Benjamin Pfau is a German artist
Episode 370: Friend, Collaborator, and incredible talent Benjamin Pfau joins me to speak about his work and his book in development Die Insel, a mysterious investigation into the world neither present, nor past, nor future.
AI has dominated our cultural and technical landscape over the past years concerning how it will affect photography and our approximation and understanding of the photographic image. Many people champion its oncoming, while others treat it with a deep skepticism. Both positions are equally valid, yet a third position suggests that its rise to dominance may give us alternative ways to view storytelling, narrative, and even time through its use in photography.
Ben’s project reflects a neutral third position in which we can consider AI as a tool to push inventiveness and for which the medium of photography can be expanded. His project reflects a natural interest in using the tool to illustrate his ideas and to, in this case, commune with authors such as Rilke, who also lived during a time in which technology seemed to push culture and humanity to the precipice of what it could comprehend or use. And, here we type 100 years later about him, Ben, and his story Die Insel, which Ben has given new life to through new technology hardly envisioned during the writer’s own lifetime.
Please listen to this episode to find out about Ben, whose voice is a large part of the narration of this episode. His reading of Rilke’s Die Insel, the original poem, is a distinct treat in the annals of the podcast. I remain a massive fan of Ben and his work!
