The Photo Vault: A journey into Vernacular Photography, Archives and Photobooks

Aug 06 2024 16 ep. 30 mins 20
The Photo Vault: A journey into Vernacular Photography, Archives and Photobooks Podcast artwork

Welcome to The Photo Vault. 

Our host, Lukas Birk, takes you on a voyage filled with exclusive on sight interviews featuring renowned artists who draw inspiration from vernacular photography, collectors who have dedicated their lives to amassing incredible troves of images, and curators who curate exhibitions that bridge the gap between past and present.

 

The Photo Vault steps into a hidden world filled with forgotten snapshots, dusty family albums, and gems of visual history to be uncovered. Join us as we embark on an exhilarating tour into the heart of collecting, curating and creating artworks and photobooks with archival materials around the globe.

 

The Photo Vault is part of the Vernacular Social Club, a platform that brings together people who share a common interest in the Vernacular world www.vernacularsocialclub.com

The host:

Lukas Birk, is an Austrian researcher, artist, and publisher who primarily focuses on archival narratives and edits stories from South and Southeast Asia. He founded the Myanmar Photo Archive, the Afghan Box Camera Project, SewonArtSpace in Yogyakarta, and the Austro Sino Arts Program in Beijing. As well as a boutique camera Manufacture producing the Instant Box Camera and an independent photobook publishing project called Fraglich Publishing. 

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ALRES Les Rencontres de la photographie - Report on photo books

Aug 06 2024 37 mins  
In this episode, you will follow Lukas as he explores the photobook world at Les Rencontres de la Photographie d'Arles, a fantastic photo festival in the south of France that has been running since 1970. Lukas talks to publishers, artists, fair organizers, and bookshop owners about the festival, the book market, and how the photobook has evolved in a festival environment like Arles

Cemre Yeşil Gönenli - 3 Books that inspired you / Sophie Calle / Alec Soth / Chien-Chi Chang

Jul 06 2024 13 mins  
In this episode of The Photo Vault, we receive book recommendations from the Istanbul-based artist Cemre Yeşil Gönenli. Her book choices are varied and full of emotional connections to her own journey of becoming a photo artist. Listen to her colourful stories of how books can inspire and change your perspectives. Listen also to a previous episode where we talk with Cemre in deta

Gu.Pho Vernacular Photo Festival

Jun 28 2024 26 mins  
In this Episode of The Photo Vault we are going to explore a very peculiar Vernacular Photo Festival in Italy. Gu.Pho. Our host Lukas went South to work on an exhibition of the Vernacular Social Club as well as an installation for his new book “A tiny visual history of the Moustache”. Gu.Pho festival, in the wonderful town of Guigla, about 40 minutes south of Bologna, in a magn

Erik Kessels - say no and get disrupted

Mar 09 2024 44 mins  
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 g

Thomas Sauvin - a mine full of silver

Feb 15 2024 39 mins  
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

Everyday imaging - the analogue and the digital realm

Feb 01 2024 26 mins  
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,

Thweep Rittinaphakorn - learning about yourself through collecting

Jan 16 2024 35 mins  
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

Annebella Pollen - rejects are the majority and why we should study packaging

Jan 04 2024 44 mins  
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. Disco

Lucy Sante - on being a bilingual writer and how vernacular photography changed her life

Dec 21 2023 35 mins  
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 subject

Joachim Schmid - on authorship, Flickr and NOT collecting

Dec 06 2023 48 mins  
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 influenti