Got Punctum shares the creative practice of contemporary photographers and explores the bookmaking process. We discuss the power of photography to change individual lives and affect positive social change.
The Got Punctum? podcast hosted by J. Sybylla Smith is an absolute gem for anyone interested in art, photography, and creative disciplines. Smith's unscripted interviewing style creates fascinating conversations that delve into a wide range of topics including art, philosophy, societal constructs, and life in general. Her knowledge and expertise shine through in each episode, making it both educational and entertaining. The podcast covers a diverse range of artists and curators, providing valuable insights into their work and creative processes. Additionally, the podcast showcases a great selection of photobooks and introduces listeners to talented photographers they may not have come across otherwise.
One of the best aspects of this podcast is Smith's ability to create organic conversations with her guests while still being prepared and knowledgeable about their work. She gives the artists ample space to express themselves, allowing for deeper insights and unexpected moments of wisdom or inspiration. The interviews are thoughtful, engaging, and often provide little surprises that resonate with listeners on a personal level. Moreover, Smith's sense of humor adds balance to discussions around gender roles or abstract concepts such as metaphor and memory.
Another standout aspect of The Got Punctum? podcast is its role as a resource for photographers, curators, and creatives. Each episode offers valuable information about the motivation behind an artist's work as well as the process behind it. This makes it an invaluable listen for those looking for inspiration or wanting to gain more insight into their own practice. The interviews are direct and helpful, providing practical tips that can be applied in real-life scenarios.
While it is difficult to find any faults with this podcast, one minor downside could be that some episodes may not resonate with every listener depending on their interests or familiarity with the featured artists. However, given the wide range of topics covered by Smith across different episodes, there is still something for everyone to enjoy.
In conclusion, The Got Punctum? podcast is a must-listen for anyone interested in art, photography, and creative disciplines. Smith's interviewing style, vast knowledge, and sense of humor create engaging conversations that are both educational and entertaining. The podcast serves as a valuable resource for artists and creatives looking for inspiration or wanting to gain deeper insights into the work of talented photographers. Whether you are a seasoned professional or a novice in the world of photography, this podcast offers something unique and valuable to all listeners.
Julian Sander presents a humanist portrait of society in 619 silver gelatin portraits of 20th-century Germans photographed by his legendary great-grandfather, August Sander.For access to exclusive episode notes, explore our membership options!If you are already a member, please log in to jsybyllasmith.com and access the Concept Aware® Show Notes page through your account.
Caroline Mauxion provides an immersive experience in her solo Paris Photo installation illuminating a Crip phenomenology through an autobiographical lens.For access to exclusive episode notes, explore our membership options!If you are already a member, please log in to jsybyllasmith.com and access the Concept Aware® Show Notes page through your account.
Éric Antoine is a skateboarding self taught French painter and photographer exhibiting La Forme, a solo exhibition of luminous ambrotypes reflecting a decade of evolution to pare his creative practice to its purest essence.For access to exclusive episode notes, explore our membership options!If you are already a member, please log in to jsybyllasmith.com and access the Concept Aware® Show Notes page through your account.
I was stopped in my tracks by the groundbreaking work of Evelyn Bencicova in collaboration with graphic sound innovator Samson G. Balfour Smith being exhibited at the Artemis Gallery in the Digital Sector of the fair.
A trailblazing book chronicling the fundamental and consequential contributions of Japanese women photographers.Mariko Takeuchi and Pauline Vermare discuss their collaborative project creating a restorative history of Japanese photography. Offering a critical and celebratory counterpoint to the invisibility of Japanese women photographers this expansive and rigorously researched book features 25 portfolios, multiple essays and an illustrated bibliography of photobooks by Japanese women photographers. This bold book embraces emotion, experimentation and provocation in myriad forms of beauty, humor, and deeply spirited connections. In this conversation, Mariko and Pauline discuss, among other things:Pulling back layers of cultural understanding of being a womenExpanding vocabulary and objects of studyWomanhood, daughterhood and caregiving Physical involvement with the mediumUtilizing self-portraiture to reclaim agency over one's bodyMaking tangible that which is invisibleAn outward expression of internal experienceIncluding the voices of photographers in the essays and textMaking and remaking meaningReferenced in the episode:ApertureRencontres d'Arles Exhibition I'm So Happy You Are Here: Japanese women Photographers From the 1950's to NowA World History of Women Photographers by Luce Lebart and Marie RobertThe Third Gallery AyaPGI GalleryBehind the Camera: Gender, Power, and Politics in the History of Japanese Photography / Created by Dr. Kelly McCormick and Carrie CushmanWhat They Saw: Historical Photobooks by Women, 1843–1999 by Russet Lederman and Olga YatskevichWomen Making Art: History, Subjectivity, Aesthetics by Marsha MeskimmonLiving a Feminist Life by Sara AhmedWorld Economic Forum, Global Gender Gap Report 2023Self-Portraits by Yurie NagashimaUme-me - Todays Happening by Ume KayoThe Memories of Others - Akihiko Okamura / Photo Museum Ireland
Linda Troeller's self-portraits are compiled into a luscious tour de force of womanhood, identity and aging.Troeller utilizes her relationship with the camera to understand herself and a woman's place in the world across decades. Her history traverses that of a beauty contestant, potential lawyer, photojournalism student, model, muse, photo teacher, photographer, provocateur and activist. With conviction, insight and wisdom Troeller celebrates and generously shares her embodied strength and fragility. In this conversation, Lindadiscusses, among other things:Universalizing the personalProvocation aka myth-bustingThe circular relationship of punctumLinda-nessSelf-portraiture, performance and installation Exploring internal and external ageismSacred water explorationsBook decisions - ie: including titlesSequencing, process and collaboration Ghost Ranch, Leonora Carrington, Sophie Calle and Carolee SchneemanReferenced in the episode:Healing Waters FilmMuseum of Sex ExhibitionChelsea HotelErotic Lives of WomenOrgasmTBWLeica Gallery Exhibition - LAMade of Rivers by Emory HallChico Hot SpringsNeither Give Not Take Away - Sophie Calle at Arles
