Ben Burbridge is a British writer, curator, and academic
Episode 191: Ben Burbridge joins me to speak about his excellent new book Photography After Capitalism just published by Goldsmiths Press.
This was the last conversation that I had for NEarest Truth Mid-2021 before taking a slight hiatus to catch up with editing. It was a very fitting way to round out a year of labor in the field of photography. Many of the things Ben points to in his book had been on my mind over the past year of producing Nearest Truth and the conversation that we had regarding the field, market, and economy gave me much to think about.
Screen capture of video by SONE on Getty Images Courtesy Andrew Norman Wilson
Throughout the episode, Ben and I reflect on photography’s ties to the economy, but also ecology, and what the future might hold for students who are about to enroll in the study of the medium. We wander through general ideas about universal basic income and try to piece together what the present tense of photography, art, and the production of cultural capital looks like through the number of incredible artists that Ben has cited as source material for his thoughts regarding the topic of the book.
Erik Kessels, 24hrs in Photos, Kunsthalle, Kiel, 2012 Courtesy Erik Kessels
The conversation was with Ben was incredibly lively and I have to say that I walked away feeling oddly spirited given the dark subject matter that we reflect on. It was a perfect ending to a long be-labored year of producing photography writing, podcasts, and my own work. It left me much to think about.
