Join the symposium
Foam Dialogue: Photography & Conflict
Regarding the pain of others

As part of Foam Dialogue: Photography & Conflict the museum organizes a symposium to expand on the pop-up exhibition The Camera as a Weapon, taking the instrumental book
Regarding the Pain of Others by Susan Sontag as a starting point for a reflective and critical exploration of the role of photography in depicting and shaping public understanding of war, violence, and human suffering

Saturday 10 February 2024
day programme: 13.00 - 17.00 hrs
evening programme: 17.00 - 21:00 hrs

What can photography do about the pressing challenges of our time? On Saturday 10 February 2024, Foam hosts a one-day symposium. We will delve into the role of photography within the public and political sphere amidst conflict, extremism, and polarisation.

Horrific images depicting ongoing atrocities in Palestine and Israel have flooded the news, media, and our social media timelines over the past weeks. Meanwhile, other violent events are taking place in Ukraine, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Sudan and various other regions in the world. Foam, as part of the global photography community, is deeply concerned about the loss of human lives and the violation of human rights.

What can photography do? As a museum and magazine, Foam is committed to photography as an artistic medium, and above all to its function to start conversations and facilitate understanding. Its power lies in the ability to offer different perspectives through which we can learn about the viewpoints of others, whilst sometimes also directly mirroring our own assumptions and biases.

On 10 February 2024, Foam organises a symposium on photography and conflict in our museum. We aim to address the complexity of the current media landscape, ranging from topics such as the role of social media and citizen journalism, to the difficulty in tracing sources and the role of both image editors and algorithms in fostering opinion and polarization. Above all, we aim to facilitate space for dialogue and create understanding of the different perceptions of reality, not just by researching what we see, but also by providing a platform for voices and subjects that are often overlooked or excluded from the narrative.

Day programme:

What can photography do in times of conflict?

13.00 - 13.45 hrs : Show War - keynote lecture by visual artist and teacher at the Institute of Political Studies of Paris (Sciences Po), Emeric Lhuisset.

14.00 - 14.45 hrs: Film screening by multidisciplinary forensic research agency Forensic Architecture.

15.00 - 15.45 hrs: The Camera as a Weapon
artist talk by documentary photographer and film director Sakir Khader, who will be zooming in live from Palestine.

15.45 - 17.00 hrs: Join us for a drink in Foam Café.

Evening programme:

Us vs. Them: framing and polarization in visual culture
17.00 - 17.45 hrs: How to Capture the Smoldering Remains of an Urgent Story
artist talk by screenwriter and director Beri Shalmashi.

18.00 - 19.30 hrs : Film screening in collaboration with Movies That Matter.
The Appropiate Image - Workshop by upcoming Foam 3h artists Jakob Ganslmeier and Ana Zibelnik .

19.45 - 20.15 hrs : Creating Conflict: Examining Othering in Today’s Popular Culture - talk on creating conflict, with Jakob Ganslmeier and Beri Shalmashi.

20.15 - 21.00 hrs : Drinks and conversations in Foam Café.

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