Anna Fox and Karen Knorr share how they empower visual storytellers by engaging a global network of practitioners, academics and curators who exchange resources, challenges and strategies toward achieving gender parity in photography. We hear how they conceived and built Fast Forward, their multi-pronged research organization responsible for establishing data, developing project-based teaching tools and convening worldwide themed conferences. Lastly, we wrap by learning of their 8-year-long road trip following the route established by Bernice Abbott. In this conversation, Anna & Karen discuss, among other things:Data on the underrepresentation of women photographers Addressing and critically analyzing gender inequalities in workshop formatsImpact of motherhood and caregiving roles on professional photographers Teaching as an adjunct to pursuing one's photographic workCoalition-building, nurturing collaborative efforts and creating global conferences to discover hidden stories of and by women visual storytellersIdentifying key gate openers and partnering with willing arts and educational institutions Network-building from exhibition practicesAmbition, Synergy and Foresight Reaching for inclusion with innovative strategiesGrants, grants and grantsHistory of their multiple road trips photographing togetherImage and text dialogReferenced in the episodeManifestoReport on Equity and InclusionFast Forward Putting Ourselves in the PictureThe Other Observers by Val WilliamsImpressions GalleryUniversity of the Arts LondonTateMEPWork Show GrowNational Portrait GalleryTrolley BooksT.J. Boulting Gallery
This deeply researched and resourced book contextualizes the dark side of photography, the mining and extraction of elements that make printing possible. Our conversation centers on the many intersections of image-making and resource extraction. The deep scholarship of my guest's practices makes manifest the complex relationship between photography, colonization, labor, ecological, economic and social impact. In this conversation, Siobhan, Rosell and Kosisochukwu discuss, among other things:Flipping photography on its headImplication and possibilities of the interaction of light with metalsExtraction of rare earth elementsProcess-based practices - artists thinking out loud Ideas, materiality & visibilityArt exploring gaps and erasure in archivesChlorophyll printingColonial historiesFood policy, manufacturing and distributionTalking about the past & the present simultaneouslyConnecting science & artIlluminating economics in our daily life choicesArt creating theoryReferenced in the episode:Dr. Siobhan AngusRosell MeseguerKosisochukwu NnebeHiền HoàngWomen and Nature: The Roaring Inside Her by Susan Griffin
Each woman shares their expansive practice, leading with curiosity and utilizing inquiry to activate potentiality. As scholars, archivists, writers, curators, and collaborators - their open-ended investigations resist a singular way of seeing. They build evolutionary and community-driven paradigms based on research, and center the importance of the past to envision a more equitable future. In this conversation, Aldeide and Candicediscuss, among other things:Amplifying visual stories of marginalized communitiesRewriting photographic history from a feminist perspective Curatorial activism Rhizomatic thinking Trial, error and playPlace as processThe audience as the protagonist New vocabulary and new definitions - ie. Memorist Photography as a medium and a whole-body experienceEstablishing terms of visibility Prismatic perceptionReferenced in the episode:Doreen Masseybell hooksWT Mitchell - what if race were a medium?The Photography NetworkRegarding MuslimsStuart Hall 1990 essay
This book offers a non-authoritarian systematic deconstruction of photo history to expand ways of making, seeing, and thinking about the multi-layers of relationships within photography. Five revered photographers, teachers and scholars innovated ways to visualize process and reinvestigate archives. Their collaborative project results in a prismatic view, new vocabulary and an essential teaching tool. In this conversation, Susan Mieselas, Wendy Ewald and Laura Wexler discuss, among other things:Opening new relationships within the event of photographyLimits of visual vocabularyMethodologies that favor listening, learning and unlearningThe malleability of ideas and associationsSeeing across timePhoto with the blinders offCreating vocabularySeeing threads and weaving themDiscovering what is missingBuilding understandingDynamics of visual cultureReferenced in the episode:Susan MiesalasAriella Aisha AzoulayLaura WexlerWendy EwaldLeigh Raiford
Meet: Aurora Bruzon - Latin America Marketing ManagerBetsy May - Commercial Director Latin AmericaManolo Marquez - Gallery and Akademie Manager for Leica Mexico Each one shares specifics on their mission to bring diverse services and expand programming with Latin artists. Aurora, Betsy and Manolo discuss among other things:Fostering community among passionate visual storytellersBuilding global bridgesBringing Leica values to a larger audienceImplementing ways to see the world through a Leica lensNews from the flagship Mexico City store and galleryExpansion of programming across the regionThe 29 Leica Galleries around the worldFraming photography as an expressive artPromoting diverse workCommercializing a variety of photographic genresReferenced in the episode:Leica Mexico CityLeica Women Foto ProjectLeica Oskar Barnack AwardLeica AkademieLeica Camera, U.S.A.WOPHA CongressWOPHA FoundationPerez Art Museum MiamiNorton Art Museum
Danielle Ezzo is a new media artist pioneering the lossy space of photography through a process of sourcing from the vast digitized open-access archive of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. This beguiling book animates McLuhan's semiotic principle, the medium is the message, by activating the ability of photography to simultaneously communicate and mediate. Ezzo's rephotographed art objects unleash an open-ended exploration into how history is shaped and its potential to propagate the future. In this conversation, Danielle discusses, among other things:Viewer as curatorNon-linear lookingIntuitive response led by the aesthetics of formal qualitiesFreeing artifacts of origins Subjectivity of documentationCategorization mattersLossinessLetting go of presuppositions (aka prescribed notions)Sensibilities changeHow images circulate nowSky as inspiration and analogous to virtual spaceReimagining artistic communitiesNFT'sEconomics of being an artistSynthetic images Museums' role as cultural arbitersCultural lagNumber Theory
