114 - Lisa Barnard

Lisa Barnard’s photographic practice is placed in the genre of documentary. Her work discusses real events, embracing complex and innovative visual strategies that utilise both traditional documentary techniques and more contemporary and conceptually rigorous forms of representation. Barnard connects her interest in aesthetics, current photographic debates around materiality, and the existing political climate. Of particular interest to her is global capitalism, the relationship between the military industrial complex, screen based new technologies and the psychological implication of conflict. Lisa is an Associate Professor in photography and programme leader of the MA in Documentary Photography at The University of South Wales, where she also has PhD students and teaches on the BA in Documentary Photography course. She has published two monographs with GOST books: Chateau Despairand Hyenas of the Battlefield, Machines in the Gardenwhich was funded by the Albert Renger Patzsch Book Award, and nominated for the Prix Du Livre at Rencontres D’Arles in 2015. Lisa’s latest book, recently published by Mack, is The Canary and the Hammer, an ambitious, complex and wide-ranging project detailing our reverence for gold and its role in humanity’s ruthless pursuit of progress. Photographed across four years and four continents, the project was funded by the Prestige Grant from Getty Images in 2015.   On episode 114, Lisa discusses, among other things: How teaching keeps her mentally on her toes Growing up in the Thatcherite heartland of Sevenoaks, Kent Her work from the San Diego Naval Medica Centre Hyenas of the Battlefield, Machines in the Garden and how the title came about Being an adventurist Why the more conceptual the connection is, the more excited she gets Her new project about gold, The Canary and the Hammer Referenced: Jacques Lacan The Dollop podcast Mark Power Javier Rebas Esther Teichmann Sophy Rickett Bettina von Zwehl Clare Strand Donovan Wylie Gert Van Hesten Skip Rizzo Postmodernism: Or, the Cultural Logic of Late Capitalism byFrederick Jameson Eadweard Muybridge River of Shadows: Eadweard Muybridge and the Technological Wild Westby Rebecca Solnit Martin Heidegger Allan Sekula   Website | Instagra