If you are interested in the politics of photography, a fascinating online discussion is coming up on February 17th between Ben Burbridge, Senior Lecturer in Art History and Co-Director of the Centre for Photography and Visual Culture at University of Sussex and Charlotte Cotton, who has held positions including Curator of Photographs at the Victoria and Albert Museum, and Head of Programming at The Photographers’ Gallery. Ben, below, is also former editor of PhotoWorks magazine.
The discussion will consider questions like: how should we understand photography’s interactions with political and economic systems in an age of networked computation and global capitalism? Do we need to expand our conception of photography to encompass the types of labour too often obscured by black-boxed technologies, slick platform interfaces, and the compulsion to display lives to others? What tools are available to assist with such a task? If and how can photography bring alternatives to capitalism into view? So it’s a very far-reaching conversation.
The discussion is being held to mark the publication of Ben Burbridge’s new book, Photography After Capitalism. It takes place at the Photographer’s Gallery (online) on Wednesday 17 February from 18.30 to 19.30 and you can book tickets here.
