7 May 2017
Frobisher Auditorium 2 
Barbican Centre, Silk Street
London

Mark Sealy, Curator and Director of Autograph ABP, and Diane Dufour, Director of LE BAL, who have each worked independently with the Magnum archive on individual projects, will discuss the photographic archive as a site for cultural, historical and political contestation, exploring different approaches to working with archives.

Formed in 1947 as a photography collective, Magnum built its global reputation on representing photographers and preserving their authorship and creative control. Over its 70 year history, Magnum photographers generated a rich archive of prints and material which, in the pre-digital age, was the mainstay of its image licensing business. Magnum's digital archive is an expanding resource and core part of Magnum's commercial business.

The speakers will consider and reinterpret social, cultural and political inclinations that have shaped the archival content, and present their individual investigations.

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.