Frobisher Auditorium 2, Barbican Centre
8 December 2016
7pm

What compels photographers to record historic events? Why do they choose to engage in dangerous, difficult work? How do they stay emotionally involved, and what is their legacy today?

Join Magnum photographer Olivia Arthur, Director of Creative Content at Save the Children Jess Crombie, and writer and photographer Colin Pantall, as they reflect on the role of photography in relation to empathy. In association with an exhibition of David Seymour's work in the Magnum Print Room, speakers will explore the emotions at the heart of documentary photography.

Magnum co-founder David Seymour (1911-1956) was known for his empathetic relationship to photography, which led him to engage deeply with the consequences of WW2 in Europe. In particular he became well-known for his work with the war orphans he photographed for UNICEF. He said of his work:

“We are only trying to tell a story. Let the 17th-century painters worry about the effects. We've got to tell it now, let the news in, show the hungry face, the broken land, anything so that those who are comfortable may be moved a little.”

This event is part of the <a href='https://www.barbican.org.uk/artgallery/series.asp?ID=1629' target='_blank'>Magnum Photos Now</a> talks programme at the Barbican Centre. Tickets can be purchased from the Barbican Centre <a href='https://www.barbican.org.uk/artgallery/event-detail.asp?ID=20401' target='_blank'>here</a>.