A decade of attending this fair has honed my ability to select from the staggering amount of concurrent offerings - astounding amounts of work, panel discussions, book signings and outside Prsi Photo happenings during a packed week in Paris. In this conversation, Syb discusses, among other things:VernissageNew discoveries Elles x Paris Photo platforms and anniversary bookRobert Cumming happenings - including a new documentaryBook AwardsAI and digital photography taking a foothold at the fairPolycopies Sophie Calle taking over the Picasso MuseumBleak yet authentic reflections on maternal relationships at Le Bal
David Campany pays tribute to the multidisciplinarian artist Robert Cumming, known for his rigorous dedication to the aesthetic tonality of the B & W image and his uncanny investigations into the philosophical nature of perception. Lusciously printed images from original 8 x 10 negatives are evidence of Cummings' masterful camera work marrying his fascination with photography's ability to simultaneously describe and mislead. David Campany's equal sensibilities are evident in an erudite, witty essay and compelling image sequence.In this conversation, David discusses, among other things:Nonsense & SensibilityChicanery & witCraft and camera work Fluid interchange of mediaTransition of an object into an imageLooking at work in the roundNot getting pigeonholed SpecialismModernist IdealsThinking of scaleLanding in the middleViewers response to the work provides its meaningAll you can do with a watermelon
This recent Radius release offers an expansive framework of the principles of publishing including the layered roles and responsibilities inherent within the creation of a photobook. NOT a how-to guidebook, this beautiful object elegantly packages decades of research and provides contemporary resources to illustrate the endless possibilities of the photobbook. Swanson and Himes share the mission to create impactful photography books by encouraging all artists to: slow down idea formation, linger in the making mode, and do thy research.In this conversation, Swanee and Darius discuss, among other things:The biggest challenge - conceiving the ideaFostering a dynamic engagement with one's ideasSeeing the end in the beginningPlay, patience & persistenceConcept guiding contextStepping outside the medium of photoogrpahy to clarify and deepen your ideaCritical thinking Not rushing the monographThe book as art formPhotogrpahs as raw materialImpact of digital publishingPivotal role of self publishingUniversity PressesBalancing creative & business perspectivesThe evolving life of marketing a book
Episode Notes Photojournalist Preston Gannaway won a Pulitzer Prize for her poetic photography documenting a New Hampshire family coping with a young mother's illness and death. Remember Me is her breathtakingly graceful and intimate chronology of EJ over the intervening years since he lost his mother at 3 years of age. Gannaway masterfully transcends one family's journey to speak to the universal touchstones of life, love, loss, and the abiding ties that bind.In this conversation, Preston discusses, among other things:Observation as a superpowerFinding a photographParameters of storytelling Intuitiveness and nuanceConsent & collaborationPhotojournalismDocumentary traditionCommunity journalismA prologue of imagesHindsightCapturing presence in the absenceTaking away the ‘fever pitch'Defining objectivityAn empathic eyeEditing and sequencingFunding projectsBig, weighty things
Photography is innovatively and collectively utilized to create a new narrative challenging the stigma and stereotypes of this indigenous community. This book is a multilingual textural object of beauty and wisdom — a non-linear collective celebration and document of home, belonging, hospitality, reciprocity and the longing to live in communion with the land.In this conversation, Rehab discusses, among other things:Personal exploration as motivation and inspirationConnecting to the protagonists of your storiesSeeing with an empathic eyeGiving voice to the voicelessBlending practice and processCalling out visual referencesInternalization of the ubiquitous colonial gaze Being Modern vs WesternProgressive traditional gender roles Symbols & MetaphorEmpowerment & ElevationIncorporating soundscapesFashion history as a cultural, socio-political window
American Bedroom: Reflections on the Nature of Life is a messy, energetic, playful and heart-stoppingly poignant romp into the intimate spaces of ordinary Americans. Each portrait is accompanied by text by the subject. The result is an anthropological study of the physical, emotional, spiritual, political and psychological landscape of 21st century America. Peacock brings a wealth of experience and a very expansive heart to this tour de force of human cartography. In this conversation, Barbara discusses, among other things:Leading with the light - especially cascading amber lightGrabbing the detailsSerendipityBeing bold and thinking bigFollowing instinct and intuitionEnvisioningStreet photography skillsBuilding an archive of inspirationBrutal editingChoral (collaborative) Editing CrowdsourcingGrants and fundingCapturing the climate of the countrySocial media as help and hindranceDoing the “Barb thing”
Elizabeth Clark Libert's bold diaristic conversation with herself is a reckoning with a twenty years old sexual trauma and its impact on raising her school-age sons. Boy Crazy is a masterfully designed melange of self-portraits, environmental portraits, seasonal landscapes and family photos. Interspersed in a searingly honest staccato manner are intimate musings, email correspondence with her perpetrator and snippets of pointed conversation with her sons. In this conversation, Elizabeth discusses, among other things: Art as process Reclaiming agency following sexual trauma Shooting through ambivalence Lyricism and raw emotion Giving context Collaboration Being in conversation with your work Wasabi writing Finding the structure of the book Experimenting and refining Asymmetry Visualizing Generating change and opening hard conversations Being brave together Visit my website for a full list of resources.
