In this episode of The Photo Vault, we discuss with Dutch artist and editor Erik Kessels why it is important to have an opinion and dislike things, as well as why it is most important that young artists get paid. Erik is a prolific book and exhibition maker, known for his narrative creation through appropriated images.

Take a look as well at Erik’s website and publishing page to gain a deeper understanding of his work and thought process."

Enjoy the conversation:

• Erik Kessels Website
• Instagram
• Kessel Kramer Publishing

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Follow French editor and artist Thomas Sauvin on his journey from a Chinese language student to the collector and editor of an enormous archive that he continually augments from a dumpsite in Beijing. With his project, Beijing Silvermine, he has produced humorous and intelligent publications over the last 10 years, granting us access to a specific period in time in China. Lukas met Thomas in Paris at the Beijing Silvermine studio, and in their conversation, they unravel Thomas’ reflections on his work in the past, present, and future.

Beijing Silvermine
Thomas Sauvin Instagram

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In this episode, we delve into a talk event on Vernacular Photography that took place in November 2023. Our host, Lukas, was one of the speakers and has encapsulated a myriad of ideas, thoughts, and practices surrounding everyday imaging that were presented during the event. The talk was organized by the Eidolon Center in Budapest, a new institution that concentrates on vernacular, archives, and everyday imagery. They create a fantastic journal that showcases artists and academics actively working in the field. In this episode you will hear ideas by artists and academics such as Joanna Zylinska,  Miklós Tamási, Geoffrey Batchen, Joachim Schmid and Annebella Pollen. 

Links to the podcast and event organized by the Eidolon Center

• Eidolon Center 
• Fortepan Archive 
• The Family Museum 
• Geoffrey Batchen – Whither the vernacular?
• Joachim Schmid – Bilder von der Strasse & Other People’s Photographs
• Joanna Zylinska – On Our Photographic Future
• Annebella Pollen – Learning from photographic mistakes
• Michal Šimůnek – Analogue-digital encounters in photography 
• Lukas Birk – Vernacular photography and the public

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In this episode, we meet Thweep Rittinaphakorn, also known as Ake, in Bangkok, and explore his collection of photographs from Myanmar during the colonial era. Ake is an expert in Myanmar textiles who ventured into collecting photography and released a photobook from a very different background. His collection is fascinating and multi-layered, as he doesn't approach his images from a pictorial point of view but rather through an examination of materiality. 

Find out more about Ake on his Instagram and check out his recently released book.  

• UNSEEN BURMA Early Photography 1862-1962 
• Ake's Instagram

Other subject mentioned: 

• Shinbyu Ceremony

Media Links:

• Arrival of president U Nu in London
• Student Demonstration 1988
  
  
  

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This episode of The Photo Vault prompts us to question the world around us by examining product packaging, which often reinforces and perpetuates stereotypical norms in various aspects of our lives.

Our guest, Annebella Pollen, a professor of Visual and Material Culture, author of numerous books, and an avid collector, delves into some of her projects, interests, and findings. 

Discover why a seemingly innocuous bikini advertisement can contribute to reinforcing stereotypes and why Annebella champions the rejects.

Links to some of her publications are provided below, along with references to further contextualize our episode.

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Books by Annebellla:

• Mass Photography Collective Histories of Everyday Life
• More Than A Snapshot: A Visual History of Photo Wallets

Podcast

• Glass Eye: A Podcast on Visual Culture from South Asia: Kodak Women

Other Links

• Kodak Advert
• Boots Advert

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In this episode, we hear thoughts, ideas, and stories from writer, critic, educator, and artist Lucy Sante. She has a fascinating history and engagement with photography, writing on photography, and collecting. She has turned some of her collections into books and tells us about how she retrieved the photographs that went into titles such as 'Evidence.'

She also touches upon subjects such as being a bilingual writer, which made her a better writer, and how vernacular photography changed her life.

Below are links to her books and other works.

Enjoy the conversation.


Reference links:

• Hal Morgan & Andreas Brown- Prairie Fires and Paper Moons 
• Lucy Santes Website
• Luc Santes - Folk Photography
• Luc Santes - Evidence
• Luc Sante on Charlie Rose about Low Life - some long time ago
• Spirit photography
• Instagram 
• I Heard Her Call My Name - new book

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In this episode of The Photo Vault, we discuss with artist, photographer, and book publisher Joachim Schmid why he is not a collector but a gatherer. We also delve deep into computer history and Joachim’s first contact with Apple computers, as well as why he likes to create low-quality photobooks, explore Flickr, and engage in gardening.

Joachim Schmid is one of the most influential artists working with found images and has been creating artwork, books, exhibitions, and text since the 1980s. His practice challenges traditional notions of authorship and ownership. Renowned for appropriating and repurposing found photographs, he transforms ordinary snapshots into profound reflections on culture and society. Through his extensive body of work, including projects like "Photogenetic Drafts" and "Other People's Photographs," Schmid investigates the vernacular image's role in shaping collective memory. Embracing ambiguity, his art blurs the lines between creator and curator, provoking viewers to reconsider the inherent value and meaning within everyday photographs.

Enjoy the conversation, and if you want to learn more about vernacular photography, visit our website at www.vernacularsocialclub.org.

Further links:

• Joachim Schmid Website
• Bilder von der Strasse
• Flickr (keyword Joachim Schmid)

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• Emmanuel Carrère
• Ariella Azoulay - the civil contract of photography / potential history: unlearning imperialism 
• Natasha Christia & Lukas Birk, Gülistan

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@Vernacular Social Club
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