S2 E1: The Return and the Ritual

Podcast

20 Mar

Paul and Dan return after a one-year hiatus to launch Season 2 of the Idle Hands Society. The conversation explores the shifting perspective that comes with milestone birthdays, the challenges of maintaining health as a creative, and the monumental task of editing a twenty-year photographic archive. They delve into the philosophy of sequencing a long-term body of work, the blending of documentary and street photography styles, and the evolving landscape of photographic institutions. The episode concludes with a look forward at Paul’s upcoming documentary project in Greece involving religious rituals and local folklore.

Timestamps & Key Moments

00:00 – The return of the podcast and the decision to rebrand as Season 2.
06:40 – Discussion on sugar detoxing, energy levels, and the natural sleep benefits of kiwis.
10:30 – Reflections on turning 40 and 50, and how the awareness of mortality drives creative urgency.
12:50 – The Wanderer’s Trail: The process of distilling two decades of work into a cohesive seventy-image book.
15:20 – Exploring the Mitch Epstein approach to sequencing by embracing the freedom of physical prints.
20:45 – The loss of traditional darkroom and printing facilities within academic institutions.
28:30 – Pre-production insights for a new documentary project centred on the Snakes of Kefalonia in Greece.