M2. First Edition 2005. Repetitions

M is a biannual journal that explores the role of photography beyond its usual illustrative, commercial or purely journalistic purposes by addressing the issue of its documentary value. Juxtaposing iconic images from the past with the recent work of Magnum photographers, its aim is to question the status of the photographic document and unveil the scope and the diversity of the approaches to the real within Magnum Photos. This issue is devoted to the theme of repetitions (in a Deleuzian context). The notion of repetition is opposed to that of the "decisive moment" and undermines the singularity of each image. The process of repetition emphasizes the position of the author and involves a building up, an obsession, a demonstration, sometimes a narrative: the fixed but constantly moving viewpoint in Paul Fusco's Funeral Train, the obstinate quest for "lost moments" in Raymond Depardon's Errance, and the theatrical form of Alex Majoli's One Vote. From one series to another, repetition is originated by doubt or affirmation, concept or intuition, conscious choices or constraints circumnavigated.
M2 features: Antoine d'Agata's Groningen, Thomas Dworzak's Rear Window, Harry Gruyaert's TV Shots, Jim Goldberg's Rich and Poor, Philippe Halsman's Jumpology, Lise Sarfati's Closer, Dennis Stock's J. Dean and Larry Towell's Palestine, among other works.