Renowned photographer Stephen Shore walked out of a lecture after he saw several audience members using their smartphones.
Last week, contemporary American photographer Shore gave a lecture at the Central Academy of Fine Arts (CAFA) in Beijing, China. He is currently hosting a retrospective exhibition of his work in the Chinese Capital.
However, the celebrated photographer abruptly walked out mid-lecture after he saw that multiple people in the audience were more focused on their smartphones than the event.
In footage of the lecture posted by Shanghai Daily’s digital platform SHINE, Shore directly addressed the audience about their smartphone use, just as an individual was about to ask the photographer a question.
“Just before you ask that question, I’m gonna say something and I apologize in advance because it’s gonna be rude,” the 76-year-old photographer says.
“But it’s something on my mind as I experience the modern world.”
Shore then expressed his dismay with the audience, questioning why people would attend a lecture only to be more engrossed on their smartphones.
“Since we’re talking about attention, I think we understand each other,” Shore tells the audience.
“And I think you understand the value of attending to daily life. I saw at least a dozen of you who spent the entire lecture looking at your phones.
“You’ve come here. You come here to hear a talk and you can’t even pay attention to who you’ve come to listen to. How can you pay attention to the food you eat, or the feel of the sun on your skin?”
There’s was a brief silence after the photographer’s words. But eventually, the audience begans to cheer Shore.
But nonetheless, Shore decided to walk out of the lecture at this point.
“I think this is a good place to stop,” the photographer says before abruptly exiting the stage.
‘A Misunderstanding’
According to SHINE, an audience member claimed that there had been a misunderstanding and that the people were taking notes about Shore’s lecture on their phones.
“There might have been a misunderstanding,” an audience member alleges.
“While many were indeed looking at their phones, at least those around me were taking notes. We’ve already conveyed this to Shore through staff members.”
Another individual claimed that they later cleared up this confusion with Shore and the photographer was relieved to hear this.
“I showed him [Shore] photos and videos of the notes everyone was taking, and he said he felt much better about it,” the person alleges.
Shore is renowned for pioneering the use of color photography and elevating it to an art form in the 1970s. His now-iconic images capture the mundane details of everyday American life, documented during road trips across the country.
These photographs were featured in two influential series: American Surfaces (1972–73) and Uncommon Places (1973–78).
Image credits: Header photo via Wikimedia Commons/CC-BY-SA-3.0.