The War We See

As this inaugural series of The War We See comes to a close, this episode offers a moment to pause and reflect. I look back on the conversations that have shaped this first series: the themes that emerged, the questions that still linger in mind, and what I’ve learned from listening closely to those documenting and studying the visuals of conflict. Alongside these reflections, I’m sharing three pr...

This episode is the second half of my fascinating conversation with David Birkin, artist, writer, and Senior Lecturer in Photography at the London College of Communication (University of the Arts London). In Part II, we discuss Visible Justice, the wonderful transdisciplinary network David and his colleague Max Houghton co-founded in 2018 at the University of the Arts London. The Visible Justice r...

This is Part One of a very special two-part episode with David Birkin, artist, writer, Senior Lecturer in Photography at the London College of Communication (University of the Arts London) and currently, a Visiting Fellow in Art History at the University of Cambridge. David is known for a wide-ranging body of photography-led installations and large-scale visual performances that confront state vio...

This week, I’m joined by fellow Imperial War Museum (IWM) doctoral researcher Katy Thornton (King’s College London), whose research uses the photojournalist Tim Hetherington’s archives at the IWM to examine the fascinating power dynamics between photographers, their subjects, and contemporary culture. Using her own background as a youth worker and academic grounding as a sociologist, Katy explores...

In this episode, I’m joined by award-winning documentary filmmaker and photojournalist Fiona Lloyd-Davies, whose fearless storytelling has placed her on the frontlines of global conflict for more than three decades. From the besieged towns of Bosnia to the Democratic Republic of Congo, Fiona has used her camera to expose human rights abuses and amplify voices that often go unheard. We explore her...

This week, I’m joined by Dr Ali Fisher from Human Cognition Ltd. and Università Cattolica in Milan. Ali’s work bridges strategic communications and data science to counter emerging threats in complex information environments, such as political disinformation campaigns, online child sexual abuse networks, and the exploitation of online platforms by terrorist groups. Ali is the creator of Mujahid Mi...

My guest this week is Rebecca Newell, Head of Art at the Imperial War Museum (IWM) and lead curator of the fantastic Blavatnik Art, Film and Photography Galleries at IWM London. Rebecca brings the stories of war art to life in this fascinating conversation, taking me through the history of the IWM’s vast collections of 20th and 21st century art, and breaking down how hugely influential the work of...

This week, I’m honoured to be joined by Dr Toby Haggith, Senior Curator in the Department of Second World War and Mid-20th Century Conflict at the Imperial War Museum, and someone who both specialises in film restoration and working with Holocaust imagery. Toby is one of my favourite historians and curators, and this was a thrilling and illuminating conversation where we discuss the painstaking pr...

In this episode, I’m joined by not one but two guests, authors of  Negative Publicity  (2015) and the soon-to-be-published  Cosmopolemos: An Illustrated Encyclopaedia of the United States Department of Defence Contract Spending from 2001 to 2021.  In this wide-ranging conversation, artist and photographer Edmund Clark and investigative journalist and writer Crofton Black explain their unique appro...

**Content Warning: This episode contains discussion of graphic violence in one small section, specifically from minute   43 to minute 44 , about some ISIS images, which depict scenes of extreme violence** Imperial War Museum (IWM) Curator Helen Upcraft joins me for a conversation about her work in the museum’s film archives, including the experience of working on Peter Jackson’s First World War do...

In the very first episode of The War We See, Dr. Chris Fuller, Associate Professor in Modern History at the University of Southampton, joins me for a truly historical examination of photo reconnaissance, drone imagery, and the military's increasing weaponisation of the camera, especially within the context of US military innovation, the Gulf War, and the ongoing war in Ukraine. Links to Chris&...

Have you ever wondered how much of our understanding of war comes from what is visually presented to us? What factors determine what we see of war? And who decides what is recorded, censored, or shared? Introducing The War We See, a new podcast on war imagery that explores these questions and more, through fascinating conversations with an eclectic selection of guests.