With friends like Marr….

…who needs enemies. EDUCATION department officials will today interview the primary school principal who allegedly allowed photographer Bill Henson into her school grounds seeking children to photograph. Victorian Education Minister Bronwyn Pike said today that consent was the main issue. No it’s not. The main issue is Henson takes nude photos of children and sells them as art. The incident came to the notice of the media when David Marr mentioned in a recent book he has published that Henson had been to a state school campus looking for subjects. David is getting good publicity for his book from his marketing agent, the ABC, but in an interview on the ABC’s First Cut he confesses amazement at the reaction. He argues that there is a protocol for movie publishers, artists, et al to approach schools looking for subjects but tries to stay clear of Bill Henson’s raison d’être, ie taking pics of naked preteens for profit. It’s one thing for talent scouts to look at kids for a movie part or commercial work but it’s another matter altogether for photographers to trawl the school networks for kids for nude pin-up shots. He claims Mr Henson’s work was not pornographic but while most Mums and Dads think it is then the opinion of a writer of Marr’s political persuasion and that of the Arts community should discounted. Some of Henson’s work is pornographic and I would put him in the same basket as pornographers although, they at least, admit what they selling is pornographic. Henson is weird and we should continue to keep an eye on him and the rock he lives under.