive). For the agency’s 40th anniversary a groundbreaking trav- elling show was staged, accompanied by a book: In Our Time, the World as Seen by Magnum Photog- raphers 1936–1987 . Six sets comprising over 300 prints each were produced – two of these were portfolio editions, the other four exhibition sets touring the world before being decommissioned (unframed) – and the Qatar Museums Authority (QMA) purchased one of the former in 2002. The choice to inaugurate Doha’s Cultural village with 100 images from In Our Time was largely a result of “wanting to plant the seeds of photojournalism in people,” according to Nigel russell, QMA’s Photog- raphy Consultant. “we felt people would be recep- tive to this material as it’s very accessible,” he added, “and it would get people to think outside the box.” Sophie wright, Magnum’s Cultural and Print room Director, agrees with the notion of photography as an “accessible” medium. “You can approach photography in many different ways,” she says, “it’s around us all the time and we understand it, mak- ing it a nice way to engage audiences.” Turnout on the exhibition’s opening night was impressive, with an overwhelming number of visitors, from families and students to locals and expatriates. Since the 21 September opening, the exhibition has attracted a steady stream of visitors, which is an encouraging response from a public whose cultural scene is still in its infancy. The show ran until 30 October and featured rare original prints covering the period from 1936-87. All prints are either signed by the photographers or, in the case of deceased photographers, stamped by the photographers’ estate. A plethora of events from around the world are showcased – from dem- onstrations against the vietnam war, the funeral of egyptian President Gamal Abdul Nasser and icons of the 20th century which include Queen elizabeth ii and ernesto “Che” Guevara, to images of some of the world’s most stunning natural scenery – among them, the Amazon river and the Himalayas. “rather than doing it in chrono- logical order or by theme, i felt it was better to do it by photographer and then edit the selection,” added russell on the curation process. The port- folio comprises black-and-white gelatine silver prints as well as dye-transfer colour prints, created through a process that is no longer available. run- ning alongside the exhibition were a workshop, panel discussion and a specially produced bilin- gual catalogue published in Arabic and english. Three Magnum photographers whose works 79 were included in the exhibition – Bruno Barbey, Susan Meiselas and Peter Marlow – were flown in to attend; the latter headed the workshop, which saw 14 participants awarded a Magnum certifi- cate upon completion of a 15-image narrative. During the talks, the Magnum photographers discussed a body of work. “we want to inspire the next generation of photographers,” said wright, “we will survive because of them.” CHALLeNGeS AND PLeDGeS Time was a critical factor in the realisation of In Our Time . Plans for the Cultural village opening suffered delays in the project’s completion. initial curatorial discussions began in September 2009 with a proposed launch date of spring this year; work on the exhibition and catalogue was under- way early on but the most significant challenge was curating an exhibition for a space that did not yet exist. QMA collaborated with lighting and mu- seum design firm, George Sexton Associates, who designed the partitions and colour schemes; the whole process, adds wright, “went very smoothly”. Another key element was the catalogue, the first bilingual publication Magnum worked on; with images and contributing texts from He Sheikha Al-Mayassa Bint Hamad Al-Thani, QMA Chairper- son, Nicholas Couts, QMA Curator of Photography Collections and Gerry Badger, photographer, ar- chitect and photographic critic. “Qatar is impres- sive,” adds wright, “there is a real commitment to building a cultural infrastructure.” For more information visit www.qma.com.qa “We want to inspire the next generation of photographers.” -Sophie Wright, Magnum’s Cultural and Print Room Director review