🎙️ Welcome to Ep. #63 of The Urbanaut Podcast, presented in collaboration with @.
In this thought-provoking episode, we sit down with the brilliant David Campany, an influential curator, writer, editor, educator, and the Creative Director of the International Center of Photography, New York. Known for his deep insights into photography’s evolving role in contemporary culture, David’s work spans curation, academic writing, and photographic criticism.
About Our Guest: David Campany
David Campany has worked with some of the most prestigious institutions worldwide, including Tate, MoMA, Centre Pompidou, ICP New York, Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam, and The Photographer’s Gallery London. He has published extensively with Aperture, Steidl, MIT Press, Thames & Hudson, and Phaidon, and has written over 300 essays on photography. His recent curatorial projects include A Trillion Sunsets: A Century of Image Overload, Actual Size! Photography at Life Scale, and the William Klein retrospective Yes at ICP.
In this episode, we take a deep dive into photography’s role in visual culture, its relationship with power, and the philosophical questions surrounding its meaning.
Tune in to this episode to:
- Explore why photography resists a singular definition and how its meaning shifts over time.
- Unpack the explosion of images in the digital age—are there really "too many photographs"?
- Discuss AI’s role in reshaping visual culture—is AI "perfecting ideology"?
- Hear about David’s journey into curation and his experience editing iconic photobooks.
- Discover why ambiguity is crucial in art and photography, and how institutions often get it wrong.
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EPISODE LINKS:
🔗 David’s Website: www.davidcampany.com | David’s Instagram: @davidcampany
OUTLINE:
0:00 - Coming Up…
2:09 - Introduction & Setting the Stage
4:28 - Who is David Campany?
6:14 - Photography as an Open Concept
8:25 - The Evolution of Photography in Visual Culture
11:35 - The Power of Images & Image Manipulation
13:38 - Are There Too Many Images in the World?
23:12 - AI, Ideology, and the Future of Visual Culture
31:44 - David Campany’s Origin Story
36:38 - The First Published Photograph & Early Recognition
46:53 - Transitioning into Curation
1:05:47 - Actual Size: Photography at Life Scale
1:18:51 - Ambiguity in Photography & Art
1:24:47 - The Role of Writing in Understanding Photography
1:29:25 - Photobooks and the Art of Editing
1:36:21 - Closing Reflections & Final Thoughts
1:40:54 - The Shifting Role of Museums and Institutions
1:44:39 - Teaching Photography and Changing Student Perspectives
1:49:21 - The Intersection of Photography and Cinema
1:52:49 - Why Photographic Meaning is Never Fixed
1:56:29 - The Final Take: What Makes Photography Timeless?
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