Anastasia Samoylova furthers her exploration of place and the ability of photography to shape our perceptions of reality. Central to her investigation is the geography of human relationships to our natural and man-made environments. Utilizing her masterful ability to collage in-camera, her flattened imagery provides us with a kaleidoscope of ideas surrounding globalization, historical heritage, and cultural idealism.In this conversation, Anastasia discusses, among other things:Geometry of the frameAlignment of elementsFigures in the landscapeSpatial interplayIllusion of scaleInviting interpretationDialoguing with a targeted audienceExposing tools of the mediumGendering of citiesFeminist geography Stoic philosophy
Another Online Pervert creates a visual and text dialog between photos from Souders' image archive and snippets of written copy from a two-year engagement with an AI personality chatbot. Utilizing prompts from her childhood journals, an emotional call and response is created between human sense and sensibility and machine capability and capacity. Photographs, including a few family snapshots, weave a parallel narrative blending the notions of perception that we all possess between time, memory and meaning. In this conversation, Brea discusses, among other things:Real-world vs virtual worldDislodging gendered social constructsCathartic spaces for non-conformityEnabling surpriseBeing bot-ified Originality aka going off scriptEvolution of a projectMemory vs past vs time without bordersEngaging archivesCollaborative editingMixing formatsMean playfulnessWomen being erased from technology history
In this conversation, Todd discusses, among other things:Working in archivesThinking in booksApproaches to appropriationRunning amokParameters for sequencing Perceived oppositesLight leaksColliding technologiesData corruptionObservation & measurementFalsehoods & mysteryArtist Resources/InspirationDiscovering Peary Land by Todd ForsgrenPhase Faze 2001/2021Driving Into the SunsetA Constant Wind Between a Breeze and a GaleOld Pictures from ParadiseUntitled Re:Iterations Photographs from 2000-2014Ornithological PhotographsDaylight BooksPavel BankaJohn McKeeMichael KolsterS. Billie MandleJenny RiffleRocky Mountain CollegeRyniker-Morrison GalleryMichael N. Meyer: SpectacleBox AgX ArtsAtlantika Collectivef/4.5 CollectiveOkkervil River BandWebsite | Instagram
Tough Pleasures turns a bright light and witty lens on the conflicting dynamics of femininity and food—revealing appetite and desire. Susan Bright's astute and savory essay provides the perfect table setting for the environmental portraits that follow. Wilkinson masterfully interrupts the repetitive and limiting messaging of unattainable expectations and endless critique by putting power in the hands of her subjects, real women and girls. In this conversation, Toni and Susan discuss, among other things:Shooting intuitivelySlow lookingPenisesCapturing chaosToo muchnessInterrogating with lightBreaking image sequence with detailed shotsRevisiting work and reopening the seriesDefying prescripted roles Playing with power playsImage-making as a tool to engage in ideasSlog, splendor and sensuality
Episode Notes Cai Quirk deeply explores genderqueer self-portraiture in an original image creation and story formation orchestration. A phantasmagorical world unfurls, as six evolutionary text and image sections weave a mythical interdependency of body, spirit and nature. The result is an invitation to regard all beings and their fluid becoming with a gracious welcoming of honor and respect.In this conversation, Cai discusses, among other things:The queer body in art historyDeconstructing gender realitiesMaking myth aka writing new storiesPlayful ambiguityImage and story as an invitationIntertwining elementsAccessibilityChildren of ambiguityNeo pronounsThe fluidity of transnessListening beyond oneself
Spin Club Stories is a mixed-media reintegration of history, environment, society and self in an interactive dialog spanning centuries. Reclaiming the artform and impact of women's handiwork, Astrid assembles collages of images and textiles, perforated with hand embroidery. Sourced from family heirlooms, she figuratively empowers her ancestors—and ultimately herself—to transform the future.In this conversation, Astrid discusses, among other things:Rediscovering cultureCulture as kaleidoscope Selecting elements to tell her storyTextiles and embroidery as connective tissue Allowing materiality to lead processConsidering art vs. craftThe role of “women's work”The shifting boundaries that define identitiesWorking with lost knowledgeMemory as a key to the futureHealing power of art, craft and storyCreating new visual language via abstractions
This book forms a collective reframing of the realities of motherhood beyond the mythologized patriarchal gaze. A global array of photographer mothers document, with bold authenticity, the carrying and caring of a human—the feral and relentless shared space of heart-exploding wonder and joy—all seen and shared through the eyes of those who experience it. In this conversation, Karni discusses, among other things:Photographer mothers using the camera to document their realityConfronting the monumental occupation that is motherhoodManaging the duality of identities as a mother/artistThe politicization of the personal The synergy of interconnectivity and the strength of collaborationForming a visibility chainFlipping the narrativesRighting misconceptions Managing expectationsLove and sisterhoodNot endorsing motherhood, but endorsing the choice
