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Wemmy talks Hurricane Katrina photographs
Season 1 · Episode 4

Wemmy talks Hurricane Katrina photographs

Culture & Captivity · Culture & Captivity

July 11, 202435m 40s

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Show Notes

In this episode, Belinda Sherlock and Wemmy Ogunyankin discuss Wemmy’s research into photographs of recently arrested and incarcerated people taken in the immediate aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in the U.S. and related questions of social, racial and photographic justice.


They discuss:

  • Creativity as a form of liberation in captive spaces
  • The significant gap in research into photographs of recently arrested/incarcerated Katrina flood victims, and the implications of those photographs
  • The emotional impact of researching images that depict violence towards or negligence of these flood victims, particularly young black men in New Orleans
  • The ethical challenges and power dynamics within working with images taken without consent, and where consent cannot be retrospectively sought
  • A specific photograph taken by photojournalist Kampha Bouaphanh of “looters” being arrested, explored in depth (see details/link below)
  • Wemmy’s hope that this research will encourage people to take more time and care looking at images, and to work towards greater epistemic and photographic justice.


Find the show notes at https://medium.com/@cultcaptpod


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