Peter speaks to the philosopher Al Lingis about what we can learn by looking and the ethics of seeing. Described as one of the most original voices alive today in American philosophy, Al is a keen photographer, and many of his essays are accompanied by his own images. During the episode Al describes the significance of photography to the development of his own philosophical thinking. Listen to the full episode by supporting the podcast on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thelandbehind

Peter joins the Helsinki-based photographer and researcher Harri Pälviranta at his studio to discuss the various themes behind his artistic practice, much of which has been dedicated to making visible structures of violence and issues of masculinity. His recent photobook titled Wall Tourist, published by Kult Books in 2022, contains a series of self-critical portraits exposed against the international boundaries of state power that question the role of the travelling photographer in the...

Peter speaks to the American photographer and writer Tim Carpenter about the "existential conundrum" of being a photographer, as explored in Tim's new book-length essay titled ‘To Photograph is to Learn How to Die’, published in 2023 by The Ice Plant. Their conversation is a discussion about the photographic life and how acknowledging our own mortality as human beings helps us draw deeper meanings from a life lived in the midst of the...

Peter speaks to the Japanese philosopher Takeshi Morisato about the 20th-century Kyoto School intellectual named Tanabe Hajime, whose philosophical method assimilated traditional elements of Japanese Buddhism with the perspectives of Western existentialism and Judeo-Christian theology during a period of enormous social upheaval in the history of modern Japan. Takeshi Morisato is a lecturer in Non-Western Philosophy at the University of Edinburgh. He is also the current editor of the European...

Peter joins Juuso Noronkoski at his studio in Helsinki to discuss the Finnish artist's photographic-based sculptural practice. Recognised by his ability to challenge and transform our expectations of the photographic image, Juuso's work has been exhibited worldwide in countries such as Japan and Germany. Drawing its inspiration from the phenomenon of different natural cycles, Juuso’s work is a spatiotemporal performative response to ideas of geological and cosmological time. Whilst noted for...

Peter speaks to the Brighton-based British photographer Simon Roberts about his experience photographing England’s social landscape in the decade preceding Brexit. Whilst Simon’s unique large format perspectives draw their significance from a long and rich tradition of British landscape representation, they demonstrate a challenge to traditional stereotypes and idealised cliches of Britain’s visual geography. Simon’s photographic depictions of Britain's high streets, beach resorts, national...

Peter speaks to the Danish photographer Joakim Eskildsen about his three-decade long career and the deep connections he has forged along the way. They touch on many topics, including Joakim’s current show at the Fotografisk Center in Copenhagen as well as his experience making a book with Steidl. They also discuss the meaning of home and consider what the 19th century Danish philosopher Søren Kierkegaard can teach us about the nature of beauty. Joakim also discusses his formative years as a...

Peter speaks with the Dartmoor-based British photographer Nicholas J. R. White about the interests and concerns that motivate his long-form, research-based and environmentally-situated large format practice. A graduate of Plymouth College of Art, Nicholas draws many of his motifs from the surrounding British landscape, and much of his photographic work can be characterised by underlying questions of land ownership and environmental rights. https://www.nicholasjrwhite.co.uk/ Join the...

Peter speaks to the Swedish Gothenburg-based photographer Emanuel Cederqvist about his book The Margin of Error. Born in Stockholm in 1863, Axel Hamberg is remembered today as a geographer, a scientist and a cartographer. What is perhaps lesser known about this man is his talent as a photographer. At the beginning of the 20th century, Hamberg began journeying to the glaciated highlands of the Scandinavian Mountains to conduct a number of geological surveys in the region of Sarek. These...

Peter speaks to the site-specific musicians and installation artists Leander Knust and A. P. Bergeron in conversation on the other side of the North Atlantic Ocean. For two weeks, Leander and A. P. have been collaborating together at an artist's residency aboard a 19th century lighthouse off the east coast of Long Island. During their conversation, many questions are asked; Where and how do artistic endeavours begin? How can technology mediate the artist's connection to the natural world?...

Peter speaks to Robert Darch about his new self-published photobook 'The Island'. As a self-described “artist-photographer”, Robert was born and raised in the Midlands. In the early 2000’s, he studied his BA in Photography at Newport in South Wales before falling seriously ill for a number of years. After his recovery he found himself in Devon, where in 2013 he returned to study his MFA at the University of Plymouth under the guidance of Jem Southam. Drawing inspiration from his personal life...

In this episode, Peter speaks to Richard Beaven from his home in upstate New York about his experience being a British photographer living and working in the post-9/11 landscape of the United States. During their in-depth conversation, they remember the deep and complex geological, cultural, political and colonial histories of the Hudson River Valley where Richard now has his home, and what these multi-layered narratives of the Hudson watershed might reveal about the tensions and...

From Helsinki, Peter joins Siân at her garden in rural Devon to discuss how Siân's faith in humanity continues to shape her perception as a psychotherapist-turned-photographer. With reference to her photographs, Siân considers the restorative power of gardening during times of crisis. Throughout their conversation, they touch on the relationship between trauma and hope, Sian’s life as a mother, and the ways in which Buddhism has influenced her artistic practice. Meanwhile, Peter considers...

In this episode, Peter speaks with the London-based documentary photographer Alys Tomlinson. Motivated by anthropological considerations such as the relationship between faith, identity and place, in 2018 Alys was the winner of the Sony World Photography Awards. In 2020, she was awarded first place in the Taylor Wessing Photographic Portrait Prize. Having just published her new photo book Gli Isolani inspired by cultural events and traditions specific to the Mediterranean islands of Sicily...

In this episode, Peter speaks to the ecological anthropologist Tim Ingold. During their in-depth discussion, they consider the nature of human-animal relationships and ecologies of perception. Meanwhile, they break down the false dichotomy between culture and nature, and consider the natural environment as the meeting place between earth and sky. With a distinguished career spanning over five decades, Tim is the author of 14 books and numerous articles. While he is known for his extensive...

In this inaugural conversation, Peter speaks with the Glasgow-based documentary photographer and lecturer Simon Murphy. In a wide-ranging discussion, they explore the landscape of Govanhill as a crossroads between different ways of seeing, not least between photographer and subject. They also reflect on the photographer’s responsibility in representing the face of another, and consider the gift of vision itself. https://www.instagram.com/smurph77 Photo: Simon Murphy.