In this conversation, Britland discusses, among other things:Camera as mediatorGender constructsMale vulnerabilityStrong opinions, loosely heldHuman-inflicted traumaSensationalizing violenceWorking from a set of rulesCreative kinshipSerendipityApplied abstractions of visual allegoryInteriority displayed
In this conversation, Peggy discusses, among other things:How a camera transforms what we seeBeing addicted to filmSeeing inside the photographer's headVastness of observationThe intelligence (and swiftness) needed to respond to the presence observedThe high jinx of black and white imageryThe relationship between the image and time movingTeaching strengthens editingThe rhythm of a bookLoving the gutterTaking the long viewA hatbox of 100 mice
In this conversation, Russett and Lauren discuss, among other things:What constitutes a photobookThe evolution of the photobookGendered discrepancies and the inequity of access and privilegeA lack and/or ambiguity of attribution or authorshipThe personal and political visual voice of womenThe artist's concept as a driving forceTelling your own storyThe image as an agent for social change Sequencing a narrativeContext, form and contentPublication and distributionThe serendipity of open stacksThe multiplicity of ways to read a photobook
In this conversation, Kristen discusses, among other things:The power of observationSpeaking through photosCommanding the frameLeaning towards iconographyIntentionalityA circular gazeReciprocity in relationship with subjectsImport of residencies and support of the GuggenheimPerformative girl powerThe evolution of a series and the birthing of a book
In this conversation, Jessica discusses, among other things:Mining family narrativesFocusing on what's in front of youWorking with lightThe influence of teachersWrestling with the materiality of nowTranscending the ordinaryPhotojournalism vs artOne ‘good' photo a monthLife fitting into photographyArtist Resources/InspirationInterior Exposure by Jessica Todd Harper and Sarah McNearThe Home Stage by Jessica Todd HarperCentre Claude CahunRick Wester Fine ArtKinship, The National Portrait GalleryBo Barlett at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine ArtsMothercraft, Toni PepeUndo Motherhood by Diana KarklinDesigning MotherhoodHettie JudahFlow by Mihaly CsikszentmihalyiVERMEER, Mary CassattMaine Media Photography WorkshopsArnold NewmanThe Mount, Edith WhartonThe Clark InstitutePublished by Damiani EditoreWebsite | Instagram
Three deeply researched long-term projects; Immortality: Remnants of the Vietnam and American War, One Week's Dead, and National Parks are compiled in a sumptuous two-volume slipcase. Hauntingly beautiful chlorophyll prints and daguerreotypes, printed with clarity and depth on dense black paper, animate a living history of war, refugee status, immigration and assimilation. Augmented by essays, poetry and historical material in an all-white soft-covered book, Danh has masterfully married intention with process as a means of transmigration. In this conversation, Binh discusses, among other things:The power of a work of artPublic consciousnessCultural identity Innovating chlorophyll printsReceiving historyArt being activated by the viewerDecoding the code of daguerreotypesNegotiation of materialsComplicated stewardship of the landBringing light to dark placesA mobile darkroom called Louis
Undo Motherhood is a boxed set of soft-covered trifold booklets titled after the predominant feelings identified by regretful mothers: anger, fear, isolation, exhaustion, guilt, resignation and acceptance. Karlkin's investigation was driven by a single question: “If you knew then what you know now, would you have made a different choice?” Respectful, intimate imagery makes visible a continuum of ambivalence.In this conversation, Diana discusses, among other things:Ideology of motherhoodCollective imaginationMaternal reckoningMulticultural expectationsInnovating approaches to achieve neutralityVisually exploring vulnerabilityThe language of imagesDismantling narrativesReferenced in the episodeUnderbau [m]otherhoodSingapore International Photography Festival Marina Carpena Meyer Elinor Carucci — Mother (2013)Carmen Winant — My Birth (2018)Sheila Heti — Motherhood (2018)Woman Born: Motherhood as Experience and Institution by Adrienne RichThe Lost Daughter film (2021) The Lost Daughter by Elena FerranteScreaming on the Inside by Jessica Grose“Regretful Mothers” by Anne Kingston, Maclean's“Women who wish they weren't mothers” by Diana Karklin, The Guardian 1854 Photography on Undo Motherhood, British Journal of PhotographyPublished by Schilt PublishingDiana's Instagram
The Drawer is a visual autobiography of Aletti's deep canon of inspiration, experience and multi-media obsessions collected over five decades. Created and captured in a single day, each collage is a flurry of free association. This book animates his refined sense of composition, eclectic juxtaposition of image and text and chronicles the tectonic shifts of art and visual culture.In this conversation, Vince discusses, among other things:The intentionality of the photographer Intuitive arrangements between images—in both exhibition and book formUnselfconscious coupling of imageryArt informing how we thinkMagazine cultureSubversionAdvertising driving editorialUndermining narrativesHow to make a life in photography Fun or nothingBeing the Bill Cunningham of contemporary photography Referenced in the episodeIssues: A History of Photography in Fashion Magazines by Vince AlettiC/O BerlinSPBHSchool of Visual Arts, NYCLillian BassmanJudith Joy RossPeter HujarTrue Homosexual Experiences: Boyd McDonald and Straight to HellDawoud BeyThe Moon Is Behind Us by Fazal SheikhAdam FussLeslie-Lohman Gay Art FoundationDashwood BooksPublished by Self Publish Be HappyVince's InstagramSign-Up for Email Newsletter for Got Punctum? News and Other HappeningsEngage with J. Sybylla Smith Instagram and Facebook
In this conversation, Jennifer and Odette discuss, among other things:CollaborationInherent trustBeing recklessBeing process drivenAllowing the material to speak for itselfThe social journey of a photographPlaying vs workingSimplicityGrowing understandingUndonenessReferenced in the episodeBooks by Odette England Jennifer Garza-Cuen's websiteBooks by Susan BrightPhotography and Collaboration: From Conceptual Art to Crowdsourcing by Daniel Palmer Indeterminacy: Thoughts on Time, the Image, and Race(ism) by David Campany & Stanley Wolukau-WanambwaLacuna Park: Essays and Other Adventures in Photography by Nicholas MuellnerAnonymous Was A Woman grantRobert Rauschenberg FoundationPenumbra FoundationRISD Photography DepartmentTexas A&M Photography BFAIthica College Image Text MFAOdette: Website | InstagramJennifer: Website | InstagramSusan: Website | Instagram
In this conversation, Syb discusses, among other things:Gallery/Artist/ResourcesGallery:Casemore Gallery/ San Francisco/Chris Grunder Rolf Art/ Buenos Aires, Argentina/Florencia Giordana BraunJulian Sander Gallery/Cologne, Germany/Julian Sander TOBE Gallery/Budapest, Hungary/Tomas Opitz and Bea PuskasStephen Daiter Gallery/Chicago/ LukasDeepest Darkest Gallery/Cape Town, South Africa/ Deon Redman Persons Projects/Berlin, Germany/Timothy PersonBoogie Woogie Photography/ Hong Kong, China/ Vanessa Franklin Gallery Number 8/Brussels, Belgium/Marie Gomis -Trezise Artist:Sean McFarland Rosamund Fox Solomon Dafna Talmor Anna Fabricius Gary Schneider Barry Saltzman Tiina ItkonenTakishi ShikamaCaroline Mardok Phyllis Galembo Veronica MecchiaResources:Aperture Book AwardsAperture Revolution is Love: A Year of Black Trans LiberationDatz Press in South KoreaDigital Silver ImagingDysturbLeica Women Foto ProjectElles X Paris Photo MEP - Boris Mikailov ExhibitionPompidou Center - Unframing ColonialismPolycopiesManual EditionsPhoto Saint GermaineCatchlightMusee des Art Decortif Louvre - Elsa Schiaparellili ExhibtionParisol Foundation TrustFast Forward: Women in PhotoSustainable Photobook Publishing NetworkWebsite | Instagram
In this conversation, Matt discusses, among other things:Taking a fixed object to a fluid spaceAccessibilityReadabilityIntentionality as a central focusThe purpose of publishing is to make publicEngaging the mobility of booksTaxonomy of the photobookEstablishing criticality standardsReader-centric vs. maker-centric booksSustainabilityStewardship of the photobookArtist Resources/InspirationOffset Projects, Anshika VarmaA Parallel Road by Amani Willett & Tiffany JonesThe Content Machine by Michael BhaskarPhotobooks: The Book Club Test (April 2022)The Photobook in Art & Society by JOVIS (2020) Photobook Sessions ConferenceThe Photobook MuseumWorld Photobook DayWebsite | InstagramEngage with J. Sybylla Smith https://www.jsybyllasmith.com Instagram @jsybylla and Facebook @j.sybylla.smithSubscribe by email for updates about new episodes!
Photographer and filmmaker, Rita Leistner, blends fine art with documentary in her intensely lit, unstaged, metaphorically-inspired environmental portraits of the tree planters reforesting the cut blocks devastated by commercial logging. In this conversation, Rita Leistner discusses, among other things:Uncanny use of lightAn innate sense of compositionFeeling not with the heart or head — but with the spineThe power of artificial lightingWhat makes communities workBush legs and tree eyesCapturing visual vocabulary in the real worldLight as mediaThe whiteness of the whaleLiving the work
Matar gracefully investigates womanhood, identity, and empowerment - across time and place. Poetic, soulful, and bold portraits capture the agency of becoming, at the threshold of independence. Matar bridges differences in culture, religion, geography, and nationality, offering the connective experience of our shared humanity. In this conversation, Rania discusses, among other things:Working organicallyImage as a bonusBeing open to collaboration on all levelsSerendipityObserving beautyFollowing curiosityGiving subjects agencyThe physicality of the printSpending time with the workThe importance of hands in portraitureBook design detailsThe impact of grants and awardsReferenced in the episodeOrdinary Lives (2009) by Rania MatarA Girl and Her Room (2012) by Rania MatarL'enfant-Femme (2016) by Rania MatarShe Who Tells a Story at Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (2013-2014)In her Image at Amon Carter Museum of American Art (2018)https://nmwa.org/exhibitions/live-dangerously/Women To Watch, National Museum of Women in the ArtsThe Wanderess by Roman PayneInvisible Cities by Italo Calvino Unfortunately, It was Paradise by Mahmoud Darwishhttps://www.saintlucybooks.com/https://ayellowroseproject.com/https://www.seal-usa.org/https://www.radiusbooks.org/Website | InstagramSign-Up for Subscribe by Email for notifications about new Got Punctum? episodes.Sign-Up for Email Newsletter for Events and and Other Happenings
Holly Lynton melds form, content, and meaning in her strikingly beautiful images, capturing the lives of those providing our sustenance, while protecting our land. Lynton's compositional framing, lush palette, textural tones, and transformative gestures craft a meditative beauty. Accompanying essays provide context for cultural contradictions, associations, and representations — speaking to the role art has played to perpetuate or reveal them.Referenced in the episodeLost in a meditation: Rural American life – in pictures, The GuardianOn the Basis of Art: 150 Years of Women at YaleSigns of Return by Grace Elizabeth HaleQuestions of Travel by Elizabeth BishopHoe Country, Alabama by Dorothea Lange Blurred Identities: The Art and Audience of Lynching PhotographyHistory, Photography, and Race in the South: From the Civil War to NowAnimal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara KingsolverLove Child's Hotbed of Occasional Poetry: Poems and Artifacts by Nikky FinneyHold Still by Sally ManNXTHVNWebsite | InstagramSign-Up for Email Newsletter for Got Punctum? News and Other Happenings
In this conversation, Toni discusses, among other things:Unpacking seeingThe family photo albumPushing expectations of the image Text as a tipping pointEnticing touchEngaging viewers physically Being driven by an ideaCollective learningCross-discipline experimentationStick-to-it-nessEditing being crucialThe impact of when birth and death left the homeSign-Up for Email Newsletter for Got Punctum? News and Other Happenings
In this conversation, Hettie discusses, among other things:Gender care gapGender pay gap Family as a trap for womenDomesticity and artNeed for subsidized, affordable childcareThe time-consuming emotional labor of parenting most often falls on mothersStudio space & residency limitationsCommercial gallery's inconsistent gender parityArt school's ‘mother-sized' holes Female collectors' big spending habitsNetworking solutionsPolyvocalitySign-Up for Email Newsletter for Got Punctum? News and Other HappeningsThe full, messy & beautiful work of parenting
In this conversation, Colleen discusses, among other things:Awakening to invisible justiceBodily autonomyAnimal spectatorshipA practice of attentionDistilling processGood obsessionsBook as archivePuncturing social individualitySound is time made fleshSustaining projects is a puzzleImagining a kind future
Yemchuk's second monograph is a form of visual poetry. Her exceedingly tender portraits exude sensuality, emotion, and kinetic energy. Her controlled compositions form a lyrical arrangement with words by Ilya Kaminsky. Together both artists capture the elusive essence of this magical city, beguiling and beyond time.Sign-Up for Email Newsletter for Got Punctum? News and Other HappeningsEngage with J. Sybylla Smith Instagram and Facebook
In this conversation, Nancy and Scott discuss, among other things:Exploring what a photo can doThe importance of storyThe impact of presentationDancing around ideasPhoto as sculpture Gendered objectsCreative agencyHousing fine art workAllowing projects to unfold RELATIONSHIPSThe magic of the art residenceArtists' Resources/InspirationOrganizationsRalston GalleryNewport Art Museum 3S Artspace Creative CollaboratorsSean Alonzo HarrisRachelle SteeleSteven Ferlauto Tamara MagelJessica Hagen Fine Art and Design BusinessesK. Hovnanian DevelopersBogarts Wooden Jigsaw Puzzles SpoonflowerNancy — Website | InstagramScott — Website | InstagramSign-Up for Email Newsletter for Got Punctum? News and Other HappeningsEngage with J. Sybylla Smith Instagram and Facebook
In this conversation, Karen discusses, among other things:Falling in love with photography (and a photographer)ModernismMedia hierarchy moving towards collaborative interdisciplinary exhibitsImpacting the breadth of community representationContext & curationSequencing as the creative act of the curatorConsistency of vision within an exhibitionCreating critical conversations within an exhibitionCollector relationshipsThe medium and the message being one and the sameArtist Resources/InspirationExhibitionsThe Stillness of ThingsAnsel Adams in Our TimeGordon Parks: Back to Fort ScottMake BelieveMediaCuratorial Lecture — Reimagining Ansel AdamsCuratorial Lecture — Gordon Parks: Back to Fort Scott Curatorial Lecture — Make BelieveCreative Conversations: Daniel Handal and Karen HaasBooksGordon Parks: Back to Fort Scott by Karen HaasAn Enduring Vision Photographs from the Lane Collection by Lyle Rexer and Karen HaasEdward Weston The Early Years by Margaret Wessling and Karen HaasPhotography by Anne E. Havinga, Nancy Keeler and Karen HaasThe Photography of Charles Sheeler: American Modernist by Karen HaasWebsite | Instagram—————————————————————————————Sign-Up for Email Newsletter for Got Punctum? News and Other HappeningsEngage with J. Sybylla Smith Instagram and Facebook
In this conversation, Daniel discusses, among other things:Respect for straight photographyConceptual photography as the Wild WestThe 3 most important things to look for in an imageThe impact of the personal bookAdaptationAuthenticity and being true to yourselfThe power of printCutting the noise by using the postal serviceBuilding your own ecosystem—not based on algorithms Shooting in your own backyardFollowing fascinationReading as a free educationVisual creatives' economic powerArtist Resources/InspirationOrganizationsBlurbHello FutureCreative CollaboratorsHank Willis ThomasCharlie GrossoMichael ClarkeZoe SadokierskiMarcus BrownleeMediaThe quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog by Kurt K GledhillAG23For What It's Worth series Shifter Media Podcast YouTubeThe Cult - ElectricOtherFisher Space PenWebsite | YouTube————————————————————————————-Sign-Up for Email Newsletter for Got Punctum? News and Other HappeningsEngage with J. Sybylla Smith Instagram and Facebook *Got Punctum? Podcast Listed on the 70 Best Photography Podcasts https://blog.feedspot.com/photography_podcasts/
In this conversation, Jason discusses, among other things:Photography as a tool to explore one's interpretation of realityBeing private investigators of your subjectEngaging new book design perspectivesMaking creative choices that build contextOrganizational structure's influence on editingAllowing curiosity to explore one's feelingsJewish mysticismThe power of textHow the digital age impacts representation and acquisitionCrafting a dream within a dream within a dreamThis work is traveling to:Museum of History and Holocaust Education, Kennesaw, GA.Oregon Jewish Museum and Center for Holocaust Education, Portland, OR.Holocaust Museum, Houston, TX.Artist Resources/InspirationBooks BERLIN by Jason Langer, Kerber VerlagTwenty Years by Jason Langer, Radius PublishingPossession by Jason Langer, Nazareli PressThe Art of the Memoir by Mary KarrMemories, Dreams, Reflections by CG JungMediaWings of Desire (1988)Station to Station by David Bowie (1976)Films of Wim Wenders'Stevie WonderCreative Collaborators Matthew PapaDiane SmythMary Virginia Swanson Brad TemkinPhyllis GalemboMelanie McWhorterLoli KantorBrassaïOrganizationsJewish Book CouncilClamp Art, NYCEsther Woerdehoff, ParisGillman Contemporary, IdahoWebsite | Instagram————————————————————————————-Sign-Up for Email Newsletter for Got Punctum? News and Other HappeningsEngage with J. Sybylla Smith Instagram and Facebook
In this conversation, Jaina discusses, among other things:Photographing what you can't seeMaking space to document what you're feelingMaking a messDoing insane thingsCreating a creative teamThe magic carpet ride of creativity Trusting yourselfSharing your processThe wonders of a shower notepad Artist Resources/InspirationLittle Weirds by Jenny SlateSwamplandia by Karen Russell A Wrinkle In Time by Madeleine L'EngleA Swim in a Pond in the Rain by George SaundersThe Drama of the Gifted Child: The Search for the True Self by Alice MillerStock Scenery Construction Handbook (Third Edition) by Bill Raoul & Mike MonsosOn Mental Toughness by Harvard Business ReviewDirecting Actors: Creating Memorable Performances for Film and Television by Judith WestonCatching the Big Fish by David LynchCrafting Short Screenplays that Connect by Claudia Hunter JohnsonAquaNotesWebsite | Instagram—————————————————————————————Sign-Up for Email Newsletter for Got Punctum? News and Other HappeningsEngage with J. Sybylla Smith Instagram and Facebook
Using a large format camera with available light, Mandle compiles 40 color images of confessionals within Catholic churches across America. In illuminating spaces containing moments of grace, Reconciliation offers viewers the opportunity to seek, witness, and contemplate experiences of their own.In this conversation, S. Billie Mandle discusses, among other things:Correlations between confessionals and cameras Photographers as collectorsWays we create meaning as individuals and a societyResearch impacting and shaping a projectBenefits of a design studio Quieting colorFollowing affinitiesCold emailing for collaborators Embodying paradoxImpact of oppressive societal structures Referenced in the episodeStellar SkytronNight of the Fiestas - Kirsten Valdez QuadeKehrer VerlagEverything StudioDust CollectiveImages As Action and Reflection PanelMass Cultural Council Berkshire Taconic Artist Resource Trust FundMass ArtCabinetRebecca Solnit - The Blue of DistanceCynthia Cruz - Disquieting Sovereignty of Quiet - Kevin Everod QuashieBarbara Bosworth The Land in Between - Ursula Schulz-DornburgBluets - Maggie NelsonThe Poetics of Space - Gaston Bachelard Felix Gonzalez-TorresWebsite | InstagramIf you like this show, remember to leave us a rating or review. It really helps!Engage with J. Sybylla Smith https://www.jsybylla.com Instagram @jsybylla and Facebook @j.sybylla.smith*Got Punctum? Podcast Listed on the 70 Best Photography Podcasts https://blog.feedspot.com/photography_podcasts/
Over 60 black and white images, many previously unpublished, constitute this erudite book, Signs, a current exhibition and a recent acquisition to the Nelson Atkins Museum of Art. With candor and respect, Dow provides a living history of human spirit and ingenuity. Senior Curator April M. Watson's essay, A Sense of Things in Time, places Dow's 45-year contribution as photographer and professor within the lexicon of photography. In this conversation, Jim Dow and April M. Watson discuss, among other things: Art school as boot campHow environment shapes usEdgy idealismThe point of speculationRecontextualizing one's workThe importance of collaborationConcern for your book audience Consistently learning something new A need for public intellectuals with a functional delivery system Referenced in the episodeAmerican Studies Jim Dow Marking the Land Jim Down in North DakotaDiscovering the Vernacular Landscape John Brinckerhoff JacksonBeing Black in America is Exhausting Jonathan CapehartAmerican Photographs Walker EvansThe Danger of a Single Story Chimamanda Ngozi AdichieSusan Sontag and Norman Mailer The Elements of Value Eric Almquist On Photography Susan SontagSontag: Her Life and Work Benjamin MoserThe Burden of Representation; Essays on Photographies and Histories John TaggA Parallel Road Amani Willett. 2020.Website | InstagramIf you like this show, remember to leave us a rating or review. It really helps.Engage with J. Sybylla Smith https://www.jsybyllasmith.com Instagram @jsybylla and Facebook @j.sybylla.smith*Got Punctum? Podcast Listed on the 70 Best Photography Podcasts https://blog.feedspot.com/photography_podcasts/2jAxlFDoKJ3wrVkDdULA